10 Things to Know About EVERYDAY LIFE in Finland

In this video we go through 10 things that you should know about everyday life in Finland before you move to Finland for your studies or to work. Being aware of these everyday norms will help you get a smoother start for your new life in Finland.
Everyday life in Finland can be very much different compared to life in your home country especially if you come from outside Europe. There are many customs, social norms and regulations that you should be aware of when you move into the country, because these will help you settle into Finland faster and hopefully they will also make the potential culture shock a bit easier.
Things to know about everyday life in Finland:
0:00 Intro
1:14 You need to wave for a bus to stop
2:15 The Finnish public transit system is well managed and usually on time
3:22 Finns eat lunch quite early compared to some other countries
4:02 Finnish tap water is some of the best in the world
5:43 Alcohol is sold in stores between 9am and 9pm
6:42 Product names are usually displayed only in Finnish and Swedish
7:14 Home deliveries are usually not delivered to your door
8:09 Cash is used less and less in Finland
9:05 Tipping is not mandatory nor expected in Finland
9:33 Finland celebrates a lot of different national and religious holidays
//SOURCES
○ Important public holidays in Finland (Info Finland): www.infofinland.fi/en/informa...
Thanks for Aalto University for sponsoring this video. I have done both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Aalto University and I highly recommend that you check out the different study opportunities that Aalto has to offer.
Study at Aalto: www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto
Tuition fees and scholarships for Aalto students: www.aalto.fi/en/admission-ser...
Aalto University on KZbin: / aaltouniversity
//WATCH NEXT!
○ How much can you work as a student in Finland - • How Much Can You Work ...
○ How to find jobs as an international student in Finland - • How To Find Part Time ...
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○ Where I get my outdoor clothes (Scandinavian Outdoors) - adtr.co/TZ0wLc
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#studyinfinland #roadtofinnish #aaltouniversity

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks for watching guys! I just realised how much I use the word 'alright' in my videos 😅. Did anyone happen to keep count when watching this upload?

[@analuciachita]

It is perfectly fine! I didn't even noticed that 😉🤙

[@DavidLee-yu7yz]

That's Alright ;-)

[@chrish2277]

Keep it - make an excellent drinking game!

[@jacobcarlson4010]

No big deal; my boss has a habit of over-using the phrase "other than that" during the start-of-shift briefings.

[@pianomanhere]

Your video is fine. Don't worry about it. 🏅🏆🙂

[@ratbones86]

Moving to Helsinki next week, this is the bible of how to not make an ass of myself. Kudos Olivee

[@RoadtoFinnish]

😅 i can sell you a printed version to be kept next to your bed if you'd like. I hope you had a safe trip and have settled down well.

[@leewhy6238]

I love the idea of waving at the bus for it to stop, it’s like welcoming the bus as it arrives

[@rowzielynwho202]

My home town has the largest population of Finnish people outside of Finland. I shall be eternally greatfull they brought saunas and pancakes with them. Kiitos!

[@teos.movies]

I already can't wait to move to Finland for University, but every single one of your videos is just making me more and more excited!

[@RoadtoFinnish]

That's really cool to hear. The hype is real 😄

[@sofiasemitsogloutsiapou2188]

Not moving to Finland and have never been there, but a friend moved there recently and would love to visit one day. I also love learning about other countries and cultures, so thanks a lot for these nice videos

[@Rob2]

It seems to me that a big challenge would be the language! At highschool I have learned some English, German and French and my native language is Dutch. When I see other Roman and Germanic languages I can often sort of guess what the sentence is about. However, Finnish is from a completely different language family and it is impossible to even guess what a word would mean (unless it is a loanword in Finnish, I guess).

[@hurri7720]

Yes true, but Swedish is a very Germanic language, so use that in shops, also there is some 5000 words from Swedish in Finnish so it's not always that difficult to guess that posti is post and pankki is bank and numero is number and auto is car. Teenagers often speak English quite well too. One thing about buses and trams in Helsinki, you pay with an app on your phone.

[@Rob2]

@@hurri7720 When I translate the first part of that to Finnish using Google, I get: Kyllä totta, mutta ruotsi on hyvin germaaninen kieli, joten käytä sitä kaupoissa, myös ruotsin kielestä on noin 5000 sanaa suomessa, joten sitä ei aina ole vaikea arvata Well, that is completely Chinese to me... when I translate to Swedish at least I can recognize some words.

[@hurri7720]

@@Rob2 Yes, indeed but as you mention Chinese, I remember a 4-5 year old Chinese girl in a Finnish kindergarten asked on television which language is more difficult Finnish or Chinese. And according to her Finnish is a lot easier than Chinese. Now, I suppose the reason for that was that she was spending so much time speaking Finnish with other kids, and they learn whatever language much because they are totally unafraid of making mistakes. On the whole I think it's silly to call any language more difficult than some other language as it is all depending on where you come from, your native tongue. My first native language is Swedish and the second Finnish. And learning German came rather easily and I would suppose Dutch would be easier for me than French. One very superb feature in Finnish is that everything is pronounced as written, written as pronounced. To have a "how do you spell this word", such a fun thing in English, would be a bit silly in Finnish. Anyway not to worry and welcome.

[@juliebriz1703]

Love Finland. Only spent a week's holiday here at Christmas one year...but fell in love with the country and reserved but friendly people. From UK.

[@lam6027]

Insightful. Thanks for sharing Oliver.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey, and thanks again for watching and for the positive feedback. Love to see familiar names in the comments ♥️

[@lynnkhosla6277]

Great information delivered clearly and efficiently - nice change from most KZbin videos. Thanks!

[@vishank7]

Great list, thank you!

[@arieswildchild]

Great video, thank you!

[@clem9329]

Olivers, thank you for blessing us with such quality videos. Please keep up the good job !

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I do appreciate all the encouragement 👊

[@kman3800]

Amazing info. Will definitely do a visit

[@criswillcri]

As a person not originally from Helsinki, living in a smaller city and in a place in that city where only 1 bus drove thru (and not using any other busses that frequently) i never realised the waving thing. Came almost as a culture shock type-a thing when i started coming to Helsinki many years back ::D I remember one time me being alone on a bus stop somewhere in Helsinki, and not waving as i was not accustomed to the waving, and obviously the driver drove past. I sent a message to my friend saying that "the driver drove past me what the hell >:(" and them just asking that "you did wave at them, right?" and my whole world widened.

[@otsokivivuori7726]

Even though i have lived in helsinki my whole life, i was never sure about waving trams to stop and usually just left it to other people on the stop. It is nice to know these things for sure now.

[@Msremy208]

Thank you for sharing this video. Kiitos paljon.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Sure thing! Do let me know if you have any questions about this or any other related topic and id love to give you a hand 👍

[@ahmedalshalchi]

Joyful and informative video ... Thank you Oliver ...

[@nationalginagraphic5462]

Great videos! I've wanted to move to Finland for some time... hopefully in the future!

[@lilyjoji]

Great infos 👌. Very useful Thanks 😃

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Youre most welcome! Let me know if you have any suggestions for future content 👍

[@springnuance7048]

Hello Oliver! I'm here to support you again. I love seeing your new video so much

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the continuing support! Virtual fist bump 👊

[@eustudent6591]

Good to know these infos before moving to Finland, kiitos 👍🏻

[@RoadtoFinnish]

I do hope this informations comes useful at some point. As always, let me know if you are wondering something that you'd like me to talk more about.

[@eustudent6591]

OliverR greatly appreciate the help! Glad i stumbled upon your channel on youtube. Looking forward for more videos 😊

[@thepoint2240]

Thanks for your nice explained

[@ThuyNguyen-rs7uk]

Thank your for your useful infor

[@kashifaarahams3787]

yes, it was very helpful, thanks. Im looking at coming there.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thats great to hear!

[@wildcatty1]

Watching this video over a year after you published it. 😅 Very interesting! My parents are from Kemi, Finland but moved to Sweden in the 70’s and I have spent all my summers and holidays mostly in Kemi during my childhood (now I visit once a year) so I thought I knew everything there is to know. But no! Here in Sweden the buses stop at every bus stop if the driver sees someone waiting, so no waving required. I did not think there was so many differences between Sweden and Finland and it is fascinating. Going to watch more of your videos.

[@ridmaprabhashini9169]

Thank you for this video. Keep it up. Greetings from Sri Lanka

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Ridma and thanks so much for the positive feedback! I do appreciate that 👍. Do let me know if you have any questions or perhaps even suggestions for future videos and id love to help you out.

[@AntonioDelGara]

Keep up with the good work! Can’t wait to move to Finland 🥳 Greetings from Romania

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Antonio and thanks for the positive feedback! Hope you dont mind me asking when are you planning on moving to Finland?

[@AntonioDelGara]

@@RoadtoFinnish No worries! Well, if everything is going as I plan, the fastest I can move is in the next couple of years and slowest in the next 5 years. I'm a student at Maritime University of Constanta in the 2nd year. Thinkin' to study the master degree in Finland and moving there for the rest of my life. (short version of my plan)

[@RoadtoFinnish]

@@AntonioDelGara :D that sounds pretty epic. Its great that youve already started to think about the potential masters degree because you can better plan your upcoming years. Is ive mentioned in loads of other threads, you should definitely aim at the scholarships that the potential university here in Finland is giving out. The requirements vary between schools and programmes, but I would at least guess that prior studies and grades are one part of the application. Id love to be there helping you towards that goal so please let me know if you have any questions about applying to and studying in Finland. Id love to make more videos based on community suggestions 👍

[@karima_MK]

@@AntonioDelGara really go for it. Start to learn finish and settle there.

[@peacefxlmyko2666]

Planning on moving to Finland in the future, thanks for this video ♥

[@RoadtoFinnish]

That is very nice to hear! I do hope that some of these videos are helpful in the process but please let me know if you have any further questions that you would like me to answer either here in the comments, or perhaps in a dedicated video 👍

[@peacefxlmyko2666]

@@RoadtoFinnish I do have a Question - Will it be hard to live in Finland when you don't speak perfectly finnish? Or will everything be alright when you speak fluent english and know the "basics" of finnish?

[@merileopardisaksassa7030]

Thanks for the video, as always! Kudos for the time markers you used :D You just have to love nice clean water, it's really nice to know that tapwater is perfectly fine to drink in Finland. The institutionalized alcohlic bevarage sale seems very useful in regulating drinking. Sounds like a good idea :D

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Fiona, love to see you here once again. The time markers are really nice, I don't understand how KZbin didn't provide this option before 😏.. The government owned company Alko is a really hotly debated issue and people are split pretty much in the middle over it. The problem is while the idea behind it (as with the high alcohol tax) is to help with national health issues, sometimes it feels too restrictive compared to the benefits. However, there are a few cool things about Alko that makes its worth while: 1. The staff is always really well trained and they really know what they are talking about in terms of wines and spirits 2. The selection is usually really and you can almost always find everything you need in one place Also as a bonus fun fact: since Alko is government owned, it means that the people who manage Alko's imports (the buyers) are some of the most significant individual customers of wineries, breweries and distilleries in the world. Think about it - you walk into a new distillery that makes excellent Scotch and you go _"Hello, id like to buy this stuff for a nation of 5 million people. Would you mind giving me a quantity discount for that?"_ 😅 ☝️ this means that even though the Finnish alcohol tax is pretty huge, we do get a lot of really high quality import products for an decent price.

[@inessbelleili3019]

Thank you so much for this video Oliver, it was very helpful. I will be moving to Finland in August and these tips were so useful. Keep up the good work, greetings from Algeria 🇩🇿

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Iness and thanks so much for the positive feedback 🙂. I hope you dont mind me asking where are you going to study and which degree?

[@inessbelleili3019]

@@RoadtoFinnish Hi Oliver, sorry for the late reply. I will going to study for a vocational qualification in business at Helsinki Business school.

[@patricksmith3135]

Fascinating video. Thank you. the term 'all-right' is perfectly acceptable and not at all hackneyed, as you might have suggested. I did not count; I was concentrating on a very interesting presentation of a country I know so little about. I'll be back all right!

[@ottohonkala6861]

This is really nice and concise advise! Well done! (Hienoa settia)

[@fletch397]

Great video!

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks man!

[@michaelkolozsvari3575]

I love the fact that you actually said something about the thumbs down button! I started watching your videos with the one on good features of Finish homes and apartments, and have been enjoying learning more about your culture!

[@aussiebloke51]

I have been to Helsinki a number of times but on this occasion I spent a couple of days in Helsinki before catching the train to St Petersburg. (This train is a great way to enter Russia as both Finnish and Russian border control officers speak excellent English and the train is very comfortable and quick) I arrived knowing that the stores would be closed for Pentecost Sunday - but is was great fun watching locals trying to open the closed doors of Stockmann.

[@aitzazhussainabbasi9497]

Wonderful video ,we all need to appreciate this gentleman for his honest opinion and accurate knowledge

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks a bunch! I do appreciate that.

[@saeedaamir]

Hey thank you, informative video

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks for the positive feedback, i do appreciate it! Let me know if theres anything else youd like to know about living in finland 👍

[@saeedaamir]

@@RoadtoFinnish Thank you for your response, I wonder if you can suggest a good consultant who can guide me for business set up and migration in Finland. I am not sure if that is your forte but if you have any information about reliable consultants I would appreciate that a lot. More power to you

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Mm unfortunately i dont know anyone who would have such a business. I could keep my eyes and ears open if i happen to stumble on someone who i could recommend but i dont have anyone at least for now.

[@Vicki2267]

You have to wave to busses to stop, in Greece too. And yes the tram stops when they see people waiting at the stop. Wish I could also say the same about them keeping to the schedule. Great video. Nice learning about countries we don't hear much about, here on YT.

[@Jewelsrubiesdiamonds]

Yep, good old Greece. A European country only by name.

[@shreyashrivastava8359]

This was really helpful! Can't wait to use this information once I move to Finland. Could you do a video on other options for student accommodation, apart from HOAS and AYY as there is a long waiting line for these.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Shreya and thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely have this in my list of future ideas. There are some other options for students in other universities but for Aalto students AYY and Hoas are pretty much the best options as student apartments go. In addition to them, there are some more affordable private market options, but I would always suggest prioritising AYY and Hoas by applying early. Do note that AYY and Hoas have different queueing systems. AYY uses an actual queue system. Hoas does not have a queue number system for housing applications. Rather, when prioritising applications, they take into account the urgency of the need for an apartment, the applicant's assets and financial situation, as well as the time they have waited. So technically it is possible to get an apartment very quickly if you are in urgent need.

[@aileenpf6909]

I subscribed because I find your blog very informative 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks for subbing! Really great to have you in the community!

[@chekitatheanimatedskeptic6314]

Very interesting. Doing some research for a book so I would very much like to know how it is working in Finland, family and social dinamics and health care. Pretty much anything will be interesting. Good video.

[@lauragf.9206]

To this list I would add that everytime you use any service, ask politely if the person you are dealing with, speaks English. Although many do, it is not nice to assume that every person you encounter speaks English or even wants to, as many dont feel they do speak well. So be polite and ask in advance if the person speaks English before starting the conversation or the plea.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Laura and thanks so much for participating in the discussion. I think this is a very good point and i would definitely advice anyone to follow this advice 👍.

[@blixten2928]

True surely in any country!! Although Swedes will speak English at foreigners at a drop of a hat, as they are *so* immersed in American culture!

[@richard-riku]

@@blixten2928 It goes down well in Finland but there is no point somewhere like Japan. They will always say no even if they have moderate english and could be of some assistance.

[@giftedandblack494]

Very intersting to be sure.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Glad that you enjoyed it 👍. Have you been considering about perhaps moving to Finland at some point or are you more interested in different cultures in general?

[@frantucker608]

Your English is exceptional! Thank you for the interesting information. I don't know if i'll ever get to Finland, but I hope so sometime...

[@sassytbc7923]

Hi.. excellent video.

[@raghumanavalan7267]

Hi Oliver, ammazzing video, all your videos r very informative n helpful for people who's planning to move to finland, thank u. keepup your good work Oli, c u.

[@JB-oq6kc]

Love Helsinki!! Saunas in every apartment, trendy cafés and green trams! Greetings from Canada!

[@yorkaturr]

Usually apartments don't have saunas. Some do, but in apartment blocks the norm is to have a shared sauna in the basement of that building where you can book a periodical reservation for a sauna. This is usually for 1 hour. So there's a calendar of who gets to go to the sauna and at what time during the week, which is usually taped on the door of the sauna.

[@amalgamangel]

This is revolutionary stuff right here. 😅🤯

[@ekotekometo]

Thanks for sharing these things , i wonder can you make a comparision video between finland and sweden from the economics and cultural perspectives ?

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Oh that would be very interesting but im afraid im not that familiar with the Swedish economy or culture to make a proper, deep dive comparison 😕

[@richard-riku]

I think it's hard for Finns to make such a comparison. They see all the differences between Finland and Sweden but the rest of the world sees two countries which are very similar. The same principle applies to England/Scotland, USA/Canada, AUS/NZ. People who live there would proudly say they are different. The rest of the world sees how similar the two countries are.

[@Tokyodisco1]

great video cheers for the education, I will be visiting Finland in a few months it will be great to speak to you, have added you on linked in

[@johnerdmann2700]

Very cool

[@calvinquesnel198]

I have visited Finland... Helsinki and Lappeenranta... I love the people ! The best part of Finland is it's people ! So very very nice and always accommodating

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thats very nice to hear, thanks for sharing this Calvin! May i ask if this was just for holidays or perhaps for work?

[@calvinquesnel198]

@@RoadtoFinnish I went on a hockey tournament with my son. We toured Finland, Sweden, Russia and Denmark. My son stayed with a Finnish family.. We were in Finland the longest. I have a high regard and deep respect for the Finnish People.

[@mutant_pea]

Thank you for these videos :) I've been watching them just by sheer curiosity, and now I want to move there !

[@annaandhertypewriter4395]

I'd like to add to traveling with bus - No need to panic with waving: Finnish drivers usually stop smoothly and drive in calm speed. As comparison, in some countries driving speed is high, and then when the stop is literally in front of them, driver realizes "Oh yeah i need to stop" and then SCREECH causing many people (nearly) fall down or as in describly speaking, nearly roll to the front part of bus. But not in Finland (luckily) 😅

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Oh jeez "rolling out of the front of the bus" sounds like something out of a bad British comedy 😅. But you are definitely correct. The public transportation works really well and the drivers are very professional at what they do. Also im pretty sure that the reason why drivers dont have to hurry is because of the well organised schedules. When everything runs smoothly, theres not need to speed.

[@myboibill]

Well you are a looker for sure. I’d come and visit you.😍

[@bumlacalacalacabum]

I love your videos! I'd like to see one about how to get a work permit in case one wants to relocate to Finland with their family.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Lucho and thanks so much for the great suggestion! Ill definitely put this on the pile of future videos. I need to do quite a bit of research into the topic first so this might have to wait until the end of the year. But still, a super interesting topic 👍

[@sarahstrong7174]

Very interesting, thankyou, from the U.K.

[@jazzvanravenswaay2696]

I am currently in the admission (selection) procedure for a Master's degree at Aalto, and your videos have been answering so many of my questions already. Thank you for sharing all this useful information! :)

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thats really awesome! Im keeping my fingers crossed for you🤞.

[@hana9535]

I will be in Finland at September to study at Aalto university. I am a big fan of you. Hope to see you there 🎉🎉🎉

[@JamesSamples]

The first time I learned the importance to flag the "driver" was actually with a pilot of a ferry. In Sweden I had waited for an +/- hour for the ferry in a small shelter for waiting. As The ferry approached it almost touched and then turned around and went back. An hour later others had arrived and when the ferry returned the others started waving at it. :-) Then I learned.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Oh man that must have hurt 😅.

[@okaro6595]

I learned just a few years ago that trams stop always. I used only buses as a kid so I got used to indicating and never thought it was different for trams. So I used trams for 30 years without knowing.

[@okaro6595]

Better not to trust that. Just recently I was on the stop sitting at the bench. The tram came and stopped and then immediately started again before I could even get up.

[@jayK914]

Clean and pure tap water is the best thing I found in this video, as a person coming from a country where drinking tap water it's dangerous for health and we don't drink it without boiling.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

This is definitely something that i miss everytime i go on a holiday abroad. I think its also something that we Finns do not really appreciate enough because we are so used to it.

[@jayK914]

@@RoadtoFinnish clean air and clean water are the most essential but scarce things in the world right now and any place where it's available is a literal heaven ♥️

[@RoadtoFinnish]

@@jayK914 An incredibly good point 👊

[@scary5246]

Public transportation works like clock. But at winter people have to keep in mind that (especially in helsinki) winter can affect on trams and bus schedule a bit... not much but something to keep in mind

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Thanks for adding to the conversation! These are great points and i agree with you 100% 👍

[@ashura_amane8499]

i missed my first bus in Finland lol (in Italy the bus stop as every bus stop) , and after 3 years i m not yet used to eat so early (in Italy u have lunch at 13.00/14.00 and dinner at 8/9 pm)

[@MoonRaven1412]

I've been using tram for work two years now... and I still wave at them. Because after seven years of mainly using busses, I got used to it. And I only few months ago learnt that I wouldn't need to. In contrary though... few weeks ago when I was visiting my parents I forgot to wave at the bus... So even a native Finn can blunder with these...

[@denelbarak6734]

Intel was extremely helpful - I didn't know any of this - from southern California - The only Finish I know is Children of Bodom when they rolled through to play.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Its been quite surprising to see how many people have learned about Finland through music and Finnish metal bands. Thats really cool 😅

[@9501599]

This is an interesting video,I live in New Zealand 🇳🇿 and I have always wanted to visit Finland 🇫🇮😊. The culture is different and there are things you mentioned are odd to me. But that's what makes countries interesting 🤔 and fun to investigate. My wife is American and she will tip but kiwis aren't big tippers either, or are we just stingy 🤔??

[@Kesakukka]

Olipa hauska löytää tämä kanava! Taidat olla suomalainen, luulin aluksi, että olet itsekin tullut tänne jostain ulkomailta. Harjoittelen samalla omaa englantiani, kun katson näitä videoita. :) Kiinnostavia ja hyvin tehtyjä!

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Ihan oikeassa olet eli olen suomalainen 👍. Tästä tulee välillä kysymyksiä ja sinänsä hauska välillä vastata ihmisille jotka sanovat, että "tiivistitpä hienosti suomalaisen kulttuurin ulkomaalaisena" 😅. Kanavan ideana kertoa ulkomaalaisille opiskelijoille ja expateille Suomesta. Tavoitteena auttaa mahdollisimman monta korkeasti koulutettua ulkomaalaista suomalaisen korkeakoulutuksen piiriin ja tämän jälkeen työmarkkinoille.

[@Kesakukka]

@@RoadtoFinnish kanavasi on varmasti ihan aarreaitta tälle kohdeyleisölle (kuten kommenteista näkyy)!

[@mariaenroth7058]

@@RoadtoFinnish Puhut kyllä erinomaista englantia. Löysin kanavasi Redditissä olleen linkin kautta.😊

[@dionlindsay2]

You've made a really great job of this, as you have with every video of yours I've watched so far. You've got great content and you present it really persuasively. A really big thank you. Oops, I think I use "really" far too much. [Alright? :-) ] Best wishes

[@moosefromsky3986]

Currently learning a little Finnish. Haven't left the US yet but I do want Finland to be one of of the first countries to visit.

[@ElizaHamilton1780]

I’m intrigued. And I feel like responding as a Chicagoan: 1) In Chicago, buses stop pretty much at every stop unless the bus is full or unless it’s obvious that nobody is at a stop. 2) Our public transportation system, the CTA, is not managed well at all. I’ve arrived at places 15-20 min late because buses will bunch up instead of stopping at every stop or trying to stick to their schedules. It’s gotten worse because of the pandemic, because the CTA is finding it hard to hire more bus drivers. 3) Early lunches remind me of high school. One year, I had lunch around 10 AM. It was a little weird, having breakfast 7-ish, then having lunch a couple of hours later. 4) Chicago apparently has excellent tap water? Like, our water reclamation plants are that great. It’s what I’ve heard. I dunno if it’s true. I do know that no matter how good the water is, it still shouldn’t be traveling through lead pipes, so…? 😬 Replacing the lead pipes has been an ongoing issue, and it’s come up more during the pandemic, maybe because more people are working from home. 5) I don’t drink, so I have no idea what the rules re: alcohol sales are in Chicago. I know supermarkets here in town don’t sell alcohol on Sundays (or Sunday mornings?), but that’s about it. 6) Here in Chicago, everything is mostly in English. I think products are made for North America, though, so there’s going to be packaging that is trilingual: English, Spanish, and French in case these products will be going farther up north. 7) I’ve seen these lockers before here in town, but they’re Amazon-branded. It’d be interesting to see more of these in town. It’d be like having more post offices, too, if you can send and receive packages at these lockers. 8) Particularly now, due to the pandemic, the dominant form of payment is credit/debit cards or contactless payment (like Apple Pay). Also, there’s a shortage of coins right now, because of the pandemic, so businesses are asking customers to use plastic or use contactless payment. 9) I wish more folks in foodservice got paid an actual salary. Tips should be a supplement to a salary, not the actual salary. 10) Do Finns celebrate Halloween? Like, with dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating? Just curious.

[@richard-riku]

Halloween has become more and more popular in recent years. Now there are halloween style biscuits, candies and cakes in the shops. 10 years ago this was almost unknown. And I saw some kids going to a party dressed as witches and devils two days ago. But trick or treating is unknown in Finland. Most people in the city (and even in towns of 5000) live in blocks of flats so there is no front door to knock on.

[@discoghost6168]

I am really interested on why - whenever there is a video about the particularities of any country - USA people always seem to be have a compulsory need to compare themselves against them. The "I am an American and in my country blah, blah, blah..." has become such a common place... and I don't mean it in a derogatory way, but I don't see comments like "I am Japanese and in my country..." or "I am Nicaraguan and in my country..." For work reasons I've lived in many countries (in North and South America, in Eastern, Western and Northern Europe, and in Australia) and it is always the people from the USA that seem to have a need to make a remark on their origin / way of doing things... can anyone shed some light on this? (Greetings from Austria)

[@EmilWestrum]

In Scandinavia its illegal to not drink alcohol.

[@ScottKnitter]

Here in Chicago, a bus will stop if someone on the bus has pulled the cord to request that it stop, or if there are people waiting to get on behind the bus stop sign. At our nearest bus stop, though, there are 3 bus routes that stop there, so it's a kindness to either wave at the driver to confirm you do want to board the bus, or shake your head no and step back a bit if the bus is not the one you want. That way the driver has a chance to keep going if you're really waiting for another route and nobody is waving for him/her to stop.

[@getrelaxed3848]

In Morocco, we wave at buses in the bus station but the drivers decided to hit us with the black smoke coming out of the exhaust aka they don't stop if they don't feel like doing it

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Oh damn that sucks 😅. Not the system that you would wish for.

[@djperryboy]

Tack från Sverige!

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Varsågod!

[@SlendisFi_Universe]

As exception VR trains on timetables x3 And the small town publics...

[@SpidersHandle]

Gorgeous!!

[@kenburgin5531]

In Australia we also have to wave for a bus, and we always thank them when we get off.

[@PaliSuttas]

That was great. I am Canadian and I love the northwest European countries. I think your country and others like it are at the forefront of humane development. I also enjoyed the subtle cultural differences.

[@kamandfarsi8523]

Thanks for your awesome channel oliver. Please give me some suggestions how can i get jobs quickly in finland? I mean with which qualifications i can increase my chance? For instance : knowing about special softwares or something like that ?

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey and thanks for the positive feedback and the interesting question. I have multiple videos on my channel about jobs in Finland. Unfortunately none of them cover this question. This is such a wide topic that its impossible for me to give general advice. These kinds of things not only depend on your field, your preferred career but also on your previous experience, expertise and personal background. So its pretty much impossible for me to give general suggestions on what kind of qualifications you should get for yourself. Its just too wide of a topic for me to answer in general.

[@hauskalainen]

Also note: Low and zero alcohol beers are exempt from the sale hours restriction. Low alcohol beers (Finnish ykkösolutta) taste very similar to normal strength beers.

[@jimbearone]

In my country the U.S.A. the busses in most cities can be as much as 30 mins. Late and I have had one bus arrive with the next one right behind it.

[@richard-riku]

Sometimes the buses and trams in Helsinki are late. And only some have GPS tracking to update the displays at stops with the real expected time. I have waited at tram stops and the tram is late but because there is no realtime tracking (only a digital display based on the timetable) the display assumes the tram has gone already and doesn't tell you where the next tram is going (there might be different routes using the same stop). The transport company is quite happy to mix realtime GPS data and timetable data and barely distinguish between the two types of departure time. The symbol ~ becomes very important on those displays to tell these two types of time apart (never seen this in any other country).

[@AlbertKoshi23]

Nobody really needs a bottle of wine! One of the things I love about Finland is to limit the distribution of alcoholic beverages stronger than 5.5%. That is great and I hope stays that way forever.

[@68sunshine]

Yes to making the bus stop! LOLOL ;)

[@RoadtoFinnish]

I know right 😅

[@kalevala29]

kudos to you, people of Suomi, for avoiding bottled water. we buy way too much of it in the U.S., IMO, and people don't reuse or recycle the plastic as much as they should.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Yeah ive heard about this but im not quite sure why it is that you guys use bottled. Im pretty sure the reasons would depend on many reasons but does this have something to do with the quality of tap water or something like this?

[@happycook6737]

Plastic recycling is a myth. Plastic is very hard to recycle and the process puts many more microplastics into the environment. Best to, as you said, try to NOT use plastic, disposable water bottles.

[@aziz-khansamla-olfu6938]

Can't Wait to go to Finland in my Dreams 😂.

[@anastasia10017]

your english is excellent.

[@stellita884]

Watched this out of curiosity to compare. Life is pretty much almost exactly the same as in Sweden (where I’ve been for almost a year now). Re. The payment thing: I’d suggest if you stay longer than 6 months and even then it’s a stretch. I had a limited bank account for 6 months here because of no personal number, and it was a living hell. You didn’t touch the personal/social security number thing so I assume that the number is much less important in Finland compared to Sweden

[@jonit4025]

Thank you very much for those informations. I am going to Aalto university next semester as an exchange student. I am very worried about the social part of my stay. Is it easy to make some friends and to find parties ? Do you have any tips for the social stuff?

[@fireline4765]

Both times I was in Finland, I made the mistake of buying sparkling water instead of regular water. Now it makes sense why plain bottled water is hard to find in Finland.

[@richard-riku]

You also have to be careful in restaurants to ask for "tap" water if you want free water from the tap. Just asking for "water" (especially in Helsinki) will get you expensive bottled water (and the restaurants know that foreigners won't be surprised about paying for it). You must pro-actively ask for water from the tap.

[@Eli-fd1sr]

I'm also a Finn. It is true you have to show that you are going to get on a bus, but so far standing up and walking closer to the edge of a bus stop has been enough. You can also stand and extend your arm to your side holding out your travel card.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

A very good point. Bus drivers are pretty good at reading people who are already at the bus stops and the drivers often use what we would call "pelisilmä" or common sense to figure is people are intending to jump on.

[@bretberry2857]

Thank you for your informative videos, Oliver! I am looking forward to a residency-retreat next January in Finland, and hope to visit a few universities while there to look into graduate school programs. I have learned a lot about general living and studying in Finland from your videos, but am curious to learn more about visibility and accessibility of various communities in your country, specifically LGBTQ+ people. Are you able to share any resources and/ or perspectives on this topic? Kiitos! Bret

[@Whistlewalk]

I learned that many of the "issues" you discuss here are fairly normal in Canada as well. Not all though.

[@rms5993]

So how do you get a tram to stop if no one is waiting? How do you know you're waving down the right bus? What do you set your watches to? How do you know they are accurate?

[@wenyaliini]

Do you mean to get off the tram? My hometown doesn't actually have trams, but I think it's the same as with buses: you push a button a little bit before the correct stop to make the stop bell ring (and/or a light goes on or something like that). The bus lines are numbered, and you need to know which line you're taking before you get on the bus (or you might end up in the wrong place). Typically if you're not familiar with the lines, you'd use an app or a website where you can tell where you start your trip and where you want to get to, and get suggestions on the different options on how to get there, including the bus numbers and the correct stops (I think in Helsinki it can also mix in the trams and the underground trains). Then you just need to wait at the correct bus stop until you see the bus with the correct number and wave at that. Cell phones and computers are always at the correct time automatically as they sync their clocks from online servers. I set my watch according to my phone. But if it's a line where you only have a few options each hour for example, you rather want to be at the bus stop five minutes early and wait for the bus than trying to be there at exactly 8.43.

[@drluizpires]

I believe that we gotta wave for the bus to stop as well 🧐🙀 😄

[@sassmouthbroyles9952]

Question! What temperaments are normally observed? Are people quiet- loud- angry- vascillate quickly? Also different topic- are their homeless people in Finland?

[@ednakelley814]

Moi! I have visited several times. Helsinki and Turku.

[@richard-riku]

7:15 "people used to using amazon will be surprised the deliveries don't come to the door". I live in Finland and ALL my packages from AMAZON get either bought to the door by the postman (larger packages) or put in my letterbox (small items). I think you are talking about Finnish retailers and not Amazon itself (even though you use the word "Amazon"). And those parcel machines will only accept returns to domestic online sellers. Only Finnish companies have deals with the post office to process returns through the machine. When I return things to Amazon I must hand them over in person at the post office (and they will ask if it's a mail order return, but then realise it's going to Amazon and I pay the postage as if I was sending a parcel to a friend).

[@techcarsandmusic4951]

Hey Oliver! Thanks for the informative video. Just two short questions. Do international students need to create a block account like other Nordic countries like Norway? Also, Aalto University is a dream college to me and I wish to pursue masters there after completing my major of Engineering here in my country. Could you elaborate upon the job opportunities there in Finland? Thanks again!

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Hey Mikso and thanks for the great questions! First, can you elaborate a bit more on what you mean with a block account. Im not familiar with this term (might also mean that we dont have them 😅). To your questions about job opportunities after graduating as Master's in Engineering from Aalto University, simply put you will do very well in Finland. Not only is Aalto the number one ranking university in Finland, Aalto graduates have excellent career prospects and they report very high employment numbers after graduation. What you would potentially do and who would you work for will naturally depend on your specialisation, but do note that Finland is a country built by engineers and there are limitless opportunities in this country for talented people. If you want me to give you a few examples of potential employers, i would need to know your specialisation / the field that you would like to do your Master's in 👍 Also if you havent yet joined our Discord server, i post a lot of updated about my upcoming videos and live streams there. The idea is to build a community of people interested in studying and building a career in Finland so if you are interested, you can use this link: discord.gg/Py4T5CV

[@techcarsandmusic4951]

Thank you Oliver for the reply! Currently my major is Electronics and Industrial Automation, and I want to earn my master's degree in the same field in Aalto University. I guess there is one degree exactly like this.

[@techcarsandmusic4951]

And block account means that when we are going abroad to study some countries make it mandatory for the student to show proof that he or she has enough funds to sustain in Finland.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Ah right, you will do just fine 😄. There are a ton of companies that are constantly looking for new automation engineers especially working in robotics.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Ah right now i get it. So you do need to have the funds on an account that only you control. However, you do not necessarily need to set up a separate block account unless you dont yet have a personal bank account at all. Also, if the funds come from a sponsor, say ones parents, the Finnish immigration service will need some additional documents proving the source of the funds. This proof can be e.g. the employment contract and a wage slip of the sponsor. They just need to verify the source (i guess because of money laundering reasons - not 100% sure). More specific information and details can be found on the Finnish immigration service website: migri.fi/en/means-of-support

[@kohinarec6580]

As a Finn, I love the Alko monopoly. Without irony, I hope it never gets dismantled.

[@RoadtoFinnish]

Interesting. May i ask what in particular do you like in it? Im honestly curious because people usually just complain about it.