We Have Arrived! – The Ups & Downs of Our First Month in Finland

 Greetings from Suomi (Finland), everyone!

Friday, August 1, was arrival day for us—YAY! Although we were tired and a bit ragged after a long day of travel (which began at 11 a.m. Mountain Time on Thursday, July 31, with a drive from Cheyenne to Denver International Airport, a layover in Dallas, and then an overnight flight to Helsinki), we were excited and ready to go.

We landed at what felt like 6 a.m. to us but was actually 3 p.m. Helsinki time—a nine-hour time difference. Since then, life has been a whirlwind of paperwork, appointments, ID badges, residency cards, apps, accounts, and—most importantly—exploring what will be our new home for the next three years. It’s been full of ups and downs, but mostly ups.

The Ups

Our Home

We couldn’t ask for a better house; WAY TO GO, State Department! I had been worried about city living. I haven’t lived in a large city since we moved from Arlington, VA, after our first year of marriage, and I’ve really grown to love the quiet of small-town life in Laramie. To my relief, we’re actually outside of Helsinki in a quiet little neighborhood which is also right on the water! WOW, What a treat. While we don’t have the Snowy Range to gaze at every day, the view from our dining room window is just as soothing. Maybe I won’t miss the mountains quite as much.

          

   View from the driveway     Me on the balcony            View from our dining room at sunset

We have dock access (yes, we can swim or launch a boat. We should’ve packed the canoe 😂), and right at the top of our driveway is the Espoon Rantaraitti, the Espoo Waterfront Walkway. I’ll share more about that in a future blog. We’re only an eight-minute walk to the bus stop, which gives us easy access to the Iso Omena (“Big Apple”) Mall, where we can find groceries, clothes, restaurants, a library, and other services, as well as the Metro connection into downtown Helsinki.

Exploring Helsinki

So far, we’ve gone downtown several times. Well, Jason goes daily for work, but I’m slowly learning my way around too. Within our first week, I successfully navigated from our front door to the embassy on my own using four modes of transportation (foot, bus, metro, and tram!). That was a small victory for me in my book!

We’ve already done a lot of walking and sightseeing, though there’s so much more to discover. On weekends, we’ve already taken day trips:

• To Vantaa for a medieval festival (Finnish style!)
• To Turku by train
• To Porvoo by regional bus

I’ll write more about each of those adventures soon, but here are a few teaser pics for now.   

  

    The beach near our home            Military Museum                   Senate Square, Helsinki

                                    

                               View from Suomenlinna                 At the Medieval Festival-

                                                                                                     Church of St. Lawrence, Vantaa                                                                               

Meeting Neighbors

Yes, we’ve already met some neighbors! To my surprise, Finns might not be as reserved as their reputation suggests. Our first encounter happened as we returned from a dip in the sea, when a neighbor suddenly shouted “Hei!” over the fence. At first, we didn’t realize they were talking to us, but soon enough we were invited over. After sauna (of course), we went for a “quick hello” that turned into a three-hour chat on their patio.

We also met another neighbor who shares our dock. One day while we were swimming he zipped in on his jet ski; the next day he noticed us struggling with our balcony windows and kindly came up to show us how they worked. It ’s been a nice surprise and I hope to see more of our neighbors soon.

Sea & Sauna

Being by the sea is wonderful. We’ve already taken a few dips, though the water is getting colder by the day. We’re looking forward to trying the cold plunges that are so popular here. By November the water will freeze, but I suspect it will be plenty chilly before then!

And of course, sauna! We have one in our house (pronounced Sow—like “ow”—nah), and we’ve become fast addicts. It’s easy to see why sauna is such a central part of Finnish culture.

                               

                        A view of our house from the far shore.               Our Sauna

The Downs

No Stuff Yet

While we have basic furniture and kitchen necessities, we’re still waiting for our shipments to arrive. Word is our “express shipment” should be here soon, but the big one likely won’t arrive until late September. For now, we’re making do with the five suitcases we brought. We miss our pillows, blankets, books, war games, and crafts—our stuff.

Isolation

This has been the hardest part for me. Since I’m not working and don’t have kids in school, it’s been tough to meet new people and make friends. The EFM & AWC coffees, trips, and activities haven’t really started yet, so I haven’t even connected with many Americans.

Jason has work during the week, so I spend the days mostly on my own. The first week was busy with errands, but the last few have been quieter, sometimes too quiet. It can get a bit lonely and even discouraging, though I know it’s only temporary. For now, walking, crafting my Moravian stars (I used up the little paper stash I brought!), and reading are keeping me busy. Thankfully, the fall semester is starting soon, which means class and with more purpose and structure.

Looking Ahead

Well, this turned into quite a long post! I don’t expect all my entries to be this detailed, but there was a lot to share about our first month. Future posts will cover our travels (next up: Tallinn, Estonia for Labor Day weekend), cultural experiences, Finnish food, and the little surprises I stumble across along the way.

 Overall, it’s already clear that this adventure will be full of both challenges and joys—but mostly joys. Thanks for following along!