The truth about Finland and Finnish people

A black immigrants perspective

I'm an immigrant living in Finland, and I've been calling this place home for the last five years. Though my relationship with this place was a bit rocky in the beginning, I’ve grown to love it. This is home now.

In my time here, I’ve observed many different things. I believe that my perspective is unique for a couple of different reasons. Firstly, I’m not native to this land and its culture. So I’ve had to learn alternative ways of doing life, like the need to take vitamin D. I didn’t even know that was a thing! I’ve had to contend with a language that I couldn’t make heads or tails of. Secondly, my skin pigmentation is different. I’m black, in case you didn’t notice. So I came here expecting to be treated a little differently. I’m not even saying that in a bad way. It’s the nature of humans. We are afraid of what we don’t know or are not used to. Lastly, I come from South Africa. I wasn’t born there, but my family moved to SA when I was about two years old. We arrived as refugees because of the corruption and conflict happening in the DRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo. South Africa is a beautiful country for sure, but one that is behind most Western countries when it comes to the standard of living, safety, welfare, and so on. I couldn’t believe how… easy life was here.

I will be honest with you and tell you that my experience living in a different part of the world (one that lacks so much we have here) has greatly diminished my tolerance for people who constantly complain about this country. I’m not talking about constructive criticism. I’m talking about the people who want to paint this country as the worst place on earth. They may not say that directly, but it’s implied. Both Finnish people and immigrants alike. I have to work very hard to not roll my eyes sometimes. This could indeed be a character flaw or perhaps I’m missing something. I’ll try my best to explain.

Five years ago when I moved here, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But it sure wasn’t what I got. I mean, I tried to do my research, watched videos, and attempted to read about this country I was going to adopt as my own before I moved. I gotta tell you… There is a massive difference between seeing snow and cold on your computer screen and actually experiencing it.

My body wasn’t quite ready for it. But I learned a lesson that took me way too long to understand: it’s not how cold it is that matters, it’s how well or poorly you dress that matters. Funnily enough, it wasn’t the cold that bothered me the most. It was the lack of sun. The lack of sunshine on my skin. I would feel my emotions crater as the seasons changed from light and sunshine (sometimes) to perpetual dark and cold. This was another aspect I had to learn. The way of life changes with the seasons. The way you dress, how often you leave the house, and the general vibe of society. It again took me too long to realize that the change of season would affect you positively or negatively depending on how well you prepare for it practically, mentally, and emotionally. If you go into winter expecting life to feel like it did during summer… well, it’s going to be very unpleasant. You might need to get lights that mimic sunshine. Create some kind of routine that helps you with emotional stability. Take vitamin D. Actively create space to see friends or people you love. This was, of course, quite strange for me because the change of seasons wasn’t as noticeable where I grew up—in Durban, a coastal city in South Africa.

Throw in a language that seems to make no logical sense and you have a recipe for homesickness and emotional distress. These were big changes I had to make to my life and psyche. These were not the only things I had to contend with. I was an immigrant in a strange country. I was also a black person in an almost entirely white country. How would Finnish people treat and view me?

Well, I got my answer fairly quickly… no one cared. Now, let me be straight with you. That in itself almost offended me. Finnish people had this way about them, especially in public. They would only speak to you if they absolutely needed to. Yes, there are outliers. But in general, they wanted to go about their business without being perturbed.

I understand why folks coming from abroad would see this and view it negatively. Some of the words used to describe this behavior were: “cold,” “distant,” “rude,” and so on.

The more I observed, the more I noticed a couple of things. In my experience, the “I don’t really want to speak to you” vibe wasn’t aimed at any one particular group of people. It was aimed at everyone. In public transport, I would see a white Finnish person gingerly sitting down next to another white Finnish person, awkwardly. I could see that both were not happy with the situation they found themselves in. I was not being uniquely avoided as I expected. So my thought process went from: “They’re probably avoiding me because I’m kinda different,” to: “Oh, they avoid everyone else equally.” As my observation evolved, I got another level of understanding. People leave you alone because they want to be left alone.

You could go so far as to say that it was done out of respect for personal space. “I will try not to invade your personal space, so please try not to invade mine.”

This was a big turning point for me regarding how I view Finnish people. I turned my negative view into a positive one. I tried to understand. It’s a cultural difference. Imagine going to Japan and being upset that people act differently from what you’re used to. Everyone would call you an idiot. But I have a sneaky suspicion that because Finnish people are mostly white, they get put in a box labeled “white.” They, therefore, inherit all the baggage that comes with that title. Because they are white, they are probably racist. Probably did a bunch of slavery. Their country was built off the backs of black people, probably.

So I think some immigrants and some locals view Finnish culture and people with that lens. That causes such a mess. Because there are many times when the idiosyncratic behavior of Finns can easily be explained by culture.

Society has made it alright to hold Western countries to a different standard. You might see someone going online to deeply complain about some random person who looked at them in a weird way, that they believe was racist. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. But that same person would have nothing to say about clear instances of racism, homophobia, or sexism in the country they came from. Or from any place that isn’t clearly a “white” country. Places that actually have laws against certain groups of people.

There is no perfect country out there. We all want things to get better and to live in peace. But it’s silly not to understand this fact: some places do it much better than others. Finland is, in my opinion, one of those places.

I feel like some people don’t understand that.

I say this because as an immigrant, I have found this country to be incredibly hospitable. There are laws that protect me as much as any other Finnish person. I’m free to work and live like anyone else. There’s nothing holding me back. My growth is only limited by my willingness to get off my ass and actually do the work. I can’t speak Finnish yet, but if I felt excluded because of the language barrier that’s on me. Also, I’ve just started dating an amazing girl I see an exciting future with. One of her parents doesn’t speak English, so I’m going to have to put my head down and learn the bloody language… wish me luck.

All in all, I love this place. Sure, I do have some criticism, but instead of just complaining, I want to be a part of the change. To lead by example. But the pros far, far outweigh the cons. I want to see Finnish culture preserved because that’s why this country is great. Why would I want to see the very thing that made this place awesome eroded? No. That’s crazy talk.

My message to Finnish people is this: Be proud of what your country has achieved. Remember, your parents or grandparents fought and died to protect the freedoms you now enjoy. Don’t make the mistake of falling into self-hate as it’s popular to do nowadays. You would be disrespecting their sacrifice.

As someone who now calls this place home, I stand by these words.

Peace and love to you all.

Watch the Youtube video here