A nation of enthusiasts

One thing Finland has a ton of is enthusiasts. You name a sport or hobby or craft or pasttime, and there is a club or association or class or society for it. My own foreigner-speculation is that this may derive from the fact that school days are so short: it is very common for children to be involved in multiple "hobbies" after school. Not on a competitive (necessarily) or overinvolved way - just something to pass the time, get out into nature (maybe), and contribute toward the formation of a well-rounded human being.

Here's an example. We went running near Vanhalinnavuori on Saturday in Lieto and when we got to the top (vanhalinnavuori=old castle hill), there was a group of bird-watching enthusiasts there. This kind of encounter is by no means a rare occurrence.

I love living in a nation of enthusiasts!