Another thing that is like a religion in Finland (besides studying the language itself) is orienteering. Do you know what orienteering is? I had only a vague idea of it before we moved here. Then the girls started doing it sometimes for PE at school. And now, we've up and joined an orienteering club for families and children.
And it turns out that orienteering is almost like a religion! It's wholesome and family-friendly and its members are always looking for new people to recruit. Once you're into it, you wonder how you ever did without it, and you have increasingly nerdy chats with other orienteering converts.
So, yes, orienteering. It's a compass-based sport that originated in Sweden 100+ years ago. The essence of it is running around in the woods with a compass and a map - like trail running, but with a prescribed route and checkpoints along the way that you don't know the location of ahead of time. There are weekly practices and, every once in a while, competitions. The best orienteer...ers? are quick on their feet but also good at navigating.
It's fun to have taken up a family hobby that is completely new to us, even if I feel like I don't completely understand all the intricacies of the sport yet. Running around in the forest is something I will always be in favor of.
