First thing to know about people in Finland is that they prefer a big personal space. There is this joke, which is not really a joke to be honest, that when a bus in Finland is full only every second place is taken and it really is like that. The people are very private and quiet and are not interested in human interaction, when you aren't a friend or family. A lecturer mentioned once, that when you meet someone new in Finland and you shake hands, the distance between you and them should be at least 1 m. Even when best friends are hugging, the way they do that is much different than in Austria, we are very close when we hug each other and the Fins still keep their 1 m distance between them. When you see strangers you are not supposed to greet them, my friend did that once and the guy, who she said hello to, looked fearful at her as if she would have wanted to stab him. Smiling is also not very common and when you do so the people look very irritated, this is kind of similar to the Russian behavior. In Austria it feels very uncomfortable when there is a silent break in a conversation, but in Finland that is normal and can even be a good sign. Keep in mind, personal space is very important and when you just want to pat them on the back, they will most certainly not like it. They are not keen on being touched by other people... but they go naked to the sauna together... Finnish people are a bit weird to be honest. They are close to nature and cherish what is given to them in the wild. Something they told us in the orientation week, was that Finnish mothers leave their children outside in the cold, of course in some nice and cozy blankets but still, they just left in the cold air to strengthen their immune system. You can see this especially on the countryside and not so much in the city, I guess because it is too dangerous.
In general the Finnish are happy to help you when you ask for direction, but you should prepare yourself for a strange look first.
References:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d9/c9/3d/d9c93d6b088c6216d0469d40962c5c20.jpg
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-media/vc/c961418c-d00f-4454-a67a-fc29a7d5785e.__CR0,0,300,300_PT0_SX300_V1___.jpg
https://www.paivanlehti.fi/content/uploads/Finnish-Nightmares-23052017-FN-825x433.jpg
https://www.goodnewsfinland.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Finnish-Nightmares.jpg
