What Finland Taught Me About Life And Business In Eight Years
This article has a long intro. Sit back and relax!
I am from Costa Rica. A beautiful tropical country located in Central America and home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity (that’s also why 25% of our land is protected). My home-country is also known for its great coffee, no army and friendly people. We are Pura Vida!
However, I always knew I was missing something. I just didn’t know what.
I didn’t know Nokia was from Finland. All I knew back in 2012, is that Finland had the highest amount of metal bands per capita. Seriously though, I was sold. As a teenager, you would see me strolling my beach-weather-like neighbourhood, looking like I had the black parade following me.
I am sure, many people thought I was miserable, but I wasn’t, I was extremely happy not being the norm of the spicy-Latina who can nail a salsa move on the spot (eww).
Please, if you ever meet me, don’t assume I can dance salsa.
When I moved to Finland in 2012, all I could think of was how “Sentenced” (band from Oulu) lyrics now made sense while sitting and looking out the window that showcased a foggy and pale afternoon. I was feeling it. Those depressive lyrics finally made sense. I was never fully able to get in the mood during those sunshine-filled days back in Costa Rica. (I could do one of those right now, oh the irony).
There I was, not being miserable in Finland, but so excited that I could finally understand the pain and inspiration behind the lyrics of the Finnish metal bands I loved.
When I look back into my life, I still remember back at home when we would drive through the airport, I would always get this sense of excitement of what happens when you fly, where you could go. I always knew I was meant to travel the world.
It has been eight years since I left home. I still remember the day I left. I casually hugged my dad at the airport — not making a big deal, because it was just supposed to be a one-year self-discovery trip. Deep inside, I just knew it wouldn’t be.
Fast forward eight years, here are some of the highlights of my self-discovery journey:
- I had my daughter at 23 (2013)
- I experienced the Finnish social support system as a single mother (2013 -2015)
- I did three different internships at different companies including startups (2015–2017)
- I graduated from University of Applied Sciences (2017)
- I started my first full-time job (2016 - 2017)
- I started my second and current full-time job (2017)
- I got married (2018)
- Adopted a dog from Romania (2018)
- Together with my husband, we bought our first home (2019)
You got that right, I’m living life in the fast lane.
After eight years, I still have so much to learn about Finland. However, I consider myself experienced when it comes to struggles, deeply unbelievable shit that happened to me, and of course the insides and outsides of the Finnish social security system.
After eight years I now realize I have been sitting on top of several learning experiences and viewpoints that I want to share.
Your network is everything but it can also be a deal-breaker
As a foreigner, when you move to Finland and go through university, you are constantly being told to “network”. The reason for this is that for foreigners, it gets quite hard when it comes to landing jobs.
There is a huge threshold for people moving to Finland and not knowing the local language. Sadly put, you will always be at a disadvantage if you don’t professionally speak and write the local language.
Building an extensive network of peers can become your biggest advantage.
After almost three years of working within the startup industry in Finland, I notice that we continue to build networks of people that sure, can be a great support for you, but that are replicas of you.
This is a good explanation as to why in the tech sector in Finland we struggle so much with diversity and inclusion. Both Finn’s and foreigners’ networks are not mixed enough with ingredients from both.
Commonly, startups are built through your network of friends. However, how can we expect to have more diverse companies if our network is not diverse enough?
I’ve learned that building a network just doesn’t cut it. We need to focus on building diverse and culture-rich networks for both Finns and foreigners.
If you understand that your differences are your strength, you can succeed
This is a continuation of the point above. Even though I was born in a multicultural country, whose population is incredibly mixed, I was bullied during almost my entire school years, mainly due to the color of my skin. Fathom that.
Now in Finland, those apparent differences show even more. They should make me an obvious target. However, I don’t feel in Finland I have been such an obvious target. Not as I was during my early childhood.
When you are put in an environment where not that many other people look like you, you are rewarded with the power of representation. That’s truly a superpower!
Even if you are a minority, every-time you succeed and do good deeds in Finland it will show even more. You will slowly start to become an inspiration to other people who are going through the same struggles as you have.
Looking different in a way is what keeps me going through the struggles of making it in a foreign country.
You will never fit in, but you can blend in and observe
I once told someone to be successful in Finland; you need to learn to blend in and become a master at observation. I feel it always sounds terrible when I say it, but it is precisely what I have been doing, and I’m okay. It’s not about forgetting who you are but about having the ability to take from different cultures to immerse yourself deeper into that new culture.
Blending in just means not drawing too much attention upon yourself if it’s not needed. Pick the fights that align with your values the most.
The power of nailing the act of blending gives you the power of a better perspective and priority. You learn to know which fights you should fight and which fights you should let go of.
I have also become extremely observant of people and their behavior everywhere I go. If you are having trouble integrating, observing how locals behave can you help you understand what’s okay and what isn’t.
Design is so important, you better start loving it
Design is like in the top three of Finnish pillars towards a good living. When I came to Finland, I would never think I would spend 25 euros on a pair of orange-handled scissors or 20 euros for a ceramic mug.
Design makes life simple. But you better get your wallet ready.
Design is part of Finnish culture. Children grow up with brands such as Marimekko and Iittala that are an ode to Finnish design. But also the country invests a lot in design. It is everywhere you look.
You’ve probably heard people say “Everything in Finland works”. Blame design for that.
The newly built library “Oodi” (a.k.a in design terms: citizen discovery center), was built as a gift to its citizens for Finland’s 100th anniversary. Oodi is a wonderful piece of architecture that defies the conventionalities of a typical library.
If you come to Finland, invest some of your time learning about the famous key figures in Finnish design, art, technology and architecture. I can promise you, this will give you a competitive advantage not many foreigners have exploited.
