Finland Revisited

We visited Finland for the first time in six years to promote Päivi's new book called Elämäni nomadina and see family and friends.

We visited Finland for the first time in six years. It was a short combined business and tourist trip. Our publisher Atena Kustannus invited us over for the book launch of Päivi’s newest book Elämäni nomadina (My Life as a Nomad).

The visit was pretty hectic because of interviews, but fun. We also had an opportunity to visit our family and many of our friends who had invited us over.

Finland hadn’t changed much, but after India the contrast was huge: the cities were empty, the streets clean, we could drink tap water, and the nature was pristine. The level of hygiene was so different that Santeri got a three-day traveller’s diarrhea. Of course everything was very expensive, too, many times more expensive than in India, or more generally in Asia. For example a 180-kilometre train trip from Helsinki to Tampere costs 40 euro, more than flying from Finland to Germany or Italy.

Helsinki, the capital, had become more international. There were more tourists and more foreigners. The foreigners we saw worked in low-paid jobs such as bus drivers and cleaners just like everywhere in Europe. Hopefully next time there will be more foreigners also in higher positions opening Finland to the world.

Comments

Arto said…
There are foreigners working in higher positions too, for example in various high-tech companies. But those you of course don't see or recognize when walking on the streets. One of the more (in)famous examples is the new CEO of Nokia.

As far as I know, many of the Asian and African restaurants are also owned and operated by immigrants - similarly in Finland than elsewhere in Europe. Good food usually for lower prices (especially in the evening) than the restaurants with a Finnish/European menu. Low pay for workers and owners (?) - don't know but probably yes in most cases.
(In)famous? Is he is a good bad-example or bad good-example? Perhaps people would have been happier if he
was a bus driver.

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