American family moving to Finland

[channing316]

Maybe you should check out the Portland, Oregon area.

My SO has some family in Eugene, Oregon. They haven't said much about the life there, but I will ask them. I also have some ex and current military friends, I'll see if any of them were stationed in Seattle. I know at least one of them was. And I will do some research on them.

Of course, even though it may be different from Tennessee, it still has the same US problems; but, it is definitely worth looking into, as a possible place to move to while deciding on a more long term plan. Thank you very much for your input.

Even after 4+ years here my level of Finnish language skills is nowhere near adequate enough to get a job even as a cashier or waitress. I have no friends here and have been living a pretty socially isolated life. I really miss the choices I had in the US and I miss the diversity of the population. Life is so...dull here, imo. I miss *real* cities. And I want to go to graduate school but there are no programs I'm interested in as the selection of universities here is small. It's really really frustrating and humbling, the migrating thing. And that's even with having a family tie here, a spouse and supportive in-laws.

By the way, have you thought of taking a family vacation to Finland just to see what it's like? Sometimes places are not like what one has built up in one's mind. I used to think Norway was paradise on Earth but when I finally went there I was disappointed with it. I did, however, fall in love with Denmark while coming back from Norway. You never know about a place if you haven't seen it and experienced it firsthand.

Have you looked into taking language courses at a university near you? There are also some really good websites that teach Finnish, from basic to advanced, they're just a little hard to find, since it's not a very wide spoken language... I'm sorry that you're having a hard time adjusting there, and I hope that it gets better for you.

We were planning on taking a trip there sometime relatively soon; within the year. I don't know when the peak tourist season is, but I want to avoid that. I know I cannot stand tourist times here, and we're a lot more hostile during those times, so I imagine it's like that everywhere else.

[kharnynb]

"peak" tourist season is either just before christmas or july/august.

But Unless you stick to places like helsinki, noone really minds tourists here.

Personally i would either go in mid july, rent a mökki somewhere in the lake district for a bit and maybe see helsinki for a couple of days.

or if you prefer winter, just come in Januari, but get the heck out of helsinki asap

[Australialainen]

Definitely come for a visit first.

[wwallin]

I realize it's been 3 years since anyone posted here and therefore this may not get a single read, but I have to say I found this discussion heartbreaking. I currently live in Seattle myself, and while I'm not hoping to move to Finland in the foreseeable future, I certainly sympathize with the poster's plight.

Obviously this board is as unfamiliar with conditions in the US as Americans are of Finland. I live in Seattle in a highly-paid job, and it is still hard to feel good about raising a child here. It is not true that you can experience an affordable, progressive, socially enlightened lifestyle in the Pacific Northwest unless you are rich, i.e., two partners with highly-paid jobs. This assumes you're white (as am I), because racism here is off the charts. One-third of black men in the U.S. are or have been incarcerated and have no voting rights - for life. Laws are set up to re-segregate races, and the poor stand no chance.

There is very little high-quality childcare, and what little there is costs. As for access to education, my daughter is 10 and has always been in a private school, which as a concept I don't even believe it, because the public schools in my neighborhood are serious crap and even dangerous, the kind the Finnish might find unimaginable. It's true that there are some excellent schools, but they are only in rich neighborhoods, and even with my 6-figure salary, I'm unable to afford to live in a neighborhood with decent schools. If you're lucky, you can hope for a transfer to a better school, but the commute makes it unrealistic. (The public schools I have access to are rated 2 to 3 out 10.) Many Americans, including children, have no access to health insurance, and even if you have excellent insurance like me, it doesn't help because (1) you can't get an appointment and (2) doctors will only treat you for the most common illnesses. The reason is that healthcare here is profit-driven, so anything that takes time for a doctor to test extensively and diagnose just is not profitable. You get 5 minutes and the doctor is out the door. Mental healthcare is a nightmare along Victorian lines. Black people are being killed by police both in broad daylight and inside jails, brazenly, with no repercussions. I recently reported a (relatively minor) crime I witnessed and literally begged the police officer not to shoot the perpetrator. Poor Latinos are virtual slaves. Being an American has come to seem like a Dickens novel.

Seattle is incredibly expensive to live in, although as progressive as American cities come, and middle-class people are being pushed out by exponentially rising rents, not to mention the working class and homeless. Lest you doubt, Google any of this and learn for yourself. Or imagine you wanted to move to Seattle and search online for a decent place to rent or buy and check to school ratings, then figure out how much you would need to earn to live here. Six-figure salaries are relatively rare outside of the tech sector or doctor/lawyer. Or better yet imagine yourself working for minimum wage -- Seattle's $15/hour is the highest in the nation, but it doesn't apply to any business outside the city limits -- and then see if you can find a place online to rent within a reasonable commute. I challenge you!

The US is now a plutocracy. We are certainly nowhere near a Syria's plight, but average Americans are undoubtedly knocking at our neighbors' doors asking to be let in, just as the US has previously been the door desperate refugees have knocked on. The American people have little to no control over our government and haven't for a couple of decades. Worse, most of the population is so poorly educated (see above) that they are not well-enough informed to act in their own best interests.

The lack of human empathy on this forum must surely be a result of ignorance rather than intent. Please consider the content and treat young, uneducated posters with the dignity they deserve. Their lack of information may seem outrageous, but dishing honesty with a helping of gentleness is free.

[Flossy1978]

My friend, her husband and their child live in Seattle.

They absolutely love it.

He is the only breadwinner. Makes a decent salary.

Their child goes to a public/state school and is doing well and the school is good.

They are buying their own place.

They love the culture of the place. The beautiful scenery and all that can be done in and around Seattle.

I thought in America, everyone and anyone can apply for scholarships, loans etc to go to higher education? So is there really any reason they aren't able to educate themselves?

Racism is everywhere. America isn't special in that case. Look at South Africa, Zimbabwe etc. The racism against blacks and whites is even worse there.

Funny, when a black person is shot dead, etc in America, people cry racism, hate crime etc. But what about the white people who get murdered by black people? Some years ago there was the horrific crime of the young couple out in their car. They were hijacked. The girl was raped, abused and left to die in black bags in a garbage bin. The boy was raped and I believe shot in the head and left on some railway tracks. Who did this horrific crime? A group of black thugs. And of course, this wasn't racism or a hate crime. Turn it around, so the victims were black and the thugs white.... And imagine all hell would have been raised, especially by that black preacher guy who pops up all the time about how racist white people are. I can't remember his name. I was happy to hear some of the thugs got the death penalty. As they should, as any person of any colour should have gotten from such an awful crime.

People can be so negative, to the point they can't think of the positives, at all.

I am sure there is plenty of good in America. It can't all be so bad. Especially if you compare it to life in places like Syria, etc.

Life is what you make it. Running away to Finland will not fix your problems.

[inkku]

Flossy, you cannot compare racism against white people and black people. Much of the racism black people face (in many Western countries) is structural, which diminishes people's chances for the same rights, and is much worse than occasional personal level hatred.

[wwallin]

To Flossy I can only say that you would fit right into the Tea Party and Trump supporters here in America. You are woefully uninformed about life in the U.S. and I suspect you aren't from Finland, since Finland has no death penalty. Good luck with your life, and may the truth set you free.

[Flossy1978]

I live in a great country and I lived for fourteen years in Finland.

My country doesn't have the death penalty either. Some people truly deserve to die. They have no right to walk amongst us.

Life is what you make of it.

It is sad, instead of making your own country better, you choose to run away to Finland, in the hopes the grass is greener. Finland has its own problems. No country is perfect.

[betelgeuse]

My country doesn't have the death penalty either. Some people truly deserve to die. They have no right to walk amongst us.

Are you willing to accept innocent people as collateral? Since no existing justice system is perfect, accepting killing of innocent people is a requirement to support the death penalty.

[Oombongo]

My country doesn't have the death penalty either. Some people truly deserve to die. They have no right to walk amongst us.

Are you willing to accept innocent people as collateral? Since no existing justice system is perfect, accepting killing of innocent people is a requirement to support the death penalty.

These people are certainly not innocent:

1. Cartels/drug dealers
2. Terrorists
3. Pedophiles
4. Rapists
5. Politicians/Bankers
7. Kardashians and Jenners.

[inkku]

I realize it's been 3 years since anyone posted here and therefore this may not get a single read, but I have to say I found this discussion heartbreaking. I currently live in Seattle myself, and while I'm not hoping to move to Finland in the foreseeable future, I certainly sympathize with the poster's plight.
....
The lack of human empathy on this forum must surely be a result of ignorance rather than intent. Please consider the content and treat young, uneducated posters with the dignity they deserve. Their lack of information may seem outrageous, but dishing honesty with a helping of gentleness is free.

Thank you for this. I enjoyed your writing and fully agree with your last sentence. When I joined this forum the tone was different, there was much more more banter and genuine discussion and advice but now it is all just so negative. People are trying to force feed single solutions like life was a single story, criticizing personal level decisions instead of advising. I was wondering if this is the reason why many former forum members have either disappeared or are not active anymore, who knows.

[niceguy40]

You'll have to serve in the finnish army for at least a year. Which would not be fun or easy.

[tatelate]

Serving as a conscript in Finland takes 6 to 11 months. The system has saved the democracy of Finland twice (Winter War 1939-1940 and Continuation War 1941-1944, where by Helsinki, London and Moscow were the only three capitals remaining not invaded in WW 2).
Conscription in the Finnish Army gives young men and women (today about 10 % of conscript) excellent management and specialist skills that are highly appreciated in Finnish companies and administration.
It is quite sorry that the US education does not provide a world-covering view of different cultures and countries. So, welcome to Finland for a safer, gun-free, secure, egalitarian community.

[DMC]

So, welcome to Finland for a safer, gun-free, secure, egalitarian community.

Finland feels like a safe & secure place where violence, especially gun crime, is rare. This doesn't mean it is gun-free though. Look up the figures for gun ownership per capita for different countries. Topping the list is the USA (no surprise there) but Finland is surprisingly high. Wikipedia put Finland 6th whilst
this Guardian article puts Finland 4th.

[inkku]

Indeed Finland is not gun-free but there are a 1,5 million guns in Finland. However, they are mostly concentrated in Northern Finland and Aland where people practice actively hunting. Thus, hunting rifles etc, which have to be kept locked. To buy them, one nowadays need to got through lengthy permit process.

Actually, most common weapon used in crimes is a knife.