Life in Finland diaries: The Life In Finland For A Foreigner And The Full Package It Offers.

Hi. Today I am writing this to you not from my head but from my heart. As much as the knowledge in my head as an expat of many years, seeks to provide information that you will find useful as a new foreigner in Finland, what I feel in my heart based on my experiences will be of utmost advantage to you especially if the topic is one which will affect your life in ways deeper than what is seen on the surface level.

I have been living in Finland now for many years and in these years I have experienced a good amount of Life in Finland and the full package it offers. My years in Finland has been filled with moments of deep satisfaction and gratitude, as well as moments of utter despair, confusion and loneliness especially in the early years.

Well isn’t that something you may also find elsewhere? Is there ever a country which gives you only Happiness, without leaving you with a sense of need for those things that you know are available but you couldn’t have?

Did the word ‘Happiness’ remind you of anything? Yes Finland has been declared the Happiest country in the world; 4 times in a row. Some agree, some don’t. I am not going to talk about that today because in my opinion that topic has gotten enough of it’s allocated share of attention in the world of words.

 If you want to know what I think about that award then definitely check out this video below.

Finland, just like many developed countries, offers to you a life diverse in nature, and the curve gets rounder if you are an Immigrant, a person of colour, or a person of foreign background. As a Foreigner living in Finland, there are a lot of pros you will enjoy in Finland.

For many, Life in Finland is a dream come true in the light of some of these pros, especially if you are coming from a country where the system doesn’t work so well. I have a Blog post titled: Is Finland A Good Place To Work And Live In? Is Finland A Foreigner Friendly Country? Definitely check it out after this post.

In addition to those moments of bliss, some major cons will be thrown into the package whether you like it or not. On another blog post, I shared that There Are Four Types Of People in Finland. A Detailed Observation On Racism In Finland. Now that is one blog post you need to read to give you a full insight on Racism in Finland.

Remember I said earlier that I am writing this from the heart, so honestly I say to you that these pros and cons are what make up the Finnish society as a whole. It is a full package that you are bound to experience, though in varying amounts depending on certain factors.

Some of these factors include the Finnish city you are living in, your career or work skills, your language skill, your skin tone, your destiny as an individual, and of course your Sisu. (Sisu is a Finnish word that has no direct translation in English but it can be explained to mean ‘determination’ or ‘perseverance’). Yes, you will need a lot of that. 

I have also shared about Life In Finland For Foreigners: Discussion Of Some Important Topics Relating To Foreigners In Finland. It is a detailed blog post on some current social issues immigrants face in Finland, sharing some video links as well. I am sure you will find those topics interesting especially if you have plans to move to Finland someday.

Now here is the twist, and this is what makes Finland the happiest country in the world, although the word ‘Happy’ sits debatable as the right word for the award. Even the Finns agree. This is because Happiness is a word that has a different connotation and use in Finnish than in English.

Same as the word ‘Love’. These words are loosely used in English but in the Finnish society they are used with a much deeper sense of meaning and intent.

Okay, back to the twist. What makes Finland the ‘Happiest’ country in the world is that despite all of the cons of living in Finland as a Foreigner, there is a certain degree of Safety and Certainty that the country gives to you. Several tools have been put in place to ensure an easier and secured life for you.

This is what makes the system work so well. Although the country has it’s own share of negatives, bureaucracy and racism, for example, the positives outshine them all. However, this is debatable, depending on individual needs and how much you long for the things the country has not been able to give to you.

It is for this reason that many foreigners in Finland have moved out to other countries they believe would be able to give to them what they earnestly long for. For example, a white collar job, or not being limited by lack of the local language skill.

However, for many more, myself included, Finland has not only become home to us, the country has won a place in our hearts and there is no other place we would rather live in. This is exactly how I feel and I am sure there are some other foreigners living in Finland who feel the same way.

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