Finland
Terve! My name is Reetta Arvila. Nice to meet you! I?m 26 years old girl living in northern Finland, an area called Sea-Lapland. I have been studying in University of Jyv?skyl?. I wrote my final thesis in speech communication. Nowadays I work in a Sea-Lapland?s local radio station which is part of Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE. I started here in June as a summer worker. It went so well that since then I have been working as an announcer, reporter and news reporter. I am quite happy with my work because the atmosphere at the work place is really good. I can also meet different people all the time and get to learn new things on daily basis.
I live alone with my dog. For the first time in my life I have an apartment with two rooms and a kitchen. Here in north it is possible to rent a quite big apartment even if you live alone. For example in Helsinki you have to pay almost twice as much. Being single in Finland is really common if you can describe it like that. I am aware that it would maybe be time to settle down and have a family or something? But I am very used to being on my own so to say. In this point of my life my interest is to create a good career. It is more difficult if you have to listen someone else wishes as well. Now I am ready to move whenever it is needed and do what ever I want. Being a single is not an issue for me also because I have a lot of friends and my family lives only hour and a half away from me. I am a bit of an exception here in Finland at my age in sense that I spend a lot of time with my family.
As in many other countries, a lot of things in Finland are concentrated around the capital. In my life it is a big problem that so many young people move to south. The work options are far better there and most of the action is also in there. I enjoy life in North, but it is not so easy always. Almost all of my friends are not close to me and there is not so many things going on when I get some free time. In fact I am planning to move to Helsinki as well when I get a good enough job. I have good opportunities to get employed inside the YLE.
In Finland young people are not usually so interested in politics. In my opinion all the parties are quite close to each other and politics is not so interesting. The politics of European Union feels even more far away from people’s every day life. At least in my case it also got to do with the size of Finland. There is not so many people so there is only 18 Finnish representatives in Parliament. They do not have enough of power. I also have to criticize the bureaucracy of decision making in the parliament: For a normal person to follow their politics is really difficult and complicated.
As I live in Lapland I am worried that the area does not get enough of attention in the parliament. Maybe they decide something that also got to do with Lapland and it just does not suite for the area. I do not like the idea that people who have never been here decide for our behalf. Lapland is so different from the Central Europe or even from the southern Finland.
Many of the positives sides being a part of EU are quite obvious. For example I like the idea that the borders are open. I have a good example of it just 25 kilometres away. In Sea-Lapland, in the border of Finland and Sweden there are two small cities, Tornio in Finland and Haaparanta in Sweden. They are now making so intensive collaboration that they are building together a shopping center, people are working across the border, most of the people speak both Finnish and Swedish etc. Many Lappish municipalities are dying but this certain area is raising the number of inhabitants and there is a lot of tourists. The big reason for this growth is the Swedish furniture chain IKEA. Two million people visited IKEA in a year. Just to make a comparison: All together in Tornio and Haaparanta lives around 33 000 people. But IKEA was just a kick off, it is growing beyond!
Many prices has gone up (especially people complain about the price of the food) after joining the EU. I am a fan of euro though, I think that it creates a nice touch of shared identity in Europe. Combination of euro and free borders is also really good when it comes to travelling. It is easier than ever and I love it! In the future I would also like to work abroad and that has been made easy as well in EU. I could apply for a job wherever I want.
As a concrete ‘gift’ that I have got from EU is an experience as a volunteer. I lived for nine months in Tirana, Albania, working as a volunteer. I worked in a centre that tries to endorse Roman children in their school path. I was helping kids with their homework and just spent time and played with them. Having the chance to live and work in Albania was a huge favour for me. In some extent it was the best time of my life. I expanded my knowledge about different kind of cultures and got to learn other way of living than my own. I can now also appreciate more the conditions and social security of Finnish society. Half of my heart belongs to Balkans and Albania and it would be just great to work there in the future.
Few words about Finland: Stereotypes of Finnish people are that they drink a lot and are shy. In some extent that is true but nowadays especially young people are really international and open minded. They can do the small talk as well. What else? We have the Santa Claus. In the winter there is a day that the sun does not go up at all. On the contrary there is a day in the summer that the sun does not go down at all. Here we probably have the most number of cell phones in the world, even many 7 year old has one. We are good in ice-hockey, rally and ski jumping. We are eager to hunt: elks, ducks etc. Almost every young person speaks good English. And we love to party!
Reetta Arvila 26,
Finland
Photographer Reeta Arvilla:
In the Lapland there is not dark at all in the night. You can fish twenty-four-seven.
Because the sun does not really go all the way up in the winter it shines slanting.
Young people in Finland love to go to outdoor festivals in the summer. They wake alive after long winter.
Finnish people swim a lot in the winter in the freezing water. It makes good for your bloodstream.
Read other similar stories:
Introduction
Austria. The journey is the reward
Belgium. The world is my oyster
Bulgaria. The Rose Of Europe
Another side of Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark. The students’ paradise
Estonian life
France
