Living in Finland – 5 tips to put down roots

I’ve been living in Finland for over seven years, and moving from one country to another is a challenging process. Adopt, adapt, and improve is the motto of the round table and holds true in pretty much every endeavor you can undertake in life. The sooner you become informed with quality information will be crucial in jump-starting your transition and reducing the stress involved.

My five tips

InfoFinland

I would always recommend starting with the infoFinland website. Information is provided in many languages and sets you on the right track when moving to, living in, or searching for information about Finland.

Hobbies

Finding a hobby gives you a great way to interact with people outside of a workplace setting and unwind after a long shift. You can Ice skate the year-round due to all the indoor ice rinks. Swimming also, from relaxing dips in lakes during the summer and autumn months to more invigorating ones during winter and spring.

Literature

Staying informed not only benefits you by equipping yourself with tools to cope in an ever-changing industry but also conversational matter to start chatting with co-workers and socializing in a variety of situations, perhaps even set some minds at ease. Finnish libraries are well-stocked from the ephemeral (local newspapers) to the historical and everything in-between.

Greenspace

I’ve briefly touched on this before, but the importance of it cannot be understated, and it’s abundant in Finland. Finding your local nature trails and getting out there is not only great exercise and much-needed downtime for the ever-busy mind, but you’ll meet like-minded travelers along the way. Don’t forget to say hi to passers-by, breathe in that fresh air, and unwind outdoors.

Multicultural centers

These certainly helped in my early years in Finland. It can be an excellent anchor to find people from your home country with which you can discuss your situation and challenges, either to seek help or to give back, with invaluable advice from your experience later down the line.
 

 
You can find Finnish language courses from many different sources but specifically tailored to the medical field, very few. We provide not only the basics but enable you to meet the required skill level for working in the medical field and provide you with the industry vocabulary plus situational exercises to best prepare you to practice medicine in Finland. You can read more about our courses here.