Moving from Russia to Finland

I want to tell you about my move from Russia to Finland, a country that I fell in love with the first time thanks to its people. I married a Finn, a real native of this magnificent country. And you know what attracted me to it? Calm! I missed it so much with all the men I had to date. And here I was subdued by his temperament. And let many laugh that the Finns are inhibited. I don’t know, maybe someone likes a stormy showdown, but not me! Imagine, my husband starts talking to me in a whisper when he gets angry: not screaming, but rather lowering his voice.

This is the person whom I can rely on in everything and I know for sure that if he promised something, he will certainly fulfill it. And this rule applies to most of the indigenous inhabitants of Finland.

I currently live in Lappeenranta. The city is wonderful. Compared to the cities of Russia, where I had to visit, it’s just magical in general. Financially, living in Finland is easy. Products in hypermarkets, if you come before closing, you can pick up for little money or even for free. I always take my favorite bananas for free just because black spots form on their skin. In Russia, they would boldly put such fruits on sale, but here in Lappeenranta they are handed out just like that. And in the morning, by the way, goods are also much cheaper. But, as I understand it, Russian tourists are never brought to such shops, but they are taken to such as Prism. Maybe they have some kind of contracts there and there is a percentage of the sale to travel companies. Prices in such stores are much higher.

Rainy weather in Lappeenranta. Photo http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/patrik-anna/

The cheapest store is Robin Hood store. There is exactly the same assortment as in Prizma, but there are never any Russian tourists. By the way, all the locals really like this, as many Finns are afraid of “crazy Russians with carts”. But I'd rather tell you about everything in more detail, in as much detail as I can. I really hope that my story will be useful to someone. I want to warn you right away that this is only my vision of the country in which I live, and I do not impose my opinion on anyone.

Mania of purity

All Finns are very clean. You know how long I live here and still wonder. It's always clean here. At first, it was unusual for me to sort the garbage. There is no such thing in Russia. Here the garbage is placed in different containers. Glass - in one, paper - in another, etc. And the bottles are also handed over here. At first I was shy, but then I got used to it. In Lappeenranta, at every grocery store, you can return bottles and get either cash or a discount on groceries. Our city is very clean.

Here, no one ever picks flowers from the flower beds. And the streets are always clean and this is not because they are washed with shampoo (I have never seen this here), but because none of the locals will throw a piece of paper or other garbage on the road. And that is not all. Even if suddenly the dirt remains from tourists, and there are quite a lot of them in our city, then a real resident of Finland will definitely remove this dirt. In front of my house all spring, summer and autumn there was a large flower bed, so from a neighboring house a rather elderly woman every morning watered them and sprinkled them with water. These are the Finns. They really appreciate the place in which they live, they love their house, a piece of land. They will water the flowers every summer, gather the leaves in the fall, and shovel the snow in the winter. And so it is with every resident. That is why the country is considered one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly.

Children in Finland

Children in Finland are adored. Juvenile justice works there in full. Somewhere from the age of three in kindergartens, children begin to be told “in secret” that they can complain about their parents for any reason. And if the parent is not to blame, then nothing will happen. Children believe all this and, of course, begin to report on their parents in full. For them at this age it is just a game. This is already when they are older, this will not be observed. But at such a tender age, all this “blooms and smells”. I am against juvenile justice in the form that prevails in our country now. This should not be. Families should not suffer just because someone is forced to eat soup and not given sweets and chocolates for breakfast. Yes, children should be taken away from drinking and asocial parents for their own good, but not to make a cult out of this and not to destroy the relationship between children and parents, creating some stupid secrets between three-year-olds.

Here in Finland children are not wrapped up, I would even say that they dress them too coldly. My Finnish mothers I know do not pay attention at all to the fact that their child is eating mud or sand on the street and to the fact that, at minus ten, only a light cap is worn on the baby. Finns generally do not classify colds as serious illnesses. Otitis, tonsillitis and all kinds of acute respiratory infections in children are constantly here.

Up to a year, my nephew overcame otitis six times and this is considered the norm. Angina in Finland is treated with ice cream. And I'll tell you this, it really helps. Of course, I didn’t immediately get used to this, but I tried it once and, in fact, literally in three days my throat stopped hurting. Children here even in winter walk in light overalls. Vaccinations are mandatory here, I have not heard that anyone has ever written a refusal from them, as far as I know, in Russia this is done quite often.

Parents are not particularly worried about the appearance of children, whether they are babies, preschoolers or teenagers. Constant "mess" on the head and untidiness in clothes - this is what is characteristic of most Finnish children. Children here eat only what they want. Their parents don't force them. Young people now consider such a peculiar rap style to be fashionable: boys have long shaggy hair, sneakers, sweatshirts. Girls dress exactly the same, only the colors of sweatshirts and sneakers are brighter. The girls here are painted in a very peculiar way: they paint over the entire face very thickly, including the lips. Looks very ugly. And they like it.

Finnish students. Photo http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/ninaav/

In schools in Lappeenranta, all children, without exception, are fed. Lunches are delicious. Kindergartens must be booked in advance. First, children are taken for half a day, and then, after about six to eight months, they are gradually transferred to a whole day. Kindergartens have Swedish-speaking teachers. However, there are also schools. Here you can choose which school to send your child to, Finnish or Swedish. It is better to study in Swedish schools and in higher educational institutions, then it is much easier to enter. Therefore, if both Finnish and Swedish are spoken in the family, then the children are likely to study in a Swedish school and go to a Swedish kindergarten. A place in a kindergarten is usually granted when the child reaches two years of age.

Higher education institutions in Finland are for the most part completely free, and even for those who, for example, came from Russia. There are many free clubs for children in our city, and holidays are also held here completely free of charge. So with children's leisure in Finland, everything is very good. Even for mothers and babies, there are very often free gatherings with many treats.

Food in Finland

Finnish cuisine is a bit unusual, but I love it. Especially the meat that is cooked here for Christmas. Pork and chicken are fried in the form of a roll, and then baked with cranberries. Serve this dish hot or cold with sweet cranberry or lingonberry sauce. It turns out very tasty, beautiful. My family love this dish very much. Cheeses and yoghurts, I also love Finnish production. In general, a real Finn will never buy non-Finnish products if there are native Finnish goods on the shelf nearby. Even if they cost much more, the Finn will still buy them. Finnish people value their production very much. I have not yet become such a patriot, so I boldly shop at the German Lidl store. Finns are very fond of beer. I don’t like him, so I can’t say anything about the varieties. All strong alcoholic drinks can be bought only in special Alco stores, in hypermarkets, even the largest, strong alcoholic drinks are not sold. We do not have a single 24-hour store in the city, and there is no such pharmacy either. That is why I have a whole bag of all kinds of medicines at home, I buy them in Russia and bring them home to Finland.

Cafe. Photo http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/lylio/

I always buy goods in Finland in bulk, it's much more profitable, in the pantry I have a lot of jars of salads, canned meat and fish, cookies, chocolates and sweets. Finns don't really care about the beauty of restaurants and cafes, I haven't met one here yet with a chic interior. The food here is simple, no frills. It should be remembered that most of the dishes here are very high in calories and the portions are not at all small. Cafe "At the Arabs" is very famous for serving such huge portions that two or even three people can eat from one plate. The price for one plate is six euros. Water, ketchup, mustard and bread are served free of charge. We sometimes go to this cafe with my husband, it is very conveniently located, very close to our house.

In general, we have few places in Lappeenranta where you can eat normally, solid cakes and coffee. Even though I'm a coffee addict, even I can't drink as much coffee as Finns drink in a day. And the coffee here is really very tasty and it has a great aroma. There is definitely no such thing in Russia. And I love Finnish sweets and mint chocolate. In general, I liked all Finnish cuisine.

Medicine in Finland

I don't really like medicine here. You can wait for a free doctor for months, but a paid doctor is of little use. Here, everyone is treated with ibuprofen or "blizzard" ... it is prescribed for migraine, and for temperature, and for otitis media. All medicines except vitamins in Finland by prescription. An ambulance almost never arrives, even a temperature under forty in a baby is not a serious enough condition to call an ambulance. And snot and 37.5 are not indicators of health problems at all. Here, everyone with such a temperature goes to schools, kindergartens and to work. This is absolutely normal here. True, all operations in Finland are free. Childbirth is also here ... everyone is discharged on the third day, regardless of whether the woman herself gave birth or had a caesarean section. I already mentioned vaccinations, they are given to everyone here. There is no care after childbirth. The doctor never comes to the house. Two weeks after the birth, you need to come to an appointment with a nurse who will measure the height, weight and head circumference of the child, that's all. During the first year of a child's life, a pediatrician looks at it three times, no tests are taken, and narrow specialists are not required to pass. This approach to babies actually seems to me the most correct. Indeed, in Russia, children of the first year of life are forced to sit in queues at the clinic, among the sick ... and they are tortured with tests .... to pass them for free, you need to try very hard. More about childbirth. In Finland, labor induction is very often done. I don’t know how things are with this in Russia, but here every second is stimulated by contractions.

In Finland, they don't even put you in a hospital with bilateral pneumonia. They simply prescribe antibiotics and let them go home, and then even a second visit to the doctor is not required.

Life expectancy in Finland is very high, which means that with medicine, apparently, they are more or less in order. Probably, this is just unusual for me and I cannot specifically create conditions for my child to suffer from otitis media. I can not. Until I completely accepted this whole Finnish medical system.

The only doctor I like in Finland more than in Russia is a dentist. Here about the teeth here, both adults and children are taken care of very well. Even crowns and bridges are installed completely free of charge and of very high quality. There is no such thing in Russia. I used to be very afraid of the dentist, but here in Lappeenranta I fell in love with him. Here, even very old people shine with snow-white smiles.

The attitude towards the disabled or, more correctly, towards people with disabilities in Finland is very good. Here everywhere there are special elevators, ramps, and toilet rooms designed for this category of people. And public transport is adapted for wheelchair users and traffic lights, and crossings for the blind. Here, all people are more humane towards the disabled. Full integration in schools and kindergartens greatly contributes to the correct attitude towards people with disabilities from early childhood. In this I see a significant superiority of Finland over Russia.

We have many places in Lappeenranta where you can change your baby's clothes and change them. In Russia, I only once met a similar toilet room, but it was closed, so I could not make the necessary comparison.

Attitudes towards the elderly in Finland

For the first time I worked in a nursing home and I want to tell you that there are a lot of people here who are over ninety-five years old. They don’t rent people to nursing homes here, people themselves express a desire to settle there. For this they give eighty-five percent of the pension to the state. I would call these nursing homes five-star hotels or luxury resorts. Old age in Finland is clearly very different from Russian. And the pensions here are very high and the attitude towards the elderly is completely different. I would very much like that in Russia someday it will be the way it is now in Finland. When I come to Russia, and I do it quite often, it is very painful for me to look at our old men and women, at their tortured faces and heavy bags. It is possible that something will change for the better in Russia soon, at least I really hope so.

Benefits in Finland

Finland has very high social benefits. Many of my friends manage to travel without working. Child support is huge. Yes, and unemployment pays enough. True, for this you need to join a special organization, but it is not at all difficult and guarantees very high payouts. Finland is the country where people really care, where there is a guarantee of a peaceful old age and a comfortable existence.

We have no beggars and no vagabonds in Lappeenranta. What can I say, even homeless animals are not here. In this matter, Finland has also stepped far ahead in comparison with Russia. Very far ahead. Here, each person can complete free courses for any specialty. Scholarships are awarded for all courses. On which you can live very well and practically do not deny yourself anything. A special organization is engaged in the search for work for visitors in Lappeenranta. Of course, no one will offer you high posts, but they will definitely pay decent wages. Pensions in Finland are very high.

Life in Finland

Finns do not like frills in everyday life. I would call their apartments and houses somewhat ascetic. Even the richest people here do not make palaces out of their apartments and houses, as is often the case in Russia. There are rules that must be followed. Short curtains so as not to close the batteries and save money, low air temperature in the houses (for the same purpose), the number of rooms should be as follows: there are as many bedrooms as there are people in the family plus a living room, kitchen and pantry. From the outside, Finnish houses also look completely unpresentable, completely ordinary. You can never tell from them who lives there: a person who does not work and lives on welfare or a millionaire.

In general, being a millionaire in Finland is not profitable, you will have to pay very high taxes. Millionaires are better off living in Russia. Furniture in Finland is very simple, there are no frills and frills in it. Everything is very simple, durable and comfortable. The only thing the Finns really care about is the piece of land next to the house that belongs to them. Here it really always has complete order and extraordinary beauty. In the private sectors in Finland, treehouses for children are very common. I have never seen anything like it in Russia.

Finnish language

Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Both are quite complex. But you can learn them. It took me eleven months to learn these two languages. The language is very easy to learn when you live in this language environment. For visitors, special completely free courses are organized to teach Finnish and Swedish. For some reason, the Finnish language reminded me of German in its structure, there is nothing in common with English and Russian in the Finnish language. So for those who have to learn Finnish, I can say that you should not be afraid, it is not so difficult. The main thing is constant training and goal. Without a specific goal, for example, I would not try to learn this language. And when necessary, you can learn Chinese in a couple of weeks. The main thing is to start and want. And if they also pay money for teaching the language, I now mean a scholarship, then in general beauty and teaching how to become is a pleasure.

Nature in Finland

Nature in Lappeenranta is very beautiful. The lake, namely next to it is our house, is amazing. The forests here are clean, there are a lot of mushrooms and berries. Animals are fearless. In general, the complete opposite of nature in Russia. You will never find any dirt in Finland.

Recently, I met a fox. He is such a cutie, he comes to eat right at home. Everyone feeds him here. In Russia, it seems to me that this is definitely not the case.

Water in Finland can be drunk straight from the tap. At first I was a little afraid, but then I got used to it, and when I come to Russia, I miss our delicious Finnish water.

Relations between a man and a woman in Finland

For me, the relationship between a man and a woman in Finland seems a little strange. Literally immediately after my arrival, I was faced with such things as, for example, paying for myself in a restaurant. There is no such thing in Russia, but almost always in Finland. For example, I don’t know how much my husband earns, but he doesn’t know such information about me. It's not customary to ask. Questions like this can be offensive. Cooking is supposed to be here, too, strictly individually. That is, I cook for myself and the children, the husband himself. Over time, I changed this habit and now I cook for everyone. The men here are very calm, you can always rely on them, you can trust their word. You can be completely sure that your husband will never throw any tantrums and never give. These Russian men also need to learn from the Finns. Children here are mainly taken care of by women, men do not take an active part in the upbringing of their children.

In the summer, on Midsummer's Day, Finns usually propose to their lovers. This is a very ancient custom and it has survived to this day. Some even still exchange birch bark rings. Very beautiful and romantic tradition.

Pets in Finland

I have already mentioned that there are no homeless pets in Finland. The Finn will always clean up all the feces after his dog. Cats are not taken outside just like that, only on a leash. Which of course is absolutely correct. We have several pet shelters in Lappeenranta where you can choose a cat or a dog, but not for free. The money, of course, is required to be paid quite a bit, but you still need to pay. All hypermarkets here sell goods for animals.

In Russia, now it seems that there are no problems with this either, but I remember there used to be, but considerable ones. My neighbor keeps a hedgehog at home. It's so cute to watch him walk with him in the yard. In Finland, pets are very much loved and appreciated. If the owner treats his pet badly, then a rather large fine is imposed on him, and the dog or cat is taken to a shelter. This is a very correct policy, and I fully support it.

Appearance of the indigenous inhabitants of Finland

You know, I've been living here for how long and I can definitely determine on the street which of the women is Finnish and which is coming. They are all the same, very careless. They take little care of themselves. Hairstyles are almost all the same, short. Some baggy, often wrinkled pants, oversized sweaters. And shoes ... you need to see it with your own eyes. I wouldn't even wear this to work in the garden. Of course, it is of very high quality here, but the appearance leaves much to be desired, even in rather expensive stores I can never choose anything for myself.

But men are very careful about themselves. Always trimmed neatly, clothes with a needle. True, they don’t really care about the figure, most have beer bellies, some even have huge bellies. But men's fashion here is clearly better than women's. It seems that women's clothes froze in place about forty or fifty years ago. And since then, nothing has changed. I don't even go to clothing stores anymore. I like children's things here, but I can't pick it up for myself. In Russia, with the choice of clothes somehow everything is much simpler. I'm in Russia and overstock. Even the Finnish underwear is some kind of grandmother's. Not pretty, but very comfortable. Convenience, not beauty, is the main slogan in the choice of clothing by the Finns.

Sport and healthy lifestyle in Finland

For the inhabitants of Finland, all conditions for sports have been created. Lots of cycling and hiking trails for long walks. In many cities, even in summer, there are ski slopes with artificial snow. And about walking with special sticks, probably, many have heard. This really allows you to play sports intensively without a strong load on the spine. There are a lot of spas and gyms in Finland. They are all paid, but the prices are very tiny. For example, I love outdoor pools the most.

Photo http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/lylio/

The water is heated there and it is so good to swim in warm water in winter when it snows from above. In general, sheer beauty. When I moved to Finland, I became much slimmer and more athletic than I was in Russia. But by the appearance of local residents, I can’t say anything like that. Finns do not like sports, as most Russians love it. Although the conditions are all created, but still walk the streets in the majority of completely unsportsmanlike people. They like to sit with a fishing rod on the pier, but to make some effort, no, this is definitely not for them. I very rarely persuade my husband to go for a bike ride in the park. I myself do such bike rides every day, but my husband, he doesn’t, doesn’t really like this business. Finns love to spend time in the sauna.

This is a good habit. I like her a lot too. Every house has a sauna on the ground floor, our house is no exception, of course. Both my husband and I spend a lot of time in the sauna, especially in winter, and with aromatic oils. Wonderfully simple. And yet, if you take a subscription, for example, to a gym, immediately for a year, then it comes out almost completely free of charge.

Finnish holidays

The Finns themselves prefer to rest in Estonia. So many of our neighbors leave for the New Year holidays. There you can freely drink alcohol and everything is quite cheap. Moreover, you can get to Estonia by ferry quite quickly and quite inexpensively. It seems to me that it is quite expensive for Russians to have a rest in Finland, our hotels are expensive here, and the service would not be said to be right at the highest level. I try to come to Russia for the holidays whenever possible. Many of my Finnish friends go to Vyborg, where they also say you can relax freely. The husband said that in Estonia this can be done much more civilized and much cheaper. Finland has a very large influx of Russian tourists.

Lake near the city. Photo http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/naterosh2009/

We even say that they want to introduce Russian as a compulsory language in schools. I don’t know if this is all or just rumors, but there are really a lot of Russians here. Especially in our city, Russian speech is very often heard. In our hotels, all the staff speaks Russian, not everything is just so clean, but you can understand. The only place where I recommend to relax is the private sector. Rent houses, lake, silence. This is what you can pay for. And everything else, to be honest, here we have quite expensive and absolutely not worth it. In Lapland, in general, it seems to me that the prices are exorbitant. Even for us, those who live in Finland, this is far from affordable.