Moving to Finland to get married~

[Miusa]

Ugh, I know what you mean. It surprises me that there are people who barely speak english, let alone any finnish, and want to marry into finland just to live there. I feel like....how will you enjoy any aspect of your life if you can't communicate with people around you at all, and don't have any kind of real connection to your spouse? But yeah, bleuuurgh. Those ragglers aside, I'm hoping everything will go smoothly. :>

[Kutittaa]

You'll do fine. The most important thing is to just be happy that you are in the place that you want to be. Life could be worse. I think getting to live in the place that you want is enough of a good thing to make most bad things seem like a pittance in comparison. Do that and keep an open mind and you'll be fine. Just don't take anything too seriously. I think that Finns and foreigners alike in Finland take things far too seriously. I guess it might be the fact that I'm from a 'don't- give- a- @#$%' country and I was brought up by a bunch of hippies that cruised through life.

But to mildly repeat myself; Keep an open mind, allow others to act the way they want and don't take anything too seriously.

Though I have to agree with you on some of the people who pop into the forums here. It's hard to keep a straight face half the time and I don't know whether to respect the regulars that never lose their cool or pity them for being too serious.

Enjoy Finland! It's nice to exchange a few words with at least 1 decent sounding person every couple-o-months. Keeps the little fire called 'hope' in your heart burning. Which trust me is pretty hard after seeing the sorts that walk in here.

[Pursuivant]

Yeah, and one day it strikes you - it ain't like in Kansas no more. Thats also normal, Dorothy.

[Miusa]

Auntie Em, Auntie Em~!

Ah, well, I guess it depends who you talk to. :> The Finns I've met are all pretty chill. Thanks for all the chatter D I don't know if I'll be a "Regular" here, but I'll definitely be around for a bit so I can learn more once I move there. (Helsinki :>)

[kjscot2]

Well, if you really want to break the ice, have a baby or buy a really cute dog. Of course, there's always the percentage that will be annoyed by everything a foreigner does, but Finns are human after all...

[Miusa]

Haha. I honestly have only met finns who have been extremely polite to me and interested in where I come from and about me in general; nobody has ever given me a weird look or anything. Quite the opposite of what it seems to be like from people's views on this forum, lol. Maybe it depends on the area/type of immigrant. :>

[Upphew]

Haha. I honestly have only met finns who have been extremely polite to me and interested in where I come from and about me in general; nobody has ever given me a weird look or anything. Quite the opposite of what it seems to be like from people's views on this forum, lol. Maybe it depends on the area/type of immigrant. :>

Area might have some influence, but your own actions and attitude is the big thing. Tourists get privileges that won't be given to Finns or foreigners living here, so that might change the things too in the long run.

[kjscot2]

Most Finns are very polite if you show them respect, and I also have found them very curious to know why I came here and what I think of their country. But then, I made a huge effort at learning the language and mainly speak in Finnish when I leave my house. So - while my Finnish is far from fluent - after 3 years I can manage conversations with most people and read most articles in the paper. Would recommend instead of looking for work in the first year, that you spend that time learning Finnish. The ICC (Ruoholahdenkatu 16) has some intensive courses that I would highly recommend. The teachers are excellent, the classes are a reasonable size, and it's fairly inexpensive (I think around 75€ for 4 weeks, 10-13, 5 days a week).

[Kutittaa]

If you apply for integration you may be lucky enough to get paid to take a Finnish course. Though there is a pretty long list of applicants. I don't know if the courses in Helsinki are very different but the ones here in Oulu are really long. It's a lot better than sitting on your ass with nothing to do though.

[Miusa]

Mm, I was looking into that recently, the integration courses. I do know a lot of vocabulary from my times there, mostly food or things from grocery stores, haha. My fiance says that I would be fine if I wasn't fluent, and just knew enough to be able to speak some "conversational" finnish, which is what I'll be after initially. Hopefully the integration program will accept me I don't really want to be on kela or anything for a long time, would like to have a regular job somewhere supplemented by my freelance income until I get better at what I do. :> I'd love to take some degrees eventually, though sadly, one I was really interested in isn't available to be taught in english it seems. (Social and Cultural Anthroplogy.) Boo.

[Pursuivant]

Oh thats easy, you just go on a dig into any graveyard in Finland. All the jawbones you find, if theres no teeth as they are old womens, as they never shut up.


kiirminna kaariminna kairaa kiirminna kaariminna kairaa...

[Rick1]

Haha. I honestly have only met finns who have been extremely polite to me and interested in where I come from and about me in general; nobody has ever given me a weird look or anything. Quite the opposite of what it seems to be like from people's views on this forum, lol. Maybe it depends on the area/type of immigrant. :>

Must be living in that village of 5 persons and a horse up in the North.

[onkko]

Hopefully the integration program will accept me

Well unemployment office have, by law, make "integration plan" to you and it can and probably will have finnish courses. How long it takes to get in finnish course depends how much courses there are and how much there is queue.

[Miusa]

I lived in North Helsinki. :> Maybe I am just charming <3

[tizlit]

The wait on the Integration plan is long, some people wait upto 1,5 years. Better to start looking for a job straight away.