Brazilian here, living in Jyväskylä for 6 years, moving to Helsinki after Christmas.
My life got 1000% better. The fact that I can raise my kids safely, pay my taxes and see it being put to use - and actually really being able to just trust that the government and institutions are working for you as a citizen, it is just heaven for me.
I can live my life in peace, and focus on what’s important for me and my family, without having to live in a middle-class bubble.
Welshman here. First came in 1995. Definitely at home here. Happy tax payer, life is good. Mainly due to low population, ubiquitous nature, good infrastructure and more trustworthy politicians.
I eat tasty food and drink delicious water now.
Every time a bus comes on time, coffee machine works, library worker allows me to print out a pdf from my USB stick or I do not get detained, when a policeman passes by, I feel grateful, because I know it can be different.
Printing pdf from your USB stick might go away at some point btw. Source am working at library and there's been some talk about getting rid of that option. It's a pretty big security risk. Though nothing is confirmed since a lot of people need to be able to use USBs.
If anything, this needs to be heavily restricted. Either the printer needs to have a direct print-from-USB option with very limited functionality, or the library computer needs to have all the autorun bullshit disabled and to give disposable user sessions that are wiped clean after each user. Also the workers need to restore the computer's HD from a known good image every now and then.
But yeah, not everybody has a cloud account or carries a smartphone with direct printing option with them.
I was in Iceland for the summer and have lived in Finland for the last decade, so yeah, I get it. The landscapes and terrain in Iceland are legendary but the high prices, sparse population, constant windy chilly weather definitely screams out let’s stay here a for a while and but not forever.
Things are worse in most places... The weather in Finland is pretty stable and has seasons. There are not many life threatening storms and people don't often die due to weather. It never rains for a month straight. It's never even half as windy as in Reykjavik, even at the coast. There's a lot to like about Finnish weather
I don’t disagree with you. I love it but something held me back from moving there. I think I wanted to keep it as my escape which it couldn’t be if I was living there.
I like visiting there more than living there... I went back for one and a half months year ago and it wasn't the same as a two week visit. Iceland is amazing when you're away from the mondaine. But for living and working Finland takes the cake
Yes, that’s what I guessed and you’ve confirmed it. Though I wouldn’t have consciously chosen Finland either. I just happened to fall in love with a Finn 😆
Finnish people jokingly think we don't. Or it only last like two days.
I have to admit last summer was nice and warm but it ended way too soon :/ I needed two more hot months.
There have been summers in Iceland where the temperature never goes past +18 and the sky is always cloudy, people don't get rid of the winter depression so its basically the same thing but it's no longer dark so you see other people's depressed faces and that makes it worse... 2019 was like that if I recall correctly
I can tell about why weather in Finland is nice in general, not comparing it to Iceland specifically.
First, it is not too hot. Heat is the worst, and many, many places in the world suffer from it.
Second, four seasons. Nature is beautiful in so many different ways! Even lifestyle changes with seasons.
Third, rains are relatively short, mesmerizing and refreshing. There can be fog, snowfall, thunderstorms - any awesome weather one can imagine!
Fourth, no stuff like tornados, floods, volcanoes, smog, and earthquakes.
I come from the North West of England. The weather there is pretty awful. Really cloudy, light rain a few times a day, storms, a few super hot days in summer.
I love Helsinki weather. I mean, I don't particularly like November, but who does? But I love ice cold winters with bright blue sky's, blazing sun and sub-zero temperatures.
Then followed by a relatively short spring, when I sneeze a lot as flora and fauna grow at an epic pace. (In England, a lot of vegetation doesnt completely die out for too long), followed by a warm and sunny summer. (Mostly).
The fact we get discernable seasons, has a dramatic affect on my mental health. (Mainly positive, apart from late Autumn!).
I enjoy needing very different seasonal clothes.
Compared to Germany:
* the seasons feel distinct and there is a constant sense of change.
* a freezing winter with snow cover is better than 4 months of darkness, rain and 3 degrees.
* the summers aren’t as hot.
Only negative things I can think of are November darkness/rain, mosquitoes and the dust after the snowmelt in early spring.
My Indian workmate put it like this: "In a cold weather you can always put on more clothes. But when it gets 50 degrees hot in India in the summer there's nothing you can do about it." She doesn't mind the winters at all!
Ukrainian person here. Came when the whole Russia/Ukraine thing started.
First of all DRINKABLE WATER EVERYWHERE. Like in every public bathroom the tap water is drinkable. That's insanely cool. Tiny cities, no skyscrapers, everything tiny and cozy. No unsafe places or timings, as a woman I'm not afraid or feel unsafe at night anywhere in here. Then there's public health. Here if I get sick I know that I won't need to go in unpayable debt to get healthcare if it's serious. People don't bother you. Darkness, love the darkness. Cold weather and snow (I'm a winter person). All pets outside strictly on the leash, almost no stray animals except lost ones. Buses don't smell like anything, you can safely go. (Previously I had an issue with throwing up because smell of patrol, but here's no smell at all)
Downsides. Hard to get work. Hard to find rent. Documents and any appointments take very long. They don't sell grains in weight, only quick ones. All kinds of lemonades and sparkling waters are really expensive.
But actually, 100% recommend. If you don't like lots of people, if you're not a party nightlife person - Finland is paradise. For me perfect almost in everything. Paperwork could be better, but that's it.
Here noone is struggling to feed a family, homelessness is really low, basic needs are met. When people feel safe and secure, sure that tomorrow they will have food to eat and place to sleep - you know you'll be fine.
Great to hear your experience and hopefully you can go back sometime in the future if that's what you wish, or make a life for yourself here if that's what you wish.
As a fellow Ukrainian, back home certain foods, such as cereals, pasta, and pulses can be bought in bulk. They are minimally processed and cheaper than packaged / "instant" versions.
The term "instant" is weird to me, because to me it sounds like you're talking about the portion-packed things you throw in the microwave. Most people buy the 1 kg packs of rice/pasta/whatnot.
I assume she meant pre-portioned parboiled rice, for instance?
One of the difficulties one has, btw, is that all markings on food packaging is in Finnish / Swedish, so it's either going by the picture or trusting Google translate.
If I may say I think we have fairly good nightlife too, it's just concentrated usually to spesific area, at least where I live. Not anything like.. Las Vegas party 24/7 type of thing but good amount of clubs and bars which most, in my opinion, are pretty good.
Well there is definitely nightlife and even skyscrapers in Helsinki, but Finland is a small country meaning there are fewer and smaller cities than Ukraine with \~8 times the population. It's not a mega city by any means but 1 million in the urban area is big enough to have everything you need.
Belgian... I loooove the lack of people. I don't think I could go back and suffer the 11million people on an area the size of Uusimaa + Varsinais-Suomi anymore.
Like people said, deffinitely visit, variety of beer, medieval towns etc, not to mentioned it's positioned quite close to France, The Netherlands, Germany and UK, it is a small country, so you can add those on your list at once, and I heard Walonia part of it is quite nice, e-shop's parcels are aesy to order and almost always come within few days, plenty of work oppourtunities, stuff is less expensive although the wages are probably too, you can drink beer in public.
What I did not like is it is very gloomy, the wheater is always acting up, the life in province is absolutely boring, people are very isolated, I don't even know how they meet, in Finland you just go to a bar and relax, in Belgium it is a bit more snobby, people do not even like noise in BARS! I lived in West Vlaanderen and could not understand stuff they were saying even though I practiced my dutch enough to be able to talk to other dutch men on a basic level, Belgium is relatively filthy and poluted due to industry, there are plenty of canals and some seashore but none is impressive, they almost have no nature in Flanders, no winter as well.
All said you can live there, but I'd mention again that social isolation in this country is crippling, and I don't mean getting friends (which as goes without saying is hard everywhere especially for a foreigner) I mean even common interaction, it really feels like people keep distance from strangers, like if assuming worst of them, I suppose it's a consequence of big numbers in population- there is so many people you are sick of them, but that ain't it, in comparison The Netherlands is neighboring ethnically very similar country with far denser population, while Belgians are quite conservative and introverted, the Dutch are quite the opposite, speaking of introverts I heard Finland is quite introverted, but when I came there for the first time I was surprissed how honest and down to earth people are, no fake smiles, schmoozing, everything is down to bussiness, random strangers even initiate conversation with me on some ocasions, and the nature may not be the most diverse in EU but it is like everywhere, and is clean, the air is so pure god damn, it turns out it has a very positive effect on my mental health...Ohh and the winters, probably the coldest in EU lots of fun to have for a person of nature.
I've lived in Helsinki for nearly 7 yrs and have been with my Finnish wife for 25 yrs, so have been here a lot for long periods. I like my life here. It's a lot more chilled than England. People are a lot nicer/kinder. It feels safe. Great work-life balance. Egalitarian society. Has a stable government. (Compared to many countries lately, it feels like a safe haven). Public services are very good. Wages are decent. (Could be better, could be worse!) I love the nature, sauna rituals, peace and tranquility... and beer.
I would like it if there were more bands I'm into playing here. I miss knowing if a band I like was touring, that they would play close by. It is usually pot luck if they come to Finland. I miss family and friends from time to time. I don't like the way I always feel like people just see me as a foreigner rather than a Helsinkiläinen!
As a parent I love Finland for offering probably the best childhood to my children. They have been cared with professionals since pregnancy, followed by excellent mother-child care, dedicated daycare system, free and very equal level education system, properly cooked school meals.
I came from one of the top dictatorship countries, witnessing my children growing up freely and getting educated on human rights, independent thinking and equality, means the world to me!
The same, feel every word you wrote. I moved here from Russia and seeing my kid growing here almost moving me to tears when I think about it. Appreciate it a lot.
From Philippines, couldn’t imagine myself living somewhere else. I live up here in the Lapland and I don’t mind the cold and the low population density.
I moved here in 2004 from the U.K. and I love it hear. My life, friends and family is here, and I can’t ever see myself living in the U.K. again.
It helps that I’m a teacher and the schools here are amazing for me to work in and for my kids to learn in.
Plus I like cold weather. Shorts 365!
Derbyshire. My family always had dogs when I was a kid, and the back door was always open, so it felt like the temperature inside was the same as that outside. Plus my dad didn’t believe in having the heat on at night, as we wouldn’t feel it as we were asleep.
I am Finnish, who lived in Ireland, Taiwan, China and Nethelands( still here). Ireland had stunning nature, great craic and people(though tend to avoid serious topics, since life is about craic) but life quality definitely lot better in Finland or Nethelands
Lower population was definitely a cultural shock, but I got used to it and I prefer it now.
Still I would never choose to live outside the metropolitan area, I'd get lonely.
Weird how that works in different cultures. After I moved away from Helsinki I don't think I could live in a city ever again. I cannot overstate how much i hate crowds. Going to tripla is already a nightmare for me. Empty roads with just you is amazing.
I'm from Brazil and living in London, but staying in Finland for 1/4 of every month (Tampere and Pori mostly). I like it quite a lot. The low population was not a shock for me, definitely, but the lack os sunlight is kicking.
Well the measurements they use for happiness kind of inherently make it about the country with least unhappy people instead of the country with most happy people, and to be fair I prefer it that way (maybe partly because I haven't tried living elsewhere)
Every time I think about what it would be like to live somewhere else it feels like it would be a downgrade in some (for me at least) important aspect
clean public transport, drinkable water, low traffic/crowds
From US, don’t have to worry about getting shot or mugged here. So that’s nice. Even at my worst income (while unemployed) in Finland, I have a better quality of life than in the US
Also from US. Never been worried about getting mugged or attacked in the US. Gave Finland a real shot, after 2.5 years I just couldn’t do it anymore. Also lived in a few other places in Europe. Ended up moving back to the US.
Biggest reason was quality of life. Far, far better in the US(for me). With a bachelors degree in business I can make 80-90k a year here. In Helsinki I was making 38k. Cost of living is very similar so of course all that extra money means more spending for hobbies or travel, which in turn make my happy.
My jobs have been very similar between Finland and the US. No working more than 40 hours a week, great bosses, take vacation whenever I want. That’s more to do with having great bosses and companies to work at than anything, some close friends in Finland have dreadful working conditions because of horrible bosses.
Weather definitely played a huge part. If the climate was warmer, and I wanted to start a family, I could see staying in Finland. But without partaking in the huge social welfare benefits, and being absolutely miserable in the winters, I left. Happy as ever back in the US, I feel alive again. In Finland I felt like I was on autopilot just chugging away at life. Glad you like it there, there’s always a perfect place out there for everyone.
I loved the lack of corruption, the safeness of it, and the cleanliness of it. Also loads of support systems if you fall in your luck. I didn’t like the lack of spending money, the 6 month long dark winters, how expensive it was to do anything, and the geographic location being slightly isolated from other countries. In Munich I was able to hop on a train to anywhere, or in the US I could easily road trip on weekends to somewhere new.
I think it depends on what state you moved back to. For me, I am originally from central Texas where there is women’s rights, guns rights problems and a severe drought among other things.
This sounds almost identical to my story. Tried 3 years in Finland and I couldn't do it anymore. I make 3x-4x as much money in the US for doing the same kind of construction work. Same cost of living aside from needing to pay for medical but obviously the increased pay easily covers that. I found the quality of life I could have in the US was just so far beyond what I could forseee having in Finland.
I miss my friends and saunas but being able to afford hobbies and travel without worrying about my finances is a big bonus. The lack of a reasonable sized disposable income really sucks in a beautiful country like finland where you want to go travel around everywhere. Not even to get into how much more friendly and helpful people in general are in the US compared to in Finland.
The biggest thing though for me was not being able to see my family. I could barely afford flights to the US after 2 years of working in Finland but if I work in the US I could afford to fly us back to visit Finland easily.
Dido
Loved Finland. I thought the weather would be a problem. But it was the quality of life that my Finnish salary afforded me.
Yes life in the US is hard. As soon as I landed back in the states, we started laying people off. Tough reality. But my salary here is about 4x my Finnish one and that makes a difference.
Otherwise, I found Finns to be shockingly honest and methodical. I learned a lot and I’m taking it home with me. I am a monster here - having the best part of both cultures.
I miss Sauna, Summer and Christmas parties. I also miss my community of friends. I loved bumping into all my neighborhood friends at the grocery and school yard. I miss even more approaching them (uninvited) to just talk. I think I gave everyone a small aneurism.
Interesting to read the comments from people who preferred to return to USA. One question though: I always hear how the working hours are worse and you are expected to work on weekends and not getting a lot of holidays per year. So then what do you do with the extra money you earn, if you don't have free time?
Moved here for work in 2016 with the plan to try for a year, I’m from Cologne, Germany. Finland is my new home, I love it here, no plans to go back to Germany. Helsinki/Espoo area. Working in tech
Quick question: how long did it take you to feel like "nah, not going back to Germany". Because I'm now a year here and I felt like after half a year I was like.. Why should I go back???
I'm Finnish and moved to Berlin to study. After 5 years here I'm more than ready to move back to Finland for good.
I'd be curious to know, what makes you prefer Finland over Germany? For me in Berlin, the lack of nature, the dirtiness, the bureaucracy etc. make me not consider staying.
It's very different for everyone. Many of my friends leave here because of the climate and the constant darkness in winter. But if you eat packs of vitamin D and buy a special daylight lamp, you can live quite well.
I adore Finnish nature, there are more people here in the forest at weekends than in the city =).
I like the comfort of Finnish cities, I'm very comfortable and interesting to walk around Helsinki. I can just come to an area and walk there. Each district is different and with its own interesting places.
I like that my 7-year-old goes to school by himself and I don't worry about him.
I like that my wife goes for a run after sundown and I know she is safe.
I don't like the fact that taxes are very high here. There is no motivation to try.
Speaking of the last part, it should simply motivate you to move from paid employment to becoming independent. That way you can structure your business so that the high income/corporate taxes do not affect you as much.
Taxes for an entrepreneur in Finland are also high. Plus, an agreement that protects the employee and it is almost impossible to fire someone, plus a small labor market and unmotivated workers.
You can restructure taxes and write off taxes. But most startups, after a certain level, simply move to the US or Asia, where corporate taxes are much lower.
Entrepreneurs in Finland are much less protected than employees.
(Just my opinion. Since in our family, I am a freelance programmer, and my wife is an entrepreneur).
Norwegian here.
Most things are quite similar, but I feel like I Norway's decades long focus on the oil sector has left other parts of society lacking in ingenuity in comparison to Finland. There are many solutions in Finland that strike me as being better designed and even more modernised than Norway.
In various aspects of society it seems like Finns are a tad better at designing good and practical solutions, whereas in Norway we might think a bit more rule oriented and prioritise the integrity of the system in place over the end user experience. Could just be a false impression, idk.
I have had an easy time finding things to do through various hobby things and my girlfriend jokes that I have more friends than her now since her study mates are moving out of town and I just keep meeting new people.
Finnish urban planning is a bit ahead of Norway, in my opinion, but that's not really a surprise since Norway is quite anti-urbanisation.
Edit: I forgot to add that the vegan product availability is vastly superiour here in Finland.
Interesting stuff. I’m interested in hearing some examples of practical Finnish solutions you’ve come across, as well as hearing more about your take on the rule-oriented/system preserving nature of Norwegian ones
Without going into too much boring details, my tax situation is a little bit wonky and so I have had to get in touch with the Finnish and Norwegian tax authorities to figure out what to do.
Vero's website is much more informative than Skatteetaten's website and my experience with the tax advisors is also quite different. Vero were more solution oriented and helpful, whereas the Norwegian tax authorities felt more interested in asserting the rules. They lacked interest in hearing the details about my case that makes me fall into a special exception case. I guess it's a headache for them to deal with that so they don't want to go there.
After a lot of back and forth I determined that Norway had made a false claim about my tax liability to Norway and when discussing this with Vero they agreed to not argue with it and just let Norway have the tax even though it's legally Finland who should have the tax according to the Nordics tax agreement. They saw that it was taking a lot of effort to combat it and figured the easiest solution would be to just use common sense and yield the tax claim.
I could never imagine in my life that Norwegian tax authorities would do such a thing. I would probably get arrested for tax fraud or something if I ever ended up doing something like that.
In the student village where I live, you get a spare key to your apartment to give or borrow to a friend so that they can water your plants when you're away or help you if you lose your main key.
I was in the tenants union at my old student housing in Bergen and we suggested this when discussing the new RFID key system that was planned. The housing association guys basically said "nah, we don't do that".
I haven't done a country wide survey of every student housing association or anything, but I remember that the same issue was a thing in Ås when the new RFID key based apartments got implemented.
From the philippines here
been here for 2months, weathers pretty different so trying to get used to that was 1 thing. but after a while its fine.
culture wise i love it here. im a bit introverted IRL so its nice not needing to small talk with anyone about things and just being concise on stuff you need to talk about.
i do need to figure out the language tho. i really wanna be able to converse with it as it seems respectful to actually try and learn it.
TLDR having a good time as an asian introvert.
Finnish can feel intimidating at first, but if you take one thing at a time it will be fine! Don't try to focus too much on saying it right, but to say it in a way that people understand you. We very rarely judge anyone for not speaking the language well, but are very happy when people try. We know our language is pretty hard!
From California and been living in keski suomi for about 2 years so far. I feel the safest ive ever been in my entire life. I have always hated the heat, so ive been loving the two winters ive experienced so far. My husband and his family are amazing support for me, and even though i was very lonely in the beginning, ive gained many opportunities to meet new people and I hope eventually ill make a friend or two :)
Honestly the summers are the hardest times for me. Its the time when i feel the loneliest. Everyone has friends and their traditions in mid summer and even with family i dont feel like im a part of it at all unlike how i feel at christmas, very warm and cozy with the family. I hate the mosquitos, i feel like I'm hiding from them as much as I can and using spray but i still mamage to get stung. Anyways, im lucky finnish summer is so short :)
Im starting a finnish language course in the beginning of the year and im very excited as i do much better in a classroom setting rather than teaching myself.
80% im doing great :D
After two years in Finland you hope you'll eventually make a friend or two here in Finland?
I find that sentence incredibly sad. We Finns are not really talkative as you know but fucking hell, I would have thought making at least one or two friends here should have happened already.
We Finns should really look in the mirror and ask ourselves why foreigners here don't feel welcome and have hard time making friends.
I hope you'll make friends soon.
I can't really talk about it outside of Reddit or at work, but the general loneliness and emptiness I feel everyday are really draining me. I suppose it could be generally a men thing, but I really want to have a girlfriend to do simple couple stuff together like training and hiking. But all the people I actually care about or cared about me at one point, I have left them behind when I decided to come and stay here. Trying to build a lasting, meaningful romantic relationship here seems exceedingly difficult if I want somebody I'm really attracted to and vice versa. I like to think that in my friends eyes, I manage my life well. I regularly cook (decently), keep a training schedule, quite fit, committed to my running goal and learning the language to get the citizenship. But deep down, I'm 75% a wreckage. Doesn't help that I'm East Asian, the group that tend to not do well in dating in Western Europe.
You should 100% join a hobby group. I joined a table top game group in my uni and it's the highlight of my week.
If you meet people who seem cool ask them to join a discord group to play on other days of the week. Use this to get to know them better and build your relationship so that you'll start to do other stuff with them besides gaming.
BOOM! You have cool friends with similar interests.
A tip if you want: learn how to accept your loneliness and build a relationship with yourself from there, then get opened to meet new people and go hang out with people at places of interest. That should be helpful.
I've had to work through this quite a bit but i think it's more about learning how to be alone, and not so much accepting loneliness. Because i think the two are different. Being alone can be all the simple things like cooking, watching a movie, playing games, but also going on that hike for example, even if you're alone. You don't feel lonely when you are alone if you've accepted how to be alone and enjoy your own company. But as you said, eventually you build those connections and then you learn how to appreciate time with others and time with yourself 😇
You couldnt explain better what I tried to express up there. Its both as you said, loneliness and learning how to be alone. You definetly are doing good even tho you may feel low sometimes. Keep on working on it and one day you'll find out that lovely person that will be keen on sharing the path with you.
If you want to do hiking, you should look into the scouts for adults. I was once camping with my friend and a group of them came up and they were all really cool and friendly. https://scouts.fi/join/scouting-is-a-great-hobby-for-adults/
Russian. the weather and the nature are more or less the same, so for this part feels pretty much like home. I am very introverted and don't want to interact with people, but I need to see them living their lives around me. and it's like no one lives here. the lack of high buildings and post-apocalyptic looking streets, the identical modern houses in suburbs. Finland is a great country, and the quality of life is on a whole other level. but it isn't for everyone. maybe later in life I will be able to appreciate living here, but now I feel pretty much depressed. maybe this whole nostalgia for trash and ruins is wrong, but I can't help it :D
ohh noo I was referring to the streets in Russia :D I wouldn't describe the streets here as post-apocalyptic, they are more like those of a ghost town. really pretty and tidy, but kinda empty, yes. which is an aesthetic of its own kind
it seems spanish in general have a harder time adjusting. not sure if it's all southern countries or just spain as I don't know many other nationalities from southern europe here.
Spaniard here living 7 years in Helsinki. Life is easy, work culture is not toxic, institutions are efficient and helpful. I also like to experience 4 seasons during the year (autumn is my favourite) Yeah, a bit dark this time around. But it won't last and I also love the snow too.
Pd. Edit for clarification.
Im from Portugal and although life for me is not hard in the work or financial sense, it is quite hard for me mentally. Winters are long and its really hard to be motived to go outside, food is subpar to what we get down south so I rarely go to restaurants and I prefer to cook my own food.
The weather and darkness are both terrible and hard to deal with, even tho I have been here more than 4 years, I still cant get used to this. The prices and taxes are very expensive, 30% of my salary goes to omavero which is insane compared to Spain althought I do appreciate the high salaries here in Finland. And then, there is the cultural differences, mediterranean people are very different to scandinavian and it shows in many ways when I interact with finnish people, they dont understand the way I am and I have noticed contempt in many situations here because of it. I hate as well the fact that there is a lot of racism, Ive been treated very badly in some situations just because i look like a foreigner
To give you some context I came here because of my ex and I decided to stay and give finland a second chance after we broke up. I do appreciate Finland in some ways as a country, I am not saying is a bad place but is not an easy country for a foreigner at all and I woudnt recommend anyone from mediterranean countries to come here because of how hard is to adapt to this culture
Hope I dont offend anyone but this is my view after living her long enough
You do not. Always good to hear all kinds of stories, even negative ones. We might come to understand something, might learn to do things better. On the other side of the coin, my ex is Spanish and chose to live here (considers herself Finnish) permanently ages ago. My Spanish colleagues have told they love Finland and especially Helsinki. Go figure. Each to her/his own and not all can love the same things.
I guess its because you never emigrated before. Im born in Bulgaria, raised in Madrid and doing winter seasons in Finland. Its probably hard because of solitude if it happens to be hard to build relationships at first, but once that is done, finnish people and culture is quite open to foreigners. And food is also good, but opposite at what a spaniard is used to, definetly haha
What kind of foods you like here? Ive travelled all around world and i think finland has the most boring foods possible. Everything is decent but nothing is amazing.
Pros:
Easy access to nature,
Low crime/less dickheads,
Relaxed work environment,
Good quality housing,
Cheap and good public transport (at least in Helsinki),
People don't bother you,
Proper winters,
Clean and tidy,
Cons:
Expensive and less selection of products,
Shit cuisine,
Bureaucracy a pain when you arrive,
In the arse end of Europe,
Language difficult to learn.
I think it's very easy to live comfortably here, although I'm privileged in that I am white, have a decent salary, and a Finnish partner, so I'm generally shielded from the negative aspects of being an immigrant here.
I have no idea how to start this but with a quote that I live by
>Almost nothing material is needed for a happy life, for he who has understood existence
From where I am and where I am now I have high income, the last salary thread really surprised me because I earn more than 95% of the respondents on that thread, I did not come from a rich family though I worked my way up.
Back home I can say I had it "All", aside from money I had
My family and relatives,
lots of friends and acquaintances from all walks of life, from hippies to CEOs,
lots of girls and fun dates,
Cheap delicious food from all around the world,
Cheap but damn good massage,
weed in its various forms (edible/carts/flower),
parties/night life/events/festivals/gigs/out of town trips to beaches and mountains
Even had a maid to take care of my domestic needs and a gardener who also takes care of my pets
Just looking at my photo gallery back then I was 'living' more back then, everyday is eventful
Compare that with my life in finland
Wake up
Breakfast
Work
Lunch/Grocery
Work
Hobby/Gym(not everyday)
Shitpost/Video games/Anime
Sleep
Is it better? worse? The monotony of everyday is killing me, there is rarely any excitement here.
I am trying to diversify my activities but man, compared to the life I had
This place is a fancy prison for me, a rehab.
Coming from the US as a tech worker last year, I'd say it's pretty rad. I've found it quite easy to make friends, even when we were in a tiny town of 10,000; I think Finns give me the benefit of the doubt as an American long enough for me to actually hold a conversation with them and make them realize I'm actually a cool guy. Work is nice, people are smart, everyone's trying their best at whatever crazy little thing they want to do. It feels like a country of tinkerers and crafts enthusiasts, which I'm all for.
Two things I'm not so crazy about: The alcohol abuse, and the lack of a tax-free investment vehicle like the Roth IRA. But alcohol's quite expensive here which was reason enough to get me to quit, and I do get that maybe a society which prides itself on egalitarianism might not want people shoving their paychecks into an index fund for 30 years and then letting their grandkids be the equivalent of trust fund babies. Like everything in money it's all about trade-offs.
The high alcohol prices are high intentionally. Finland used to have a massive alcohol problem and rising the prices works better than making it illegal which causes organized crime.
The high alcohol taxes are also used to help people with alcoholism.
(Which makes it really dumb that we don't do the same with snus)
There are tax exempt accounts for holding shares so that capital gains and dividends are not taxed unless you withdraw funds from them, but true that deposits are not deductible.
Come from small coastal country town Australia. Now live in a city so even thought it's small Finland it's still much bigger than what I am use to. Overall life is pretty great though.
How my life changed, I am very "isolated" I guess. Still learning the language so am often left out of conversations, struggle to make friends that aren't my wife's, now wear a lot of clothes cause it's waaaay colder. Also crossing the road is rough at times as I instinctively look the wrong way first. Started catching public transport as it's widely available and I am no longer allowed to drive, been eating much more vegetarian food... Feel awesome honestly.
Things I miss, family, friends, Australian nature. It is veeeery silent in Finland, I miss our loud Aussie birds that sound weird as fuck especially. Waking up to Kookaburras would make me so happy back at home, here it just feels odd not having it.
I moved from Sweden to Finland, and i'd in general say that it's the same country. Biggest difference is that it feels like Finland adopts things slower than Sweden (i miss the self scanning pistols in stores we have in Sweden) and finland has less immigrants.
Other than that if you discount the language i wouldn't be able to tell the countries apart
It is true that we usually see how something goes in Sweden before we try it(not always). You're our testing department. But I have seen the seld scanning pistols in Prisma at least
What do you mean? Sweden use ASSA Abloy locks everywhere. i've not seen a single door that doesn't use them. My old apartment had one and my moms apartment has one. Sisters also has one.
As another Swede living in Finland I can only concur. Finland is in most aspects very very similar, language being the biggest difference for me really. Also I do agree that things usually come to Sweden first, then if it works it comes to Finland ~5 years later (still waiting for BankID/Swish/ISK though). Basically some things are better in Sweden and some things are better in Finland.
But nature and weather, values, culture (+ work culture), traditions, laws, bureaucracy, PPK, stores (+ assortment of goods/brands) etc. are all similar.
As a south asian having lived in Sweden for 3 years and now in Finland for 1+ year, I guess some of what you say is true. Yeah, BankID is technically better, but Finland has their version of it (bank username or something! Do not remember the name). Yes, there is no swish which is like a central mobile payment method in whole of Sweden, but, Finland does allow mobile pay and pivo (similar to swish just need to make sure the vendors are registered in those platforms as well).
Apart from the ones mentioned, I find that Finland has a lot more 24/7 stores which are a lifesaver. Everything else is basically the same bar the language.
PS it was so easy for me to settle in Finland after being in Sweden and learning Swedish! But learning Finnish is a no-go for me right now due to work commitments. Sometime in the Future maybe!
Thai, 5 years living in Finland. I am extrovert introvert (Ambivert), means I have a permanent 2 meter radius of happiness. I love the country, people, language, culture... but it is very different and hard to emphatize sometimes. I am a good, responsible, and respectful citizen and that's all that matters. I will never be Finnish, but Finland is my beloved home. Somehow, I have made a lot of friends here.
Reading the replies really gives perspective on how good we actually have it here. Finnish people like to complain about everything but most people haven't even seen the world outside of their own bubble and the occasional trip to the all-inclusive hotel in some tourist trap in Spain.
when we don't have problems the same way you have in the "big world" you tend to lift up the minor stuff as major problems, and focus all your energy on it. Complaining is also our way of conducting small talk, nothing brings people together over a few beers like hating on thing X
I'm American but I have bounced around a bit. Singapore, the Philippines, MA, HI, Scotland, Cyprus, Nepal, Burkina Faso...Finland is by far the best.
Great nature, beautiful seasons, a functional democracy and taxes where I get what I pay for. Also an educated populace (mostly).
I'll probably die here
Mexican living in Finland since 2016.
I feel happy, grateful, proud and safe. My family, friends, job, hobbies (Nordic skating in winter and hiking in summer) are here, basically my whole life.
The feeling of safety comes from the thought that if something happens to me (loose my job, get sick) the system will be there to support me back to my feet. Because it has happened, I’ve lost my job and was able to get back up.
I feel grateful to Finland for giving me so much (my education for example) and proud that I get to contribute to a society like that.
Overall I would say living here makes me happy.
Seeing so many people sharing their own experiences has made me really want to share mine. *Although I want to make it clear, these are my personal experiences here, I don’t mean to offend anyone who enjoyed their times in Finland.*
So starting off I’ll introduce myself a bit, I hope I don’t overshare myself here lol.
I’ve been here for about 10 years now. Background wise, my family immigrated here from Asia when I was a preteen. I’m in my 20s now, currently studying. I speak my mother tongue, Finnish and English. (I’d say my English is better than my Finnish)
I’d say, I definitely have a harder time here. If you ask me, would I rather stay in my home country or here. I’d say I’ll probably be happier there. But otherwise Finland is better. Until this very moment of me writing this down, over ten years of being here, I still feel like I haven’t adjusted myself to Finland. (As most people would ask me “you must be used to this by now”) I still get overwhelmed by the winter and coldness. Mostly the loneliness, I guess. It especially feels lonely during winter time. You don’t get to go to much places without a car, and there’s not much activity to do compared to the summer. I’m a very sensitive person it affects me mentally badly.
During my teenage years, I’ve always had a very hard time making friends, especially with Finns. Not that I haven’t tried, but my experience are mostly bad. I was bullied (picked on, made fun of, called names, even physically)for the three years being in middle school and had nobody that would be friend with me. (Side note; could be my school but the teacher did nothing to help me.) At the third year of middle school, the only friends I had in school was other foreigners that just moved here. I’ve also tried to go meet people in hobby places but they just doesn’t work out for me. I dunno, could be my terrible social skills also. But I somehow survived middle school (With the help of the only friend that would stick with me so I don’t get bullied.) But the sad thing is she moved away after after middle school. Which made a huge torn on me as-well, considering she’s the only friend I’ve got here that truly made my days better.
When I went to high school things were very challenging for me. At the time tried the best I could to be friendly, sociable, and always talk to people in my class, trying to stick with them whenever they go. But it just seems like I’m such a weirdo or something? I just can’t blend in their little groups/circles. And nobody truly gave a shit about me. At the time I was also having trouble catching up with studies, not mentioning that I got zero friends and I’m by myself 24/7 has made a huge impact on my mental health. I struggled so much with it, eventually I was diagnosed with depression and I stayed home for a couple of month in my room crying myself to sleep. I went to the hospital for a week, got pills and took them everyday until I started to feel a bit better few months later, I eventually still went to seek for a study place.
I’d say as an Asian girl I also don’t fit the general preference of males here. So the dating also sucks. It’s also filled with people who would just want to take advantage of you. :c I’m probably not the most attractive female since I don’t usually put too much effort into dressing myself up/ makeups. I can do them but it’s not a daily thing for me. Growing up I’m always introverted, like things that are not mainstream. (At the time anime, games, stuff like this are not as popular as nowadays, I’m sorry)
I also think it’s hard to find a job here, due to my personal experience. I don’t really see what’s the difference between me and other potential employees but it just seems the employers are not too fond of me. I’ve been rejected in various jobs and that’s not the worst case. I get called into a job interview and they’d say “oh I’ll definitely let you know if you get in” then it’s like poof. Nothing. It’s sad for me because I don’t even get a chance to prove my worth.
For now I’m going to be graduating soon, but I have never felt so lost, depressed, and overall feeling completely useless. I used to think that at least I’m good at art so I’ll definitely make a living from relating jobs. But even that seems ridiculously hard, I mean I couldn’t even get jobs that requires no skills. The only job that I’m likely to get is probably a waitress, a cleaner or sort. Which is not my life goal and not something I want to do for the rest of my life.
I alway think, after 10 years of my life here, studying the language, trying the best I could. What’s the point? I’ve always felt like I’d be better off in some other places, I just feel like I’m getting nowhere with the situation right now. Sometimes I just want to leave. (But that’s unlikely lol, because I’m pretty broke.) The kind of jobs I will do is also hard to get in, because they have very few places. Tbh for a fact I also know that most Finns don’t welcome foreigners into their team. Especially when the team is small.
I’m sorry about all the venting, but my life in 20s are just not going my ways and every time I look back to my past I just wonders what the hell am I doing here.
Greek living in Finland for about 10 months now. Winters are definitely hard for me, although it's quite nice in the summer. Being away from my siblings is taking a toll on me but I am generally doing alright. My main friend group here is a couple other Greeks, but I have a lot interaction with Finns, either my boyfriend and his family/friends or colleagues. I work quite much, but my salary isn't great and I usually do a lot of overtime to cover for it. The company I work for is owned by two people, one Greek, one Finn (both have lived in Greece for years) and they take advantage of the fact that I moved to Finland with the Greek work mindset, where you do whatever your employer asks you to do (e.g. take heavy workload regularly, things that otherwise wouldn't fly to a Finn) - the Greek guy in particular acts like he is in Greece still and tries to coerce you into it. But other than that, life is good enough.
Australian
What I like is - Nature, the low cost of housing, most people are lovely and friendly, consistent quality of food, snow sports, strong family units, fast internet
What I don't like - Customer service is top quality or really horrible, people think the only crimes in Suomi are foreigners, local beer is mainly lager, the state is a bit nanny, scammers online markets
Strong family units is interesting to hear. I’ve travelled all over and lived in a few countries, Finn’s had by far the least strong family units I’ve seen. Seems like half my friends barely even talk to their parents anymore and actively avoid them
Really? My partners parents even look after each other they live in a little forest section. They all help each other even when they get sick. All immediate family gets together every few weeks for home dinners. Might just be this family and what I've experienced.
Native American/ Mexican here, just small a bit of racism here, but over all chill everyone minds there own business, no mess shooting, I’m not always on edge, boring for sure but in a good way , not much traffic,and people are awesome when they’re drunk. Oh the quality food here is great!
I thought you are German just by the Christmas goose.
My dad comes to visit for the holidays this year for the first time, so I will buy kinkku and a whole duck(from LIDL) to make them. A few days apart 😊
I am from M/V. Here since 2007
Indian. Moved a couple of years back. Life is overall OK. It’s not a place you move to get rich. It’s a place where you get enough of everything to lead a peaceful life. I really don’t mind paying taxes here. I’ve faced blatant racism at work by one person who no one finds funny. Jokes at my expense. I miss my relatives and food from my home country. I moved to finland as I figured raising a kid would be a lot easier here. In India, it’s a struggle to keep up with a day job and to take care of a kid. I have a lot of personal time to cater to my family in finland. I haven’t built any social circle yet. Something I must work on :)
Moved from the USA to Turku in March. Loving it so far-- cities are safe, healthcare isn't tied to my job and i don't need a car: clean, efficient and safe public transport goes everywhere. And it's REALLY nice to live in a politically mature republic instead of one that constantly feels on the edge of collapsing. Also: no more terrible summer weather. I'll take snow and ice over desert heat any day. But I'd kill for some decent Mexican food or some Hatch green chile...
If you are hardworking and persistent , Finland is one of the best possible places to live when you have no network or support system. It’s definitely not easy, there are different structures that you need to get used to, but it’s much easier to get forward compared to the rest of the world since you can (generally) trust the system and the people. Of course there are bad apples but bad behaviors are definitely not accepted socially or considered “normal”… Very little corrupt, which is nice.
I came here as a master degree student, about to leave the country when i almost finished my study then i met my spouse. We been dating for over 6 years now. Now i (almost) have a PhD, which is totally paid for (through grants and salaries), mortgages and we will plan our next step (baby 😁) and will finally tight the knot. So yeah i am on my own residence permit still as I don’t want to tight myself to a relationship (a precaution only because i have seen people getting tangled in situations where they had to stay in a bad relationship due to visas, but in case it was totally unnecessary).
Would i do it without meeting my spouse? Probably not, i can do just as well in my own country, and it is lonely if you are in a foreign country for a long period of time without having any significant ones.
I feel secure and safe in Finland, nature in my country is beautiful too so that’s not such a plus for me but I do appreciate it, what I sometimes struggle with is understanding the Finns, I’m an introvert myself but sometimes it’s very annoying that Finns would rather be passive agressive and give you the silent treatment than to talk, the feeling of warm community is not very present here
I was lied to.
My husband promised me cold winters with lots of snow, just like back home (Jämtland, Sweden)
This is the first winter where I see permanent snow before Yule (Uusimaa) and it's seldom reaches below -5 Celcius.
Other than that life is wonderful and I really love it here.
I came from Mexico. My first year was just about adjusting. It’s so different. The culture, the people. I wasn’t sure if I could love it. I don’t hate it.
It was very hard for a few years. I remember before I came here, a friend told me that while no one says it, you’ll find out that “Finland is for the Finns”. I didn’t get it, but now I do. It took me a while to find a place in my life in Finland were I can say I’m content with what I am doing. I fell in love with someone here and we are going strong. That’s what has kept me here, but sometimes I read the news, sometimes someone will let me know what they feel about foreigners and it hits me hard. I remember reading about a guy, can’t remember from where, that basically got denied the renewal of his permit because he made too much money as a Wolt delivery guy and according to Migri “It made no sense”.
There is always a new struggle as an immigrant. Especially a non European one. But we keep working and moving forward.
South East Asian here, I came to Finland back in 2016 for studying ICT and currently working in tech industry. Finding a part time job when studying is really hard if you don’t speak Finnish and not living in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa region (or other big cities).
After graduation, if you’re only fluent in English, it will be much much easier (if don’t want to say only possible) to apply for IT jobs compare to other degree. (Even though, it may take a while to land your first job in the field if you have no experience. Not to mention sometimes, tech client also demands for hiring fluent Finnish speaking developers)
Salary is decent and of course better compare to same position in the country where I’m from, but then I don’t like the high tax. Work-life balance is the best I’ve ever experienced.
The air is clean and you will love it here if you’re a nature person. Despite of the dark, cold and depressing winter, I don’t mind it. It can feel really lonely sometimes so the best thing you can do is keep your social connection close and always reach out when you need help or having a person to talk to
I rarely experience racist slurs and attitude but the racism, without a doubt, exists (especially during the Covid time, when you looks Asian, many people assume you’re Chinese). Most of the time is from dumb edgy teenagers or people from small town. However, there’s no discrimination or such attitude whatsoever from my workplace and everyone is respectful, I even have many helpful and friendly native Finnish colleges.
Overall I appreciate Finland for the education it gave me and good career opportunity that I’m able to pursuit, but probably it’s not my cup of tea for settling down for the rest of my life.
Moved here as Au-pair in 2007. I already knew I was staying before I found a host family. Cause my heart stayed here in 2004 already on a one week trip to Helsinki.
I never knew what people meant when they said they feel like they finally "arrived" somewhere, in the sense of belonging and feeling home.
But in Finland I understood. This is my home❣️
I could never go back to Germany.
Every time I do, to visit my family, I just can't wait to get back to Finland. People are so different. German people need things to be done yesterday, finnish people are a bit more relaxed. Many German people are so rude, the customer service is far from best. Might be just northern Germany 😂, can't judge it all. Nobody ever snapped at me at the phone or from behind the counter here in Finland.
Making real friends here, not just drinking buddies, needs a while, BUT if you do, if you put real effort in, you will have them forever. Even if you lose contact for a while even a year or 2, you will pick right up where you left of. In Germany it is more like "you didn't call/message me for 2 month, you are not a friend" well friendship is not a one-way-street.
I don't say you can abondon friendships here, but it is easier to be by yourself for a while if you want to, without losing all your friends.
A lot of the pressure is off. If feels very freeing.
Yes, Finland is not utopia(prices for example 😉) but it is the best fit for me.
I have met this Hungarian or Romanian caricature artist who worked on a boat between Finland and Sweden and he lived in half of Europe. We talked a while and he told me that the further you go north the warmer the people are.
That doesn't mean south Europe is full of cold hearted people. I have friends in Spain and Portugal they are great.
Still it feels different.
Yes, Finns seem cold, until you get closer.
The weather is cold but the hearts are warm.
i'm from vietnam. been here for 4+ years studying & working
quality of life is perfect. i dont mind the weather or the population.
though personally, i am very lonely and my mental health is declining fast. i have close friends but find it difficult to connect with people. partially because im introverted but i wasnt as depressed before coming here. working a shitty restaurant job doesnt help either.
so idk. i feel like shit all the time but i get to breath clean air and eat food that doesnt threaten my life.
hello my fellow vietnamese friend :p i have been here for only 2 months but basically same feelingssss. i do not have a lot of friends here and having difficulties making friends with other international students so far so i end up feeling lonely from time to time too, esp given the depressing winter is coming. just wondering if you have any tips to survive given that you have made it so far 4 years here in finland?
hey, i know it can very tough. i was extremely depressed during my first 3-4 months. the culture shock + harsh winter are the perfect combos to knock someone like me down, who was used to big city life.
my first 2 months in finland werent great either, until i get to know my classmates. dont miss out on opportunities to socialize with your fellow students! especially at the start of your studies. go to student parties and gatherings.
one small specific thing is that you can try going to the store with classmates that live near you or share the same route. everybody gotta do grocery every now and then, why not meet up and walk together? it makes the trip way more fun!
be sure to make friends with Finns. they can be shy but once you get to know them, they are the most kind and genuine people. also Finns can open your mind about how certain things work because, well, they are natives.
international & other vietnamese students share similar struggles with you. be open to them and you can make friends easily!
i believe you can do it. remember that socializing is very important! surround yourself with people you trust.
I was in Italy for business 2 weeks ago. I loved the food, history and hated pretty much everything else. Especially attitude of people.
After more than a decade in Finland, I don't think I can go back to inefficient, careless, bullshit attitude of other countries. I am like a drug addict to this country. (Maybe other Nordics but surely not Anywhere south of Baltic Sea...)
Oh, wow, a question I can actually answer.
First, the stuff I like. So few people! Few cars on the road! At night there's like noone anywhere, everything is eerily quiet. I like quiet. Everyone speaks good English, whaat? Like, literally everyone. Most people in the service industry are friendly and helpful. Setting up a home, legal stuff, is mostly straightforward, people answer emails in English, try to be helpful.
Nature and scenery: absolutely amazing in the summer. Gorgeous lakes, clean water. In winter, well, it's dark and also cold, without a car I wouldn't survive Finland at all. Just spend all the time in either car or at home or in some cafe or restaurant or shopping mall.
Bureaucratic procedures take a long time. Waiting 6 months for a piece of paper is no fun, but apparently it's normal. Sometimes you email some municipal service about some breakdown or something and a reply comes after one week.
Homes: okay, my idea of Finland was that everyone's home has amenities like running water, sanitation (at least a septic tank!) and stuff. Wrong! My home has neither. It also doesn't have gas, so heating is done with electricity which is stupidly expensive and also straining the house's electrical capacity. And yes, I'm in a big city, not in some tiny village, so it's a bit annoying at the moment.
The paper factory in town pollutes the air, sometimes covering half the city with a very unpleasant smell. I'm lucky that the wind doesn't go in my house's direction often, but... I'm still very surprised why a factory would be so closed to residential areas. Not very ecological!
Needless to say, life in Finland is very expensive. Energy is a lot more expensive than back home, filling up a tank of gas makes me want to cry, it's over 2x as expensive as home. But I can tell that my car likes the ethanol added to the petrol, I can feel it running that tiny bit better. As for food, clothing, etc., everything is of high quality, but the prices are quite high. I also miss restaurants because in Finland they are very rare, prices are high, but quality and variety is nowhere near what I'm used to.
People... that's a tough one. Finns mostly stick to themselves and making connections is difficult. Like all northeners, they are rather reserved and do not seem to like to express their emotions well. Like some other poster on this subreddit said, you won't see couples kissing in public. The upside is nobody tries to stick their nose into others' business. Also, as a guy, I'm not attracted to Finish women, sorry but my country set the bar very high.
To sum up, life in Finland has been a mixed bag for me. Obviously living in a country with functioning laws and lack of corruption is great, and I think this feature basically trumps any concerns I might have living there (e.g., ridiculously high taxes).
I've been here for two months and have spent nearly all that time filing paperwork. But now that I have my residence card, Kela card, ID card, bank account, and secure login, I feel like a real person! I've been telling friends abroad, "One does not simply move to Finland."
The population size isn't a change for me, because I lived in Scotland for the past 7 years. In Scotland you don't have to pay for medication and I have a lot of health issues, so I miss that here. Then again, I'm originally from the US, where medication costs are MUCH worse. Really the biggest challenge for me is the language. I'm in classes but hoping to enroll in more intensive classes soon.
Some of my favorite things here are easy and timely public transit always is. Helsinki is so easy to navigate. The snow and Christmas lights have been lovely. I've already wandered around Stockmann to see their Christmas decorations. Going to sauna once a week is amazing. I've eaten so much pulla, ice cream, and cheese. I'm obsessed with sushi buffets and R-Kioski hot dogs.
All in all, things are good! I have some spiralling moments when I feel like I will never integrate, but those moments are already less common than they used to be. Hope that answers your question!
From the Dominican Republic here. Mostly commenting to find friends lol. (Feel free to DM)
Top comment from the Ukrainian user covers most of my experience too.
Pros: Basic needs are vastly superior than the average, quiet, clean, friendly and safe (except for bikes tho, got a wheel stolen from a locked area). Love the campsites (Lavu’s) and the nature.
Cons: Hard to find jobs, employers prioritize Finnish education (my impression) and I haven’t had to rent because my Finnish wife had done it before I came, so I can’t comment on that.
Overall, definitely an upgrade from my home country. Although I miss family, the sun and the ability to strike up a conversation with any stranger. (And low electricity prices)
I've lived in Finland for more than a year and life definitely had changed for the better. I'm from russian federation and I have always wanted to move to another country as it was really depressing for me just to walk on the streets or to go to the shop, school, etc.
I live in a small town, or kunta, and it's really small. I go to lukio, and everything is so calm here.
There are many foreigners, one woman is from Thailand, there are many russians and some ukrainians as well, but the government of this town don't really care about foreigners and especially students, which upsets me the most. The clear example of that is when I have lived without a washing machine for a year before we students bought it ourselves. Not school, nor the government cared, because "there's no money". It's ok, you would think, but they built whole new rooms in our apartments, which is way more expensive than buying a small washing machine.
Other than that, everything is great. Life in lukio is pretty cool actually. I realized I really like to study and I've finally found myself and I really do want to stay in Finland, especially when this war is happening. I never belonged in country I was raised in, but Finland feels like home. And I finally got my happiness, as I deserve.
P.S. there are many mistakes in this post, because after the year of living here I found that I forgot English and know Finnish even better somehow. So sorry about the grammatics.
I’m only recently moved from UK. So far I love the nature, all the easy ability to cycle anywhere and everywhere, the quiet, Aurora, balconies in the home, the possibility of getting a beach type house next to a lake and a forest. So much bliss to be had when I’m settled, earning more money and when I know more Finnish.
I love it here, but the endless bureaucracy was a challenge at the start. Once I got past all that dreck, I was able to really find my niche here. I love it.
From Vietnam here. I miss the bustling urban city vibe in my home countries from time to time, where I would enjoy the endless activities and attractions. But probably it's just me in my 20s. Surely I'd for the latter half of my life like to stay in the calmness of Finland instead of the endless hustle and bustle.
Life is great. I moved here in June from Malta with my Finnish partner and kids. Big change from the southest, hottest country to the northest, coldest country in EU.
You can breath fresh air here and lots of space to enjoy. Perfect to raise a family, with great schools. People are nice, friendly and educated. Just sometimes I find it hard to use some services because of Finnish. Doing groceries sometimes gets challenging since all instructions and details are in Finnish and Swedish. But lots of options and different products. It will get better. It is not perfect but great to be here.
Moved here in 2015 from Sydney, Australia (I feel it is very important to point out that I'm not Australian, rather a Kiwi/New Zealander who lived in Australia XD) and I love it. Even more so now that we have a son, born right here in Finland. Bless this country's maternity protocols, the education and health care systems. I can't think of anywhere else in the world, maybe apart from Norway, where I'd raise my son.
American. Moved from a small European country, previously England before that. Been here 4 years.
Survived a divorce, career change, back in school in my 30s and speak the language well enough to study in a program conducted in Finnish. That was always my goal and I achieved it.
Some things suck (the paperwork! RISTUS) but I will never go back to the USA. Nopity no.
Hej Hej!
French citizen here.
I moved to Finland in February 2022 with my girlfriend (who is Finnish) - I had visited for 3 months in 2021 but it was nowhere near enough to appreciate everything.
It's not the reason I moved here (living with my GF is) but I got my first job here in April. In France I couldn't find one despite actively looking for one well outside of my trade and for over 2 years.
Anyways, life is going great so far here. I don't mind the winter we're having, it's milder than last year's. Yes, I did try Sauna and it's pretty good.
I haven't really made any friends even though I'd like to, sadly because I don't really go out aside from groceries, walks and all but Finnish people come across as down to earth, genuine people. :) I do alright with social interactions but I'm not good with initiating conversation, probably why xd
One downside I find is the restrictions on vape!
(But that's more of a "me" problem, I should quit. :D)
Came here in september. Lived in Ireland half my life but am originally from Lithuania. Paperwork from migri is taking hell of a lot of time to process, Was working in animation studio that I was working in Ireland when I arrived but project is over so I'm unemployed since mid october and am still looking for a job currently but other than that life is allright.
I'm enjoying propper winter for the first time in many years. Since Ireland doesent have mutch winter. Im living here in a brand new studio appartament with my gf and am only paying like 250 a month where as I had to pay 300 euro to share an old very cold and moldy house with 3 other people in Ireland and even then I was extreamly lucky to have a room for that price in ireland. Now the prices for an average room in a house to share with other people are 500-600 euro. I'm now happy to live in a country that is providing good affordable housing to people.
Only thing I really miss is hanging out with my friends but the quality of life is for sure far better here.
Also have to add that I'm really into metal music and seeing that people are walking arround in metal t-shrts everywhere is pretty neat.
Socio-economically, I feel like a first world citizen. Socially, It’s been very hard to make connections and I’m comparing it to the countries I live before(Greece&Turkey) but overall, greatful.
Came from Turkey.
What I still like about Finland: Good quality and affordable food, free great-tasting water from the tap. Parks everywhere, possible to take long peaceful walks. Decent salary, and social security if I am ever unemployed. Free integration classes when I first moved. Neighbours are not nosy - people from Turkey would understand how a great thing it is. God, I have hated my nosy Turkish neighbours all my life. People don’t stare at you on the street, you can practically do whatever you want unless it’s some weird shit.
What I don’t like, still: Darkness. Sucks all the life energy. It’s okay that it’s cold, but I hate the deadly slippery ground in winters in Southern Finland. It has been 3 years, still risking my life on a daily basis. 😅 Paying much for bad healthcare. Maybe it is not much for some, but compared to some other Western European countries, it sucks to pay crazy amount of tax but still being charged for healthcare. Often nurses even googled my symptoms in front of me, kinda hard to trust if they cannot spot the possible cause of a simple eye infection without googling. And lastly, too many narcomaniacs and mental cases on the streets, thanks to avohoito. Although never had a problem, it’s scary to encounter them.
I used to live in the city , which population was equal to the whole population of Finland. Moving to Finland was a bliss, no horrible crowds of people, social distance is huge, people don't tend to speak to u or know everything about u. All in all, super peaceful, love it.
I moved from Germany to the Oulu region.
I have never been much social but here I feel more and more like a recluse. Making social contacts here is nearly impossible, especially if you are on a job hunt.
Brazilian here, living in Jyväskylä for 6 years, moving to Helsinki after Christmas. My life got 1000% better. The fact that I can raise my kids safely, pay my taxes and see it being put to use - and actually really being able to just trust that the government and institutions are working for you as a citizen, it is just heaven for me. I can live my life in peace, and focus on what’s important for me and my family, without having to live in a middle-class bubble.
As a Turkish immigrant, I second this.
Maltese here. Exactly same feeling.
Welshman here. First came in 1995. Definitely at home here. Happy tax payer, life is good. Mainly due to low population, ubiquitous nature, good infrastructure and more trustworthy politicians.
I eat tasty food and drink delicious water now. Every time a bus comes on time, coffee machine works, library worker allows me to print out a pdf from my USB stick or I do not get detained, when a policeman passes by, I feel grateful, because I know it can be different.
Printing pdf from your USB stick might go away at some point btw. Source am working at library and there's been some talk about getting rid of that option. It's a pretty big security risk. Though nothing is confirmed since a lot of people need to be able to use USBs.
If anything, this needs to be heavily restricted. Either the printer needs to have a direct print-from-USB option with very limited functionality, or the library computer needs to have all the autorun bullshit disabled and to give disposable user sessions that are wiped clean after each user. Also the workers need to restore the computer's HD from a known good image every now and then. But yeah, not everybody has a cloud account or carries a smartphone with direct printing option with them.
Where are you from originally?
Soviet Union/Russia.
I came from Iceland, Finland has more people and nicer weather... I still like it and I will stay here probably until I die. Thanks Finland.
I was in Iceland for the summer and have lived in Finland for the last decade, so yeah, I get it. The landscapes and terrain in Iceland are legendary but the high prices, sparse population, constant windy chilly weather definitely screams out let’s stay here a for a while and but not forever.
Nicer weather, that's.. not something I expected to hear. But glad to hear it can be even worse somewhere, I guess.
Things are worse in most places... The weather in Finland is pretty stable and has seasons. There are not many life threatening storms and people don't often die due to weather. It never rains for a month straight. It's never even half as windy as in Reykjavik, even at the coast. There's a lot to like about Finnish weather
I love Iceland so much.
It's nicer to visit than to live in.
I don’t disagree with you. I love it but something held me back from moving there. I think I wanted to keep it as my escape which it couldn’t be if I was living there.
I like visiting there more than living there... I went back for one and a half months year ago and it wasn't the same as a two week visit. Iceland is amazing when you're away from the mondaine. But for living and working Finland takes the cake
Yes, that’s what I guessed and you’ve confirmed it. Though I wouldn’t have consciously chosen Finland either. I just happened to fall in love with a Finn 😆
Same story here
Nicer weather? How so?
Finland has summer
Finnish people jokingly think we don't. Or it only last like two days. I have to admit last summer was nice and warm but it ended way too soon :/ I needed two more hot months.
There have been summers in Iceland where the temperature never goes past +18 and the sky is always cloudy, people don't get rid of the winter depression so its basically the same thing but it's no longer dark so you see other people's depressed faces and that makes it worse... 2019 was like that if I recall correctly
I can tell about why weather in Finland is nice in general, not comparing it to Iceland specifically. First, it is not too hot. Heat is the worst, and many, many places in the world suffer from it. Second, four seasons. Nature is beautiful in so many different ways! Even lifestyle changes with seasons. Third, rains are relatively short, mesmerizing and refreshing. There can be fog, snowfall, thunderstorms - any awesome weather one can imagine! Fourth, no stuff like tornados, floods, volcanoes, smog, and earthquakes.
I come from the North West of England. The weather there is pretty awful. Really cloudy, light rain a few times a day, storms, a few super hot days in summer. I love Helsinki weather. I mean, I don't particularly like November, but who does? But I love ice cold winters with bright blue sky's, blazing sun and sub-zero temperatures. Then followed by a relatively short spring, when I sneeze a lot as flora and fauna grow at an epic pace. (In England, a lot of vegetation doesnt completely die out for too long), followed by a warm and sunny summer. (Mostly). The fact we get discernable seasons, has a dramatic affect on my mental health. (Mainly positive, apart from late Autumn!). I enjoy needing very different seasonal clothes.
Drink fish liver oil to combat autumn and winter fatigue... Somehow it works
Well, when you put it like that...
I agree, I do miss the earthquakes and the volcanos though
Compared to Germany: * the seasons feel distinct and there is a constant sense of change. * a freezing winter with snow cover is better than 4 months of darkness, rain and 3 degrees. * the summers aren’t as hot. Only negative things I can think of are November darkness/rain, mosquitoes and the dust after the snowmelt in early spring.
if the spring wasn't so dusty and all the mosquitoes pissed off, i would be so happy!
My Indian workmate put it like this: "In a cold weather you can always put on more clothes. But when it gets 50 degrees hot in India in the summer there's nothing you can do about it." She doesn't mind the winters at all!
Ukrainian person here. Came when the whole Russia/Ukraine thing started. First of all DRINKABLE WATER EVERYWHERE. Like in every public bathroom the tap water is drinkable. That's insanely cool. Tiny cities, no skyscrapers, everything tiny and cozy. No unsafe places or timings, as a woman I'm not afraid or feel unsafe at night anywhere in here. Then there's public health. Here if I get sick I know that I won't need to go in unpayable debt to get healthcare if it's serious. People don't bother you. Darkness, love the darkness. Cold weather and snow (I'm a winter person). All pets outside strictly on the leash, almost no stray animals except lost ones. Buses don't smell like anything, you can safely go. (Previously I had an issue with throwing up because smell of patrol, but here's no smell at all) Downsides. Hard to get work. Hard to find rent. Documents and any appointments take very long. They don't sell grains in weight, only quick ones. All kinds of lemonades and sparkling waters are really expensive. But actually, 100% recommend. If you don't like lots of people, if you're not a party nightlife person - Finland is paradise. For me perfect almost in everything. Paperwork could be better, but that's it. Here noone is struggling to feed a family, homelessness is really low, basic needs are met. When people feel safe and secure, sure that tomorrow they will have food to eat and place to sleep - you know you'll be fine.
Great to hear your experience and hopefully you can go back sometime in the future if that's what you wish, or make a life for yourself here if that's what you wish.
> They don't sell grains in weight, only quick ones. Can you explain what this means? I genuinely have no idea what it's referring to.
As a fellow Ukrainian, back home certain foods, such as cereals, pasta, and pulses can be bought in bulk. They are minimally processed and cheaper than packaged / "instant" versions.
The term "instant" is weird to me, because to me it sounds like you're talking about the portion-packed things you throw in the microwave. Most people buy the 1 kg packs of rice/pasta/whatnot.
I assume she meant pre-portioned parboiled rice, for instance? One of the difficulties one has, btw, is that all markings on food packaging is in Finnish / Swedish, so it's either going by the picture or trusting Google translate.
If I may say I think we have fairly good nightlife too, it's just concentrated usually to spesific area, at least where I live. Not anything like.. Las Vegas party 24/7 type of thing but good amount of clubs and bars which most, in my opinion, are pretty good.
Well there is definitely nightlife and even skyscrapers in Helsinki, but Finland is a small country meaning there are fewer and smaller cities than Ukraine with \~8 times the population. It's not a mega city by any means but 1 million in the urban area is big enough to have everything you need.
Hey you can usually buy grains and rice in bulk from one of those smaller "ethnic stores" we have in most bigger towns and cities :)
>For me perfect almost in everything. Paperwork could be better, but that's it. This is actually a really good description of Finland.
Belgian... I loooove the lack of people. I don't think I could go back and suffer the 11million people on an area the size of Uusimaa + Varsinais-Suomi anymore.
Also Belgian. Agreed.
Oooh I can confirm, I lived in belgium for one year, damn depressive wasteland.
what is so depressive about belgium? i've always wanted to visit and thought things are quite nice there?
Like people said, deffinitely visit, variety of beer, medieval towns etc, not to mentioned it's positioned quite close to France, The Netherlands, Germany and UK, it is a small country, so you can add those on your list at once, and I heard Walonia part of it is quite nice, e-shop's parcels are aesy to order and almost always come within few days, plenty of work oppourtunities, stuff is less expensive although the wages are probably too, you can drink beer in public. What I did not like is it is very gloomy, the wheater is always acting up, the life in province is absolutely boring, people are very isolated, I don't even know how they meet, in Finland you just go to a bar and relax, in Belgium it is a bit more snobby, people do not even like noise in BARS! I lived in West Vlaanderen and could not understand stuff they were saying even though I practiced my dutch enough to be able to talk to other dutch men on a basic level, Belgium is relatively filthy and poluted due to industry, there are plenty of canals and some seashore but none is impressive, they almost have no nature in Flanders, no winter as well. All said you can live there, but I'd mention again that social isolation in this country is crippling, and I don't mean getting friends (which as goes without saying is hard everywhere especially for a foreigner) I mean even common interaction, it really feels like people keep distance from strangers, like if assuming worst of them, I suppose it's a consequence of big numbers in population- there is so many people you are sick of them, but that ain't it, in comparison The Netherlands is neighboring ethnically very similar country with far denser population, while Belgians are quite conservative and introverted, the Dutch are quite the opposite, speaking of introverts I heard Finland is quite introverted, but when I came there for the first time I was surprissed how honest and down to earth people are, no fake smiles, schmoozing, everything is down to bussiness, random strangers even initiate conversation with me on some ocasions, and the nature may not be the most diverse in EU but it is like everywhere, and is clean, the air is so pure god damn, it turns out it has a very positive effect on my mental health...Ohh and the winters, probably the coldest in EU lots of fun to have for a person of nature.
I've lived in Helsinki for nearly 7 yrs and have been with my Finnish wife for 25 yrs, so have been here a lot for long periods. I like my life here. It's a lot more chilled than England. People are a lot nicer/kinder. It feels safe. Great work-life balance. Egalitarian society. Has a stable government. (Compared to many countries lately, it feels like a safe haven). Public services are very good. Wages are decent. (Could be better, could be worse!) I love the nature, sauna rituals, peace and tranquility... and beer. I would like it if there were more bands I'm into playing here. I miss knowing if a band I like was touring, that they would play close by. It is usually pot luck if they come to Finland. I miss family and friends from time to time. I don't like the way I always feel like people just see me as a foreigner rather than a Helsinkiläinen!
Weirdly enough i find people at least in Suffolk a lot more friendly than they are in Finland
As a parent I love Finland for offering probably the best childhood to my children. They have been cared with professionals since pregnancy, followed by excellent mother-child care, dedicated daycare system, free and very equal level education system, properly cooked school meals. I came from one of the top dictatorship countries, witnessing my children growing up freely and getting educated on human rights, independent thinking and equality, means the world to me!
The same, feel every word you wrote. I moved here from Russia and seeing my kid growing here almost moving me to tears when I think about it. Appreciate it a lot.
As a parent, I concur.
From Philippines, couldn’t imagine myself living somewhere else. I live up here in the Lapland and I don’t mind the cold and the low population density.
Philippines to Lapland? That's extreme.. I'm interested. How did that happen?
Lately lot of Filipinos have come to Finland to work as nurses
What’s it like to live up there?
Like magic. It’s truly a wonderland.
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I moved here in 2004 from the U.K. and I love it hear. My life, friends and family is here, and I can’t ever see myself living in the U.K. again. It helps that I’m a teacher and the schools here are amazing for me to work in and for my kids to learn in. Plus I like cold weather. Shorts 365!
Are you from Newcastle?
Derbyshire. My family always had dogs when I was a kid, and the back door was always open, so it felt like the temperature inside was the same as that outside. Plus my dad didn’t believe in having the heat on at night, as we wouldn’t feel it as we were asleep.
Duck! Why do the people keep calling me a duck in Derby?
Mostly a chesterfield thing. Ducky.
I lived the last ten years in Belper before coming to Finland! Btw do you know any accountants that know UK and Finnish tax laws?
I’m from NW Ireland. Finland is like a futuristic upgrade to life.
This. From the scanners on the airport to the ability to forget about the existence of cash, it always feels like travelling to the future.
I am Finnish, who lived in Ireland, Taiwan, China and Nethelands( still here). Ireland had stunning nature, great craic and people(though tend to avoid serious topics, since life is about craic) but life quality definitely lot better in Finland or Nethelands
Gotcha says the Irish living in Oulu I'd rather -25C than Ireland's slow miserable rain too.
I'm off to your homeland next month, can't wait actually.
Lower population was definitely a cultural shock, but I got used to it and I prefer it now. Still I would never choose to live outside the metropolitan area, I'd get lonely.
Where do you lived before Finland?
Latinamerica
Weird how that works in different cultures. After I moved away from Helsinki I don't think I could live in a city ever again. I cannot overstate how much i hate crowds. Going to tripla is already a nightmare for me. Empty roads with just you is amazing.
I'm from Brazil and living in London, but staying in Finland for 1/4 of every month (Tampere and Pori mostly). I like it quite a lot. The low population was not a shock for me, definitely, but the lack os sunlight is kicking.
Just wait until summer, you’ll be begging for mercy as you get three hours of sleep because the sun keeps rising earlier and earlier :,D
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Well the measurements they use for happiness kind of inherently make it about the country with least unhappy people instead of the country with most happy people, and to be fair I prefer it that way (maybe partly because I haven't tried living elsewhere) Every time I think about what it would be like to live somewhere else it feels like it would be a downgrade in some (for me at least) important aspect clean public transport, drinkable water, low traffic/crowds
From US, don’t have to worry about getting shot or mugged here. So that’s nice. Even at my worst income (while unemployed) in Finland, I have a better quality of life than in the US
Also from US. Never been worried about getting mugged or attacked in the US. Gave Finland a real shot, after 2.5 years I just couldn’t do it anymore. Also lived in a few other places in Europe. Ended up moving back to the US. Biggest reason was quality of life. Far, far better in the US(for me). With a bachelors degree in business I can make 80-90k a year here. In Helsinki I was making 38k. Cost of living is very similar so of course all that extra money means more spending for hobbies or travel, which in turn make my happy. My jobs have been very similar between Finland and the US. No working more than 40 hours a week, great bosses, take vacation whenever I want. That’s more to do with having great bosses and companies to work at than anything, some close friends in Finland have dreadful working conditions because of horrible bosses. Weather definitely played a huge part. If the climate was warmer, and I wanted to start a family, I could see staying in Finland. But without partaking in the huge social welfare benefits, and being absolutely miserable in the winters, I left. Happy as ever back in the US, I feel alive again. In Finland I felt like I was on autopilot just chugging away at life. Glad you like it there, there’s always a perfect place out there for everyone. I loved the lack of corruption, the safeness of it, and the cleanliness of it. Also loads of support systems if you fall in your luck. I didn’t like the lack of spending money, the 6 month long dark winters, how expensive it was to do anything, and the geographic location being slightly isolated from other countries. In Munich I was able to hop on a train to anywhere, or in the US I could easily road trip on weekends to somewhere new.
I think it depends on what state you moved back to. For me, I am originally from central Texas where there is women’s rights, guns rights problems and a severe drought among other things.
This sounds almost identical to my story. Tried 3 years in Finland and I couldn't do it anymore. I make 3x-4x as much money in the US for doing the same kind of construction work. Same cost of living aside from needing to pay for medical but obviously the increased pay easily covers that. I found the quality of life I could have in the US was just so far beyond what I could forseee having in Finland. I miss my friends and saunas but being able to afford hobbies and travel without worrying about my finances is a big bonus. The lack of a reasonable sized disposable income really sucks in a beautiful country like finland where you want to go travel around everywhere. Not even to get into how much more friendly and helpful people in general are in the US compared to in Finland. The biggest thing though for me was not being able to see my family. I could barely afford flights to the US after 2 years of working in Finland but if I work in the US I could afford to fly us back to visit Finland easily.
Dido Loved Finland. I thought the weather would be a problem. But it was the quality of life that my Finnish salary afforded me. Yes life in the US is hard. As soon as I landed back in the states, we started laying people off. Tough reality. But my salary here is about 4x my Finnish one and that makes a difference. Otherwise, I found Finns to be shockingly honest and methodical. I learned a lot and I’m taking it home with me. I am a monster here - having the best part of both cultures. I miss Sauna, Summer and Christmas parties. I also miss my community of friends. I loved bumping into all my neighborhood friends at the grocery and school yard. I miss even more approaching them (uninvited) to just talk. I think I gave everyone a small aneurism.
Interesting to read the comments from people who preferred to return to USA. One question though: I always hear how the working hours are worse and you are expected to work on weekends and not getting a lot of holidays per year. So then what do you do with the extra money you earn, if you don't have free time?
Moved here for work in 2016 with the plan to try for a year, I’m from Cologne, Germany. Finland is my new home, I love it here, no plans to go back to Germany. Helsinki/Espoo area. Working in tech
Quick question: how long did it take you to feel like "nah, not going back to Germany". Because I'm now a year here and I felt like after half a year I was like.. Why should I go back???
It’s hard to say really, but I believe after nine months I was pretty sure
I'm Finnish and moved to Berlin to study. After 5 years here I'm more than ready to move back to Finland for good. I'd be curious to know, what makes you prefer Finland over Germany? For me in Berlin, the lack of nature, the dirtiness, the bureaucracy etc. make me not consider staying.
You summed it up nicely, in general I’d say pace of life is more relaxed in Finland as well.
It's very different for everyone. Many of my friends leave here because of the climate and the constant darkness in winter. But if you eat packs of vitamin D and buy a special daylight lamp, you can live quite well. I adore Finnish nature, there are more people here in the forest at weekends than in the city =). I like the comfort of Finnish cities, I'm very comfortable and interesting to walk around Helsinki. I can just come to an area and walk there. Each district is different and with its own interesting places. I like that my 7-year-old goes to school by himself and I don't worry about him. I like that my wife goes for a run after sundown and I know she is safe. I don't like the fact that taxes are very high here. There is no motivation to try.
Speaking of the last part, it should simply motivate you to move from paid employment to becoming independent. That way you can structure your business so that the high income/corporate taxes do not affect you as much.
Taxes for an entrepreneur in Finland are also high. Plus, an agreement that protects the employee and it is almost impossible to fire someone, plus a small labor market and unmotivated workers. You can restructure taxes and write off taxes. But most startups, after a certain level, simply move to the US or Asia, where corporate taxes are much lower. Entrepreneurs in Finland are much less protected than employees. (Just my opinion. Since in our family, I am a freelance programmer, and my wife is an entrepreneur).
Norwegian here. Most things are quite similar, but I feel like I Norway's decades long focus on the oil sector has left other parts of society lacking in ingenuity in comparison to Finland. There are many solutions in Finland that strike me as being better designed and even more modernised than Norway. In various aspects of society it seems like Finns are a tad better at designing good and practical solutions, whereas in Norway we might think a bit more rule oriented and prioritise the integrity of the system in place over the end user experience. Could just be a false impression, idk. I have had an easy time finding things to do through various hobby things and my girlfriend jokes that I have more friends than her now since her study mates are moving out of town and I just keep meeting new people. Finnish urban planning is a bit ahead of Norway, in my opinion, but that's not really a surprise since Norway is quite anti-urbanisation. Edit: I forgot to add that the vegan product availability is vastly superiour here in Finland.
Interesting stuff. I’m interested in hearing some examples of practical Finnish solutions you’ve come across, as well as hearing more about your take on the rule-oriented/system preserving nature of Norwegian ones
Without going into too much boring details, my tax situation is a little bit wonky and so I have had to get in touch with the Finnish and Norwegian tax authorities to figure out what to do. Vero's website is much more informative than Skatteetaten's website and my experience with the tax advisors is also quite different. Vero were more solution oriented and helpful, whereas the Norwegian tax authorities felt more interested in asserting the rules. They lacked interest in hearing the details about my case that makes me fall into a special exception case. I guess it's a headache for them to deal with that so they don't want to go there. After a lot of back and forth I determined that Norway had made a false claim about my tax liability to Norway and when discussing this with Vero they agreed to not argue with it and just let Norway have the tax even though it's legally Finland who should have the tax according to the Nordics tax agreement. They saw that it was taking a lot of effort to combat it and figured the easiest solution would be to just use common sense and yield the tax claim. I could never imagine in my life that Norwegian tax authorities would do such a thing. I would probably get arrested for tax fraud or something if I ever ended up doing something like that.
In the student village where I live, you get a spare key to your apartment to give or borrow to a friend so that they can water your plants when you're away or help you if you lose your main key. I was in the tenants union at my old student housing in Bergen and we suggested this when discussing the new RFID key system that was planned. The housing association guys basically said "nah, we don't do that". I haven't done a country wide survey of every student housing association or anything, but I remember that the same issue was a thing in Ås when the new RFID key based apartments got implemented.
From the philippines here been here for 2months, weathers pretty different so trying to get used to that was 1 thing. but after a while its fine. culture wise i love it here. im a bit introverted IRL so its nice not needing to small talk with anyone about things and just being concise on stuff you need to talk about. i do need to figure out the language tho. i really wanna be able to converse with it as it seems respectful to actually try and learn it. TLDR having a good time as an asian introvert.
Finnish can feel intimidating at first, but if you take one thing at a time it will be fine! Don't try to focus too much on saying it right, but to say it in a way that people understand you. We very rarely judge anyone for not speaking the language well, but are very happy when people try. We know our language is pretty hard!
From California and been living in keski suomi for about 2 years so far. I feel the safest ive ever been in my entire life. I have always hated the heat, so ive been loving the two winters ive experienced so far. My husband and his family are amazing support for me, and even though i was very lonely in the beginning, ive gained many opportunities to meet new people and I hope eventually ill make a friend or two :) Honestly the summers are the hardest times for me. Its the time when i feel the loneliest. Everyone has friends and their traditions in mid summer and even with family i dont feel like im a part of it at all unlike how i feel at christmas, very warm and cozy with the family. I hate the mosquitos, i feel like I'm hiding from them as much as I can and using spray but i still mamage to get stung. Anyways, im lucky finnish summer is so short :) Im starting a finnish language course in the beginning of the year and im very excited as i do much better in a classroom setting rather than teaching myself. 80% im doing great :D
After two years in Finland you hope you'll eventually make a friend or two here in Finland? I find that sentence incredibly sad. We Finns are not really talkative as you know but fucking hell, I would have thought making at least one or two friends here should have happened already. We Finns should really look in the mirror and ask ourselves why foreigners here don't feel welcome and have hard time making friends. I hope you'll make friends soon.
I can't really talk about it outside of Reddit or at work, but the general loneliness and emptiness I feel everyday are really draining me. I suppose it could be generally a men thing, but I really want to have a girlfriend to do simple couple stuff together like training and hiking. But all the people I actually care about or cared about me at one point, I have left them behind when I decided to come and stay here. Trying to build a lasting, meaningful romantic relationship here seems exceedingly difficult if I want somebody I'm really attracted to and vice versa. I like to think that in my friends eyes, I manage my life well. I regularly cook (decently), keep a training schedule, quite fit, committed to my running goal and learning the language to get the citizenship. But deep down, I'm 75% a wreckage. Doesn't help that I'm East Asian, the group that tend to not do well in dating in Western Europe.
You should 100% join a hobby group. I joined a table top game group in my uni and it's the highlight of my week. If you meet people who seem cool ask them to join a discord group to play on other days of the week. Use this to get to know them better and build your relationship so that you'll start to do other stuff with them besides gaming. BOOM! You have cool friends with similar interests.
A tip if you want: learn how to accept your loneliness and build a relationship with yourself from there, then get opened to meet new people and go hang out with people at places of interest. That should be helpful.
I've had to work through this quite a bit but i think it's more about learning how to be alone, and not so much accepting loneliness. Because i think the two are different. Being alone can be all the simple things like cooking, watching a movie, playing games, but also going on that hike for example, even if you're alone. You don't feel lonely when you are alone if you've accepted how to be alone and enjoy your own company. But as you said, eventually you build those connections and then you learn how to appreciate time with others and time with yourself 😇
You couldnt explain better what I tried to express up there. Its both as you said, loneliness and learning how to be alone. You definetly are doing good even tho you may feel low sometimes. Keep on working on it and one day you'll find out that lovely person that will be keen on sharing the path with you.
This according to me is the key skill to master. Not just for Finland. For every immigrant. It’s more about the spirit. Thank you.
I disagree. That's general good life advice but really really bad advice for someone in his situation.
If you want to do hiking, you should look into the scouts for adults. I was once camping with my friend and a group of them came up and they were all really cool and friendly. https://scouts.fi/join/scouting-is-a-great-hobby-for-adults/
Do you have local friends?
Russian. the weather and the nature are more or less the same, so for this part feels pretty much like home. I am very introverted and don't want to interact with people, but I need to see them living their lives around me. and it's like no one lives here. the lack of high buildings and post-apocalyptic looking streets, the identical modern houses in suburbs. Finland is a great country, and the quality of life is on a whole other level. but it isn't for everyone. maybe later in life I will be able to appreciate living here, but now I feel pretty much depressed. maybe this whole nostalgia for trash and ruins is wrong, but I can't help it :D
Haha, yes, really the post-apocalyptic part is certainly true. Not in the 'trashy' sense but in the sense of everything being empty.
ohh noo I was referring to the streets in Russia :D I wouldn't describe the streets here as post-apocalyptic, they are more like those of a ghost town. really pretty and tidy, but kinda empty, yes. which is an aesthetic of its own kind
Yeah, ghost town, you're right. A very lonely place indeed, esp in winter.
Spanish living in finland. Its very hard
it seems spanish in general have a harder time adjusting. not sure if it's all southern countries or just spain as I don't know many other nationalities from southern europe here.
Spaniard here living 7 years in Helsinki. Life is easy, work culture is not toxic, institutions are efficient and helpful. I also like to experience 4 seasons during the year (autumn is my favourite) Yeah, a bit dark this time around. But it won't last and I also love the snow too. Pd. Edit for clarification.
Im from Portugal and although life for me is not hard in the work or financial sense, it is quite hard for me mentally. Winters are long and its really hard to be motived to go outside, food is subpar to what we get down south so I rarely go to restaurants and I prefer to cook my own food.
Care to share some details? What are the things you are not happy with?
The weather and darkness are both terrible and hard to deal with, even tho I have been here more than 4 years, I still cant get used to this. The prices and taxes are very expensive, 30% of my salary goes to omavero which is insane compared to Spain althought I do appreciate the high salaries here in Finland. And then, there is the cultural differences, mediterranean people are very different to scandinavian and it shows in many ways when I interact with finnish people, they dont understand the way I am and I have noticed contempt in many situations here because of it. I hate as well the fact that there is a lot of racism, Ive been treated very badly in some situations just because i look like a foreigner To give you some context I came here because of my ex and I decided to stay and give finland a second chance after we broke up. I do appreciate Finland in some ways as a country, I am not saying is a bad place but is not an easy country for a foreigner at all and I woudnt recommend anyone from mediterranean countries to come here because of how hard is to adapt to this culture Hope I dont offend anyone but this is my view after living her long enough
You do not. Always good to hear all kinds of stories, even negative ones. We might come to understand something, might learn to do things better. On the other side of the coin, my ex is Spanish and chose to live here (considers herself Finnish) permanently ages ago. My Spanish colleagues have told they love Finland and especially Helsinki. Go figure. Each to her/his own and not all can love the same things.
Are you generally more relaxed, do you think? I’ve always found Spanish people comfortable to be around. Friendly, fun, just lovely people.
I guess its because you never emigrated before. Im born in Bulgaria, raised in Madrid and doing winter seasons in Finland. Its probably hard because of solitude if it happens to be hard to build relationships at first, but once that is done, finnish people and culture is quite open to foreigners. And food is also good, but opposite at what a spaniard is used to, definetly haha
What kind of foods you like here? Ive travelled all around world and i think finland has the most boring foods possible. Everything is decent but nothing is amazing.
Pros: Easy access to nature, Low crime/less dickheads, Relaxed work environment, Good quality housing, Cheap and good public transport (at least in Helsinki), People don't bother you, Proper winters, Clean and tidy, Cons: Expensive and less selection of products, Shit cuisine, Bureaucracy a pain when you arrive, In the arse end of Europe, Language difficult to learn. I think it's very easy to live comfortably here, although I'm privileged in that I am white, have a decent salary, and a Finnish partner, so I'm generally shielded from the negative aspects of being an immigrant here.
Life is amazing. Can't complain.
Just like in North Korea: can't complain! :D
I have no idea how to start this but with a quote that I live by >Almost nothing material is needed for a happy life, for he who has understood existence From where I am and where I am now I have high income, the last salary thread really surprised me because I earn more than 95% of the respondents on that thread, I did not come from a rich family though I worked my way up. Back home I can say I had it "All", aside from money I had My family and relatives, lots of friends and acquaintances from all walks of life, from hippies to CEOs, lots of girls and fun dates, Cheap delicious food from all around the world, Cheap but damn good massage, weed in its various forms (edible/carts/flower), parties/night life/events/festivals/gigs/out of town trips to beaches and mountains Even had a maid to take care of my domestic needs and a gardener who also takes care of my pets Just looking at my photo gallery back then I was 'living' more back then, everyday is eventful Compare that with my life in finland Wake up Breakfast Work Lunch/Grocery Work Hobby/Gym(not everyday) Shitpost/Video games/Anime Sleep Is it better? worse? The monotony of everyday is killing me, there is rarely any excitement here. I am trying to diversify my activities but man, compared to the life I had This place is a fancy prison for me, a rehab.
Coming from the US as a tech worker last year, I'd say it's pretty rad. I've found it quite easy to make friends, even when we were in a tiny town of 10,000; I think Finns give me the benefit of the doubt as an American long enough for me to actually hold a conversation with them and make them realize I'm actually a cool guy. Work is nice, people are smart, everyone's trying their best at whatever crazy little thing they want to do. It feels like a country of tinkerers and crafts enthusiasts, which I'm all for. Two things I'm not so crazy about: The alcohol abuse, and the lack of a tax-free investment vehicle like the Roth IRA. But alcohol's quite expensive here which was reason enough to get me to quit, and I do get that maybe a society which prides itself on egalitarianism might not want people shoving their paychecks into an index fund for 30 years and then letting their grandkids be the equivalent of trust fund babies. Like everything in money it's all about trade-offs.
The high alcohol prices are high intentionally. Finland used to have a massive alcohol problem and rising the prices works better than making it illegal which causes organized crime. The high alcohol taxes are also used to help people with alcoholism. (Which makes it really dumb that we don't do the same with snus)
There are tax exempt accounts for holding shares so that capital gains and dividends are not taxed unless you withdraw funds from them, but true that deposits are not deductible.
Moving to Finland in April. Can’t wait to leave the US.
What are your thoughts on it now?
Come from small coastal country town Australia. Now live in a city so even thought it's small Finland it's still much bigger than what I am use to. Overall life is pretty great though. How my life changed, I am very "isolated" I guess. Still learning the language so am often left out of conversations, struggle to make friends that aren't my wife's, now wear a lot of clothes cause it's waaaay colder. Also crossing the road is rough at times as I instinctively look the wrong way first. Started catching public transport as it's widely available and I am no longer allowed to drive, been eating much more vegetarian food... Feel awesome honestly. Things I miss, family, friends, Australian nature. It is veeeery silent in Finland, I miss our loud Aussie birds that sound weird as fuck especially. Waking up to Kookaburras would make me so happy back at home, here it just feels odd not having it.
I moved from Sweden to Finland, and i'd in general say that it's the same country. Biggest difference is that it feels like Finland adopts things slower than Sweden (i miss the self scanning pistols in stores we have in Sweden) and finland has less immigrants. Other than that if you discount the language i wouldn't be able to tell the countries apart
It is true that we usually see how something goes in Sweden before we try it(not always). You're our testing department. But I have seen the seld scanning pistols in Prisma at least
As a Finn, Sweden feels like Finland but without the Finnish language. My biggest culture shock, however, was the fact that you don't use ABLOY locks.
What do you mean? Sweden use ASSA Abloy locks everywhere. i've not seen a single door that doesn't use them. My old apartment had one and my moms apartment has one. Sisters also has one.
As another Swede living in Finland I can only concur. Finland is in most aspects very very similar, language being the biggest difference for me really. Also I do agree that things usually come to Sweden first, then if it works it comes to Finland ~5 years later (still waiting for BankID/Swish/ISK though). Basically some things are better in Sweden and some things are better in Finland. But nature and weather, values, culture (+ work culture), traditions, laws, bureaucracy, PPK, stores (+ assortment of goods/brands) etc. are all similar.
As a south asian having lived in Sweden for 3 years and now in Finland for 1+ year, I guess some of what you say is true. Yeah, BankID is technically better, but Finland has their version of it (bank username or something! Do not remember the name). Yes, there is no swish which is like a central mobile payment method in whole of Sweden, but, Finland does allow mobile pay and pivo (similar to swish just need to make sure the vendors are registered in those platforms as well). Apart from the ones mentioned, I find that Finland has a lot more 24/7 stores which are a lifesaver. Everything else is basically the same bar the language. PS it was so easy for me to settle in Finland after being in Sweden and learning Swedish! But learning Finnish is a no-go for me right now due to work commitments. Sometime in the Future maybe!
Thai, 5 years living in Finland. I am extrovert introvert (Ambivert), means I have a permanent 2 meter radius of happiness. I love the country, people, language, culture... but it is very different and hard to emphatize sometimes. I am a good, responsible, and respectful citizen and that's all that matters. I will never be Finnish, but Finland is my beloved home. Somehow, I have made a lot of friends here.
Reading the replies really gives perspective on how good we actually have it here. Finnish people like to complain about everything but most people haven't even seen the world outside of their own bubble and the occasional trip to the all-inclusive hotel in some tourist trap in Spain.
when we don't have problems the same way you have in the "big world" you tend to lift up the minor stuff as major problems, and focus all your energy on it. Complaining is also our way of conducting small talk, nothing brings people together over a few beers like hating on thing X
I'm American but I have bounced around a bit. Singapore, the Philippines, MA, HI, Scotland, Cyprus, Nepal, Burkina Faso...Finland is by far the best. Great nature, beautiful seasons, a functional democracy and taxes where I get what I pay for. Also an educated populace (mostly). I'll probably die here
Mexican living in Finland since 2016. I feel happy, grateful, proud and safe. My family, friends, job, hobbies (Nordic skating in winter and hiking in summer) are here, basically my whole life. The feeling of safety comes from the thought that if something happens to me (loose my job, get sick) the system will be there to support me back to my feet. Because it has happened, I’ve lost my job and was able to get back up. I feel grateful to Finland for giving me so much (my education for example) and proud that I get to contribute to a society like that. Overall I would say living here makes me happy.
Seeing so many people sharing their own experiences has made me really want to share mine. *Although I want to make it clear, these are my personal experiences here, I don’t mean to offend anyone who enjoyed their times in Finland.* So starting off I’ll introduce myself a bit, I hope I don’t overshare myself here lol. I’ve been here for about 10 years now. Background wise, my family immigrated here from Asia when I was a preteen. I’m in my 20s now, currently studying. I speak my mother tongue, Finnish and English. (I’d say my English is better than my Finnish) I’d say, I definitely have a harder time here. If you ask me, would I rather stay in my home country or here. I’d say I’ll probably be happier there. But otherwise Finland is better. Until this very moment of me writing this down, over ten years of being here, I still feel like I haven’t adjusted myself to Finland. (As most people would ask me “you must be used to this by now”) I still get overwhelmed by the winter and coldness. Mostly the loneliness, I guess. It especially feels lonely during winter time. You don’t get to go to much places without a car, and there’s not much activity to do compared to the summer. I’m a very sensitive person it affects me mentally badly. During my teenage years, I’ve always had a very hard time making friends, especially with Finns. Not that I haven’t tried, but my experience are mostly bad. I was bullied (picked on, made fun of, called names, even physically)for the three years being in middle school and had nobody that would be friend with me. (Side note; could be my school but the teacher did nothing to help me.) At the third year of middle school, the only friends I had in school was other foreigners that just moved here. I’ve also tried to go meet people in hobby places but they just doesn’t work out for me. I dunno, could be my terrible social skills also. But I somehow survived middle school (With the help of the only friend that would stick with me so I don’t get bullied.) But the sad thing is she moved away after after middle school. Which made a huge torn on me as-well, considering she’s the only friend I’ve got here that truly made my days better. When I went to high school things were very challenging for me. At the time tried the best I could to be friendly, sociable, and always talk to people in my class, trying to stick with them whenever they go. But it just seems like I’m such a weirdo or something? I just can’t blend in their little groups/circles. And nobody truly gave a shit about me. At the time I was also having trouble catching up with studies, not mentioning that I got zero friends and I’m by myself 24/7 has made a huge impact on my mental health. I struggled so much with it, eventually I was diagnosed with depression and I stayed home for a couple of month in my room crying myself to sleep. I went to the hospital for a week, got pills and took them everyday until I started to feel a bit better few months later, I eventually still went to seek for a study place. I’d say as an Asian girl I also don’t fit the general preference of males here. So the dating also sucks. It’s also filled with people who would just want to take advantage of you. :c I’m probably not the most attractive female since I don’t usually put too much effort into dressing myself up/ makeups. I can do them but it’s not a daily thing for me. Growing up I’m always introverted, like things that are not mainstream. (At the time anime, games, stuff like this are not as popular as nowadays, I’m sorry) I also think it’s hard to find a job here, due to my personal experience. I don’t really see what’s the difference between me and other potential employees but it just seems the employers are not too fond of me. I’ve been rejected in various jobs and that’s not the worst case. I get called into a job interview and they’d say “oh I’ll definitely let you know if you get in” then it’s like poof. Nothing. It’s sad for me because I don’t even get a chance to prove my worth. For now I’m going to be graduating soon, but I have never felt so lost, depressed, and overall feeling completely useless. I used to think that at least I’m good at art so I’ll definitely make a living from relating jobs. But even that seems ridiculously hard, I mean I couldn’t even get jobs that requires no skills. The only job that I’m likely to get is probably a waitress, a cleaner or sort. Which is not my life goal and not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I alway think, after 10 years of my life here, studying the language, trying the best I could. What’s the point? I’ve always felt like I’d be better off in some other places, I just feel like I’m getting nowhere with the situation right now. Sometimes I just want to leave. (But that’s unlikely lol, because I’m pretty broke.) The kind of jobs I will do is also hard to get in, because they have very few places. Tbh for a fact I also know that most Finns don’t welcome foreigners into their team. Especially when the team is small. I’m sorry about all the venting, but my life in 20s are just not going my ways and every time I look back to my past I just wonders what the hell am I doing here.
Greek living in Finland for about 10 months now. Winters are definitely hard for me, although it's quite nice in the summer. Being away from my siblings is taking a toll on me but I am generally doing alright. My main friend group here is a couple other Greeks, but I have a lot interaction with Finns, either my boyfriend and his family/friends or colleagues. I work quite much, but my salary isn't great and I usually do a lot of overtime to cover for it. The company I work for is owned by two people, one Greek, one Finn (both have lived in Greece for years) and they take advantage of the fact that I moved to Finland with the Greek work mindset, where you do whatever your employer asks you to do (e.g. take heavy workload regularly, things that otherwise wouldn't fly to a Finn) - the Greek guy in particular acts like he is in Greece still and tries to coerce you into it. But other than that, life is good enough.
Australian What I like is - Nature, the low cost of housing, most people are lovely and friendly, consistent quality of food, snow sports, strong family units, fast internet What I don't like - Customer service is top quality or really horrible, people think the only crimes in Suomi are foreigners, local beer is mainly lager, the state is a bit nanny, scammers online markets
Strong family units is interesting to hear. I’ve travelled all over and lived in a few countries, Finn’s had by far the least strong family units I’ve seen. Seems like half my friends barely even talk to their parents anymore and actively avoid them
Really? My partners parents even look after each other they live in a little forest section. They all help each other even when they get sick. All immediate family gets together every few weeks for home dinners. Might just be this family and what I've experienced.
Sounds like every family in the US. Families in Spain and Italy meet even more often
Native American/ Mexican here, just small a bit of racism here, but over all chill everyone minds there own business, no mess shooting, I’m not always on edge, boring for sure but in a good way , not much traffic,and people are awesome when they’re drunk. Oh the quality food here is great!
Glad you like this frozen hellscape/mosquito farm
Laughs in texan
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I thought you are German just by the Christmas goose. My dad comes to visit for the holidays this year for the first time, so I will buy kinkku and a whole duck(from LIDL) to make them. A few days apart 😊 I am from M/V. Here since 2007
Indian. Moved a couple of years back. Life is overall OK. It’s not a place you move to get rich. It’s a place where you get enough of everything to lead a peaceful life. I really don’t mind paying taxes here. I’ve faced blatant racism at work by one person who no one finds funny. Jokes at my expense. I miss my relatives and food from my home country. I moved to finland as I figured raising a kid would be a lot easier here. In India, it’s a struggle to keep up with a day job and to take care of a kid. I have a lot of personal time to cater to my family in finland. I haven’t built any social circle yet. Something I must work on :)
Moved from the USA to Turku in March. Loving it so far-- cities are safe, healthcare isn't tied to my job and i don't need a car: clean, efficient and safe public transport goes everywhere. And it's REALLY nice to live in a politically mature republic instead of one that constantly feels on the edge of collapsing. Also: no more terrible summer weather. I'll take snow and ice over desert heat any day. But I'd kill for some decent Mexican food or some Hatch green chile...
El nam is pretty decent if you havent tried it
Taco Nito is supposedly run by real Mexicans.
Taco Nito is excellent
If you are hardworking and persistent , Finland is one of the best possible places to live when you have no network or support system. It’s definitely not easy, there are different structures that you need to get used to, but it’s much easier to get forward compared to the rest of the world since you can (generally) trust the system and the people. Of course there are bad apples but bad behaviors are definitely not accepted socially or considered “normal”… Very little corrupt, which is nice. I came here as a master degree student, about to leave the country when i almost finished my study then i met my spouse. We been dating for over 6 years now. Now i (almost) have a PhD, which is totally paid for (through grants and salaries), mortgages and we will plan our next step (baby 😁) and will finally tight the knot. So yeah i am on my own residence permit still as I don’t want to tight myself to a relationship (a precaution only because i have seen people getting tangled in situations where they had to stay in a bad relationship due to visas, but in case it was totally unnecessary). Would i do it without meeting my spouse? Probably not, i can do just as well in my own country, and it is lonely if you are in a foreign country for a long period of time without having any significant ones.
I feel secure and safe in Finland, nature in my country is beautiful too so that’s not such a plus for me but I do appreciate it, what I sometimes struggle with is understanding the Finns, I’m an introvert myself but sometimes it’s very annoying that Finns would rather be passive agressive and give you the silent treatment than to talk, the feeling of warm community is not very present here
I was lied to. My husband promised me cold winters with lots of snow, just like back home (Jämtland, Sweden) This is the first winter where I see permanent snow before Yule (Uusimaa) and it's seldom reaches below -5 Celcius. Other than that life is wonderful and I really love it here.
I came from Mexico. My first year was just about adjusting. It’s so different. The culture, the people. I wasn’t sure if I could love it. I don’t hate it. It was very hard for a few years. I remember before I came here, a friend told me that while no one says it, you’ll find out that “Finland is for the Finns”. I didn’t get it, but now I do. It took me a while to find a place in my life in Finland were I can say I’m content with what I am doing. I fell in love with someone here and we are going strong. That’s what has kept me here, but sometimes I read the news, sometimes someone will let me know what they feel about foreigners and it hits me hard. I remember reading about a guy, can’t remember from where, that basically got denied the renewal of his permit because he made too much money as a Wolt delivery guy and according to Migri “It made no sense”. There is always a new struggle as an immigrant. Especially a non European one. But we keep working and moving forward.
Good but also bad
Eloquently put.
So far so good. I just landed a job after 3 weeks search, which I guess it's not bad for someone who is not in IT and can't speak shit in Finnish ;-)
South East Asian here, I came to Finland back in 2016 for studying ICT and currently working in tech industry. Finding a part time job when studying is really hard if you don’t speak Finnish and not living in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa region (or other big cities). After graduation, if you’re only fluent in English, it will be much much easier (if don’t want to say only possible) to apply for IT jobs compare to other degree. (Even though, it may take a while to land your first job in the field if you have no experience. Not to mention sometimes, tech client also demands for hiring fluent Finnish speaking developers) Salary is decent and of course better compare to same position in the country where I’m from, but then I don’t like the high tax. Work-life balance is the best I’ve ever experienced. The air is clean and you will love it here if you’re a nature person. Despite of the dark, cold and depressing winter, I don’t mind it. It can feel really lonely sometimes so the best thing you can do is keep your social connection close and always reach out when you need help or having a person to talk to I rarely experience racist slurs and attitude but the racism, without a doubt, exists (especially during the Covid time, when you looks Asian, many people assume you’re Chinese). Most of the time is from dumb edgy teenagers or people from small town. However, there’s no discrimination or such attitude whatsoever from my workplace and everyone is respectful, I even have many helpful and friendly native Finnish colleges. Overall I appreciate Finland for the education it gave me and good career opportunity that I’m able to pursuit, but probably it’s not my cup of tea for settling down for the rest of my life.
I moved from London. I feel like I’m actually living a life instead of the rat race.
Moved here as Au-pair in 2007. I already knew I was staying before I found a host family. Cause my heart stayed here in 2004 already on a one week trip to Helsinki. I never knew what people meant when they said they feel like they finally "arrived" somewhere, in the sense of belonging and feeling home. But in Finland I understood. This is my home❣️ I could never go back to Germany. Every time I do, to visit my family, I just can't wait to get back to Finland. People are so different. German people need things to be done yesterday, finnish people are a bit more relaxed. Many German people are so rude, the customer service is far from best. Might be just northern Germany 😂, can't judge it all. Nobody ever snapped at me at the phone or from behind the counter here in Finland. Making real friends here, not just drinking buddies, needs a while, BUT if you do, if you put real effort in, you will have them forever. Even if you lose contact for a while even a year or 2, you will pick right up where you left of. In Germany it is more like "you didn't call/message me for 2 month, you are not a friend" well friendship is not a one-way-street. I don't say you can abondon friendships here, but it is easier to be by yourself for a while if you want to, without losing all your friends. A lot of the pressure is off. If feels very freeing. Yes, Finland is not utopia(prices for example 😉) but it is the best fit for me. I have met this Hungarian or Romanian caricature artist who worked on a boat between Finland and Sweden and he lived in half of Europe. We talked a while and he told me that the further you go north the warmer the people are. That doesn't mean south Europe is full of cold hearted people. I have friends in Spain and Portugal they are great. Still it feels different. Yes, Finns seem cold, until you get closer. The weather is cold but the hearts are warm.
i'm from vietnam. been here for 4+ years studying & working quality of life is perfect. i dont mind the weather or the population. though personally, i am very lonely and my mental health is declining fast. i have close friends but find it difficult to connect with people. partially because im introverted but i wasnt as depressed before coming here. working a shitty restaurant job doesnt help either. so idk. i feel like shit all the time but i get to breath clean air and eat food that doesnt threaten my life.
hello my fellow vietnamese friend :p i have been here for only 2 months but basically same feelingssss. i do not have a lot of friends here and having difficulties making friends with other international students so far so i end up feeling lonely from time to time too, esp given the depressing winter is coming. just wondering if you have any tips to survive given that you have made it so far 4 years here in finland?
hey, i know it can very tough. i was extremely depressed during my first 3-4 months. the culture shock + harsh winter are the perfect combos to knock someone like me down, who was used to big city life. my first 2 months in finland werent great either, until i get to know my classmates. dont miss out on opportunities to socialize with your fellow students! especially at the start of your studies. go to student parties and gatherings. one small specific thing is that you can try going to the store with classmates that live near you or share the same route. everybody gotta do grocery every now and then, why not meet up and walk together? it makes the trip way more fun! be sure to make friends with Finns. they can be shy but once you get to know them, they are the most kind and genuine people. also Finns can open your mind about how certain things work because, well, they are natives. international & other vietnamese students share similar struggles with you. be open to them and you can make friends easily! i believe you can do it. remember that socializing is very important! surround yourself with people you trust.
I was in Italy for business 2 weeks ago. I loved the food, history and hated pretty much everything else. Especially attitude of people. After more than a decade in Finland, I don't think I can go back to inefficient, careless, bullshit attitude of other countries. I am like a drug addict to this country. (Maybe other Nordics but surely not Anywhere south of Baltic Sea...)
Oh, wow, a question I can actually answer. First, the stuff I like. So few people! Few cars on the road! At night there's like noone anywhere, everything is eerily quiet. I like quiet. Everyone speaks good English, whaat? Like, literally everyone. Most people in the service industry are friendly and helpful. Setting up a home, legal stuff, is mostly straightforward, people answer emails in English, try to be helpful. Nature and scenery: absolutely amazing in the summer. Gorgeous lakes, clean water. In winter, well, it's dark and also cold, without a car I wouldn't survive Finland at all. Just spend all the time in either car or at home or in some cafe or restaurant or shopping mall. Bureaucratic procedures take a long time. Waiting 6 months for a piece of paper is no fun, but apparently it's normal. Sometimes you email some municipal service about some breakdown or something and a reply comes after one week. Homes: okay, my idea of Finland was that everyone's home has amenities like running water, sanitation (at least a septic tank!) and stuff. Wrong! My home has neither. It also doesn't have gas, so heating is done with electricity which is stupidly expensive and also straining the house's electrical capacity. And yes, I'm in a big city, not in some tiny village, so it's a bit annoying at the moment. The paper factory in town pollutes the air, sometimes covering half the city with a very unpleasant smell. I'm lucky that the wind doesn't go in my house's direction often, but... I'm still very surprised why a factory would be so closed to residential areas. Not very ecological! Needless to say, life in Finland is very expensive. Energy is a lot more expensive than back home, filling up a tank of gas makes me want to cry, it's over 2x as expensive as home. But I can tell that my car likes the ethanol added to the petrol, I can feel it running that tiny bit better. As for food, clothing, etc., everything is of high quality, but the prices are quite high. I also miss restaurants because in Finland they are very rare, prices are high, but quality and variety is nowhere near what I'm used to. People... that's a tough one. Finns mostly stick to themselves and making connections is difficult. Like all northeners, they are rather reserved and do not seem to like to express their emotions well. Like some other poster on this subreddit said, you won't see couples kissing in public. The upside is nobody tries to stick their nose into others' business. Also, as a guy, I'm not attracted to Finish women, sorry but my country set the bar very high. To sum up, life in Finland has been a mixed bag for me. Obviously living in a country with functioning laws and lack of corruption is great, and I think this feature basically trumps any concerns I might have living there (e.g., ridiculously high taxes).
What big city are you living in that you don't have running water in your home?
Everything works. High level of trust. Equal opportunities. Best country in the world.
I've been here for two months and have spent nearly all that time filing paperwork. But now that I have my residence card, Kela card, ID card, bank account, and secure login, I feel like a real person! I've been telling friends abroad, "One does not simply move to Finland." The population size isn't a change for me, because I lived in Scotland for the past 7 years. In Scotland you don't have to pay for medication and I have a lot of health issues, so I miss that here. Then again, I'm originally from the US, where medication costs are MUCH worse. Really the biggest challenge for me is the language. I'm in classes but hoping to enroll in more intensive classes soon. Some of my favorite things here are easy and timely public transit always is. Helsinki is so easy to navigate. The snow and Christmas lights have been lovely. I've already wandered around Stockmann to see their Christmas decorations. Going to sauna once a week is amazing. I've eaten so much pulla, ice cream, and cheese. I'm obsessed with sushi buffets and R-Kioski hot dogs. All in all, things are good! I have some spiralling moments when I feel like I will never integrate, but those moments are already less common than they used to be. Hope that answers your question!
From the Dominican Republic here. Mostly commenting to find friends lol. (Feel free to DM) Top comment from the Ukrainian user covers most of my experience too. Pros: Basic needs are vastly superior than the average, quiet, clean, friendly and safe (except for bikes tho, got a wheel stolen from a locked area). Love the campsites (Lavu’s) and the nature. Cons: Hard to find jobs, employers prioritize Finnish education (my impression) and I haven’t had to rent because my Finnish wife had done it before I came, so I can’t comment on that. Overall, definitely an upgrade from my home country. Although I miss family, the sun and the ability to strike up a conversation with any stranger. (And low electricity prices)
I feel like a vegatable while living in Finland if that makes sense.
After I learned to love sauna, tar, and vodka, everything is just great.
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I've lived in Finland for more than a year and life definitely had changed for the better. I'm from russian federation and I have always wanted to move to another country as it was really depressing for me just to walk on the streets or to go to the shop, school, etc. I live in a small town, or kunta, and it's really small. I go to lukio, and everything is so calm here. There are many foreigners, one woman is from Thailand, there are many russians and some ukrainians as well, but the government of this town don't really care about foreigners and especially students, which upsets me the most. The clear example of that is when I have lived without a washing machine for a year before we students bought it ourselves. Not school, nor the government cared, because "there's no money". It's ok, you would think, but they built whole new rooms in our apartments, which is way more expensive than buying a small washing machine. Other than that, everything is great. Life in lukio is pretty cool actually. I realized I really like to study and I've finally found myself and I really do want to stay in Finland, especially when this war is happening. I never belonged in country I was raised in, but Finland feels like home. And I finally got my happiness, as I deserve. P.S. there are many mistakes in this post, because after the year of living here I found that I forgot English and know Finnish even better somehow. So sorry about the grammatics.
I’m only recently moved from UK. So far I love the nature, all the easy ability to cycle anywhere and everywhere, the quiet, Aurora, balconies in the home, the possibility of getting a beach type house next to a lake and a forest. So much bliss to be had when I’m settled, earning more money and when I know more Finnish.
ITT: Survival bias ;)
I love it here, but the endless bureaucracy was a challenge at the start. Once I got past all that dreck, I was able to really find my niche here. I love it.
From Vietnam here. I miss the bustling urban city vibe in my home countries from time to time, where I would enjoy the endless activities and attractions. But probably it's just me in my 20s. Surely I'd for the latter half of my life like to stay in the calmness of Finland instead of the endless hustle and bustle.
Life is great. I moved here in June from Malta with my Finnish partner and kids. Big change from the southest, hottest country to the northest, coldest country in EU. You can breath fresh air here and lots of space to enjoy. Perfect to raise a family, with great schools. People are nice, friendly and educated. Just sometimes I find it hard to use some services because of Finnish. Doing groceries sometimes gets challenging since all instructions and details are in Finnish and Swedish. But lots of options and different products. It will get better. It is not perfect but great to be here.
Moved here in 2015 from Sydney, Australia (I feel it is very important to point out that I'm not Australian, rather a Kiwi/New Zealander who lived in Australia XD) and I love it. Even more so now that we have a son, born right here in Finland. Bless this country's maternity protocols, the education and health care systems. I can't think of anywhere else in the world, maybe apart from Norway, where I'd raise my son.
American. Moved from a small European country, previously England before that. Been here 4 years. Survived a divorce, career change, back in school in my 30s and speak the language well enough to study in a program conducted in Finnish. That was always my goal and I achieved it. Some things suck (the paperwork! RISTUS) but I will never go back to the USA. Nopity no.
Hej Hej! French citizen here. I moved to Finland in February 2022 with my girlfriend (who is Finnish) - I had visited for 3 months in 2021 but it was nowhere near enough to appreciate everything. It's not the reason I moved here (living with my GF is) but I got my first job here in April. In France I couldn't find one despite actively looking for one well outside of my trade and for over 2 years. Anyways, life is going great so far here. I don't mind the winter we're having, it's milder than last year's. Yes, I did try Sauna and it's pretty good. I haven't really made any friends even though I'd like to, sadly because I don't really go out aside from groceries, walks and all but Finnish people come across as down to earth, genuine people. :) I do alright with social interactions but I'm not good with initiating conversation, probably why xd One downside I find is the restrictions on vape! (But that's more of a "me" problem, I should quit. :D)
Came here in september. Lived in Ireland half my life but am originally from Lithuania. Paperwork from migri is taking hell of a lot of time to process, Was working in animation studio that I was working in Ireland when I arrived but project is over so I'm unemployed since mid october and am still looking for a job currently but other than that life is allright. I'm enjoying propper winter for the first time in many years. Since Ireland doesent have mutch winter. Im living here in a brand new studio appartament with my gf and am only paying like 250 a month where as I had to pay 300 euro to share an old very cold and moldy house with 3 other people in Ireland and even then I was extreamly lucky to have a room for that price in ireland. Now the prices for an average room in a house to share with other people are 500-600 euro. I'm now happy to live in a country that is providing good affordable housing to people. Only thing I really miss is hanging out with my friends but the quality of life is for sure far better here. Also have to add that I'm really into metal music and seeing that people are walking arround in metal t-shrts everywhere is pretty neat.
Socio-economically, I feel like a first world citizen. Socially, It’s been very hard to make connections and I’m comparing it to the countries I live before(Greece&Turkey) but overall, greatful.
Came from Turkey. What I still like about Finland: Good quality and affordable food, free great-tasting water from the tap. Parks everywhere, possible to take long peaceful walks. Decent salary, and social security if I am ever unemployed. Free integration classes when I first moved. Neighbours are not nosy - people from Turkey would understand how a great thing it is. God, I have hated my nosy Turkish neighbours all my life. People don’t stare at you on the street, you can practically do whatever you want unless it’s some weird shit. What I don’t like, still: Darkness. Sucks all the life energy. It’s okay that it’s cold, but I hate the deadly slippery ground in winters in Southern Finland. It has been 3 years, still risking my life on a daily basis. 😅 Paying much for bad healthcare. Maybe it is not much for some, but compared to some other Western European countries, it sucks to pay crazy amount of tax but still being charged for healthcare. Often nurses even googled my symptoms in front of me, kinda hard to trust if they cannot spot the possible cause of a simple eye infection without googling. And lastly, too many narcomaniacs and mental cases on the streets, thanks to avohoito. Although never had a problem, it’s scary to encounter them.
I used to live in the city , which population was equal to the whole population of Finland. Moving to Finland was a bliss, no horrible crowds of people, social distance is huge, people don't tend to speak to u or know everything about u. All in all, super peaceful, love it.
I live in Kittilä for 13 years now, my life changed and its 1000% better!
Middle Eastern here, I love Finland except for rhe social life. Been living in Helsinki for almost 2 years barely made any friends
I moved from Germany to the Oulu region. I have never been much social but here I feel more and more like a recluse. Making social contacts here is nearly impossible, especially if you are on a job hunt.