There are many things Amel misses about her home country, Indonesia, since moving to Finland more than a year ago, but the lessons she has learned and experiences she has gained since then have been very enriching. This Indonesian expat describes her village life with her husband in Finland, her employment plans, and several tips for adjusting to Finnish life.	Amel

-Where were you born?

Bandung, West Java, Indonesia

-In which country and city are you living now?

Sodankylä, Lapland, Finland

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live with my Finnish husband.

-How long have you been living in Finland?

A little over 1,5 years.

-What is your age?

Soon will be 30 years old.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Finland?

When hubby and I began to be a couple after our first meeting in Finland in 2004.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?

First time I visited Finland with a tourist visa, it wasn't hard to get. Second time I came to Finland after our wedding in Indonesia, I tried applying for a tourist visa (thinking that I could apply for residence permit only after I arrived in Finland). My tourist visa application was rejected. The government wanted me to apply for a residence permit from Indonesia, so hubby and I had to be separated for a few months after our wedding. However, we were GLAD that the residence permit application process only took 2,5 months (usually it takes around 3-4 months depending on the case) and they didn't interview both of us at all. Once I got the residence permit, the working permit came right away along with it...though it doesn't mean that it's easy to find a job in Finland.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

No.

-How do you make your living in Finland? Do you have any type of income generated?

Well, I "accidentally" found out that I could earn some extra money online through blogging and some other resources, so I've been doing that these days. I still don't know what kind of job I want to do here in Finland. I went through a full-time Finnish course for a few months this year (2008) and that's helped me A LOT. My vocabulary is still limited, but at least I can communicate with my in-laws. I'm not confident enough to try to find a real job in Finland, so these days I'm looking for a training place (the kind of training where I get some unemployment money from the government) or any kind of course that would allow me to get a real job in Finland.

-Do you speak Finnish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

It's VERY important for me to speak the local language since I live in northern Finland and there are still plenty old people who don't speak English. For example: my beloved in-laws don't speak much English, so last year we had to use mainly body language and we had to depend on my hubby to translate everything. Nowadays I can communicate on my own with them as long as they use the words I know.

Respecting local customs is VERY important, too, especially since I'm planning to stay in Finland indefinitely. When I first came to Finland, I couldn't speak Finnish except very few basic phrases and words. By visiting my husband's relatives and his parents, I observe and learn local customs. 

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

Yeah, definitely. Not only my family, but also all the Asian food I used to eat, since it's hard to find here in this small village of Sodankylä. I don't really miss the traffic jam and the pollution in Bandung, but I absolutely miss my family and the food. Since Sodankylä is a small village, there's no inner village public transportation. In Bandung, I used to go around so easily everywhere since public transportation is available in all corners of the city. I miss the big malls in Bandung since they're open every single day. Here in Sodankylä there are no malls and they're closed on Sundays. 

-Do you have other plans for the future?

We're trying to have a baby and we're also saving money for down payment to buy a place of our own, whether it is an apartment or a small house. *fingers crossed* I'd love to visit my family again next year if possible (I just visited them for the first time after moving to Finland last month).

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We're currently renting an apartment which has one bedroom only. The size is around 49 square metres. If I remember correctly, hubby pays around 390 Euros rent per month (excluding electricity and water bills).

-What is the cost of living in Finland?

Oh...it's MUCH higher than Indonesia, of course, but as long as you spend money wisely, then everything can be taken under control. I'd say that for a two-person household (no kids) living in the suburb in a small apartment, the cost of living per month would be at least around 900 Euros.

-What do you think about the Finns?

So far I've only met friendly, curious people. My expat friend who lives here have met some people who are "cold" towards foreigners, since they basically don't like foreigners. Well, all over the world there are different types of people and you just gotta live with it. 

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Finland?

Positive aspects of living in Sodankylä: benefits (child's benefit, motherhood benefit, unemployment benefit, etc.) from the government, beautiful nature and fresh air, no traffic jam, not much corruption, plenty of birds and squirrels to watch, plenty of snow for winter activities (but don't expect much snow in southern Finland)! 

Negative aspects: if you live in small villages, you've gotta know Finnish to survive. In winter, there are days when the snow is icy and VERY slippery and it's VERY dangerous to walk on or drive on. In winter you've got to clean your car before you drive it. Plus if you have your own house and big yard, you've gotta be ready to clear the snow yourself (the snow on the streets are cleared every day by snow blowers and snow trucks, but not the snow in your own yard). 

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Finland?

1. DO NOT get near yellow snow and DO NOT touch it.
2. Make sure you dress yourself up in layers in winter so that you will survive outdoors.
3. Bring plenty of tissue everytime you go out in winter as your nose will be runny.
4. If you want to spend less on buying groceries, make sure you go to different ones to compare and contrast the prices. You can apply for supermarket cards for free for different types of supermarkets. For some supermarkets, you accumulate points per grocery shopping and you can use the points to get some vouchers. In other supermarkets, you can get some cash reward each year. Try to find out which card is the best type for you.
5. Finns love it when you try to speak Finnish to them, even though it's not perfect, but it shows that you try. (Well, I guess everybody from different nations love it when other people from other countries try to speak their language, eh?)

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Finland?

Before I moved to Finland, I was a regular visitor to http://www.finlandforum.org since I needed information about many things, including the bureaucracy and I wanted to read other people's experiences living in Finland. The site has helped me A LOT!