5 things not to do in Finland

1. Don't insult sauna

If you have tried sauna and don't like it (or even if you haven't tried it, but don't want to) just be sure not to say too publicly that you don't like sauna. Aside from avoiding saying anything bad about sauna, also avoid saying things like 'it's a bit overrated' or 'I prefer [insert an equivalent thing from your home country]'. Finns are a bit precious about sauna, and even though it's okay to say 'No I don't want to sauna ... today', it's best not to say 'No I never want to sauna, being in a small hot room sounds awful'. This will get a very bad reaction from most Finns.

Side note: if Finns mention amazing health benefits from sauna, still just agree, and perhaps don't say something like 'Yes and placebo-effect is also very real, so you when you believe in something it can have a big impact'. This will lead to Finns finding academic articles about the health benefits of sauna to show to you. I am speaking from experience.

2. Do agree with Finns when they say how hard Finnish language is to learn

When you meet Finns and speak some Finnish they will tell you how amazing it is you can speak Finnish, even if you can only say 'Moi' (Hi) and 'Moi moi' (Bye). Finns are under the impression Finnish is extremely difficult. Granted Finnish is a difficult language (depending on your native language and some other factors)... but on another level Finnish is just a language and it's very possible to learn lots of Finnish. 

Even if you have learnt lots of Finnish and realised it is a language with a steep uphill at the start, but quite logically after the initial stages... it is best just to agree with Finns and say 'Yes Finnish is nearly impossible.' This is the answer they are expecting and makes for good small talk.

3.  Do not ask Finns for help with grammar

If you are learning Finnish and want to quickly check something related to Finnish grammar with a Finn do not mention the grammar concept by it's name. Simply say the sentence you want to say, and ask the Finn if it correct or not. The exception here is if you are asking a professional teacher who has studied Finnish language at university. Finns won't (always) know words like: translatiivi, genetiivi, ... etc. and it might just embarrass and confuse them to ask - whereas if you say the sentence they will know if it sounds correct or not. This especially applies to people who are dating a Finn. Only ask your Finnish significant other if the thing you said was correct/incorrect... don't ask 'why is it like this.' 

4.  Do not expect to understand spoken Finnish, even if you understand written Finnish

There are so many differences between spoken and written Finnish that you cannot expect to understand conversational Finnish without studying/practicing it. Even I started learning Finnish I wasn't sure whether I should study spoken Finnish, but eventually I decided I needed to. At that point I realised how different it really was, and felt better about the fact I couldn't just naturally understand spoken Finnish. Especially the difference in grammar (between spoken and written Finnish) are important to look at early on. For example, the "we" form in Finnish ("me") changes completely in spoken Finnish and uses the form usually used for passive. (Me menemme becomes Me mennään). 

5. Do not say a single word in English, if you want to speak in Finnish

This tip is mostly regarding in shops, restaurants and other public places. Finns will use English with customers as soon as they realise they don't speak Finnish (natively). If you want to use Finnish (in a shop) it is safer not to say anything at all in English. If the waitress hears you speaking English to a friend, they will speak to you in English. Even if you reply in Finnish... they will continue in English. 

The only way around this I've noticed is to use only Finnish from the moment I step into the store - this way the employee won't have any hint I can speak English (at least until they hear my accent).

I've even noticed when I order something, and the food item is given only in English on the official menu (for example sometimes 'toasted sandwich' is only written in English), after I say 'Haluaisin 'toasted sandwichin' (I want a toasted sandwich), the waiter will change to English. 

Sorry almost everything turned out to be about Finnish language! 

Finnish words in this post

Moi - Hi

Moi moi - Bye 

translatiivi - translative (grammar case)

genetiivi - genitive (grammar case)

Me menemme - We go (written)

Me mennään - We go (spoken) 

Haluaisin... - I would like.. 

Bureaucracy in Finland

I know bureaucracy is a super boring topic, but I feel like before I moved to Finland I ended up googling this kind of thing and wanting to read about other people's experiences with Finnish bureaucracy. 

Visas and resident permits

The issue of getting a visa always depends on where you are from and what is the basis by which you are trying to get the visa. However, very briefly I'll explain my understanding of the system and my small experience with it. 

If you wish to come to Finland (to live) you can do so on the basis of family ties, a partner visa or on a student visa when studying. I came to Finland on a "working holiday" visa initially (which is available to people under 30 years of age, from Australia and from New Zealand - and possibly other places). The working holiday visa took about two months to process (in 2019) and I had to go to the Finnish Embassy (suurlähetystö) in my home country to apply in person for this visa. I was living in New Zealand, so I had to actually fly home to Australia and specifically fly to the embassy in Canberra. I did ask whether I could go to some equivalent place within New Zealand, and the answer was no.  At this point I was given a national identity number (henkilötunnus). This number is quite important in Finland because it is required when you do things... such as when I went and signed up for adult high school (aikuislukio) and when I wanted to join a gym. However, because I still had a type B resident permit that was about all I could do - so I still couldn't access most services within the country.

I applied for a partner visa once I was already in Finland. I waited until my Finnish partner and myself had lived together for a total of two years (one year and 11 months overseas and 1 month in Finland). Two years is the minimum requirement for this type of visa and you need to provide evidence (such as in the form of a joint rental contract). This resident permit took about 9 months to process (again in 2019). Then I had a type A continuous resident permit and could start to access most services available to Finns.

Driver's license

I found basically no information online about this topic, and just went in person to  somewhere called Ajovarma to ask. They then told me I could change my New Zealand driver's license (ajokortti) to Finnish driver's license. (Prior to this I actually thought I may have to do theory or practical tests again, but that was not the case). I needed however to have the type A continuous permit to change the license over, and I had a window of 2 years from when I got the type A residence permit to do so. I was told my Australian driver's license could also have been used to get a Finnish license - however, because my Australian license did not have "start date" (i.e. when it was issued) it was easier to apply with the New Zealand license. A medical certificate was needed as well to change over the license, which you can get from a doctor.

ID card (henkilökortti) 

If you need/want another form of ID other than your passport, you can apply for a "henkilökortti" online and then go to the police station to identify for yourself. The system in Finland seems to be that you get a photo taken at a photography shop (kuvaamo) and they then text you a link to add to your application online. When you get the ID card it will only be valid for the period of time for which you have a valid visa. You can do the application online in English (or Finnish or Swedish). 

Healthcare

I do not want to claim to know too much about this topic! The couple of things I do know are... when an Australian in Finland goes to the emergency department (päivystys) they only pay a small fee to get treatment. This is because of an arrangement between Australia and Finland - so I can't say how it is for other nationality (check if you can, what the situation is between Finland and your country). 

After you have the type A resident permit you are entitle to healthcare just like anyone else in Finland.  From what I understand you can get by with English at the doctor in Finland (at least in the hospital setting, but better to check first if the doctor speaks English when you go to a doctor at a medical centre). I don't live in Helsinki and I've come across receptionists who don't speak any English, but having said that most people claim you can get by with English almost anywhere in Finland and yes most times English will suffice. 

If you start work in Finland you will probably need to go to a check up with a work doctor. This is called työhöntulotarkastus (literally meaning: coming to work check up). The cost this will be covered by your work. Additionally in Finland when you are working it seems that your work provides you will healthcare. So your workplace informs you other who their work doctor is and you can go to this doctor if you are unwell (and costs are covered by work). 

Finnish words in this post

suurlähetystö - embassy

henkilötunnus - national identity number

ajokortti - driver's license

henkilökortti - identity card

kuvaamo = photography studio/shop

päivystys - emergency department

 

Studying Finnish in Finland

Last year I studied Finnish in Finland for almost the whole year. I wanted to write about the options for studying Finnish when you already live in Finland. Here I wanted to talk more specifically about if you already speak some Finnish or are wanting to study full time and improve your Finnish as much as possible. Here I'll talk about options for studying Finnish including

1. The Finnish Government's language course 
2. University survival Finnish courses
3. Community College 
4. Online courses - University of Applied Sciences
5. Adult High School 
6. Community programs

The Finnish Government's language course

A lot of people go to the Finnish government's language program (kotoutumiskoulutus = integration education). I never went to this, so I have no idea what it is like! From I've heard this program starts right from the beginning and assumes you can't say a word of Finnish, then you study for about 9-11 months and during this time also so some work placements at companies. That's basically all I tell you about it!

Why didn't I do the kotoutumiskoulutus if I live in Finland? Well, before I moved to Finland and has already tried to learn basics of Finnish myself, so a course starting from zero may not have been suitable fo me. However, the bigger reason was when I moved to Finland I arrived on a "working holiday" visa (type B non continuous resident permit) and I was not eligible to go to this course. When I got a type A (continuous resident permit) about 9 months later... my Finnish was definitely too good and I was told not to bother with the course. 

So what other options are there to study Finnish in Finland? 

University survival Finnish courses

You can do courses at university if you are studying something else. I know lots of people who have taken "survival Finnish" or the basics at university (when are mainly studying something else in English). This is a good option for students, because the course is tailored to them and works around their other classes - but not so good for people wanting to study full time.

Community College 

You can go to community college (kansalaisopisto) and study 1 or 2 nights per week for a couple of hours. The courses at kansalaisopisto start right from basics and go up to a B1-B2 level (if you aren't at all familiar with these levels, just know that A1-2 is a beginner, B1-2 is intermediate, and C1-2 is a native or near native speaker). When I arrived in Finland (in June) everything was closed and by the time I went to kansalaisopisto I had studied at home by myself enough and I went directly into a B1 class. Kansalaisopisto is great because you meet lots of other non-Finns and get to practice speaking. It is however, not great it you wanting to study full time, because it is in the evenings and a max of twice per week. 

Note: These courses generally use textbooks called Suomen Mestari. The Suomen Mestari series is quite good and has four books. If you want to cover A1-2 level by yourself, you can always buy Suomen Mestari 1-2 and do it by yourself at home. Although word of warning, the books are entirely in Finnish, so you may be better buying a textbook with English and Finnish if you are a total beginner. 

University of Applied Sciences

Next option when studying in Finland is online courses. You can study as a student at a university of applied sciences (amattikorkeakoulu), and you don't need to worry about a complicated application process because they have a program called open university (avoin yliopisto) which allows you to enrol and do these online courses. Usually you pay (about 70 euros per course), but at the time of writing they are free due to the coronavirus. These courses go from A1 (beginner) to C1 (very advanced) and as they are online are usually to be done at your pace, with whatever feedback the teacher has time to give you. I'm not a huge fan of online courses, but I have done some of these courses and can confirm the material are useful (if you are self motivated enough to go through exercise online by yourself...). 

Adult High School

Another interesting option for Finnish study is to try adult high school (aikuislukio). In theory you can study anything on offer at the high school (lukio) level, but I have only done courses in Finnish as a second language. These courses are quite advanced. The course guide said they are appropriate for someone who has been studying Finnish for at least a year, but the course itself is up to about B2 level, so harder than what is available for example at community college. The courses themselves can be a bit annoying for someone who just wants to learn Finnish because you'll end up doing a lot more than just focusing on Finnish (such as reading literature and trying to analyse for themes etc.), but having said that, it can be a good way to learn. In my view these Finnish as a second language (suomi toisena kielenä) courses can really be recommended if you've tried other B1 courses and found them easy. 

Community programs

There are also community run programs within Finland, if you are lucky enough to live nearby to these. For example in Kuopio where I live there is a community centre offering Finnish lessons (A1 level) for free and various community run groups - where volunteers (Finns) help foreigners study Finnish. This community centre there was a program called Let's Read Together (Luetaan yhdessä) where volunteers read with foreigners every week, and I understand this program is running nationwide... however this program was only being run for women (at least in my area).

 

Finnish words in this post

kotoutumiskoulutus - integration education

kansalaisopisto - community college

amattikorkeakoulu - university of applied science / vocational university 

avoin yliopisto - open university 

aikuislukio - adult high school

lukio - high school

suomi toisena kielenä - Finnish as a second language

Luetaan yhdessä - Let's read together

Links

1. The Finnish Government's language course 

https://www.te-palvelut.fi/te/fi/tyonhakijalle/ammatinvalinta_koulutus/kotoutumiskoulutus/index.html

2. University survival Finnish courses (just an example for University of Helsinki)

https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/kielikeskus/opetus-ja-tutkimus/suomea-ulkomaalaisille

3. Community College (find the one in your area)

https://kansalaisopistot.fi/kurssit/kielet/

4. Online courses - University of applied sciences (just an example for Savonia in Eastern Finland)

https://portal.savonia.fi/amk/fi/tutustu-savoniaan/savonian-suomen-opinnot

5. Community programs

https://luetaanyhdessa.fi/ 

The Basics of Life in Finland

Sauna

The most basic thing you will need to learn about if you are living in Finland or studying Finnish is sauna. Step 1. learn to say sauna, see here. It's not said the same as in English, and since Finns feel they own the word and the concept of sauna, it's good to switch to a Finnish pronunciation as soon as possible. 

What can I tell you about sauna? Let's assume you know nothing. A sauna is a small room which can be heated to high temperatures. You should be naked in the sauna (I'll mention exceptions to this later, but yes NAKED in sauna is generally required). The temperature depends on the user's preference, but a Finnish person using a sauna will expect the temperature to be at least 60-70 degrees celsius (up to about 100 degrees is normal). The duration again depends on the user, but in my opinion you can happily go to sauna for 10-15 minutes and then leave, or leave for a bit to cool down and go back. If you last only 2-5 minutes, I think it's fine. Leave whenever you feel like it! 

What does one do in sauna? Well, not a lot. But again assuming you know nothing. You bring a small towel to sit on, you bring a bucket of water and a ladle. Then once in the sauna you sit down and you scoop up some water and throw it onto the sauna stove. This will generate steam, but Finns get very excited about the amount/quality/duration/etc. of this steam. They call it löyly (again see here for the pronunciation because this isn't a word non-Finns will be able to say right away).  A löyly can be good or bad or gentle or smooth ... or I don't know what else... but Finns talk about löyly a lot and it is seemingly a property of individual saunas.

Where does one go to sauna? In Finland people have saunas inside their house - so you generally go to sauna at home or at a friends home. I will just repeat this again...  everyone has a sauna in Finland. If you have a house (omakotitalo, see Housing) you will almost definitely have a sauna, if you have an apartment you may have a sauna inside your apartment or if may be that there is a sauna in the basement of your apartment building and you have a time once per week reserved for you/members of your household. But yes, we all have access to a sauna... because in Finland that's (apparently) just a very basic need. 

You can also go to a public sauna. This can be again with friends or whomever you like, and at a public sauna is likely for both genders and thus you will need to use swimwear (so NOT NAKED). So yes to refresh - yes definitely 100% naked when sauna-ing at home, but not for sauna with both males and females in public. But of course... at the gym when the sauna/showers are for one gender back to being 100% definitely naked. 

I should add here that at home the sauna is located in the bathroom in Finland. So there will be a shower, toilet etc. in the main bathroom and then a door to the sauna. This is almost universal, so if you look for a house to rent or buy and start looking for one without a sauna, you may actually not find too many options. I know it might sound weird to go into the bathroom with a friend and then get naked and shower and sauna... but what I can say, it's cultural I guess. 

So who do you go to sauna with? You can go with your boyfriend or girlfriend. You can go with your friends and family members of the same gender. The whole family can sauna together with the kids who are young (I don't what approx. age this stops). You should feel comfortable with whoever you are going with. 

Can you talk in sauna? Yes, talking in sauna is fine, you can chat with your friends and it's totally normal. But don't forget in Finland silence is always okay and never really awkward, so you can also relax and not talk if you want to. 

Lastly, is sauna nice? It's hard to answer the question: will I like sauna? Because it's personal thing... but (almost all) Finns really really like the sauna and it's for a reason. There is nothing awful/scary/horrible about it. If you get too hot, just leave or go and take a shower to cool down. I've had friends come from Australia and almost refuse to go to sauna - from a fear it would be too hot - and finally try it and cope completely fine and like the experience. 

Summer Cottage

Summer cottage (mökki in Finnish, again see here) is another very culturally Finnish thing. People will go to the mökki for their summer holiday and there will usually be a sauna. At a mökki sauna may work a bit differently though... the sauna may be a separate wooden house (away from the main cottage) and there may not be a shower at all. This is the old-fashioned sauna style, but don't fear... this can be very nice too. What you will do in this case is heat up water next to the sauna stove and then mix this boiling water with cooler water in buckets and use this to clean yourself after sauna. It's sounds a bit primitive, but honestly... sauna by a lake in this style is extremely nice and extremely Finnish. 

Other activities at the summer cottage include things like having a grill (grillata - to grill, in Finnish). I will warn you now that in Finland in the summer mosquitoes are insanely bad. The mosquitoes have a short duration of time to be alive, before winter and the number of mosquitoes at the summer cottage is honestly unbelievable. Don't leave home without the insect repellant. 

Previously in Finland many people owned their own summer cottage, but now-a-days it's also common to rent a mökki for a period of time in the summer. 

Winter

It's hard to write about winter, because I am by no means an expert. But again assuming you know nothing! Finland in winter is very cold. It is quite variable, but it may be 0 degrees celsius or -10 degrees celsius or -30 degrees celsius. Unfortunately you won't survive in Finland without the right kinds of clothing. Again I'm not an expert, but a minimum could be thermal socks, gloves, something for the head, thermals, one of those crazy warm coats you can only buy from Finland, and THE RIGHT KIND OF SHOES (buy them here if needed).

In winter the darkness is quite extreme. Depending where you are in Finland a few hours or daylight per day may be all you get. It sounds very extreme, but ... yes... okay you will adapt. Due to all this darkness another thing Finns will go on about  a lot is reflectors (as in the things you attached to your clothes so cars can see you). A reflector in Finnish is a heijastin (hopefully this one is easier to say, see here). It's not unknown for Finns to lecture foreigners about reflectors. I went to the embassy of Finland in Canberra in Australia for my visa and already the lady was telling me about reflectors. 

Finnish

The Finnish language is very difficult. Again I don't know much you know, but assuming nothing... then the reason why Finnish is so difficult is because it is not related to other European languages. It shares nothing in common with Swedish (the country to the left of Finland) or Russian (the country to the right of Finland). Finnish is distantly related to Estonian (the country underneath Finland, across the Gulf of Finland) but these two languages have been separate for at least 2000 years and Finns cannot understand people from Estonia at all. I imagine foreigners in Sweden, who speak English, will get on much better learning Swedish than foreigners trying to learn Finnish in Finland. Having said that while Finnish has a very steep initial learning curve, is quite systematic. If you crack the puzzle that is Finnish you can enjoy the benefits of a language that has (1) almost completely consistent pronunciation and (2) very consistent rules to conjugate verbs. 

The biggest challenge to Finnish is probably the fact their are many dialects (murre is dialect in Finnish, see here for pronunciation). Dialect means in this case that the spoken language is different from the written language. Because it is a spoken language, you won't see it written down and it is not easy to learn. Plus as I said there are many dialects in Finland, so even if you learn the yleispuhekieli (general spoken Finnish), it may not help you get by with stronger dialects, such as in Eastern Finland or Western Finland. Apparently central Finland (such as in Jyväskylä) the spoken Finnish is however closer to the written Finnish. 

Housing

Finns live in houses (omakotitalo), attached houses (rivitalo) and apartment buildings (kerrostalo). Whether or not housing is strange to you depends on your own home country, but for me it has been strange that even in smaller places there are apartment buildings (near the centre of the town) and then houses further again for the centre. It seems to me like city planning has been quite controlled in Finland, and so you see whole neighbours built at the same time (in the same style). Back home in Australia it's more like a never ending, unplanned sprawl of houses and at random some apartments. 

 

Finnish words in this post

sauna - sauna 

löyly - steam from the sauna

mökki - summer cottage

grillata - to grill

heijastin - a reflector

murre - dialect 

yleispuhekieli - general spoken Finnish [ylies- = general, puhe = speech, kieli = language]

omakotitalo - a house [oma = own, koti = home, talo = house]

rivitalo = attached house

kerrostalo = apartment building [kerros = level/floor, talo = house]