What is living like in Finland for those coming from abroad? Are you moving to Finland or simply in for a good read? Find out more about the 13 signs that tell you are an international living in Finland.

1.Breakfast contains vegetables
You may be used to eating cereal, porridge, bacon and eggs many, many things but rarely has breakfast included cucumbers and lettuce.

2. You stop trying to plan meet-ups with your Finnish colleagues outside of business hours
After many futile attempts to lock in a time and date to meet up with your colleagues, you decide to stop trying. It’s gonna be harder than you thought to make friends with them outside the office.

3. Having a sauna in your office building isn’t strange anymore
These things are everywhere! If you don’t know the stats already, there are over 3 million saunas in a country of 5.5 million people.

4. You have seen your colleagues (and possibly neighbours) naked (see above for explanation)
As I said above, you probably have a sauna in your office building and you definitely have one in your apartment building (if not in your apartment). This means that there may have been a party or two in the sauna.

5. Even important business people may take public transport/ride a bike/ski to work
The great public transport in Finland in addition to the extensive bike paths and cross-country ski trails, allows everyone to get around many places (including work) without necessarily using a car.

6. You no longer “drop by” anywhere
Visiting someone, once you are able to secure that elusive invite, is a coordinated event that is not at all impromptu. Dropping by someone’s house is not really a possibility in Finland.

7. You mistakenly eat Rudolph at least once
Reindeer is a regular dish in Finland and it is often on the menu at workplaces and in restaurants.

8. You still get irritated by the lack of customer service (this is something that will never leave you)
Good customer service is something that seems to have missed Finland. The customer is rarely right and returning a product can be near to impossible. Many times when you call a customer service line for a defective product or service, you actually have to call a premium line- meaning that you actually have to pay to get them to help you!

9. You stop expecting table service in cafes (and you always clear away your own dirty dishes)
Most of the cafes in Finland are self-service (this goes back to the previous point). This means that you stand in a long line to get your drinks and cake and then clear up your own dirty dishes when you leave.

10. You assume all sweet breads will taste of cardamom (because they will)
Cardamom seems to be the national spice…not meaning that it is the favourite one but it is the only one there seems to be. Cardamom is in everything even when you think that you have stealthily avoided it…”Cinnamon bun…ooh, yes please…oh damnit!”

11. You no longer expect anyone to hold a door for you (well you do, but you aren’t surprised when they don’t)
Doors slamming in your face, on your bags, on your stroller, near your children…the list is never ending. It’s terrible to be on the backend of a door. Finn might have little peripheral vision and pay no attention to who is around them. It hurts sometimes…actually physically hurts…when that door hits you.

12. You expect to take a number almost everywhere for service- the pharmacy, meat counter, doctor’s office, banks, the police (where you go for passport and licence services), Tax office…
Finland is very keen on equality and that means that you get served in the order that you arrive- and they know this by serving you by number- EVERYWHERE (if you know that you need to take a number). So you now know to look around and see if 1) others have numbers and 2) where that damn machine is (and hope that there is only one button otherwise you won’t know which one you need to press!).

13. 3 years in and you still have trouble opening Finnish doors when you try to leave someone’s apartment or their office (or your own office!)
You never thought that you would have trouble opening a door- you are an adult after all. But these doors have separate locks and handles and sometimes you are required to hold down the handle while you turn the lock but not always. Sometimes you need to just turn the lock. Sometimes you just need to turn the handle. Sometimes you have to turn both at the same time. It gets more complicated when you are carrying anything- you think that you will only need one hand and then two are needed but you only have one hand available…sometimes you just don’t have a firm enough grip or the lock is a little tight and you still are stuck inside…with everyone trying to leave behind you.

Special for ELM – guest blogger Pamela Spokes (based in Finland for those who were still wondering).

© Expertise in Labour Mobility B.V. All rights reserved