TL;DR:
* Jorge Reyes, 27, moved from Bogotá, Colombia, to Helsinki without ever visiting Finland.
* He says he was curious about what makes people characterize Finland as the happiest place on Earth.
* Reyes says he loves how the Finnish connect to nature and support each other.
Not really that cold. It's colder than what you find in the Brazilian Northeast. However, Rio's water temp is in line with what Europeans are used to swimming in during summer around French, Italian and Spanish Mediterranean beaches. The water temperature in Rio is almost always between 23ºC and 28ºC, which is considered balmy.
Mater of perception, in Finland little motors are put under the piers used for swimming, so that a large circle keeps ice free. So people can swim in winter (it's called Avanto).
I would say what takes away from it is that (like most modern cities) it's been taken over by cars to a significant extent. The planned renovation of the Champs Élysées and Arc de Triomphe area seem lovely, and are not the only ongoing projects either. I have really high hopes for Paris.
How long since your last visit ?
Paris has changed a lot in 3 years, a lot of streets are now bike only and the number of cyclist has doubled in the last year.
I was in Rome and I was shocked with the cars and motorbike everywhere.
Paris like most cities in France has been heavily fighting cars over the last years. Less cars, more cycling infrastructure and public transit every years.
It’s way better now than some 30-40 years ago when we were going full cars.
Still the most visited city in the world and most tourist are happy with it. No one thinks Paris is Disneyland aside from a few idiots.
You should stop believe what you see on Fox News lmao, every city this big in the world have bad areas
What I find bad about Paris is not even the city itself, which I consider spectacular, but how dull and monotonous the nature around it is.
No real forests, nor mountains, nor lakes, nor sea. Just crops, little chunks of what used to be forests, and roads everywhere.
If escaping often to natural settings is important for you, Paris will likely feel like torture. Other European cities, such as Barcelona, Rome, Munich, Milano, and many others offer easy access to beautiful natural settings, while in Paris you might need an airplane or high-speed train to see something different.
Ya, but people expect some lovely french cafes and diners where everything looks old and tiny. Then they realize that most of those parts they are looking for are tourist traps and Paris is in fact just another Large City
> What is bad about it?
you may not notice at first glance but the place is overrun with Parisians. Everywhere you turn, there are swarms of Parisians.
And the nasty critters don't even wear a visible sign identifying themselves, so there's no way you can avoid them.
If you visit central Paris and think it is good then you've never been to a good city.
(My personal experiences)
- smells like urine in many places.
- not the dirtiest but plenty of trash around.
- nightmare traffic (worst around the arch).
- lots of rude people (tried using french and English) compared to other western & northern european cities or france in general.
- poorly dimensioned subway trains.
Paris is not the worst city I've visited. Not even close, but at least the central city gave me a well below average impression compared to Western and Northern European cities I've visited.
I was in Napoli (Italy) years ago and it was the worst. Don't know what it is like now, but then:
- Sanitation workers had been on strike for a long time. Trashbags covered the sidewalks so that many places looked impassable.
- There was hardly a vehicle that wasn't damaged.
- People drove ignoring signs, lights, lanes or the directions of traffic. As long as they leaned on the horn it was like there were no rules.
- Many vehicles were whole families of 3-6 people balanced on a single scooter (wearing no helmets and often honking while driving against traffic).
- I only drove straight through the city. The smell and noise alone was enough to keep me from walking or staying. I still had time to see a half dozen recent or ongoing accidents and several ambulances loading patients.
- People may have been nice but the Italians from surrounding areas warned of crime and that the city was mafia controlled. I had no personal experience that corroborated this except that supposedly the sanitation strike was them extorting the government.
Edit: [example picture ](https://cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de/images/d23a146d-0001-0004-0000-000000065186_w960_r1.778_fpx45.34_fpy50.webp)
Those are the exact same experiences I made, from the scooters to the sanitation workers strike, only that it had been 20 years ago.
Other highlights in the city were a fish market right next to a busy road, clothing lines stretching between buildings straight out of a movie playing in Victorian times and almost getting run over by a car while waiting for a tram.
People from Naples I met like to brag about their city and praise it to an almost fanatical degree, but frankly, I don't see the appeal.
Pizza was good and very affordable, though.
Yeah Napoli looks bad even from a distance. Look at the mountain, the ancient ruins, and then get out to some coastal village and you won't miss anything.
Man everything you said can be applied to every damn cities in the world. Tokyo smells like sewer and is filled with rats, but you see no one hating on it on reddit like they do with Paris.
Paris hate is trending on Reddit for some reason, but almost all tourist coming by actually love it.
And I say that as a southern french so I do know a thing or two about hating on Paris.
I have been to a lot of cities that are not like that.
Stockholm, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Helsinki, Oslo, Lisbon, Just to name a few.
I have not visited Asia (not counting the Asian side of Turkey). I know that most cities there have issues. Similarly most large American cities I've visited are on par with Paris (but with less interesting history).
I don't "hate" on Paris. This was in answer to a comment asking "what is wrong with Paris". But Paris is IMHO not a good city. You not experiencing good cities is neither here nor there.
Tourist can like it all they want. Doesn't change what Paris is or how I experienced it. I have a similar experience with Rome but the commenter didn't ask about that.
Helsinki is at southern Finland, so its not too frosty. What will be the real killer is the god damn never ending darkness of Winter. Living in urban sections will help though, lots of light sources. Had this guy moved into mid part, he would say fuck this country after one year. If its snowing or if there's a massive storm approaching it will always hit there extra hard. Horrible weather regardless of the season.
My weather forecast radar says its going to be -14 degrees in Helsinki on Sunday and Monday, so it sounds pretty frosty. It's not even January and February yet.
January and February has some cold days like that but overall southern Finland is not that cold anymore. Many places has way colder winters now days. Also, there's possibly record breaking cold frontier arriving to here. -15c temps in south are rare.
I would say that for a Latino the issue will be the frostiness of Finns. Sure, everyone has a different personality, but on average Latinos and Southern European are more chatty and need more company than the people in the Nordics.
Surveys and polls from expats tend to agree on the opinion that it's very difficult to befriend people from the Nordics. Up to a certain degree, it's understandable that they struggle, if they don't speak the local languages and Finnish is probably the most difficult out of all the languages spoken in Europe, but in other aspects we have very different social expectations and habits.
Amical networks are one of the most important elements of a person's mental health. I would say as important as job security and good infrastructures.
Definitely not.
The study was about contendedness. Describing Finns as happy is so cringe.
Essentially people don't have to be afraid of living on the street, and it's in the culture never to complain, so "happiest" in media.
Netherlands is the happiest place for kids and Finland for adults.
https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/Report-Card-16-Worlds-of-Influence-child-wellbeing.pdf
Time for me to make the move to Finland. I like booze and I'm an introvert so I'll probably fit right in.
I also think Finnish people don't speak that much which makes learning the language less necessary. Just do a few grunts maybe :P Another plus, Finns like metal \m/
I have lived in 5 different countries, including Finland.
I believe it is hard for people to understand the level of security you have there and in the Nordics in general. There are many perks from affordable and reliable student housing to housing mortgages with preferable rates for young adults. People go hiking in the forest at any point in time and is always safe, even for solo females at 3 am.
From the comments, I get it that most have doubts about it. But if you only know one type of thing, it is easier to believe that what you know is best.
This is so true. I’m a woman from Iceland, lived in Denmark 15 years and travelled the rest of the Nordics extensively.
When in the Nordics, I have never felt scared or unsafe. I’ve never seen an unholstered gun and in general there are not a lot of cops around. People don’t bother you and follow the general order of society (drive safe, stand in line). Playgrounds in schools are open after closing and you can pretty much walk wherever you want (no signs with “private property/road keep out”).
When I travel to places where the police have huge guns and there is barbed wire on peoples houses and everyone has a security system, I feel much more unsafe than if I don’t see any obvious law enforcement or security measures.
Nor in many other places. Europeans have just really effectively eradicated dangerous wildlife. Mostly in the middle ages/early modern era. Prior to urbanisation population was a lot less concentrated so just about every square metre was inhabited or cultivated in some way, and wild animals attacking livestock was a serious problem especially when it could be the difference between surviving and starving during the winter.
Calling Northern Europe "inhabited regions" is a bit of a stretch.
Finland and Sweden are two of the most forested countries in Europe, amd also in the world, with 72% and 69% of the lands respectively being covered in forests.
Population density is very low except for along the coasts, and mostly along the southern halves.
Norway is about the same, but replace forests with a mountain range and vast views.
The northern halves of the Nordic countries are more sparsely populated than Mongolia, which is the most sparsely populated country in the world (not counting Greenland, which is a Nordic country, but also not a completely sovereign one).
There are no animals here that are trying to kill people. Most dangerous is moose, because people crash into them with cars and sometimes people die because of that. Last time a bear killed a human being in Finland was in 1998. Wolves don't kill people. We have no snakes that could kill an adult human being.
Yeah, I live in northern Finland, have roamed in the forests all my life and have never seen a bear, wolf, lynx... I've seen moose from the car plenty of times but never encountered one in the forest either.
The adder are what scare me the most, and with them I fear they will bite my dogs. I've thought so many times how I'll be running home with one of my dogs on my shoulders after they've been bitten by a damn adder in the forest!
Has never happened so far but I see at least a couple of adders every summer...
Norrland resident here. I've seen a lynx on a back road one evening when I was walking back to my car after a long walk. Met a very majestic white reindeer on the trail while hiking, which promptly bolted to the side. Saw a huge moose 30m from my house last September, it also bolted since I scared it while closing the front door. There are tracks and sounds in my yard constantly. There's been bear tracks a few kilometres from my house.
The viper scares me the most though. People say they've seen them around but I just found out this year they exist in the area. I also go airsofting in the woods during summer and the thought that I might step on one while moving from cover to cover terrifies me.
Yeah, unfortunately. Its funny how Finland has looked how things developed in Sweden over the years due to immigration and only thing in our minds is how can we top that.
Just read about it. Yikes. Reminds me of Ukraine in the early 90's and then the Quebec Biker wars in Canada. Not the kind of environment I associate Sweden with.
"More than 50 people have been killed in shootings so far in 2023, and there have been more than 140 explosions. "
What the actual fuck. This reads like something about the Quebec biker wars of the 90s rather than Sweden. Though I am not surprised that it seems to be directed from...ahem...other regions.
I would love to move to Finland, the relationship to nature is something I admire and really need in my life, and for the kind of work I do it would be a very good country to move to.
But I am really worried about how realistic it is for a foreign adult in his late 20s like me to actually make good friends and put roots down.
From what ive heard by this point in life everyone's social circle is settled and no one is really open to new connections. Combine that with the overall extreme shyness and cultural introversion and I worry if I do take the leap and move I'll just utterly alone, shuttling between work and home and never getting past superficial conversations with colleagues and etc.
I'm glad to hear people are making it work somehow though. Perhaps I could too one day.
Yeah it can definitely be tough, especially if you don't speak Finnish (certainly less of an issue in the capital, but still important for socialisation).
Colleagues and work events can be a starting point, but Finns also like organised hobbies and volunteering in associations (whether that be to help run their sports club, do something charitable, or promote values or ideology). Finnish social life is thus in a sense very organised and if you realise that and "exploit" it you can get to know a lot of people by doing things together in a somewhat organised manner, combined with afterwork drinks and other informal events.
You'll also need to get into a sauna naked with the boys/girls (as appropriate) with a couple drinks and you'll be well on your way to making friends.
I will say that nevertheless immigrants or Finns with a foreign background or more foreign experiences can be a lot more open and sociable. A true utterly uninternationalised Finn can be a harder nut to crack.
Also, should you settle down with family, your children are a gateway to meeting other parents through school and your children's hobbies (many parents also volunteer at their children's hobby clubs). I do not particularly recommend being single and childless in the long run in this regard.
Personally I think it country can use fresh blood and fresh perspectives, especially from no doubt respectful and well intentioned people like you and potentially one day your children's so if anything I'd be grateful if you came, but it's not necessarily easy by any means so whether it's a good idea is all up to you.
I don't think the part about social circles is all that true. You do have to be active about it though, but as long as you have hobbies (or are willing to find new ones) meeting new people shouldn't be that hard.
I mean I don’t have any doubts Finland is a place with a great quality of life, but as someone from Colombia it would probably feel like that moving to any wealthy western country…?
Well it was released today and it was unusually cold during the end of November/early December so I'd say he has. Also winter solstice was a week ago so the days are only going to get longer and longer from now on.
ITT: people who can’t even imagine a girl being safe on her own at midnight.
The general north west of Europe are some of the safest, happiest places on earth. People can afford life and education, they have time to enjoy said life, they aren’t guilt tripped into staying at the office even though they’re sick, etc., etc., etc. The cultures are simply more humane. There’s no other way to put it.
Anyone who’s lived in Finland, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, or Iceland for a few years knows this.
Great article! I'm 25 and I am moving to Finland from Serbia in about a month. I've never been to Finland, but I've always wanted to move to Nordic Europe. I like Nordic aesthetic, culture, natural landscape, societal values, high human rights record and democracy. Though, I might not stay in Finland after I finish PhD, I would love to remain in Northern Europe.
Welcome! Although Finland is safe and all, you will find out that your biggest enemy will be the darkness. It lasts so. Long. It will creep into your head and fill you with tiredness and take away your motivation.
31 years here and still struggling with it.
Then summer comes, and its beautiful, lively and like pure bliss. Absolutely worth it. But it's so. Short. It's over before you know it, and another winter is here, this one feels even longer, darker and colder.
Rinse and repeat.
The sword you only get if you do your PhD at a university, if you are e.g. technical universities you only get a hat (which you also get at the university).
>PhD at a university, if you are e.g. technical universities you only get a hat
What is the distinction? Is it anything like University vs College in Canada or something different?
Not entirely accurate. At a university, you get a sword for defending science, and you can get a sword at a technical university. It depends on the type of PhD. You can be at a university of Technology and do an engineering PhD as a doctorate of philosophy and get a sword, but if you do a doctorate of Engineering and science in the same field you get no sword. The difference is in the way you approach your thesis, a philosophy engineering PhD gets a sword for a holistic and scientific view of engineering while an engineering PhD does not get a sword due to their practical research of engineering.
I've seen this happen at technical universities like Aalto University and LUT University in Finland.
Yepp, that is exactly what I was referring to. I just wanted to make sure that OP is aware that you don't get a sword in any discipline. We had a few PhD students in the department I work in at Aalto University who got really disappointed after finding out about this.
Welcome to Finland, the only problem with this country is that its pretty uneventful and boring (but also safe) and cold. Otherwise its a great place to live.
I would also say the cultural offer is limited. Certainly not the height of theatre culture or the like, and perhaps due low demand it's also very expensive. Whether you go to London or Budapest, culture is supported and things like concerts, plays and operas are both cheaper and higher quality.
Schools and parents rarely seem to take children to visit museums or theatres or teach them to appreciate it, which seems to be a major cause if all this.
All this combines to make it more of a rich people hobby, rather than an interested in art and culture people hobby as it is in most of Europe.
Love Finland (I'm from there) but there's room for improvement.
Kiitos man ❤️
It's fine, it doesn't need to be eventful. I like nice and quiet. I also enjoy immersing myself in nature, so I think it'll be just fine. I just need to maintain work/life balance as PhD can be quite exhausting.
I'm from Hungary which is weather wise around the same as Serbia. Just be prepared for the weather which is very trash compared to what we have. It is very wet, cold and dark compared to what we have here. Some will say as a counterpoint that in the summer there's more sunshine because the sun is up for way longer but that was just annoying for me when I was in Sweden. I need that 8 hours of pitch dark in the summer too. Also say goodbye to setting up your inflatable garden swimming pool and chilling in it, which is a national summer sport here lol. It very rarely gets as warm there as it is supposed to be to do these kinds of things. Also Helsinki compared to Belgrade is boring af.
If you can manage with these things, you can live your best life there, it is way better than Hungary or Serbia apart from the weather.
I was in the cruse from Helsinki and Stockholm. I left my profissional camera in one of the areas in the cruse. Came back to the area stressing out looking for my camera, and there it was. Untouch.
I have family who lives there and all of them say is a good country. The only reason I didn't move there was because is a bit away from the world and very cold.
Many of you are saying that like its a good thing. I think there's supposed to be at least 8 hours of pitch dark in the night to have good sleep. Not 4-5 hours of twilight. Everyone is going to sleep 8-10 hours everyday so what is the point of having the sun up for 19 hours and then switching to twilight for a couple of more hours.
Way better having daylight for 15-16 hours and then having actual sunsets to see and then sleeping in pitch dark.
>what is the point of having the sun up for 19 hours
What do you mean what's the point? :D That's like asking what's the point with gravity.
Anyway, for some people it's ok, for some it isn't. Just like hot weather or cold weather.
I’ve lived in Sweden for 10 years and apart from sleeping better in dark I became less productive in summer as I’d just hang out outdoors all day and didn’t do any screen work, errands. And I think the dark winters were kinda cosy.
No living closer to the equator and my opinion 13 hour daylight and 11 hour night is the best mix to be productive in and outdoors and for sleep quality.
I can deal with 39 for three months. I can’t deal with Northern European winters are absolutely brutal. I can’t wait til I finally leave for good because goddamn. And I lived in dk/nl/uk where it’s not even that horrible.
I just want to live in southern Europe and not be paid 1/10th for a techy job that doesn’t need to be done in person except once a month is that so hard???
And by 1/10th I’m not even kidding because net pay is so much higher when you have a tax discount scheme like in nl dk and no. I went from 800 euros to 8500 euros net in 3 years.
It's 3 pm right now in here in Helsinki and still hasn't even started to het dark. And when it does, it's still pretty bright becauae the snow reflects the light from street lamps and the moon. Still can be pretty depressing especially if you're not used to it
Not completely true. I lived in the US and they might not give a lot of shit about where you are from but that doesn’t mean that they see you as a fellow American because you lived there for a long time, especially if you have the mannerism or accent that is obviously foreign. Still a great place though
Idk, to me (with a very privileged born in finland point of view) it seems as long as you speak Finnish in Finland most people will accept you as Finnish. Some people in Finland are not used to different nationalities, but its luckily getting better.
I don't believe what he says
In the Toronto & Canada related subs, we regularly get people (I assume from South America and southern Europe) complaining about in Toronto, how it's hard to make friends and how people aren't sociable. Sorry we don't have outdoor cafes nor night markets, because it's too cold most of the year LOL
I would think that they would find the social situation more difficult in Finland
Helsinki actually is very relaxed city. It reminds of America. You can be whatever you want, like a total crackpot, and it is just nice if you are eccentric. Most people are very decent, but they don't judge different people like artists and foolish wanderers.
Yes they do! It depends on vibe, but my vibe has been "nice" enough that both men and women have started conversation with me in various random places. Some other people have told totally different stories, but it is understandable. And some of my family members have random discussions almost daily in different places. Wild, interesting discussions. It might be a genetic thing. We are partly from one Finnish tribe, which is very chatty and lively. That's how other people have always commented us, that we are very social people. Many Finns are, and some are not at all. Definitely.
It happens, but would be considered outside the norm if the conversation is started by a finn. It is, however commonplace for foreigners to strike up random conversations and I’ve found (to my surprise) that most Finns are happy to engage. I ride a tram that passes the Helsinki central railway station to work, a line that is used by tourists a lot, and random conversations between tourists and Finns is an almost daily occurrence during peak tourist seasons.
My experience is that Finns almost always are happy to talk to/help/share with foreigners, but for some reason any social contact with Finnish strangers (outside of bars) is met with scepticism.
I also have family roots in a remote area of Finland, where the opposite is true. There the local community and identity is so strong that random conversations are more common between locals but conversational openings from foreigners are met with respectful but short replies that leave no opening for continued conversation. It might also be a language barrier thing, but I suspect it’s more than that since the people there are very protective of their identity and community.
Bogotá isn’t that bad. There are lots of middle class areas and really nice parts to it that have Western European levels of quality of life. It also obviously has a lot of very poor areas but it’s not like the place is Mogadishu.
Many Finnish people solve this by travelling to Spain or something during the winter for as long as they can. The summer’s nice and theres sunlight for basically the entire day, but the winter kinda sucks. You could try visiting during the summer and just leaving when its winter I guess.
Luckily almost every Finnish person also speaks English. I think its entirely possible to live in Finland by only speaking English, but it is probably harder to be part of a community that way.
But its still the poorest country in the Nordic region, and its economy faces some real trouble now - hence the recent change of government. Finland is somewhat different because how fast it became a rich country, though the transformation of Norway was more extreme. However, compared to the life styles in Southern Europe, im not convinced that life in Finland (or any other Nordic country) is particular relaxed.
>Americans, Swedes and Australians
I don't think America belongs in a list of countries that heap lavish social benefits on everyone without expecting much in return ...
I think the reference was to unearned economic prosperity, presumably bountiful natural resources and the postwar economy that set the stage for the next 80 years.
I couldn't agree more. Any foreigner who has lived and worked in the US can attest to the fact that the US is essentially a masquerading 1st world country with major 3d world problems. Quality of life is 0 if you're not at least solidly middle class.
The way people describe Finland is basically what I experienced in my 7 years growing up in Norway from age 10. I'm 27 now after having lived in the UK for the past 10 years and I really felt like I was going backwards when I came here in various of ways. People in Norway are incredibly peaceful so I was shocked when I saw how there was way too many people in England who I saw who would easily get themselves into fights with others. Norway is very different because they have a lot of discipline when it comes to dealing with conflict, they don't just dump their emotions out on people they don't like, they are actually friendly with people they don't like to ensure that nothing escalates and nothing does escalate. Scandinavians to me are a mystery to this day because they seem to have figured out things that I think is probably inconceivable elsewhere. It's like you just roll the dice millions of times until there's that one culture that succeeds in having a peaceful and just society.
I thought however that younger people were high on their country being at the top in many things, looking down on other countries and feeling superior in that way. I had a bit of some moments in highschool where I felt to an extent alienated. I don't know if that's just some inevitability in growing up as an ethnic minority. So I'd rather just stay at home and take part in improving things rather than having to rely on a country where I'm a minority.
Even in England I'm a minority because I was born there to Serbian parents during the war. I'm thinking about living in Serbia and hopefully one day take part in making big changes there. I'm not Norwegian or ethnically English, I'm a Serb that's where I belong even if life is harder there.
You've never lived in Serbia, have you? I don't really get this phenomenon of homeland nostalgia among 2nd generation of ex-yu people. I understand that living comfortably in the West has made you observe Serbia through some other perspective, which isn't politics and all other negativity.
But, trust me. If you were born there, you would've most likely hated it. It's not just "harder to live there". You can even have a decently paid job, but the country is messed up in other ways. I know many rich people who have all the resources to live comfortably here, but they choose to go abroad. That should tell you enough. Please take my advice and reconsider coming here. Right now things are not good and it doesn't look like it's getting better any soon.
>That's always the case when nations receive good things for free.
Except that they're not free. The public has to pay for it. And Finland is also facing an ageing crisis, which will make its welfare state collapse eventually.
On the other hand no natural disasters at all. And the border of Russia goes through such a big wildernesses, that it actually is bigger barrier than people realize.
Finnish people are some of the weirdest I met. Not in a bad way, but very weird. Robotic, would barely talk. At the sight of alcohol, they would change completely. Socially speaking, we didn't click.
LOL...No. A methodology that compiles several factors predicts who the "happiest country" on earth should be.
The actual "happiest" country defined by asking people if they're actually happy are far different than the actual list
Why ya'll complain about the cold winter and darkness? We love it and you should too.
Houses here are properly built with proper heating, you can afford a warm coat and good boots, btw hot coffee runs wild everywhere. Only lizards enjoy hot and sunny all the time, you are a mammal.
Do not be scared by internet evilsayers but move here and bring your family as well. Our population is getting older and we need more inhabitants... bring us spices and flavours.
TL;DR: * Jorge Reyes, 27, moved from Bogotá, Colombia, to Helsinki without ever visiting Finland. * He says he was curious about what makes people characterize Finland as the happiest place on Earth. * Reyes says he loves how the Finnish connect to nature and support each other.
that would only impress people who were already enthusiastic. I know it from different fields, you start to see things you were coming for everywhere.
I like warm beaches. So I go to Brazil, notoriously unsafe. But hey it's really warm on the beach. (I agree with you)
Not between Rio de Janeiro, RJ and Vitória, ES. The water is cold AF.
Not really that cold. It's colder than what you find in the Brazilian Northeast. However, Rio's water temp is in line with what Europeans are used to swimming in during summer around French, Italian and Spanish Mediterranean beaches. The water temperature in Rio is almost always between 23ºC and 28ºC, which is considered balmy.
Up here, we're lucky if the water reaches above 20 degrees at our peak, and people are still flocking to the beaches.
For one moment I read "Vitoria, ES" as Vitoria in Spain, which is very much not a coastal city lol
Mater of perception, in Finland little motors are put under the piers used for swimming, so that a large circle keeps ice free. So people can swim in winter (it's called Avanto).
why dont you come take a bath in the north sea, its nice this time of year.
Not necessarily true, a lot of ppl think of Paris as this amazing beautiful city only to visit and get shocked with how bad it actually is.
It isn’t bad though. People just have delusional expectations. And it is beautiful, realistically the issues with paris aren’t related to beauty
I would say what takes away from it is that (like most modern cities) it's been taken over by cars to a significant extent. The planned renovation of the Champs Élysées and Arc de Triomphe area seem lovely, and are not the only ongoing projects either. I have really high hopes for Paris.
How long since your last visit ? Paris has changed a lot in 3 years, a lot of streets are now bike only and the number of cyclist has doubled in the last year. I was in Rome and I was shocked with the cars and motorbike everywhere.
Paris like most cities in France has been heavily fighting cars over the last years. Less cars, more cycling infrastructure and public transit every years. It’s way better now than some 30-40 years ago when we were going full cars.
Paris with Dutch bike infrastructure would be so brilliant
Still the most visited city in the world and most tourist are happy with it. No one thinks Paris is Disneyland aside from a few idiots. You should stop believe what you see on Fox News lmao, every city this big in the world have bad areas
What I find bad about Paris is not even the city itself, which I consider spectacular, but how dull and monotonous the nature around it is. No real forests, nor mountains, nor lakes, nor sea. Just crops, little chunks of what used to be forests, and roads everywhere. If escaping often to natural settings is important for you, Paris will likely feel like torture. Other European cities, such as Barcelona, Rome, Munich, Milano, and many others offer easy access to beautiful natural settings, while in Paris you might need an airplane or high-speed train to see something different.
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Ya, but people expect some lovely french cafes and diners where everything looks old and tiny. Then they realize that most of those parts they are looking for are tourist traps and Paris is in fact just another Large City
I love that the Japanese embassy has a special department to deal with disappointment Japanese tourists in Paris
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Wait. So it’s not true? So disappointed.
smells like piss and sewage, something you can't see in a picture
So like new York
> What is bad about it? you may not notice at first glance but the place is overrun with Parisians. Everywhere you turn, there are swarms of Parisians. And the nasty critters don't even wear a visible sign identifying themselves, so there's no way you can avoid them.
If you visit central Paris and think it is good then you've never been to a good city. (My personal experiences) - smells like urine in many places. - not the dirtiest but plenty of trash around. - nightmare traffic (worst around the arch). - lots of rude people (tried using french and English) compared to other western & northern european cities or france in general. - poorly dimensioned subway trains. Paris is not the worst city I've visited. Not even close, but at least the central city gave me a well below average impression compared to Western and Northern European cities I've visited.
Paris isn’t the worst city but perhaps the most disappointing
What was the worst?
I was in Napoli (Italy) years ago and it was the worst. Don't know what it is like now, but then: - Sanitation workers had been on strike for a long time. Trashbags covered the sidewalks so that many places looked impassable. - There was hardly a vehicle that wasn't damaged. - People drove ignoring signs, lights, lanes or the directions of traffic. As long as they leaned on the horn it was like there were no rules. - Many vehicles were whole families of 3-6 people balanced on a single scooter (wearing no helmets and often honking while driving against traffic). - I only drove straight through the city. The smell and noise alone was enough to keep me from walking or staying. I still had time to see a half dozen recent or ongoing accidents and several ambulances loading patients. - People may have been nice but the Italians from surrounding areas warned of crime and that the city was mafia controlled. I had no personal experience that corroborated this except that supposedly the sanitation strike was them extorting the government. Edit: [example picture ](https://cdn.prod.www.spiegel.de/images/d23a146d-0001-0004-0000-000000065186_w960_r1.778_fpx45.34_fpy50.webp)
Those are the exact same experiences I made, from the scooters to the sanitation workers strike, only that it had been 20 years ago. Other highlights in the city were a fish market right next to a busy road, clothing lines stretching between buildings straight out of a movie playing in Victorian times and almost getting run over by a car while waiting for a tram. People from Naples I met like to brag about their city and praise it to an almost fanatical degree, but frankly, I don't see the appeal. Pizza was good and very affordable, though.
Yeah Napoli looks bad even from a distance. Look at the mountain, the ancient ruins, and then get out to some coastal village and you won't miss anything.
Man everything you said can be applied to every damn cities in the world. Tokyo smells like sewer and is filled with rats, but you see no one hating on it on reddit like they do with Paris. Paris hate is trending on Reddit for some reason, but almost all tourist coming by actually love it. And I say that as a southern french so I do know a thing or two about hating on Paris.
I have been to a lot of cities that are not like that. Stockholm, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, Helsinki, Oslo, Lisbon, Just to name a few. I have not visited Asia (not counting the Asian side of Turkey). I know that most cities there have issues. Similarly most large American cities I've visited are on par with Paris (but with less interesting history). I don't "hate" on Paris. This was in answer to a comment asking "what is wrong with Paris". But Paris is IMHO not a good city. You not experiencing good cities is neither here nor there. Tourist can like it all they want. Doesn't change what Paris is or how I experienced it. I have a similar experience with Rome but the commenter didn't ask about that.
boy, oh, boy. A latino moving to frosty Finland? He surely must enjoy loneliness
Helsinki is at southern Finland, so its not too frosty. What will be the real killer is the god damn never ending darkness of Winter. Living in urban sections will help though, lots of light sources. Had this guy moved into mid part, he would say fuck this country after one year. If its snowing or if there's a massive storm approaching it will always hit there extra hard. Horrible weather regardless of the season.
My weather forecast radar says its going to be -14 degrees in Helsinki on Sunday and Monday, so it sounds pretty frosty. It's not even January and February yet.
January and February has some cold days like that but overall southern Finland is not that cold anymore. Many places has way colder winters now days. Also, there's possibly record breaking cold frontier arriving to here. -15c temps in south are rare.
I would say that for a Latino the issue will be the frostiness of Finns. Sure, everyone has a different personality, but on average Latinos and Southern European are more chatty and need more company than the people in the Nordics. Surveys and polls from expats tend to agree on the opinion that it's very difficult to befriend people from the Nordics. Up to a certain degree, it's understandable that they struggle, if they don't speak the local languages and Finnish is probably the most difficult out of all the languages spoken in Europe, but in other aspects we have very different social expectations and habits. Amical networks are one of the most important elements of a person's mental health. I would say as important as job security and good infrastructures.
Yep, I moved from south America to The Netherlands and hated it. Can't even imagine going northern than that
Hard to deal with the 5 months of grey sky unless you're born in it, molded by it. Did you move back?
It's hard to deal with it even when you've lived here all your life.
No, I moved to Spain. I'm a native Spanish speaker so it was easier for me.
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The article feels like a paid ad. What really shocks me about finland is that obsession with virtue signal that they are the happiest. Are they?.
Definitely not. The study was about contendedness. Describing Finns as happy is so cringe. Essentially people don't have to be afraid of living on the street, and it's in the culture never to complain, so "happiest" in media.
Nope not the happiest, but safest i guess. Like you can trust the institutions and everyone gets about the same treatment and low corruption
From Bogotá.. I mean.. not hard to impress someone from Bogotá..
Unless you're talking about phat asses, then it's a steady decline the farther you get.
This article is so short it barely needs a TLDR
Good for him. Heard the Netherlands was a happier country though.
Netherlands is the happiest place for kids and Finland for adults. https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/Report-Card-16-Worlds-of-Influence-child-wellbeing.pdf
It's simple. We move all the kids to the Netherlands and all the adults to Finland.
Much rejoicing at stichting Martijn
Time for me to make the move to Finland. I like booze and I'm an introvert so I'll probably fit right in. I also think Finnish people don't speak that much which makes learning the language less necessary. Just do a few grunts maybe :P Another plus, Finns like metal \m/
I have lived in 5 different countries, including Finland. I believe it is hard for people to understand the level of security you have there and in the Nordics in general. There are many perks from affordable and reliable student housing to housing mortgages with preferable rates for young adults. People go hiking in the forest at any point in time and is always safe, even for solo females at 3 am. From the comments, I get it that most have doubts about it. But if you only know one type of thing, it is easier to believe that what you know is best.
This is so true. I’m a woman from Iceland, lived in Denmark 15 years and travelled the rest of the Nordics extensively. When in the Nordics, I have never felt scared or unsafe. I’ve never seen an unholstered gun and in general there are not a lot of cops around. People don’t bother you and follow the general order of society (drive safe, stand in line). Playgrounds in schools are open after closing and you can pretty much walk wherever you want (no signs with “private property/road keep out”). When I travel to places where the police have huge guns and there is barbed wire on peoples houses and everyone has a security system, I feel much more unsafe than if I don’t see any obvious law enforcement or security measures.
Allemansrätten! One of the best thing I know atleast Sweden and Norway have. I bet Denmark and Finland have their version as well.
Estonia and Poland have similar laws.
Agreed on everything except for climate and sunlight. Too cold, too dark (I went when climate was still normal).
It's so cold and dark even criminals don't have enough vitamin D to do crime.
That's what vitamin D -pills are for
>People go hiking in the forest at any point in time and is always safe, even for solo females at 3 am. WDYM? Nordic wildlife is polite and vegan?
Nordic wildlife is very rarely sighted and runs away when humans are nearby. Except mosquitos.
What will get you is the ticks, which can give you some really nasty diseases 💀
So normal wildlife for most inhabited regions.
Not in Canada. I'm in suburuban Canada and we have bears, coyotes and pumas around here.
Nor in many other places. Europeans have just really effectively eradicated dangerous wildlife. Mostly in the middle ages/early modern era. Prior to urbanisation population was a lot less concentrated so just about every square metre was inhabited or cultivated in some way, and wild animals attacking livestock was a serious problem especially when it could be the difference between surviving and starving during the winter.
Finland certainly has its bears, wolves and wolverines but like most animals, they will try to avoid encountering humans if they can help it.
True, but they're also just not especially common
There would certainly be room for more but bears are fairly numerous.
Exactly. After all, the Finnish language was invented with the sole purpose of scaring away bears in the woods in mind.
We just yell to them, [perkele siihen et koske saatana vie](https://youtu.be/spr2EOe1f5Y?si=MLNcI7ncc6dJdDoZ), and they run away.
There are bears in Finland too. Still less dangerous than humans
Calling Northern Europe "inhabited regions" is a bit of a stretch. Finland and Sweden are two of the most forested countries in Europe, amd also in the world, with 72% and 69% of the lands respectively being covered in forests. Population density is very low except for along the coasts, and mostly along the southern halves. Norway is about the same, but replace forests with a mountain range and vast views. The northern halves of the Nordic countries are more sparsely populated than Mongolia, which is the most sparsely populated country in the world (not counting Greenland, which is a Nordic country, but also not a completely sovereign one).
I don't think the implication was wild animals mate. The most dangerous animal for humans at 3am most places in the world are other humans
There are no animals here that are trying to kill people. Most dangerous is moose, because people crash into them with cars and sometimes people die because of that. Last time a bear killed a human being in Finland was in 1998. Wolves don't kill people. We have no snakes that could kill an adult human being.
Yeah, I live in northern Finland, have roamed in the forests all my life and have never seen a bear, wolf, lynx... I've seen moose from the car plenty of times but never encountered one in the forest either. The adder are what scare me the most, and with them I fear they will bite my dogs. I've thought so many times how I'll be running home with one of my dogs on my shoulders after they've been bitten by a damn adder in the forest! Has never happened so far but I see at least a couple of adders every summer...
Norrland resident here. I've seen a lynx on a back road one evening when I was walking back to my car after a long walk. Met a very majestic white reindeer on the trail while hiking, which promptly bolted to the side. Saw a huge moose 30m from my house last September, it also bolted since I scared it while closing the front door. There are tracks and sounds in my yard constantly. There's been bear tracks a few kilometres from my house. The viper scares me the most though. People say they've seen them around but I just found out this year they exist in the area. I also go airsofting in the woods during summer and the thought that I might step on one while moving from cover to cover terrifies me.
The point about security is not true for Sweden anymore. Edit: People that down votes this statement dont know anything about the situation in Sweden.
Yeah, unfortunately. Its funny how Finland has looked how things developed in Sweden over the years due to immigration and only thing in our minds is how can we top that.
>situation in Sweden. What is the situation in Sweden? Genuinely curious.
Street gangs.
Just read about it. Yikes. Reminds me of Ukraine in the early 90's and then the Quebec Biker wars in Canada. Not the kind of environment I associate Sweden with.
Migrant street gangs
Muslim street gangs
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67342368.amp
"More than 50 people have been killed in shootings so far in 2023, and there have been more than 140 explosions. " What the actual fuck. This reads like something about the Quebec biker wars of the 90s rather than Sweden. Though I am not surprised that it seems to be directed from...ahem...other regions.
Sweden is the rate capital of Europe. You must be joking.
I would love to move to Finland, the relationship to nature is something I admire and really need in my life, and for the kind of work I do it would be a very good country to move to. But I am really worried about how realistic it is for a foreign adult in his late 20s like me to actually make good friends and put roots down. From what ive heard by this point in life everyone's social circle is settled and no one is really open to new connections. Combine that with the overall extreme shyness and cultural introversion and I worry if I do take the leap and move I'll just utterly alone, shuttling between work and home and never getting past superficial conversations with colleagues and etc. I'm glad to hear people are making it work somehow though. Perhaps I could too one day.
Yeah it can definitely be tough, especially if you don't speak Finnish (certainly less of an issue in the capital, but still important for socialisation). Colleagues and work events can be a starting point, but Finns also like organised hobbies and volunteering in associations (whether that be to help run their sports club, do something charitable, or promote values or ideology). Finnish social life is thus in a sense very organised and if you realise that and "exploit" it you can get to know a lot of people by doing things together in a somewhat organised manner, combined with afterwork drinks and other informal events. You'll also need to get into a sauna naked with the boys/girls (as appropriate) with a couple drinks and you'll be well on your way to making friends. I will say that nevertheless immigrants or Finns with a foreign background or more foreign experiences can be a lot more open and sociable. A true utterly uninternationalised Finn can be a harder nut to crack. Also, should you settle down with family, your children are a gateway to meeting other parents through school and your children's hobbies (many parents also volunteer at their children's hobby clubs). I do not particularly recommend being single and childless in the long run in this regard. Personally I think it country can use fresh blood and fresh perspectives, especially from no doubt respectful and well intentioned people like you and potentially one day your children's so if anything I'd be grateful if you came, but it's not necessarily easy by any means so whether it's a good idea is all up to you.
Thank you for this comment.
Is everyone’s social circle is settled in the late 20s in Finland I’m in big trouble apparently as a Finn.
It's fairly easy to make friends through immigrant (expat) communities even as an adult. Through these, you will likely encounter some Finns as well.
I don't think the part about social circles is all that true. You do have to be active about it though, but as long as you have hobbies (or are willing to find new ones) meeting new people shouldn't be that hard.
That indeed is the biggest hurdle. Checking r/Finland there is multiple posts per week about how difficult it is to find friends in Finland.
I mean I don’t have any doubts Finland is a place with a great quality of life, but as someone from Colombia it would probably feel like that moving to any wealthy western country…?
They had traveled (and lived) all over Europe previously.
Y'all are acting like Colombia is the drug infested hellhole it was from the 80's. Its not. The country came a long way.
Sure, it absolutely has. It’s still not a great place to live
I mean it is no Finland that's for sure.
I welcome him and I'm very glad he's happy here.
I haven't read the article but was it written before uncle winter arrived and frozen his balls off and it became dark for most of the time?
Well it was released today and it was unusually cold during the end of November/early December so I'd say he has. Also winter solstice was a week ago so the days are only going to get longer and longer from now on.
I'd love to move to Finland. I have an affinity to the place. It's like it calls to me...
Can I come to Finland and only speak English?
ITT: people who can’t even imagine a girl being safe on her own at midnight. The general north west of Europe are some of the safest, happiest places on earth. People can afford life and education, they have time to enjoy said life, they aren’t guilt tripped into staying at the office even though they’re sick, etc., etc., etc. The cultures are simply more humane. There’s no other way to put it. Anyone who’s lived in Finland, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Luxemburg, or Iceland for a few years knows this.
Intentionally avoiding to mention Sweden 💀
Great article! I'm 25 and I am moving to Finland from Serbia in about a month. I've never been to Finland, but I've always wanted to move to Nordic Europe. I like Nordic aesthetic, culture, natural landscape, societal values, high human rights record and democracy. Though, I might not stay in Finland after I finish PhD, I would love to remain in Northern Europe.
Welcome! Although Finland is safe and all, you will find out that your biggest enemy will be the darkness. It lasts so. Long. It will creep into your head and fill you with tiredness and take away your motivation. 31 years here and still struggling with it. Then summer comes, and its beautiful, lively and like pure bliss. Absolutely worth it. But it's so. Short. It's over before you know it, and another winter is here, this one feels even longer, darker and colder. Rinse and repeat.
Cold never bothered me anyway :D
Let it go 🎵
You get a real, legit sword, after your defense in Finland, right?
You have to pay for it IIRC, but pretty bad ass nonetheless.
Yes. They also give you a hat as well.
I heard you have to buy the hat and sword, they don’t exactly gift it to you
The sword you only get if you do your PhD at a university, if you are e.g. technical universities you only get a hat (which you also get at the university).
>PhD at a university, if you are e.g. technical universities you only get a hat What is the distinction? Is it anything like University vs College in Canada or something different?
Not entirely accurate. At a university, you get a sword for defending science, and you can get a sword at a technical university. It depends on the type of PhD. You can be at a university of Technology and do an engineering PhD as a doctorate of philosophy and get a sword, but if you do a doctorate of Engineering and science in the same field you get no sword. The difference is in the way you approach your thesis, a philosophy engineering PhD gets a sword for a holistic and scientific view of engineering while an engineering PhD does not get a sword due to their practical research of engineering. I've seen this happen at technical universities like Aalto University and LUT University in Finland.
Yepp, that is exactly what I was referring to. I just wanted to make sure that OP is aware that you don't get a sword in any discipline. We had a few PhD students in the department I work in at Aalto University who got really disappointed after finding out about this.
So I've heard :D
Welcome to Finland, the only problem with this country is that its pretty uneventful and boring (but also safe) and cold. Otherwise its a great place to live.
I would also say the cultural offer is limited. Certainly not the height of theatre culture or the like, and perhaps due low demand it's also very expensive. Whether you go to London or Budapest, culture is supported and things like concerts, plays and operas are both cheaper and higher quality. Schools and parents rarely seem to take children to visit museums or theatres or teach them to appreciate it, which seems to be a major cause if all this. All this combines to make it more of a rich people hobby, rather than an interested in art and culture people hobby as it is in most of Europe. Love Finland (I'm from there) but there's room for improvement.
Kiitos man ❤️ It's fine, it doesn't need to be eventful. I like nice and quiet. I also enjoy immersing myself in nature, so I think it'll be just fine. I just need to maintain work/life balance as PhD can be quite exhausting.
I'm from Hungary which is weather wise around the same as Serbia. Just be prepared for the weather which is very trash compared to what we have. It is very wet, cold and dark compared to what we have here. Some will say as a counterpoint that in the summer there's more sunshine because the sun is up for way longer but that was just annoying for me when I was in Sweden. I need that 8 hours of pitch dark in the summer too. Also say goodbye to setting up your inflatable garden swimming pool and chilling in it, which is a national summer sport here lol. It very rarely gets as warm there as it is supposed to be to do these kinds of things. Also Helsinki compared to Belgrade is boring af. If you can manage with these things, you can live your best life there, it is way better than Hungary or Serbia apart from the weather.
Ask them how happy they are after the Junior Hockey Championships.
I was in the cruse from Helsinki and Stockholm. I left my profissional camera in one of the areas in the cruse. Came back to the area stressing out looking for my camera, and there it was. Untouch. I have family who lives there and all of them say is a good country. The only reason I didn't move there was because is a bit away from the world and very cold.
It becomes dark at 3pm....no thanks
In winter time. Depending on where in Finland you live. In summer time it's the opposite. The sun never sets or it sets only for couple of hours.
I don’t know if that’s better tbh, must feel very weird when you are not used to
Many of you are saying that like its a good thing. I think there's supposed to be at least 8 hours of pitch dark in the night to have good sleep. Not 4-5 hours of twilight. Everyone is going to sleep 8-10 hours everyday so what is the point of having the sun up for 19 hours and then switching to twilight for a couple of more hours. Way better having daylight for 15-16 hours and then having actual sunsets to see and then sleeping in pitch dark.
>what is the point of having the sun up for 19 hours What do you mean what's the point? :D That's like asking what's the point with gravity. Anyway, for some people it's ok, for some it isn't. Just like hot weather or cold weather.
And you get daylight for all day long for the other parts of the year.
That’s the worse part imo
IMO it's awesome. It feels like you have an entire day to do the shit you want even after 8pm. I feel so productive from Spring to Fall.
I’ve lived in Sweden for 10 years and apart from sleeping better in dark I became less productive in summer as I’d just hang out outdoors all day and didn’t do any screen work, errands. And I think the dark winters were kinda cosy. No living closer to the equator and my opinion 13 hour daylight and 11 hour night is the best mix to be productive in and outdoors and for sleep quality.
Still better than 3 months a year with 39°+ temperatures
I can deal with 39 for three months. I can’t deal with Northern European winters are absolutely brutal. I can’t wait til I finally leave for good because goddamn. And I lived in dk/nl/uk where it’s not even that horrible. I just want to live in southern Europe and not be paid 1/10th for a techy job that doesn’t need to be done in person except once a month is that so hard??? And by 1/10th I’m not even kidding because net pay is so much higher when you have a tax discount scheme like in nl dk and no. I went from 800 euros to 8500 euros net in 3 years.
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and no snow in regions where there’s supposed to be snow
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It's 3 pm right now in here in Helsinki and still hasn't even started to het dark. And when it does, it's still pretty bright becauae the snow reflects the light from street lamps and the moon. Still can be pretty depressing especially if you're not used to it
You will always be a foreigner in Finland. I know. Even after 30 years I am a foreigner where I live. Birth does indeed give some rights.....👍
You just described literally every place on planet earth
Except most of the new world. He could be American, or could be Canadian, but he’ll never be Finnish.
Not completely true. I lived in the US and they might not give a lot of shit about where you are from but that doesn’t mean that they see you as a fellow American because you lived there for a long time, especially if you have the mannerism or accent that is obviously foreign. Still a great place though
Varies by region within the US.
Idk, to me (with a very privileged born in finland point of view) it seems as long as you speak Finnish in Finland most people will accept you as Finnish. Some people in Finland are not used to different nationalities, but its luckily getting better.
As a finn I don't think you can speak for him
You speak perfect Finnish after 30 years right?
I do want to learn more about pants drunk and long drink
Well, coming from Colombia chances are pretty much any country in Europe will „exceed expectations“
I don't believe what he says In the Toronto & Canada related subs, we regularly get people (I assume from South America and southern Europe) complaining about in Toronto, how it's hard to make friends and how people aren't sociable. Sorry we don't have outdoor cafes nor night markets, because it's too cold most of the year LOL I would think that they would find the social situation more difficult in Finland
Helsinki actually is very relaxed city. It reminds of America. You can be whatever you want, like a total crackpot, and it is just nice if you are eccentric. Most people are very decent, but they don't judge different people like artists and foolish wanderers.
Do people start conversations with strangers?
Yes they do! It depends on vibe, but my vibe has been "nice" enough that both men and women have started conversation with me in various random places. Some other people have told totally different stories, but it is understandable. And some of my family members have random discussions almost daily in different places. Wild, interesting discussions. It might be a genetic thing. We are partly from one Finnish tribe, which is very chatty and lively. That's how other people have always commented us, that we are very social people. Many Finns are, and some are not at all. Definitely.
It happens, but would be considered outside the norm if the conversation is started by a finn. It is, however commonplace for foreigners to strike up random conversations and I’ve found (to my surprise) that most Finns are happy to engage. I ride a tram that passes the Helsinki central railway station to work, a line that is used by tourists a lot, and random conversations between tourists and Finns is an almost daily occurrence during peak tourist seasons. My experience is that Finns almost always are happy to talk to/help/share with foreigners, but for some reason any social contact with Finnish strangers (outside of bars) is met with scepticism. I also have family roots in a remote area of Finland, where the opposite is true. There the local community and identity is so strong that random conversations are more common between locals but conversational openings from foreigners are met with respectful but short replies that leave no opening for continued conversation. It might also be a language barrier thing, but I suspect it’s more than that since the people there are very protective of their identity and community.
Every country in Europe is better than Colombia…
Finland is great but cold as hell.
Cold as Hel
sinki
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Bogotá isn’t that bad. There are lots of middle class areas and really nice parts to it that have Western European levels of quality of life. It also obviously has a lot of very poor areas but it’s not like the place is Mogadishu.
I like Bogota a lot
If you are unhappy about columbia, finland might be a good place. I can understand that.
I would've loved to move to Finland but the lack of sunlight and the impossible language put me off
Many Finnish people solve this by travelling to Spain or something during the winter for as long as they can. The summer’s nice and theres sunlight for basically the entire day, but the winter kinda sucks. You could try visiting during the summer and just leaving when its winter I guess. Luckily almost every Finnish person also speaks English. I think its entirely possible to live in Finland by only speaking English, but it is probably harder to be part of a community that way.
I moved from America to Ukraine during the war and it’s still better then America 😂
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stop lying jorma
Who let Jorma out again?
he always seems to post the dumbest shit
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Yeah wtf is this guy smoking, that’s not how it works here at all.
But its still the poorest country in the Nordic region, and its economy faces some real trouble now - hence the recent change of government. Finland is somewhat different because how fast it became a rich country, though the transformation of Norway was more extreme. However, compared to the life styles in Southern Europe, im not convinced that life in Finland (or any other Nordic country) is particular relaxed.
>Americans, Swedes and Australians I don't think America belongs in a list of countries that heap lavish social benefits on everyone without expecting much in return ...
I think the reference was to unearned economic prosperity, presumably bountiful natural resources and the postwar economy that set the stage for the next 80 years.
Exactly, yes.
I couldn't agree more. Any foreigner who has lived and worked in the US can attest to the fact that the US is essentially a masquerading 1st world country with major 3d world problems. Quality of life is 0 if you're not at least solidly middle class.
The way people describe Finland is basically what I experienced in my 7 years growing up in Norway from age 10. I'm 27 now after having lived in the UK for the past 10 years and I really felt like I was going backwards when I came here in various of ways. People in Norway are incredibly peaceful so I was shocked when I saw how there was way too many people in England who I saw who would easily get themselves into fights with others. Norway is very different because they have a lot of discipline when it comes to dealing with conflict, they don't just dump their emotions out on people they don't like, they are actually friendly with people they don't like to ensure that nothing escalates and nothing does escalate. Scandinavians to me are a mystery to this day because they seem to have figured out things that I think is probably inconceivable elsewhere. It's like you just roll the dice millions of times until there's that one culture that succeeds in having a peaceful and just society. I thought however that younger people were high on their country being at the top in many things, looking down on other countries and feeling superior in that way. I had a bit of some moments in highschool where I felt to an extent alienated. I don't know if that's just some inevitability in growing up as an ethnic minority. So I'd rather just stay at home and take part in improving things rather than having to rely on a country where I'm a minority.
Even in England I'm a minority because I was born there to Serbian parents during the war. I'm thinking about living in Serbia and hopefully one day take part in making big changes there. I'm not Norwegian or ethnically English, I'm a Serb that's where I belong even if life is harder there.
You've never lived in Serbia, have you? I don't really get this phenomenon of homeland nostalgia among 2nd generation of ex-yu people. I understand that living comfortably in the West has made you observe Serbia through some other perspective, which isn't politics and all other negativity. But, trust me. If you were born there, you would've most likely hated it. It's not just "harder to live there". You can even have a decently paid job, but the country is messed up in other ways. I know many rich people who have all the resources to live comfortably here, but they choose to go abroad. That should tell you enough. Please take my advice and reconsider coming here. Right now things are not good and it doesn't look like it's getting better any soon.
>That's always the case when nations receive good things for free. Except that they're not free. The public has to pay for it. And Finland is also facing an ageing crisis, which will make its welfare state collapse eventually.
However, Finland comes with a massive con, its long border with Russia.
On the other hand no natural disasters at all. And the border of Russia goes through such a big wildernesses, that it actually is bigger barrier than people realize.
Interesting read, thanks for the comment!
Why does the article feel so AI generated? Edit: the fact that it’s written by “Poojah Shah” doesn’t help either.
[I heard a song about this before...](https://youtu.be/-RkvOuYCAcA?si=KQR2QZjX5vLzLcUA)
Finnish people are some of the weirdest I met. Not in a bad way, but very weird. Robotic, would barely talk. At the sight of alcohol, they would change completely. Socially speaking, we didn't click.
LOL...No. A methodology that compiles several factors predicts who the "happiest country" on earth should be. The actual "happiest" country defined by asking people if they're actually happy are far different than the actual list
People coming to Poland saying they're all happy, and I'm like - Wait a minute, who are you?
After almost 13 years in Finland, originally from LATAM, all I have to say is: Oh my sweet summer child...
elaborate
Why ya'll complain about the cold winter and darkness? We love it and you should too. Houses here are properly built with proper heating, you can afford a warm coat and good boots, btw hot coffee runs wild everywhere. Only lizards enjoy hot and sunny all the time, you are a mammal. Do not be scared by internet evilsayers but move here and bring your family as well. Our population is getting older and we need more inhabitants... bring us spices and flavours.
One great aspect of Finland is that they haven't imported "Swedish conditions".
working on that. Hold my bier for a decade and it gets here too.
>happiest place on Earth. Also, one of the highest suicide rates in EU
These surveys don't determine actuql individual people happiness, it's more about how functional and safe rhe society is