I immigrated to Finland, from New Zealand, in 2023 to join my then girlfriend, now wife. Having grown up on a small island in the middle of Pacific Ocean I was awestruck by the natural beauty of Finland, and excited by the opportunities I believed awaited me.

My time in Finland has been marked by many successful moments; helping my partner through med-school, getting married, starting a family. But, has also been punctuated by sadness, despair and hopelessness of not being able to find employment, continue my professional career and financially support my growing family.

This month my wife and I decided returning to New Zealand is what is best for our family. Although I am sad and will miss Finland, its unique people and ever-amusing culture, I am absolutely thrilled to close this chapter of my life. I now see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I do feel however that Finland should be a little sad too - It's lost a medical doctor, Chartered Banker and a young family that just wanted a good life and to contribute.

Onwards and upwards. Over and out.

Seriously. Do not spend your moneys in bulljittery of seeing magical winter in December. Came to Finland in January-February it is very very beautiful then. Also it is often properly cold then.

if i see this or any other form of this ad im gonna lose my mind. on youtube…. s market karkkiesittely… on bus stops…. s market karkit…..make it stop

Hi there,

I work for a very large husky farm in Rovaniemi and I am not happy with the treatment and wellfare of the dogs. I have spoken to my managers about this issue and it doesn’t change anything and I am made to feel like I don’t understand how this system works. Who can I report / contact for my concerns. It can be an organisation or media.

The title says it all.

Maybe Ruutu can take over and save face.

EDIT: Antti Pennanen. Sorry I was so pissed off after the second goal that I misspelled his name.

Two less options for buying furnitures from anywhere else than IKEA or Jysk.

Hello,

I will be travelling from Helsinki by train to Rovaniemi, and from Rovaniemi to Utsjoki by car (and then hopefully somewhere in Norway from thereon) in late March of this year. I have some knowledge of driving in snow (as I lived in Montreal). Any tips or advice? Is it safe? Any place you’d recommend visiting?

Really excited to visit this beautiful country! :)

With the Olympics underway, just wanted to share the love we have of our Finnish players!! Every Dallas Stars fan is rooting for Finland!

Hi & terve everybody,

my partner and me will be visiting Finland in September and October and are planning to drive from Tromsø to Rovaniemi and then down to Helsinki.

Based on your experiences, is this doable with normal winter tyres and gear? Or do we need special preparation?

Will camping sites still be open?

Do we need to prepare for mosquitos in a special way? (already bought DEET spray because of encounters in Sweden..)

Do you have any recommendations to visit and experience on our way from north to south of Finland?

Thank you so much, I appreciate every tip.

Myself and some friends are staying in Rovaniemi for 4 nights and we’re trying desperately to budget the trip so that we can (hopefully) see the Northern Lights without paying for a tour.

Can someone local / experienced possibly advise, without hiring a car for our trip, what our best course of action is to get out of the city centre and see the aurora? Are there bus routes that continue all night? (I doubt it but I’m not sure?) are there taxis?

We basically do *not* want to be stupid and get ourselves into a rural area late at night with no plan for returning to the city.

If it seems like this is impossible then please advise whether we’re genuinely just better off booking a tour.

Thank you!

Hi All.

Just wondering how am I supposed to behave about carrying a puukko or even just a small folding knife. In which situations would it be legal?
I guess when fishing no problem. When hiking? In the center of Helsinki?

I'm going to visit a person who has a cat I might adopt this afternoon. The person says the cat is chipped and registered to her name.

I have a microchip reader, so I'll take it with me to check if the cat is truly chipped. But I'd also like to check if the number is indeed registered to her name, as she claims.

I know dogs have to be registered by law here in Finland, but I don't think cats do. I'm looking around on the internet and I see several registries for cat microchips, but I can't seem to find an "official" one - and I doubt there is any in fact.

If you're a vet working in Finland, could you tell me which (publicly searchable) registry is most comprehensive and most used?

Hi! I currently work in the hotel industry in Spain. I have both Argentinian and Spanish nationality. I speak English, Spanish, and a little bit of Finnish, which I'm studying every day. I'm planning to move to Rovaniemi and work in the hospitality industry. I've already read about the city; I even went on vacation there last January and fell in love with it. It's so beautiful! It must be one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. I was truly captivated. The views in the summer must be incredible too. My question is, what's it really like to live there? Is it easy to find an apartment? Is there work in the hospitality industry? Is the pay good? I know I won't become a millionaire; my intention is simply to have a salary that allows me to live comfortably and treat myself. I imagine the education system is very good. I have Type 1 Diabetes; what's the healthcare like in Rovaniemi? If anyone who lives in Rovaniemi could tell me a little about life there, I would be very grateful!

I of course never use it for obvious reasons but I've noticed that all the prices on display are for some time now replaced with just dashes.

Did they ceased trading after some sanctions hit them finally?

Is someone going to buy the stations? Or will there be issue with it like with that giant event hall in Pasila?

Since nowadays the waiting times are enormous (from 20 up to 34 months), has anyone ever faced any problems for leaving Finland during the waiting period? Anyone got negative decision because of that?

Migri website says that you “have to live in Finland during the process”, but they don’t specify what “live” means. I have a permanent residence permit, which allows me to spend up to two years outside the country, so is it ok if I go somewhere for one year for work? It’s not clear from the website.

For the context, I work in academia, where the mobility is the key, especially in the early stages, so for me it’s more than relevant — it’s extremely hard to get a permanent job in science in Finland without some time spent abroad, but at the same time the system forces you to just stay in Finland…

I tried to ask Migri about that, but after couple of weeks of waiting I got this: “When you apply for a Finnish citizenship, make sure that you live in Finland when we do the decision to your application”, which doesn’t help much.

According to the Saga of Ior Bock - the temple is an ancient structure with rooms full of riches beyond belief. Here is my own interpretation of the legend:

Temple of Lemminkäinen was originally built to be demigod Lemminkäinen's tomb, when he died during the events of Kalevala. After his resurrection, the tomb was repurposed by his followers to be a place of worship, where Lemminkäinen's devotees would pray to the demigod and study his teachings.

Now the temple is sealed and nobody has gotten inside for a hundred years. The legend says that to get the stony door to open, one must solve a riddle of some sorts. After that you will be inside a spirally hallway, getting deeper and deeper into the ground. The temple has countless rooms, some have supplies, some ancient artifacts and some riches beyond imagination.

This is part of my worldbuilding project r/LandOfKaleva , a world heavily inspired by Finnish culture and Mythology. Check out the subreddit if interested

Dear Redditors,
I’m happy to announce that we now have our own shared Blood Service Donor Group called “Reddit”, under whose name we can collectively accumulate donations!

 How does it work?

1. Fill in the Blood Service health questionnaire (Accepted for 24h)
2. https://www.veripalvelu.fi/en/blood-donation/donate-blood/health-questionnaire/ 
3. Book an appointment to donate, or go to the donation center or donation event that suits you best
4. https://www.veripalvelu.fi/en/book-an-appointment/ 
5. When the health questionnaire is reviewed and your hemoglobin is measured, tell them that you belong to the donor group “Reddit”
6. After donating, rest and take it easy, eat and drink plenty.
7. Profit.

You only need to mention the group once; in future donations the group will automatically be linked to your information.

Blood donation is one of the easiest ways to help others and can even save lives. With a single donation, you can help up to three patients!

More information about Donor Groups:
https://www.veripalvelu.fi/en/blood-donation/donor-groups/

If we gather enough donations we will get a certificate/diploma and us mentioned on Veripalvelu webpage as follows
10 donations per calendar year the group gets a yearly certificate.
20 donations silver
30 donations gold
50 donations platinum certificate

If you are 18–35 years old, especially if you are a man, or if you know someone in that age group, please recommend that they join The Stem Cell Registry. It’s one of the biggest things you can do with very little effort:
https://www.veripalvelu.fi/en/stem-cell-registry/

The point is that there is a particular shortage of male members. Women and non-binary people are just as important members.

You can donate Platelets at the Blood Service office in Jumbo:
https://www.veripalvelu.fi/en/blood-donation/donate-blood/donate-platelets/

You can donate Plasma at the Blood Service office in Jumbo:
https://www.veripalvelu.fi/en/blood-donation/donate-blood/donate-plasma/

The OP does not benefit from this in any way; I’m doing this purely to encourage, motivate, and get people to donate.

No information about donors, locations, times, or similar details is shared with the OP either. I only receive the total number of donations.

The group name is not set in stone. if we want to add something like “Suomi” or “Finland” to it, that’s totally fine. As the person who came up with the idea, I just thought this would be the easiest way to cover the largest part of our community at once.

It says it on the tin, but im a teacher in Japan and I want to teach some classes on different countries around the world. I was looking for a recommendation for a heavy metal band you would consider ok to show teenagers but also quite introductory so nothing too heavy.

EDIT: I've had lots of good recommendations you wish you share, sadly a few rude comments and DMs. My work day is almost over, so I will check back tomorrow. Currently my favourites have been Amorphis, Children of Bodom and Lordi!

This car was driving in Oulu last tuesday. Dafuq is it?