Back in 2020, I was scrolling my Instagram casually but one random post made me take a pause for a while. The post was about the ethereal green swirl of the Northern Lights and I was mesmerized by its beauty. I started to search more and I got to know about Finland.
Snowy forests, lakes, pine trees, Lapland, the sauna culture, their simplicity and of course one of the happiest countries in the world. These were the things which made Finland my dream destination.
And finally, I got my visa as an international student at SAMK and I was over the moon. But, at the same time I was nervous too because this was my first international flight and I was travelling alone to an unfamiliar land. The closer I got to the departure, the louder my doubts became. I began to question myself: what if dream doesn’t match the reality or what if I end up being lonelier, but I gathered my courage and began to packed my dreams in a suitcase.
The moment I landed in Pori
The day I arrived in Pori was cold, dark and windy. It wasn’t an instant fairytale. The first few weeks were really hard as I don’t speak the Finnish language. Sometimes I forgot my way to home, got confused while buying groceries, felt awkward and strange in the Finnish silence and their direct communication.
But slowly, the roads, the places, the surroundings started to feel familiar. I met new people, made new friends and I was at my dream university. The silence I felt before started to feel comforting. The snowfall and sauna which I had dreamed about turned out to be best. The place once felt dreamy began to feel real.
“Breaking” the Finnish myth
Like others, I also used to think the Finns are quiet, cold and rude until I met this kind and humble man at church. His name is Jouko, and he helped me in so many ways in this unknown city. He also invited me and my friend for a dinner at his place. Being far from family, this guy made me feel like home again and changed my perspective about the Finnish people.
Text and pictures: Leena Rai, International Tourism Management student