In my honest opinion, I do not see any point to holiday family gatherings, or any family gatherings whatsoever. At least in my case, I gather with a bunch of people, half of which are from extended families that I don't even know, and the adults sit around drinking and dining on some strange Finnish local food. What the hell is bread cake anyway? I tasted it and all I got was a mouthful of moist bread covered in cream. It almost made me puke. I have no chance with interacting with the adults as all they talk about is business while I sit idly by watching them fill their mouths with one 'delicacy' after another. They then ask me questions about how I'm doing back in Malaysia, to which I answer in the same fashion every time. "Yes, I'm doing fine." "Yes, school went well." I'm not one to brag so I don't go on about every grade I got in every class even though they look at me with needy eyes, expecting me to keep talking. My parents are always talking with other adults and my brother is usually off racing somewhere, he is profesional sprinter after all, so I have no close friends to talk to.
The kids are another matter completely. Some of them are infants who are lying in their mother's arms, annoying me with their high pitched squealing, and the slightly older ones are playing childish games amongst themselves which I can't be bothered with. I guess I'm just at that age where I think of myself as being 'too cool' to bother with such pests, no matter how cute they are, and even though none of my friends would see me do so. Even though I do like to think of myself being more mature then a lot of people my age, I still seem to have the same concerns as them. Then we get to the teenagers. You would think I could interact with the people my age right? No. I can't. They've all built up close connections already since they live so nearby, and exist in their closed off little groups which I have no part in. It doesn't help that I have never lived in Finland and don't understand all the same culture that they do. I don't even know half the rules to ice hockey which they all seem obsessed about. They sit there playing first-person-shooter games like Call of Duty which I have sort of grown bored of anyway, talking amongst themselves about things I barely understand.
This is my life of family gatherings in Finland. The parents always seem to be so interested in the kid that lives in Malaysia yet I am too indifferent to answer at great length. Of course not everyone is so boring or conformist as them and so I hang out with those people. This again completely takes away the point of a whole family gathering when I only hang out with a select few that share my interests. I do not like family gatherings.
I like the way you give insight into your Finish cultural practices such as playing ice hockey and gathering to eat Finish food such as "bread cake". You also did an excellent job in creating mood and a negative tone.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great strong tone here, Jussi! We see exactly what you feel, and you show us why with specific details that create empathy. You have a very understanding audience with your classmates, I would guess. If it makes you feel better, I think most teens hate family gatherings, even ones who do feel like they understand the culture!
ReplyDeleteI really liked you honest opinion of family gatherings in this blog. It was refreshing to read something that was different, as most of the pieces of writings I have read are about enjoying family gatherings. I also liked how you incorporated the finish culture into your writing, and I enjoyed reading about how it feels like to live in Malaysia and then go back home. such as the line " They then ask me questions about how I'm doing back in Malaysia, to which I answer in the same fashion every time." I think that this makes it really relatable to the people who read this that are living away from home.
ReplyDeleteone of the reasons why i liked this piece is because it contradicts the stereotypical perspectives of family gatherings. This was also interesting to me as i could relate well to it, considering the fact that im also pretty different when compared to the rest of my family. The clear details you give makes it very visual and descriptive. Makes the readers feel like a part of this awkward situation. Overall i actually enjoyed this piece and the way you characterized yourself was rather honest.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your straight-forward, no nonsense type of tone that surrounds the personality of this piece. You get straight to your immediate disapproval of family gatherings, and you definitely aren't afraid to do so. Your tone was so powerful that it actually made me ponder over some of my typical family gatherings and wonder if I endure the same thing, and at the same time through the extreme detail of the scenery of your gatherings, I was able to completely picture the scene of your family gatherings. Overall a good piece! Good job, Jussi!
ReplyDelete