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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Alice Irazari and I'm Patrick Woodwood.

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<v Speaker 2>Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is

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<v Speaker 2>easier for people to understand no matter where in the

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<v Speaker 2>world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not covered with beautiful beaches by the warm ocean.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not Hawaii or the Caribbean. It is not

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<v Speaker 1>a quiet, peaceful town unknown to the rest of the world.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not filled with huge homes or wealthy people.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not known for its stunning art or dominant

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<v Speaker 1>sports teams. It is a small, cold country in the north,

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<v Speaker 1>but every year Finland is picked as the beest place

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<v Speaker 1>in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's Spotlight is about Finland. We explore why its people

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<v Speaker 2>are so happy. We examine the way they look at life.

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<v Speaker 2>We look at their customs and traditions. We identify what

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<v Speaker 2>makes them enjoy life so much.

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<v Speaker 1>Finland is a small country in northern Europe. It is

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<v Speaker 1>next to Sweden, Norway and Russia. Finland is one of

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<v Speaker 1>the oldest countries in the world. In the winter, there

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<v Speaker 1>are days when the sun does not rise the temperature

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<v Speaker 1>can drop to minus fifty degrees celsius. But each year

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<v Speaker 1>its people say they are happy The World Happiness Report

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<v Speaker 1>asks people all over the world to rate the quality

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<v Speaker 1>of life in their country on a scale of one

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<v Speaker 1>to ten. Most years, Finland scores the highest.

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<v Speaker 2>There are many reasons why Finland is so happy. Trust, honesty,

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<v Speaker 2>and equality have always been very important in their culture.

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<v Speaker 2>This trust applies to every part of their society, including

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<v Speaker 2>their government. Their elected officials talk honestly about what they're doing.

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<v Speaker 2>They do not try to keep things from the people

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<v Speaker 2>of Finland. They also encourage citizens to share their opinions

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<v Speaker 2>on government decisions. Leaders want to work with people to

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<v Speaker 2>solve problems.

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<v Speaker 1>The Finns share a responsibility to keep their country clean

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<v Speaker 1>and safe. Children learn to help clean their house and

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<v Speaker 1>their neighborhood from an early age.

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<v Speaker 2>Finland's schools are considered some of the best in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Their teachers are highly skilled. They try to develop lessons

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<v Speaker 2>that fit each student's needs. They value every student's growth.

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<v Speaker 2>All students are given equal opportunities to succeed. They do

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<v Speaker 2>not assume everyone has the same ability. Instead, teachers judge

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<v Speaker 2>each student's progress separately. This allows students to feel more

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<v Speaker 2>relaxed and enjoy learning. Also, their school days only last

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<v Speaker 2>five hours. They focus on fewer topics during the day

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<v Speaker 2>to learn more about them. Parents are involved in their

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<v Speaker 2>children's education. They help review their homework. They attend school

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<v Speaker 2>activities and meetings whenever possible. This holds students accountable because

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<v Speaker 2>their parents know what they're studying.

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<v Speaker 1>Finns take pleasure in simple things. One example is eating.

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<v Speaker 1>Finns love to share meals together. The University of Oxford

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<v Speaker 1>published a report that said people who eat with others

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<v Speaker 1>are more likely to feel good about themselves. They will

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<v Speaker 1>have a bigger group of friends who can provide emotional support.

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<v Speaker 2>According to the staff of This Is Finland, family meals

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<v Speaker 2>remain a strong tradition in Finland. Eighty one percent of

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<v Speaker 2>families with children eat together at least once a day.

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<v Speaker 1>Finns love simple things inside and outside the home. They

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<v Speaker 1>spend part of each day outside enjoying nature. The Finnish

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<v Speaker 1>Forest Research Institute reports that ninety six percent of adult

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<v Speaker 1>Fins spend regular time outdoors. Some of their favorite summer

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<v Speaker 1>activities are walking, riding a bicycle, picking berries, swimming, and

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<v Speaker 1>going to the beach. During the winter, Finns enjoy skiing,

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<v Speaker 1>ice skating, and sitting with family by a warm fire.

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<v Speaker 1>Their time outdoors calms them and reduces.

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<v Speaker 2>Finns also love to relax in a sauna. The sauna

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<v Speaker 2>is a small, heated wooden room. It is usually heated

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<v Speaker 2>to eighty degrees celsius. Just over five million people live

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<v Speaker 2>in Finland. They own over three million saunas. Finns are

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<v Speaker 2>famous for their love of saunas. In fact, the word

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<v Speaker 2>sauna is the only Finish word borrowed by the English language.

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<v Speaker 2>Most Finns use a sauna at least once a week.

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<v Speaker 2>The extreme heat helps calm a person's mind, it relaxes

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<v Speaker 2>their body. Saunas may even help fight off disease.

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<v Speaker 1>The people of Finland often help others in their free time.

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<v Speaker 1>This type of work is very rewarding. It makes Finnish

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<v Speaker 1>people feel good about themselves. They donate to charities. They

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<v Speaker 1>work with different organizations that help people.

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<v Speaker 2>Finns also enjoy playing various sports like football and hockey,

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<v Speaker 2>again played on ice with a rubber disc called a puck.

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<v Speaker 2>They also like floorball, a sport unique to Finland. It

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<v Speaker 2>is just like hockey, but played indoors with sticks and

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<v Speaker 2>a plastic ball. Finns also love to play bandy. Bandy

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<v Speaker 2>is similar to hockey. It is also played on ice,

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<v Speaker 2>but a bandy field is much larger. Players use a

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<v Speaker 2>plastic ball instead of a puck.

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<v Speaker 1>Finland offers public health care to everyone who lives in

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<v Speaker 1>the country. Finland's large taxes pay for this privilege. Patients

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<v Speaker 1>usually do not have to wait long to see their doctors.

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<v Speaker 1>Their system is considered very good. Fins do not need

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<v Speaker 1>to worry about large medical bills that cause debt.

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<v Speaker 2>Just like with their educational system, Finland's workforce cares about

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<v Speaker 2>the individual's needs and well being. Workers usually only work

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<v Speaker 2>thirty five five hours a week. They get a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of holiday time. Employers discourage emails after work hours. Finland's

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<v Speaker 2>Working Hours Act allows freedom in setting up a work schedule.

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<v Speaker 2>Writer Maddie Savage says it.

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<v Speaker 1>Gives the majority of full time workers the right to

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<v Speaker 1>decide when and where they work for at least half

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<v Speaker 1>of their working hours. Wesley Mercer moved to Finland. He

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<v Speaker 1>lived there for a year to experience Finland's happiness. He

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to discover if living there actually made him happier.

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<v Speaker 1>He wanted to learn their secret. He found that Finns

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<v Speaker 1>have an outlook on life called sisu. This means that

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<v Speaker 1>they value courage. When things get difficult, Finns continue with

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<v Speaker 1>a good attitude. Mercer began to use this philosophy. At first,

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<v Speaker 1>it was strange not to let himself be bothered by

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<v Speaker 1>mistakes or inconveniences. He resisted his natural reaction to get

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<v Speaker 1>mad when this happened, But then he noticed that cisu

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<v Speaker 1>made it easier to deal with difficult situations.

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<v Speaker 2>He also began to appreciate silence. Like Finn's, they enjoy

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<v Speaker 2>peaceful moments. It allows them to sit and think. Mercer

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<v Speaker 2>realized that the key to happiness for Finns is balance.

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<v Speaker 2>They maintain a healthy balance in all areas of life.

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<v Speaker 2>Mersa said it is.

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<v Speaker 1>A balance between work and personal life, joy and sorrow,

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<v Speaker 1>activity and relaxation. Finns find joy in simple pleasures they

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<v Speaker 1>do not take for granted, a meal with friends or

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<v Speaker 1>a walk by a lake. They have learned to slow

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<v Speaker 1>down to pay attention to these simple joys. They are

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<v Speaker 1>satisfied with what they have and who they are. Their

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<v Speaker 1>ideal life is the one they already have. They do

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<v Speaker 1>not want anything more. They learned this secret to happiness

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<v Speaker 1>a long time ago.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you ever been to Finland? Did you know it

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<v Speaker 2>is such a happy country. Would you ever like to visit?

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<v Speaker 2>You can leave a comment on our website at www

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<v Speaker 2>dot Spotlight English dot com, or you can find us

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<v Speaker 2>on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Blue Sky, and x. You can

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<v Speaker 2>also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or

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<v Speaker 2>Apple device through a free official Spotlight English app.

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<v Speaker 1>The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer

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<v Speaker 1>was Dan Christman. The voices you heard were from the

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<v Speaker 1>United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted

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<v Speaker 1>for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is

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<v Speaker 1>called the Happiest place in the World.

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<v Speaker 2>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 2>Spotlight program. Goodbye,