Finnish people in the Netherlands

tenwaho · Post by **tenwaho** » Sat Aug 25, 2012 10:33 pm

Hello wonderfull people!

I am trying to study Finnish by myself, but I wondered if there are any helpfull Finns living in the Netherlands to help me with the speaking part. It is the most funny (but also second hardest) part and it sure would help me

I as well like to stay in touch with Finns by email/chat. I have a wish to go live in Finland once!

**Sponsor:**

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:52 pm

Alankomaat/Hollanti/Belgia Foorumit:

http://finlandsite.nl/foorumi/viewforum ... 5ad0c18334

Alankomaat = The Netherlands

By the way, did you know that the 1997 album by the the Dutch band Nits was called Alankomaat ? :
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nits-mn0000355554

tenwaho · Post by **tenwaho** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:26 am

I already follow the site you mentioned, only never found out there is a forum linked to that site. Thank you. I will need to speed up my Finnish lessons to understand, it is of course 100% Finnish

I found out about the Finnish School in the Netherlands (Rotterdamin Suomalainen Lauantaikoulu). I want to go there but I already start with missing 3 out of the 5 first lessons, which means I cannot enter this year. Pitty.... So I have to wait one more year IF I still live here that is. Because nothing is sure and I freak out more and more of this horrible area I live in. Honestly I am not a person for such crowdy, concrete packed, jammed up place. And yes I know the solitude of isolated areas as well, lived some time in Portugal near the Spanish border, where is one of the most isolated areas of Europe too. Just prefer something in the middle.

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 1:47 pm

I already follow the site you mentioned, only never found out there is a forum linked to that site. Thank you. I will need to speed up my Finnish lessons to understand, it is of course 100% Finnish

Yes, the forum is in Finnish but you can post a message of your own on the forum, either in English or in Dutch. I do not think that anybody would mind.

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 1:58 pm

I suggest that you contact "Nederlandse Vereniging in Finland" :
http://www.nederlandsevereniging.fi/

They may be able to give you some Finnish contacts where you live.

kalmisto · Post by **kalmisto** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:36 pm

I am aware of that the "Nederlandse Vereniging in Finland" members are located in Finland and that you are located in Holland but I have reason to believe that some of the members have information on Finnish clubs and societies in Holland.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:10 pm

Well, you find an university. They usually have exchange students. Also, on a brief look theres half a dozen of blogs about "living in Holland" by Finns, looks to be an abundance of aupairs, students and bored housewives.

inkku · Post by **inkku** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:55 pm

Expatirum.fi is a discussion forum for Finnish expats. you might find some living in the Netherlands as well, and I am sure that you could find there also a local group.

You have to register and it is in Finnish again, for sure:)

Creech · Post by **Creech** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:45 pm

If you plan on moving to Suomi anyway I might have a suggestion for you. Just start a finnish course in the Netherlands already, one of those home-study courses. You don't have to finnish the course in the Netherlands, the reason why it's a good idea is that you have the books already and everything in these books ( like grammar ) is explained very clearly in your own language; dutch. I had this course where I needed to send homework weekly and then the teacher send it back and corrected the mistakes. Another plus is that you also probably get a dictionary finnish-dutch / dutch-finnish with the course. These finnish-dutch dictionaries aren't easy to find here, and even if you find these, it's expensive. You start in Finland anyway going to language-courses, so then you get more then enough language everyday to practise it. The sooner you start a course now, the more profit you have of it once you're in Finland already.

by the way I'm Mathijs, first time posting here. I live in Tampere, Finland now for 5 years.

linforcer · Post by **linforcer** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 12:42 pm

I'm Dutch, living in Finland for about a year now.

When I studied Norwegian I used to go down to the Norwegian sailor's church in Rotterdam and chat it up with people, and I've actually been at the Finnish sailor's church in Rotterdam as well. I'm not religious and it wasn't an issue. I don't know if the lessons you mentioned are related to them at all (which wouldn't surprise me, since the Norwegian sailor's church had a Norwegian course as well)

Either way, you might be able to find some Finns there in person if you're not shy.

Then there are language exchange communities like SharedTalk and xlingo, though there aren't that many Finns there. Personally, I think there is plenty of grammar to learn before you would start to talk to people, but I think my way of learning is a bit different from most people's.

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