5 months now in Finland

So I am nearly 6 months in Finland now. I had my Social Security finally approved last week, after months of fighting with the UK to get the papers Kela (the Finnish Social security) were asking for. A document that usually requires 8 weeks to process, I received after 16, and had to send the application twice because apparently they had lost the first request. So this was a bit of a drawback, but happily after the papers arrived, things went a lot faster. The only other documents that were asked for were proof that I had been living with boyfriend for the past 2 years as I had claimed. That's easily done, as long as you remembered to bring along your leases and contracts which show both signatures and are appropriately dated.

I went back to the police, to do the registration, with the required documents and there was no problem this time, we spoke to a lovely woman who took the documents we brought, no questions asked, and I received the whole confirmation by post. Luckily, the papers I received did mention I was French as the receipt we were given when leaving the police station mentioned I was Scottish, for providing Scottish flat contracts, and other documents from Bank of Scotland. The birth certificate itself was French though... but that's ok, just gave me a good laugh!

The next step to get all my papers for Kela was to go to Maistraatti to get registered on the population information system in Finland. This is a requirement if you want to live in Finland and want social security here. There is a form to fill and several documents to give. To be able to prove that you are not married, you will need to provide a document such as a birth certificate, with an "apostille" stamp. This you can apparently get from court, but they are able to provide you with a list of the places where you can ask for this stamp depending on the country you come from. I didn't get this stamp on my birth certificate, and it still worked however they are unable to define my marital status. I believe I will need that stamp to prove I'm not married the day I want to get married....

On a completely different level, as much as I was scared to go out on my own at first, I have now taken a habit of going shopping by myself. Most of the time you can make it with only "Hei" to say "Hi" and "Hei hei" to say bye, plus the usual "kiitos" to say thank you. And when the person starts asking me questions, I just look at them apologetically, and add that I don't speak Finnish. Either they will speak English and be lovely, or they will not insist and go on with the job, remaining lovely. Easy enough!

Though I have started a Finnish course, in September, it is only 3 hours a week, and if I am able to understand easy, basic sentences, I am not yet feeling confident enough to actually speak up. As I recently discussed with people, my boyfriend and a reader here, I do feel like a foreigner. Though it has nothing to do with what I have read people referring to as racism. I don't feel like a foreigner because the Finns make me feel like I'm different. After all, I'm not! I only speak different languages! But I am now faced with the language barrier. The only time I had experienced it before was as a teenager, going to England for a holiday. Funny thing though was when a man stopped me on the street, in a town I was visiting for a day with my host family, and asked me "Would you know where the pharmacy is?" I replied "I'm sorry, I'm French" with a very frenchie accent at the time, and to that he asked: "Savez-vous où est le parmacie?" With the typical mistake with gender.... and this made me laugh so much, as obviously, I had meant to tell him I was a foreigner and didn't have a clue where the pharmacy could be! I had this kind of experience here too. Coming home one day, a woman stopped me on the pavement, and started blabbing to me in Finnish. I replied that I didn't speak Finnish, and then she said that there may be a tiny chance I knew where a street was. Truth is, I didn't know! I know how to find my way, I know the name of the street I live on, but don't go and ask me other street names! I only know one, and as far as I'm concerned, that's enough for me!

Back to my subject, the language barrier. Yes I feel like a foreigner here, but it is MY feeling, because there are many things that I am not used to, but mostly, this fact that I don't understand what people around me are talking about. I read on a forum about a foreigner who was outraged because he could not get a job in Finland as the job required Finnish speaking, and he was wondering why they can't just speak English on the workplace!? I found this comment quite ridiculous. First, this was described as racism on the part of the Finns. Somebody tell me why people in their own country should choose to use a language foreign to them on their workplace?! Most of the Finns I have met who are over 35, understand English, but feel too embarrassed to speak it. I can understand that as even the easiest thing to say I am feeling embarrassed to say in Finnish. And in a company where people speak their native language, you can't expect that suddenly all the emails and other communications will suddenly be translated to English, language that some will not be able to understand at all just so that one person can get a job! So yes, I am the one feeling foreign here, the people around are not at all responsible for it. It was my choice to move here, it's up to me to deal with it, and it would be too easy to blame the Finns because I don't understand them!

Now, as I mentioned, there are things I am not at all used to. Take the Euro coins. There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents coins that exist. But in Finland, the 1 and 2 cents coins are not in use. So every time you pay cash, the amount showed will be different than the one you pay, unless you get 5 cents number to it. Otherwise, it will be made up or down to match a 5 cents amount. In other words you will either win 1 or 2 cents, or lose it... Of course 1 or 2 cents is not the end of the world, I however believe that prices should be arranged so that they are on the spot, tens or fives... Another thing related with money are cheques! They are out of use in Finland, which means that you can still bank them, but there will be an 11 euros charge on the transaction. So for anyone planning to get some money from abroad, the easiest way is to make a bank transfer. We cashed a cheque once, and know what to do next time...

Talking about the bank. Opening a bank account here was very easy, much easier than I thought it could be. I remember all the troubles in Scotland, for a foreigner trying to open a bank account... All I needed here was a proof of ID and a Social Security number. The good thing is that I got the Social Security number with my registration to Maistraatti, so I didn't need to wait for the decision from Kela. However, because banking is mostly done online in Finland, they arranged so that I can access my account through my boyfriend's account. It is indeed easier as the whole website is in Finnish and I don't really understand much yet!

So here I am now after nearly 6 months, getting happily used to it. I had a hard time at the beginning, but I am now really looking forward to the rest! Winter is coming, and it is only October but we already had a few drops of snow... however I am ready. I have the coat, shoes, gloves, woollen hat, with ears... I am just waiting to see how dark it does get. I am aware it is going to be cold, however what I really need to discover is how dark it really gets, and how I am going to be able to deal with it. Also, I am waiting to finally get a job. I have applied for several. Yes, if you look closely, there are some jobs where Finnish speaking is not required and fluent English is enough, with sometimes an additional language as a bonus. The only requirement is to live in an area where such jobs are available. The Helsinki and Tampere regions are very good options for that, though I am happy as there is here a power plant that is a Finnish, German and French co-operation and English and French languages are quite looked for.

to conclude I would say that as long as the move is well prepared, if you're ready, go for it!

(More about the winter in a future hub... cross my fingers I can actually deal with it!)

A few things that happened here, and were funny enough to mention...

A month ago, we got a cat. She's a tiny, lovely creature we called Luna. One afternoon, when I needed to go out to bring the documents Kela was asking me as proof that I had lived with my boyfriend for 2 years, my neighbour came out from her flat, with both her dogs, and they started barking, so I quickly shut my door so that Luna would not get traumatised. Usually when I go out, I check that I do have my keys just as I am about to close the door. This is when I realised! My keys! I had just locked the door, and the keys were IN the flat! My boyfriend had told me he would probably be doing overtime that evening, and I was stuck. I gave him a call to explain. Good news, what they needed to do that day was going swell, and there might be less overtime needed than he had expected. As I was talking to him, I realised that on top of forgetting my keys, I had picked the wrong bag, and as a result I didn't have my wallet with me. So there I was on my way to Kela, no keys, no money and the prospect that my boyfriend would only come back late... Anyway. I told him that for now I would be going to Kela, and that it would be some time before I got out as usual, as it always takes hours before you even get to talk to someone. I had my book with me. Yes, it is the most ridiculous thing to have when you don't have your keys or wallet, but you see, I had been thinking in terms of way to pass my time waiting for my number to be called at Kela, and the book was a good option! 

So there I get to Kela, and to my (worst) suprise, there is not ONE person waiting in there. I hardly have time to press the button to get a ticket that I hear the "Beeeep" with my number showing up. Oh oh, this is not good! This is going WAY too fast! 

5 minutes later I am out of Kela, with no key, no money and the prospect that my boyfriend is only gonna come back later than usual! I called him while I was walking back. "Would you believe it if I said it only took me 5 minutes in Kela?" And here I am, trying to find out how I could spend the rest of my afternoon. There is a coffee place just under our building. I tell him I am going to try it there, ask if I can get coffee and wait for him, and he can pay for the coffee when he comes and I call him back to let him know if it works or we can make another plan... On my way to the coffee place I stopped in a shop I had never taken the time to visit. It's quite good, and the prices are relatively ok. Then comes my moment of shame! I get to the building, and to tell you the truth, I had a real hard time deciding if I was going in. It required several things after all, accepting to look ridiculous, and hoping that whoever I was asking would speak English! In the end I decided to go. And my request was both understood and accepted! So there I was, sitting in front of a cup of coffee, with my book, still feeling ridiculous, but at least not outside on a somehow coldish street! 

Another episode that really made me laugh was the other night, Wednesday if I remember right. My boyfriend was sick (still is at the moment) and we were getting low on milk, so I put on my coat, grabbed my keys and wallet, yes this time I had them both, and went down to our local R-Kioski, small general store which is just down the building. I was choosing my milk when I realised the woman at the till was talking to me. Of course I couldn't understand her as she was speaking Finnish. When I got closer, she was still speaking Finnish, and a young man was speaking English to me, putting a phone in my hand, telling me "she speaks Finnish!"

Uh... I don't speak Finnish I was trying to explain. He understood, but the woman was still talking to me in Finnish. So I said "En puhu suomea" (I don't speak Finnish in Finnish). Mind you, she was still talking to me in Finnish! The problem there was that the man did not speak Finnish, he had just arrived in Finland for a job, and he had a pay as you go phone, except the voice on the line, explaining what to do was in Finnish, so he was looking for someone to help him recharge his credit. I was lucky enough because my boyfriend helped me get a phone with a contract, so I don't have to worry about being able to add credit... however I found myself unable to help. And it really was too bad for the guy, because chances are, if my boyfriend hadn't been sick, I would have sent him to get the milk, and he for sure would have been able to help the guy! On my way back to the flat, I had to share the lift with the neighbour with the dogs. I could not help laughing as the dogs were wearing winter outfits! With a cap! One was in blue, and the other one in pink. It was all so ridiculously cute, I was laughing my ass off when I got back to the flat, telling the whole story to my boyfriend. Going out for only 5 minutes, I wasn't expecting so much would happen. Then again, I was thinking this could only happen to me!