Settling In Finland; My Personal Journey So Far As A Foreigner In Finland.

I sat in front of my computer this morning wondering what in the world I should share with you guys today. As a blogger and a YouTuber, I believe that every single content I create should give some value to my audience. It could be providing some new information or answering some vital questions that someone may have on their mind.

So I have been trying to do that to the best of my abilities, making sure to do my research first and give only information that I am sure of. Sometimes I also share information based on my experiences, the experiences of others I have spoken with as well as concrete opinions.

But, as a mom and an individual, sometimes I find myself trying to get a balance between providing information on a general note, and going on a personal path. In any case, I think that what makes a blog or a piece of content great isn’t just the information it gives, but also how the content resonates with the person or persons on the receiving end.

I want my readers and viewers to be able to connect with me not only intellectually but also on a personal level. So in the light of that; I will be sharing today’s information from a personal angle.

Honestly speaking, I don’t think settling in Finland or any other new country could be seen as a one time or immediate thing. And let me clarify something first; Settling down isn’t the same as ‘fitting in’ or ‘trying to belong’. Those two have a totally different meaning and they are something I always advice against. The last thing you should do as a new foreigner in a new country is try to fit in or belong.

This does not benefit anyone: not you, not the new society. When you do this, you risk shortcutting yourself and putting people off. The best thing is to be your authentic self. Just be you. In my opinion, it is quite unlikely to see someone who has lived in a different culture and moves to a new country completely settle into the new country at once.

I think settling into a new culture or community not only takes time, but also is a process which could be long or short, depending on the individual and the society in question.

For me, moving to Finland was a dream come true. I planned and saved towards it for a couple of years. I was saving at least 50% of my monthly salary. I knew that the standard of living in Finland was different and a lot higher than that in Nigeria so I saved not according to life in Nigeria, but life in Finland.

What this means is that I lived like I am in Nigeria, but saved like I was in Finland by taking the exchange rate into consideration when deciding how much to save. This is because the money is so much more lower in Naira than in Euro.

When I arrived, I felt ready, and I was truly ready, for Life in Finland. Although, there wasn’t a lot of information about Finland online during that time, I didn’t let that dampen my Joy. Funny enough, something else did dampen my Joy or hope that very first day in Helsinki. I shared all about my experience on my first day in Finland in this Blog post: English version of my Published Article in Lapin Kansa 

Below is also a related video where I shared my opinion on Integration  in Finland. Definitely check it out. I am sure you will find it interesting. 

How well have I settled in Finland? I would say that I am still in the process and if I am to quantify it I would say I’m 70% done. Like I said earlier, settling down is a process. The remaining 30% is majorly Knowledge wise. I have always loved Learning and I feel like I am not really where I would love to be in terms of Education.

I have a passion for writing and I have dreams of studying Creative Writing someday. Aside from that, I would love to study something entirely new and interesting, and get a Degree in that field, or alternatively a PhD in Law, Social sciences, History or Culture.

I recently talked a bit about this on my Instagram and told you guys that I am not a big fan of making resolutions, but I plan a lot and write down my goals for each year. One of my major goals for this year is to make decisive huge steps towards filling up the 30%  that is left of my settling in Finland process. I haven’t decided which of those options I really want.

So the first step would be making a concrete decision, and then filling out the study application forms. I know that once I send in my applications, there is no turning back. This is a bit scary when I think of my life at the moment as a Mom, a Wife, an Expat blogger and Consultant, a YouTuber, an Instagram Influencer, and also currently in school doing a 6 months Sandwich course / training.

Can I add any other thing to my already full plate? Maybe. But like I said, settling down is a process and mounting pressure on yourself does more harm than good in the long run. So if you are reading this and you are still in the process of settling in Finland, or the new country you just arrived in, or you have plans of moving to Finland someday and you are wondering how life here would be for you and how fast you can settle in Finland, here is my advice for you;

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