My life was all planned out then 2020 happened. I quit my job and moved to Finland. I settled in a small town in the southwest of the country and started studying Finnish language. I am still getting to grips with basic Finnish, and I don’t know what I will do once I complete my language studies. Every month I come up with a new idea.
On this channel, I plan to showcase life in Finland for a recent arrival.
I love your videos about Finland but I also love your other, more random videos of things that you just wish to talk about. Just keep u with what you are doing 👍🏼 Thanks!
@leelymer6205 thanks for the encouragement. I am actually happy if just one person likes each video. I am taking the attitude that they are like home movies that I can look back on in 10 years to see how I used to look and think.
A coalition government can have the hardness of Prince Rupert's drops (also known as Dutch tears or Batavian tears). And also explode equally spectacularly.
Fairness seems like a simple true fact. Just like the speed of anything in physics. But that is a false illusion in both cases. Fairness seems to depend on the reference frame. Different ideologies, different people in different circumstances looking from different perspectives have different ideas of what is fair. Just like speed depends on the reference frame of the observer. Fairness seems to be actually an emotion we have. It's something we shared with many other animals. I suspect it supports pack animals to be more successful as a pack. It's clearly useful behavior we have. But it can become very confused when applied to complex systems like societies and legislation.
I am not close enough to know what the real situation is, but I assume both sides have justifications for some of their ideas. There seems to be some suspicion that employer organisations are hiding their inactivity in recruiting and insufficient motivation, including salaries, by their member companies failing attract enough international or domestic talent. Talking about special talent and then actually hiring and, paying lower salaries, makes the story strange. It can also be that it's all miscommunication problems since there are so many different categories, which shouldn't really be talked together as one. Accusing immigration rules is an easy distraction and not totally untrue in all cases. Employers and some other groups clearly see those political groups especially behind the True Finns party which try to get limitations to immigration. Some are xenophobic, some nationalistic, some just more worried that too much immigration has already caused trouble and are worried about the future. They have seen the development in Sweden and elsewhere. They are pushing the panic button or are very close to it. Some are also aware of the history of Estonia and know about the challenges with a significant Russian speaking minority who have ties to Russia and are likely to be manipulated by Russian propaganda. There are several smaller ethnic groups in Finland ,which have taken their home countries conflicts and values to Finland, keeping them separate from the general society. What some call multicultural in a positive way, can be seen a fundamentally divided society with many internal tension lines, which can cause destruction.
Coalition governments do have some special stubbornness because they have internally agreed to their program. Opening it could undo the whole coalition and open new government negotiations.
News media often makes minority or extremist voices much louder than what their actual support is. Their comment are provoking therefore good for news business. One needs to try to learn to filter out that megaphone effect that especially commercial media has. Though public news channels and their reporters can also have the same behavior. They also can, and do, misunderstand what they are reporting giving biased or misinformed views.
@@laterlife2931 I sometimes watch and read English and other news about Finland purposely to see how things are framed and presented for different audiences. Just watching the kinds of questions international news reporters make compared to those serving domesticated audience is revealing.
@@laterlife2931 I think the Finnish media mostly reports about things the same way using different languages. But since languages are based on different cultures, even a very direct translation can have different nuances. But if an article or video is for different audiences, then the perspective of the story can be more significantly different. That is understandable since those audiences have different background information and different interests.
@irmelieija never say never! On this shooting, there were 2 women who had never done this before. One was around 25 and the other was around 50/60 - a gentleman never asks.
You seem to be talking mostly about work based immigrantion. The questions on the studies side are much different. The residence permit application process has become faster for many situations. That should be a positive for immigrants. The three months unemployed rule has been criticized a lot, and with valid justifications for criticism. Language skills and integration questions seem like very important aspects in a process to give citizenship. Even in a case of permanent residency, language skills seem like valid question. Two official languages has been difficult enough. Having English forced as a third, or as a lingua franca, has significant drawbacks.
@just42tube it is true I am talking about work based immigration but I think work and studies are linked (though I have no evidence for this). I assume most working people who did not come as asylum seekers came to Finland as students first. So, if you make it difficult for people to stay once they are working, I think it is a disservice to let them come as students in the first place. I agree completely that language skills are crucial for integration. And I do not think it is a good idea for English to become a third language. At the same time, the government is cutting its integration support so its pretty clear what their agenda is. As I hope said, I don't blame the government. This is a democracy and a free country.
@@laterlife2931 Well, if the EU - and even before it Nordic countries - is one open labor market and professionals and academic qualifications are largely homogenized throughout this area, is it a disservice to offer education to foreigner students. The bar for students from outside EU/EEA is different, I agree. What sense does it make to offer education to foreigners using foreign language as the language of tuition, it's a complicated matter and practically significantly different in different fields of study. E.g. Some people arrived in Finland to complete their studies in higher education aiming for international careers. They might stay in Finland, keep it as their main base in Europe, but have a more nomadic academic career in many institutions in several countries.
@irmelieija the funny thing is I didn't think I was really paying attention to the debate. I was surprised to realise it was impacting my own subconscious thought.
@@laterlife2931 Politicians use rhetoric, which is intended to affect people. They are professional manipulators. The only way to protect yourself from it is to pay attention and trying to be conscious about how they try to move your feelings and to direct your thoughts.
"Hostile environment for illegal..." Shouldn't illegality always be considered something to be resited in any country, which has rule of law as a basic foundation for the society? Do you really thinking that Finland doesn't have rule or law, and the current government is trying to make it happen. I assume you just misspoke without meaning it.
@just42tube I am all for law and order. The hostile environment was an overt strategy of the government that they would brag about. I agree with cracking down on illegal activity. Where it started to get tricky to me was they were trying to extend the responsibility to common people more and more. For example, landlords could not rent to someone who did not have proper immigration clearance to be in the country. I thought that was going too far. Employers, sure, but landlords was a step too far for me. As for Finland, I feel the new rule might be too tight. If someone has entered legally, they should be given the necessary support to remain if they wish. It is better to tighten entry requirements and admit fewer than to let people come and try to get rid of them (in order to get the numbers down) after they have settled. It is very disruptive to relocate voluntarily or involuntarily - especially if you thought you made a permanent move.
@@laterlife2931 I am very hesitant to support or use the expression"law and order ", the American way of law enforcement. For me it's very different from the rule of law expression I used.
@@laterlife2931 Entering legally includes all visa categories. So any tourist could just decide to stay longer than the validity period of their visiting permit. Any seasonal worker coming to Finland based on seasonal work having a visa or residence permit, could simply stay. You can't mean that.
@@laterlife2931 There is the somehow analogous situation in the residence permit proof of funds calculations. The law gives the rule of having sufficient funds or income to support their living in Finland without becoming dependent on public social support. Migri didn't recalculate and adjust the numeric calculations and required sums in over a decade. Now recalculations have been made and new minimum limits will take effect on 1st of November. Many people see this as an additional limitation on immigration. At least publicly they don't seem to see it as an attempt to prevent immigrants arriving in Finland and ending in too difficult economical situations. For students this in perhaps even more important that they shouldn't move to Finland with insufficient fund and then putting their whole effort in finding part-time jobs and income, which can misdirect their whole life.
@@laterlife2931 The rhetoric and some of the action of the government parties is clearly intended for some part of their own supporters. Politics is the art of the possible, which always has some peculiar internal dynamics. The politics of a coalition government composed of significantly different political movements with different agendas and values, that form of art is particularly challenging art form to appreciate.
Our current government is really bad now. And the new proposal for immigration law is disaster, very short sighted. Many finnish are not agreeing with government decisions and behavior. On the other hand visiting your old home country USA is not same as living there. It’s interesting to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Compared to the USA, the Finnish political system and coalition governments, including the current one, represent more democratically the will of the voters. Would you please clarify, which one of the several proposed or decided changes to the Finnish Aliens Act is in your view disaster? And when you write "new proposal", is it something that the Ministry of Interior is still preparing or is it something that is already a government's proposal in the Parliament.
@zaroliina you are so correct. I spent a month in LA last November and it was amazing. However, because I was VISITING all of my friends came out of the woodwork. Everyone wanted to meet up and have drinks and dinner. But as we were sitting around the table, they would discuss how they hadn't seen each other (who live in LA) in a long time. Day to day life would not be the same. It wouldn't be party, party, party every weekend. I am aware of that. That's why I like the idea of staying in Finland and just taking extended trips (in winter) to visit places.
@dahnyet I have been away from Jamaica for so long that I would always be considered a foreigner there as well. Even my parents would not be able to truly re-integrate if they wanted. So I am not pointing the finger at any one country. Every country has its issues.
Its quite amazing that the politicians dont seem to be able to make good immigration policies. Its a shame you feel unwelcomed, because we need and want immigrants like you 😊
Once in Helsinki a bus driver yelled at me because he thought I wasn’t going to pay. It felt shitty. I had luggages and a violin and I needed to put my stuff away first till I could open the app and pay. I’m blonde finnish woman. Some drivers are rude and idiots and some are nice people and good at their job. I think rudest bus drivers are in Helsinkiin my experience.
@zaroliina I will remember this story if I ever feel the drivers are being grumpy with me. Thanks for sharing. However, I have to say that now that I know what I am doing, I have not had any bad experiences lately. I love taking the bus.
@@laterlife2931 I have worked in sales and marketing. Not in consumer marketing or sales, but still. I have developed deep negativity towards marketing and commercialism. Me watching advertisements.. not a good fit.
I think that your neighbour is just a control freak asshole. I've had the same treatment in my apartment when i asked if i could use our community room to hold a party. She wanted to have everybodys names and all that useless shit before we got the thumbs up for the room. Some people are like that.
I would prefer to stay away from occupations where shooting is involved, and shooting of commericals belongs to that category. But since Finnish language isn't as murderously aggressive as English, not even in advertising, mainosvideon teko tai kuvaaminen ei vaikuta niin pahalta.😅
As a Canadian...the winter doesn't scare me much and I now compare the euro to the pound (I live in Scotland) so it comes out in my favour. The housing prices are so low! -again you would be lucky to find anything below 250,000£ that was habitable. Snow in April was a regular thing in eastern Ontario. I was in Finland May 1st(!) for a week this year...and lucked out completely on the weather. Jobs - that's the sticking point for me... I would want to work at least part time even if just as a consultant. Thank you for your insights!
@christinedowney I really like the winter. It is just long. My perfect temperate in winter is -8 C (otherwise I am too warm under my winter clothes). I lived in Scotland a couple years ago. I didn't like the winter. It was too damp. I much prefer Finnish winter. Compared to UK, the prices are very affordable. HOWEVER, salaries are lower so in the end it's not as cheap as it seems. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
@just42tube it would have been on my list but we were finding open water quite cold (even for August). My friend wanted to swim in lakes. Having said that Marynummi was the coldest of them all and it was the smallest and shallowest lake. I don't understand. 🤷♂
@@laterlife2931 I have lived in the Salpausselkä region where small lakes can get their water from groundwater springs. Those stay fairly cold no matter what the weather is.
@@laterlife2931 I have studied swedish in my youth but haven't used it enough to retain any significant skills. I can still understand it, mostly. I have worked in Swedish companies a couple of times in my life. So I should have learned, but didn't really. Learning languages has always been difficult for me.
@@laterlife2931 The largest underground aquifer, hidden inside the First Salpausselkä in Hollola, is one of the largest in Finland. In places, the groundwater becomes visible in the clearwater natural springs and groundwater-fed lakes and brooks. I used to live a short distance from such groundwater-fed lakes.
Your question reminded me about a taxi trip a long time ago. I had been in a Nordic meeting in Köpenhamn. I shared a taxi to the airport with a Norwegian college, who knew I was from Finland. He seemed to believe that all Finns have to at least understand skandinaviska with a Norsk accent or coloring. I had to remind him several times on our way to the airport that I really don't speak skandinaviska and don't understand all dialects or accents either.
If you don't mind me asking - on what visa/permit are you in Finland considering that you are retired; I am a few years behind you, but I'd like to retire in Finland. So you need to contribute toward the social security to be eligible for state sponspord healthcare? Thanks!
@globalcitizen74 before I answer, I do not claim to be an expert in this area so take what I say with a grain of salt. Rules for moving to Finland (generally) fall into 3 buckets: 1) People from the EU, 2) People outside the EU and 3) British people who moved before 31/12/2020. I say generally because EU also includes EEA and I believe there are special/more favourable treatment for people from the Nordics. I fall into bucket 3 but would now be in bucket 2 if I wanted to move now. If you have questions, I would email MIGRI and ask them. I find them to be helpful and will provide useful advice (usually directing you to the answer to your question in their documentation). My understanding is that anyone that gets residency will be granted access to state sponsored healthcare. Within Europe, I think countries bill back your home country. So in my case Finland will bill UK for me and UK will bill Finland for any Finns there. I don't think that happens to countries outside of the EU. However, they sort out the cost, I use national health the same as a Finn and I don't know what happens behind the scenes.
@globalcitizen74 even though I came under the Brexit (UK Withdrawal scheme), I still had to select a category for my move. I selected that I had sufficient funds to support myself. I think that is a category for non-EU as well so you might be able to use that. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
@@laterlife2931 thank you for your quick and prompt reply, appreciate your willingness to provide information. I am a U.S. citizen, but a Nordic at heart. Your videos have been helpful. I visited Sweden, Norway, and Denmark this summer. I plan on visiting Finland in January to experience winter at its peak.
@globalcitizen74 good idea to come in winter. If you like winter, you will love summer. I'd plan to visit Lapland. After Christmas, the south is relatively quiet.
Excerpt from Betterhelp: How to spot traits of a person with antisocial personality disorder Spotting high-functioning antisocial personality disorder traits (or in the correct clinical nomenclature, the traits of people with high-functioning ASPD may help you recognize if you are being affected by their behavior and know when to seek help. Many people with ASPD get high scores on IQ tests. They can have excellent interpersonal skills, and their magnetic personality traits often naturally draw others to them. People with high-functioning ASPD can be calculating and may show extreme patience when trying to lay the foundation necessary to work a situation for their benefit. A person with ASPD may hold a job, be married, and have children. They may also be actively engaged in cognitive behavioral therapy, possibly to help with their ASPD or to treat co-occurring conditions. CBT has been shown to be an effective treatment for some personality disorders, though research is still being conducted on its effectiveness with ASPD. People experiencing ASPD can be successful in life, and their lack of conscience might give them an advantage in some business situations.
The student loan burden is a question tied to the nature of the financing of higher education in the U.S. The need to forgive loans suggests there is something wrong in the system. It's clear that the higher education institutions in the U.S. operate under different principles than in Europe or the EU. Not totally different, but different in significant ways. I would say that in the U.S. the system is partly intended to support the hierarchy or class society. Of course there are stipend systems intended for the opposite effect, but those too seem to have their own problems. I am not close to these discussions or problems so I don't know much. But I hear random comments, and concerns. The Academics have become politicized in the U.S. and not only in Humanities. There seems to be internal power struggles between the major political movements. Just like the rest of the society.
When winning is the only thing which really matters, there is no point of expecting any true moral values or truthfulness. They are denying, not registering as you said, because it's not benefiting them. Lying is just being smart for them. Business is a code word for them: taking action using privilege, unrestricted right to exploit others. What is amazing is that republican policies are often harmful for their less privileged supporters, who don't understand that they are not in the same boat with their privileged leaders and big sponsors. That too seems to be common in so-called populist movements. Brexit supporters in the UK come to mind.
@@laterlife2931 I have been observing Maga movement from a distance, so I don't know everything. But a significant part of that movement is clearly based on getting support from poorly educated ignorant people in their own small cultural bubbles praising them as being something valuable. There's clearly some book burning mentality denying the role of science and education in advancing human society. These are backwards people who want to be special and cult offers that feeling to them in exchange for exploiting them.
@@laterlife2931 There is also this more understandable fact. The political system and election rules are outdated, undemocratic and tailored to support those who are in power to stay in power. It doesn't motivate collaboration nor true positive dialogues with different views. It seems that some people are fully aware of this but see no peaceful way to make positive changes to the system. They might be right. A major conflict and disaster might be needed, destruction of the current system, before something better can be build. And then the problem becomes that for some the current broken system fits well or a dictatorship would be even better to support their own interests.
I think I was warned about the Bible belt, religious groups etc about 40 years ago. I remember driving around in CA and seeing advertising about fortune tellers etc. That sublayer or aspect of the society was never hidden out of sight. Some versions of this irrationality were more "respectable" than others but equally or probably even more dangerous because of it. But I admit Trump has been a successful charlatan and managed to gather many of them behind his cult movement. He is not alone. Many factors have helped in the process and not all of them are having an effect only in the U.S. Other parts of the world have something similar. This is not unique in history either. Authoritarianism combined with cults is a repeating phenomenon.
@just42tube what surprises me is that there are many who know better but are just going along with it. I don't blame the ones that don't know any better.
Apt building storage spaces and bike storages are broken into all the time here it's almost an epidemic in Helsinki, that's the reason why ur neighbor was iffy about it. If your name was on the board there would have been 0 problem. With the bus drivers just flash ur phone quick (at least in Helsinki there is an app for tickets) and say morjes fast, that job overall is pretty stressful.
If the app is anything like HSL one you will enjoy it a lot, way more handy than buying paper tickets. I'm pretty sure they are also little bit cheaper too IIRC. About the racial stuff which i'm not a big fan of in general, did you know that anywhere outside Helsinki and maybe Tampere you are way more likely to face racial prejudice than in those cities. So if you haven't faced much anything there, it would be totally non-existent in Helsinki. Where you live, the first foreigners came like in the early 2000s, so taking that into consideration I think things are progressing well at least compared to some other countries. I live in Pukinmäki, it's a North-East Helsinki neighborhood which has around 30% ppl who have parents that are born outside Finland and I think the last time I saw public racism was like 20 years ago back when skinheads still roamed the streets. Now they have disappeared completely, I never see them anymore for decades. I guess they took the bomber jacket off and turned the computer on 😂😂 Since theres so much racism on the internet.
Long before the Trump and MAGA movement I was attending a big internal sales conference of an American IT company. The CEO gave a talk and mentioned that life is a game where the winner is the one who has the most money in the end. So it's a kind of lifelong struggle where you fight against others to collect resources. It was perhaps intended as a joke, but it definitely also was along the lines of how he and the company were internally operating. Republican rhetoric without much respect for the society or others well-being. Then there was patriotism and other sugarcoating, but only in the forms where it benefited the core motivation. There were activities like employees having free from work to go to local schools to build Ethernet networks. That seemed to be the level of being a good corporate citizen of California or the local school district. Later that CEO has been a Trump supporter.
@@laterlife2931 That is the connection between religious movements or simply religious thinking into many political movements and ideologies. People have emotionally become attached to some beliefs and their minds work to find justifications to support their beliefs.
@@laterlife2931 "Common sense" is an interesting concept and not just an expression, I think. But while watching Olympic Golf, I don't comment more now.
Many MAGA supporters are part of the so-called Christian Right or Christian Nationalists who are unyielding in their views of what is best for others whether that may infringe on the freedoms of others. Critical thinking is secondary to aligning with a candidate no matter how much a candidate may be fallable. Certainly, these are people focused on ensuring people who look like them are empowered and in positions of authority at all costs.
The two parties are mostly a political theather and they both ultimately serve the ultimate kings: money and power. Mainstream media is captured to serve this purpose. Never has war been so close to Finland and although we like to think its all because of Russia, we should wake up and realise Nato is not for peace. They serve military industrial complex. Otherwise the ukraine war would have never blown to this proportion. Trump has said he can stop the war if he is selected. I hope he would. But im pretty sure yet another war will start somewhere else. Because those tanks and missiles dont sell themselves. Edit: never has war been so close...i mean not since ww2.
Yeah, as a Finn, I don't think Finnish is a particularly difficult language, it's just different. If Finnish were a difficult language to learn, in that case it should be significantly easier for Finns to learn English than for English speakers to learn Finnish. I mean that I have studied English for 10-12 years, depending on the method of calculation, and as a result I know English enough that I can watch RU-vid videos in English without any major problems, but having a fluent conversation with someone who speaks English is a completely different matter.
I think I understand why you call Jamaica your home. But is it one of many or a special one in being the place where you were born? Some people say their home is wherever they hang their hat. They definitely separate the idea of having roots somewhere from home.
@just42tube I returned "home" last night after 5 weeks away. Salo does feel like home but I still need a couple days to get used to being back. I never know what to answer when people ask "where are you from". My preferred answer is "I was born in Jamaica".
@@laterlife2931 My standard answer is nowhere particular.😄 My family used to move frequently when I was small so I always felt like a newcomer everywhere and not being from anywhere.
You seem to have witnessed similar development of the countryside and villages becoming less populated and services and other activities concentrating into economic regional centers or cities as has happened in Finland too.
@just42tube many years ago they used to say that there were as many Jamaicans outside the country as inside. I suspect there are more outside than inside now. Many have emigrated causing a brain drain and empty, lifeless villages.
@@laterlife2931 That is a vicious circle indeed. But I assume there is also some movement back as people might look for second homes or vacation homes in places to which they feel some connection. That isn't enough to recover the local society but could give some support for the local economy. That has happened in some rural areas in Finland. There are municipalities where summer cottages are the majority population during summer seasons and property tax from them is a significant income for the municipality. Local stores and services might survive only by having business from summer cottages.
Thanks. I was glad to hear about your experiences. I do not know what it is to be black in Finland, but unfortunately it is not very easy to be an immigrant here in general. And every time I get into unpleasant situation, there is a thought why people treated me like that, and whether it was because of my foreign background. With years I came to conclusion that it is a part of life here that I cannot really change about. In Espoo and Helsinki attitude of people is more pleasant, based on my experience: native people seem to be more accepting here, I'd say.
@PavelQuiteGood I like to think the best of everybody. Even if I feel someone has treated me badly, I assume they are having a bad day or received some bad news. I don't take it personally. I might be fooling myself, but I think it is healthier for me to believe that. I've never had any bad experiences out in the smaller communities like Salo. There are certain parts of Finland that would make me worry more than others but I would approach all of them with the same positive attitude and make people prove me wrong.
@fimakinen2904 I don't WANT to highlight skin colour but it is a factor in the world we live in. Coming from a majority Black Country and moving to a majority white country, you would think that was the first thing I noticed. The amazing thing to me is I NEVER noticed skin colour when I first moved to the US. It only came up years later as we entered our teenage years. People of a different race will be curious to know what it is like in Finland. This video is for them. Finnish people may want to know how other races perceive their treatment in Finland. This video is for them. Some people never think about skin colour. That is not a luxury we all have.
You dont want but you still do. I understand the purpose of this video. I still dont understand why you need to talk about races? Shouldnt you talk about cultural differences in different countries more than races? I have lived in Africa and never ever taught about my race or being only white person "mzungu* around. I dont mean to be rude but I just dont understant all this race baiting.
@bazodee2 funny you should mention it. Growing up (even in Jamaica) my mother would never allow us to speak patois. However, I was around it enough that understood it and might speak it with friends if I was drunk. Now, I have been so far removed from it that I would struggle to speak if drunk but I still understand it.
I am very happy to hear you had not too many negative experiences in Finland. I'm a Northern Finn, and, like you i have lived around the world now moved to Germany in my 50s. Some germans look really angry and annoyed when i can't speak their language 😂. Seems you are better learning languages than me. Personally i never undertood the skin color, racism, nationalism or any of those and it is difficult to understand the topic. My mother taught me that everyone is equal. We had some horroble racist jokes when i was younger, but the reason they were fully was just that, they were so horrible and everyone knew it. There were 0 black people around, but I think most of us would have thought it would have been super cool to have friends from different places, no matter what their skin color was. Actually i think black person would have been very popular 😂 oh.. maybe hated by some as the black guy would have gotten all the girls 😂. I wish you well in Finland.
❤😂Do not worry! Everything you said about the awkward situations has nothing to do with you😅. They happen to everybody😅. I will never go to a condo meeting!!! It is the worst and has always been😂. Same with the neighbors and bus drivers😅. We have a saying here I'm Tampere: "If you get alive from a hospital its all good"😂. And who the hell lives in Pernio?😂😂❤❤. Great video again thank you Sir!!
Those who never bother to participate in a condo meeting are often the ones who complain about the housing company and don't want to contribute anything positively. That is unfortunately a common attitude.
@Pappa_66 I will keep that in mind. I can't explain it but there is something I like about visiting Perniö. I don't live there but I often spend 2 days a week there.
This video made me look up information about the UV index in Jamaica. I found an interesting website giving UV index figures but also much more about this topic. It included information about skin tones and how they behave and tolerate UV. There were categories from which I could find myself. I think I also could place you in the categories. If I estimate correctly, you are not dark or black enough to be in the highest protection category. Not being black enough, sounds like American racist jargon. I am likely to be in the second most sensitive category. It's not really a consolidation for me to be reminded that some others can have it even worse than I without suffering from albinism.
@just42tube in my mind I think of myself as a car. Just like a dark car will retain more heat in the sun, I wonder if I retain more heat. Maybe that is why I don't like to have direct sunlight.
@@just42tube it's more sweating in my clothes. When I lived in Oman, I hated going out at lunchtime because it was so hot and humid. I don't mind the sauna because I am not wearing any clothes.
@@laterlife2931 Sweating at work is fairly different from sweating e.g. at the golf course. After playing or training you go to a sauna, take a shower and wash yourself after which you feel fresh and relaxed.
There are Finns who have lived in local culture all their lives and have Finnish as their native language. They can tell from experience about what "black in Finland" experience can be without mixing it with being a foreign language foreigner. But of course what they have experienced is already history and society and neighbourhoods have already changed during their lifetimes and continue changing. One can try to build some average picture. But everyone has their own specific circumstances making averaging fairly irrelevant.
At least in Helsinki Metropolitan area and IT business (which are mostly quite global companies) I have had a lot of ethnic colleagues, also black skin coloured. In my experience everyone treats them as normal colleagues having their skills, experience and personality more important and also given promotions to low level managers. For the top level management the story might be different unless the ethnic person is amongst other Country Offices to begin with. I think there is still too much old attitudes and people being afraid how well the top management jobs can be handled locally, if the Finnish language is not fluent, if that would lead to misunderstandings and errors. This of course is a stupid and narrow thinking to begin with, but the more ethnic people find their way to Finnish job markets and companies, that will and already have the last 20 years or so changed to better and the fears and attitudes change bit by bit. I am happy that you have been treated with respect and acceptance in Finland as you should as an equal human being, because the smaller the town/village is, the easier it is to meet with people having over 50 year old attitudes and even for a small part the similar redneck racists as in USA - simply because of their living environments being so isolated and they are really suspicious against any "outside people" also Finns and especially of different ethnicity. But it's their loss and a shame, I'm sure great smart and empathetic people like you will make them realize that we're all just human beings with our own different quirks, whatever they may be, and we can still relate to each other in a civilized and respectful way. Take care and have fun with your Life and have a Laugh and a Half on any too serious stuff in a good company :)
