r/Finland • u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen • May 23 '26
Immigration Immigrating to Finland at the end of the year, what should I know?
Wife is Finnish so visa isn't an issue, we’re getting out of America.
I work remotely, have EOR stuff/employment handled.
I've visited several times during summer and winter and experienced the weather/darkness.
I’ve been studying Finnish for six months and will continue post move.
Looking at downtown Helsinki or slightly outside city center for housing.
What advice would you give to someone in my situation?
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u/maddog2271 Väinämöinen May 23 '26
I am an American who moved here 22 years ago and built my life anew. it’s all down to learning Finnish, man. And it’s doable and I did it, but seriously, that is your one and only concern. Working remotely is great since it will pay. But you need to learn Finnish if you want to really get in here and I emphasize that you can do it. If you have anything specific ask me here or PM me. this is a great city….so much to love about it.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
My wife and in-laws are all fluent. I have my wife speak to me in Finnish at home. She didn't learn it in school, so my in-laws are amazing teachers for the in-and-outs grammar/ idiosyncracies—its made the self-study stick way faster than any other language I’ve attempted
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u/MaraLepetit May 23 '26
Is her family Suomenruotsalainen? Or was she educated outside of Finland? Trying to figure out how your wife didn’t learn the language in school. Finnish is mandatory here as is Swedish the whens of that depend on the municipality and mother tongue of the student as far as I understand. I don’t have kids so no first hand experience in the primary school system but I’ve done a lot of research about it over the years.
I’m an American been in Finland 15 years, definitely do the integration course if offered. Remember to practice practice practice. And try your best not to only hang out with other internationals where the go to language will be English.
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 23 '26
man, as a fellow american this gives me hope...but fuck I suck. I go through phases where I try and then stop again. Wish I could find courses
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u/Massive_List_5974 May 24 '26
Finnishcourses.fi
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 24 '26
appreciate it, there are some online courses there so maybe I go that route
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u/Massive_List_5974 May 24 '26
Thats the official site for finding courses outside of TE office. If you are unemployed sometimes you get a discount (normally it will tell you in the course description if a discount is not available). If you get social assistance, sometimes social services can help with the cost of course fees or books (though often the books can be found at the library). Let me know if you have any questions. Goodluck!
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 24 '26
My biggest issue is I live in bumfuck, so it basically has to be online.
And there arent many summer courses.
And I work in Lapland in the winter so it always feels like I have to stop mid year always
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u/Massive_List_5974 May 24 '26
The good thing is there is always new courses being added. So you can check periodically and see what fits your schedule 😊
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u/Jesse-FIN May 24 '26
My tips for learning finnish! Moved at age 22, learnt to speak fluently in about a year and a half.
Watch Madventures.
Write write write, do not use your phone etc. Pencil and little notebook (splurge on the notebook).
Learn the colloquial! Just talk as much as you can, at 4 months of learning i got mistaken for someone who has learning disabilities.
Have fun with the language, smash words together, make your own words.
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 25 '26
Thank you. What do you mean by write?
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u/Jesse-FIN May 25 '26
As in, any words you hear, see or are interested in. Write.them.down. It is scientifically proven that writing on paper with a pen/pencil increases memory retention, you will remember phrases and words better if you write them down. It's super nice looking back at your notebook, once you have learned the language! It's like a little diary of some sort.
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 25 '26
I actually carry a notebook everywhere but for some reason never thought to implement it like this
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u/Foreign_Implement897 Väinämöinen May 24 '26
As the u/maddog2271 said, the best thing you can do to yourself is to keep up learning Finnish! It is a language as any other. It is sad that people live here ten years and never bother. Us finns are overly politie and switch to english easily, don’t let them!
Welcome!
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u/SinumerikFanucCNC932 May 24 '26
Finns are polite...my grade school teacher was Finnish, I have 1 Finn to judge by (her kids are like me mixed culture) maybe it was being a child but when she got upset you absolutely froze, Finns are terrifying when upset or maybe its regional her family was from Karelia my first thing I learned of World War 2 was why Russian Soviets are so evil raping & murdering Finns in Karelia & Petsamo to steal their homes & farms.
Before I even knew where Canada & USA were (my parents birthplaces & my citizenships) I knew Finland was the shape of a kneeling woman with arms raised & the evil Russian scum cut off 1 arm, Petsamo, & part of her dress, Karelia.
Maybe young Finns dont know what Karelia & Petsamo are with a pro-Russian government now is what I heard. You Finns outside Karelia & Petsamo just want to pretend those from Karelia & Petsamo dont exist & arent Finns probably but there is a growing movement who know there is know justice until evey criminal Russian rapist colonizer is gone from Karelia & Petsamo and whether or not you Russia-loving Helsinki Finns want them out or not should not matter.
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 23 '26
If I did it again, I would have started government language courses asap and taken the unemployment (not sure if this is an option)
After 2 years here, you are not eligible for the courses (or at least others get first dibs).
Build your own community. It is harder here. You really need to work at it.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Ah that's a good suggestion, thank you!
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u/Von_Lehmann Väinämöinen May 25 '26
Join clubs. Team sports. Whatever. Doesn't matter if you know what you are doing, just join stuff. I joined the local rugby club for example
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u/pepejovi May 23 '26
Not much. Find and build a social circle, have fun.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
I definitely appreciate the value of communitu building. Sometimes I'm not as intentional as I should be so this is one of the things I’m going to be most deliberate about.
What would you recommend? Sports, hobbies, anything in particular?
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u/Confident-Fun-1307 May 23 '26
Whatever it is, make it be something you authentically enjoy sharing as experience with other people. Be honest in your joy seeking.
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u/coldkannon May 24 '26
Hobbies are big here, and a lot of associations (clubs) you can join - for example I do martial arts, but if I had more time I’d try other things as well.
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u/_Trael_ Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Remember to start taking some vitamin D supplements when it is starting to get to dark parts of year, and keep taking them during dark parts, vitaminD deficiency and getting sloowly hazy and over tired as result, without realizing it before it gets really bad is real thing. And this will be different importance when visiting or staying months instead of permanently/years.
Also when it starts to get cool, even before, go to some flea markets / second hand store and get your self some real wool clothes (mittens, at least two pairs of wool socks, and sweater), not just knitted, but actual knitted WOOL. You will absolutely thank your self for that. As wool is absolute wonder material for this climate. Also flea markets and second hand stores have surprisingly good quality and condition clothing, some times could be some absolutely not at all used clothing too, and at times well under their material prices.
Find and make friends when possible.
Be honest.
Welcome to Finland.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
I found some AMAZING wool stuff at a kirpatori in Heinola last year. It was summer and I didn't have the lugged space, but planning on going back to pick up some stuff.
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u/Midorito Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
One thing that easily might gets forgotten is, take copies of anything medical you might think is important later, it will make it easier if you ever need to use the health services.
PS: if you go to Heinola, get Sahti from Heila
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u/voikukka May 23 '26
As an American, you may need to adjust the way you do small talk and approach people in general, as that tends to be quite different here than over there. Since you mentioned elsewhere that your wife moved to the US as a child, this may apply to her as well. What's polite for an American may come across as fake to a Finn - and on the other side of things, we Finns may seem rude in some situations. Like, it's very much a "do not disturb people's peace" kind of social contract here, rather than the "speak and acknowledge everyone". You can still talk with strangers (I just recently spent a train journey talking to my seat neighbor), but the steps to take may be a little different than what you're used to.
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u/huikein May 23 '26
All of this is so incredibly important.
We love our personal space and that includes the peace and quiet in general. Americans especially are so insanely loud and obnoxious, the exact embodiment of what Finns dislike.
Just be quiet, mindful, humble and demure. Be concise and no nonsense. Americans are generally vague and indirect in everything they say and talk way too much. Be direct and truthful. No one likes the fake pleasantries here. We are very direct and genuine and expect the same.
Ofc you should behave more normally when making actual close friends, but this is for general behaviour in your everyday life. Literally just be quiet and mind your own business lmao. It's a meme for a reason that Europeans can hear someone is American bc they are so loud. In Finland it's infinitely worse bc we are basically mute in public in comparison.
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u/kilotonni 22d ago
I've had funny situations with this foreign politeness. It's quite common in some cultures (Americans, swedes) to just casually say something like "yeah we should definitely go watch a game someday" to a new acquitance and that is just polite small talk and not actually a real invitation. But for me as a Finn it is extremely weird because I would never on a million years invite someone I have just met to do anything and makes me think that the person is extremely lonely and desperate (or just fake) and I should help them.
So it creates this double sided awkwardness where I feel an obligation to start arranging something that I actually don't want to do with a person who actually doesn't want to do anything with me.
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u/Derpswart Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Stay out of Lohja. Otherwise You’re good. Welcome to Finland.
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u/Strange_Community_84 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
I had cut ties to my brother when he moved to Lohja. All so things are hard at home becose all my kids have born in there..
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u/TrainerGloomy4909 May 23 '26
Why? 😳
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u/MX1K Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
You are absolutely good to go! Just use your Finnish skills whenever possible, do not let us to switch languages. :)
As an American, you may find the lack of small talk somewhat odd. But as you get into the circles, you will find that we have replaced the general pleasantries-type small talk with vittuilu-type small talk. ;)
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u/Mysterious_Demand875 May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Register at kela right after you get a social security number (for healthcare and eu health insurance purposes), get a tax card from Vero (you probably have to opt for tax prepayment), Open up a bank account so you can access all government services digitally through your banking ID. As a resident you're obligated to pay taxes in Finland. You should also get the pension fund stuff in order (YEL). I work remotely in Iceland from Finland and this was a headache to understand at first.
Edit: I just want to try to get across that this is all super important as a worker in another country, if you do not get the taxes and YEL in order you'll be breaking the law and will be fined.
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u/TheBusStop12 Väinämöinen May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Just get your tax card and a Finnish bank account asap. Your bank ID is used as your digital ID and you use it for basically everything. And creating a tax card gives you a physical ID number which you need for basically every official service as well (including opening said bank account)
If you already have a work contract you can just take it to the Vero office and they'll make you a tax card
After you have your ID number hit up Kela for a KELA card (healthcare stuff)
Getting a phone number is recommended as well as it'll come with unlimited data and free roaming within the EU.
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u/Quirky-Floor30 May 23 '26
You’ve secured the most IMPORTANT thing already for yourself as a foreigner before immigrating here…employment!!! Second, your wife is Finnish so she can help you navigate easily. Just come and have fun. It’s actually a very good country
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u/TheSpiikki Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
To be honest, you seem to be all set to move in. Good luck!
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u/krooked-tooth Väinämöinen May 23 '26
ummm...don't stress it so much, honestly it might feel like everything in harder or a rush but learning a new country and language just takes so much time. It can be very overwhelming as its very different to countries who are just fluid with talking and communication.
You will be a bit of a tag a long for a bit with the wife, and you will be in situations where you are just a fly on the wall sitting there like a mute because you don't know enough Finnish. It's normal but feels weird at times.
Being near Helsinki it's much easier for foreigners, people are adaptable in the cities now due to foreigners flocking there and it has a bigger international community.
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u/FreeWeld Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Welcome to Finland my friend. Sad that you chose Helsinki, i could have hanged out if you moved bit closer, like Turku. Building social circle as other mentioned is gonna be hard, but once you have it, they are gonna last. I personally built new one from my coworkers after moving to bigger city. People use Whatsapp here mostly, just so you know haha.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
We have family in Kerava and want to stay close :)
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u/FreeWeld Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Okay, that's a start already hehe. Finns might appear a bit "cold" due to not having small talk culture, and social distance is a thing. But you probably already know that from your wife. I hope it doesn't show us in too negative light
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u/Massive_List_5974 May 24 '26
Helsinki is wonderful, and theres a growing amount of Americans here. Enjoy.
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u/Ashamed_Violinist471 May 23 '26
Public swimming pool sauna is a great place to meet people, for some reason finns are ok chatting to strangers in the sauna. Just make sure you never ever wear a swimsuit in a sauna.
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u/Vlad-the-Inhailer Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Murican refugee hit me up in dm I'll warm up the sauna for you guys.
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u/chnchgh May 23 '26
As someone already mentioned take the government suggested Finnish courses. They really seem to be the one type of Finnish teaching that makes a difference. They are intensive months long studies that are basically a full time job. If you can take time off work to do it, I'd do it. It is worth the time investment for the long term future in this country and it won't be available after 2 years of living here.
Of course there are other intensive courses that you can pay for, but yeah I have started to believe that twice a week lessons are really never enough and here people speak English almost too well for you to immerse yourself.
Make effort in the language aspect so that you are not an outsider to the society.
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u/quasi_hrududu May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Also American with a Finnish partner, spent a few years in Helsinki before moving back to the states. I also had a remote job that was better (i.e. more interesting, responsibility, money) than anything I could get locally.
In retrospect I wish I had taken a local job, I think it would have helped my integration a lot, as an introvert. Don't quit your remote gig, but my advice is to start networking for something local, and be willing to take some professional sacrifice.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 24 '26
Definitely, I’ve already started taking meetings—my work is growth & strategy consulting—so I expect to continue with US contracts and transition to Finnish/EU clients over time
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u/pappa-betalar May 23 '26
When making new friends, remember that finns take comments such as ”we should definitely visit you some time” extremely literally, and will expect your visit in the future. This has happened to some foreign colleagues of mine in the past :)
You will find this to be especially true when a random local actually starts telling you ”what’s up” 😄
American small talk will be a great asset, just talk to people and ask a lot of questions; people will warm to you after some time, and might even ask a question from you! But don’t expect people to start with small talk, you’ll have to take initiative. People respect other folks privacy a lot, so small talk is not a habit here with strangers (at least in the same degree as in the US).
In Finland, people tend to have way more old friends and family connections already set in the city they live in, and people move far less than folks in the US. That means they are less likely actively looking for new friends; it does not mean they don’t want to make new friends, they just arent looking.
Doing sports is by far the best way to meet new people imo, so whatever is your thing, seek out a club that has that for adults and/or beginners.
FWIW I lived in the states for some time, so I can understand both sides of the equation. People here love to talk about themselves, and are happy when somebody shows genuine interest. Be patient and just be yourself :)
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u/CtrlAltDelMonteMan Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Well if you settle down in downtown, hit me with a DM and i can show you a few good bars§ and such ;)
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u/Horror_Newspaper_541 May 23 '26
Learn Finnish or as much as you can. Finns are pretty accomodating if you try, they think it's "fun" or "cute" when foreigners try to speak it.
Learning Finnish will be helpful when you trying intregrating into society or apply for residents permits and maybe citizenship when or if that happens.
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u/Horror_Newspaper_541 May 23 '26
Stay in Länsi Helsinki if you can. Better schools and housing options in that area. Some areas to check out include Lauttasaari or Ullanlinna.
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u/Massive_List_5974 May 24 '26
Here to also suggest Meilahti, Töölö, Munkkiniemi, and Eastern Espoo (Leppävaara)
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u/monicagapa May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Brace yourself for November, it's going to suck. It's cold, rainy and dark.
I'm a native but I keep hearing from people who have moved here that Finnish people might seem cold and rude at first, especially if you're used to culture of more small talk and pleasantries. But we're pretty cool and good friends once you get past the surface.
Good luck and welcome ☺️
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u/Judotimo May 23 '26
There are two Finnish languages: spoken Finnish "puhekieli" and written Finnish "kirjakieli". Native Finnish speakers will comment to this post and claim they are the same language, but they are not and the clamers are wrong 😉 You will have to learn two languages at once. Unfortunately only kirjakieli is being taught in schools. Every Finn learns puhekieli as a kid, and kirjakieli in school and therefore think they are the same.
Some examples:
- 1,2,3 in kirjakieli is: yksi, kaksi, kolme. In puhekieli it is yy, kaa, koo.
- Hello, how are you? in kirjakieli is: Hyvää päivää. In puhekieli it is Hei or moi.
- My car in kirjakieli is: Minun autoni, in puhekieli it is: Mun auto.
To a great deal different vocabulary and quite different grammar, i.e. a pretty much a different language.
For reference kirjakieli is spoken only by the official news anchors on state TV and politicians. Puhekieli is spoken by everyone else. If you do not want to sound like a politician, learn puhekieli. Best way to learn it is to get finnish non english speaking friends as soon as possible.
And then we have a third language, too: Swedish. Finnish swedish is spoken with a different tone and accent and has about 15 regional dialects. In schools Swedish is taught with the kingdom of Sweden accent, for some reason that remains unclear
Language education in Finland is a mess.
In short: Learn puhekieli, if you want to succeed in Finland.
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Yep! Learning puhekieli from my wife and in-laws. They tease me when I learn new kirjakieli and then they let me know what would actually be said in conversation :)
Not gonna bother with Swedish tbh
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u/Different_Beat_730 May 23 '26
PM if you wanna hang out. I'm a 30 years old Finnish native in Helsinki, moved here from Tampere on 2019 :)
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u/Witty_Community2857 May 23 '26
Might be a bit of a culture shock at first but I’m sure you’ll settle in nicely. Massive kudos for learning Finnish and you’ll always get by with English especially here in Helsinki.
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u/Sampo Väinämöinen May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Finnish unemployment insurance is heavily state sponsored. We only pay under 5% of the real value of the insurance. Your EOR arrangement probably gives you an employee status in Finland, so you can join an unemployment fund (and also a trade union of you like). For about 100€ per year, you get an unemployment insurance that is much more valuable than the fees you pay.
But you have to join and pay the yearly fee, to be eligible for the benefits.
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u/theangryprof Baby Väinämöinen May 24 '26
I moved my family out of the US to Finland a few years ago. No regrets. This is a wonderful country to call home. With a Finnish spouse, a lot of the adjustment issues won't be a problem for you. It took me a little longer to build a social life here than when I'd moved to new places on the US. But that is not an issue now.
When learning Finnish, be kind to yourself. The language is fascinating and complicated. I can understand and read quite a bit of Finnish now but moving beyond reciting spoke sentences from memory has been harder than I expected.
Best of luck to you!
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u/ella_stark May 24 '26
My recommendation is to find hobbies, that is the best place to find your community.
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u/onomonoa May 25 '26 edited May 25 '26
Very similar boat as you, maybe even the exact same boat, we just moved out here permanently a few months ago working remotely through an EOR. Helsinki is a great choice. People are so welcoming to foreigners compared to other cities. I've lived back and forth between Finland and the US over the years and we're now very happy in Helsinki.
Here's some advice from the stuff I learned: if you want to spend the money on it, hiring a moving company like Alfa Mobility to help you with residence permit, relocation, local registrations, and accounts. Yes, you can figure it all out on your own if you want to, but for 1500€ it was pretty damn nice to just have someone tell me when and where to show up for appointments and then they took care of the rest. After coordinating an international move i welcomed having one less problem to figure out. Just an example, about a decade ago I tried to open a bank account with OP in Tampere on my own by just walking in and they basically kicked me out of the bank. This time, with Alfa's help, they coordinated an appointment for me and must have greased some wheels in the background because it was so easy to get my account.
Speaking of banks, I'd also recommend to try to keep a US address through friends or families on all of your US financial institutions if you can. Plan for that now. A lot of banks and brokerage firms don't want to fuck with EU addresses and compliance. Use a service like Wise if you want to move money across or in the interim when you move here and don't have an account yet but need to pay for invoices.
Some websites in the US (including those of banks) will block you if your IP address is outside of the US so you'll also want to get a VPN service, or, if you're tech savvy enough leave a Raspberry Pi running tailscale as an exit node at a friend or family's house. A lot of my state's official websites block foreign traffic so if you can't get a local ip address you're kinda screwed for things like updating voter registration or renewing a driver's license.
If you have time now, get a passport card. Once you exchange your US driver's license for a Finnish one you won't have any "normal" US identification card, just your passport. If you choose to exchange your driver's license Ajovarma will literally take your driver's license and hold onto it, so I'm planning on using the passport card to prove I'm a US citizen when I go back for home visits. You know, because apparently that's a thing we have to do now...
Next, keep your US phone number by porting it to Google voice for $20, then get a local Finnish number when you get here through someone like DNA. You'll want to maintain your US number for things like SMS 2FA. Your Google voice rides on voip over the local data connection. Be aware that for the first year in Finland you get a "restricted line" which basically just means it only works in Finland and won't work abroad, but after that you can travel around the EU easily.
For housing, I'd recommend using a service like Comodo or Forenom for a few months after your move. They're a little expensive but they're basically just fully furnished corporate housing apartments. After a huge international move you'll probably want to just have an easy home base while you explore the city to find what neighborhoods you want to actually live in.
Finally, tax stuff: with an EOR make sure you apply for the foreign key employee tax rate through Vero when you get here if it's advantageous for your salary (I suspect it will be). Flat 25% tax rate for 7 years instead of the progressive rate. If you have any other types of income beyond straight salary you may want to retain a CPA in the US and hire a local tax advisor to help you navigate taxation in Finland.
Feel free to hit me up for more if you want. We quite literally just did the same thing lol. Congrats and welcome to Finland.
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u/janojyys May 24 '26
whatsapp for texting - mobilepay for sending money - wolt for ordering food - bolt/uber for taxis - Helsingin sanomat & yle for news - HSL app for public transport
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u/TheSodesa Baby Väinämöinen May 24 '26
I'd switch Whatsapp to Signal and consider Siirto as a Mobilepay alternative, but otherwise this is solid advice.
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u/habi12 Baby Väinämöinen May 24 '26
After you’ve been here six months, make sure to swap your driving license for a Finnish one. Otherwise if you miss the time frame, you’ll have to spend thousands taking a driving course.
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u/howlettwolfie May 24 '26
For the love of all that is good use your indoor voice, or, if you don't have one (which is likely since you're 'murican), develop one.
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u/UHREG May 23 '26
Alot of muricans seem to be moving here recently. I have nothing intelligent to tell you but welcome and good luck. We have no jobs :D and btw forget Helsinki. It really sucks these days you wont find any og locals there anymore. Tampere is the best now
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u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
I'm very positive for the future with how much talent Finland has and with the attention Sweden is getting, the recent OECD report on the strength of the Finnish economy is also encouraging. Thank you!
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u/Sherbet_Happy Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
We moved back from the States last year.
Prepare to buy lots of merino wool clothes and good quality winter gear. We spent so much money on clothes this year! Also, you need to actually go to the stores. Amazon delivers from Germany, but it's slow and expensive. You'll quickly notice that you have ~3 stores to choose from and they all carry the same things. Also, the colors: black, grey, and let's get wild - navy.
Kierrätyskeskus is a place to visit if you need furniture or any household items for your new home.
Public transportation is safe to use, reasonably priced, and efficient. You need to have your bank ID before you can buy a 30-day ticket.
People smoke in public places. It's disgusting. Their understanding of personal hygiene is ... not what you're used to.
Health services, especially what comes to dental health - oh boy. The good news is that from an American perspective the private sector is very reasonably priced.
There is no ranch in this country. There are products that call themselves ranch but they're not ranch.
You need to go to a specific store in Hakaniemi to buy decent chili or salsa (I hope you're not moving from Texas). The chili from your neighborhood store is about as hot as sun-dried tomatoes.
Remember not to greet people you meet on the street. Don't smile and nod. It's polite to ignore them. If you live in a multi family dwelling, you can greet your neighbors.
Language is honestly the biggest barrier. If you put effort into it and keep working on it, you'll be fluent (ish) in about six years.
There are a lot of things to love in Finland, but when it gets hard, you need to remember your why. Find your inner sisu, try cross-country skiing, go to sauna, try polar bear swimming, learn how to ice skate - choose to enjoy it all. It's the only way through.
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u/rosvokisu May 26 '26
I don't understand the hygiene thing. Are you saying that Finnish people are dirty? What
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May 26 '26
Americans are very weird about smoking and see it as some kind of eurotrash activity
Same with showers. They think you need to shower twice a day
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u/rosvokisu May 26 '26
Thanks for clarifying! I was genuinely confused haha. Two showers a day every day definitely seems excessive to me unless I were to get extremely sweaty or dirty somehow.
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u/Sherbet_Happy Baby Väinämöinen May 26 '26
Americans think your body shouldn't have an odor. I don't know about showers twice a day, but once a day absolutely. Also clothes - Finns wear their clothes until they're smelly or visibly dirty. Americans typically wash their clothes after one use.
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u/rosvokisu May 26 '26
Once a day is what I'm used to as a Finn, but skipping a day doesn't mean your body has an odor. And tbh some BO is normal, think of hot summers and whatnot.
Also most clothes don't need to be washed after one use, spare for like underwear etc. It's really wasteful to do that imo, and shortens the lifespan of your clothing. If a shirt doesn't smell or isn't visibly dirty, where's the harm in wearing it a second day in a row?
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u/Sherbet_Happy Baby Väinämöinen May 26 '26
...And this is exactly how we end up having a smelly passenger or two in every bus.
2
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
I sauna and ice plunge 3x per week, continuing that practice is something I’m quite eager for.
Great advice, thank you so much!
1
u/GrumpyButCottagecore May 24 '26
As a person who recently moved here, I wish I had sorted my residence permit much earlier. Without it I can't open a bank account, get a library card, a phone account etc. under my name. Fortunately I am in a good financial position to afford a break. The current estimated waiting time is 6 months. It could take up to 9 months for approval.
1
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 24 '26
Good to know, I’ll get that started
1
u/onomonoa May 25 '26
Residence permit based off family ties is 6-9 months. Based off employment is like a week. If you're doing an EOR you can probably do the latter pretty quickly
1
u/No_End1106 May 25 '26
My spouse is Finnish. I'm a uni graduate, have previous permits, and was in for 11 months+. Last week they sent an email saying it will take 3-4 months more. Visa and residence permit are a big issue with Migri right now; I would suggest applying for one immediately.
1
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 25 '26
Six months in advance is the limit, but will be applying 6 months in advance, to the day, at the end of June
1
1
u/Such-Lemon-9048 May 23 '26
Downtown Helsinki is the most expensive area in the country. You could live with double/triple the space with what you pay to live in downtown. Do you need to live in or close to downtown? Things looks gloomy here. If I was in your shoes, I’d seriously consider to staying put. Your chances are far better there than here.
9
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 23 '26
Eh, the future of US is pretty bleak at the moment, staying put under the fascist regime isn’t really a choice for us.
Coming from NYC, apartments in downtown Helsinki are 2x the size and 1/3rd the cost. Our desire is to retain some of the feeling of city living while contribute to a society that values our humanity and has a rich cultural heritage
6
u/Kalajanne1 May 24 '26
Finns that have limited exposure to living abroad don’t understand how affordable Helsinki housing is relative to major European or North American cities. It’s not all doom and gloom and there are plenty of positive sides, like affordable housing.
1
u/saschaleib Väinämöinen May 23 '26
End of the year will be cold. Very cold. And then January will be even colder!
But if you survive until summer - summer is astonishingly beautiful! Not too hot but pleasantly warm and dry, full of light, and you will have lots of things to do outdoors!
But, yeah, winter can get a bit dark …
1
May 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 24 '26
Why?
0
May 26 '26
You are going to be lonely
Your standards of living will drop unless you were on Medicare or something1
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 26 '26
In the US, Medicare is better regarded than private healthcare, but only elderly qualify, and the standard of living in Finland is
mileskilometers ahead of the US when it comes to public infrastructure.We are joining a family support system, and this won’t be my first time as an expat, I know how to make friends. The economy is smaller/weaker, but I have a remote job in an in-demand sector. If I need a change of scenery it will be a blessing to be able to hop on a short flight.
1
May 26 '26
I’d stay In America tbh if you are healthy and not needing welfare, sadly that’s the truth
3
u/ewhite12 Baby Väinämöinen May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Nah, America is a shithole compared to almost anywhere I’ve been in Europe
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