Andrea Lindholm's Story

Story #31

Hej! My name is Andrea Lindholm, I was born and raised in Vaasa, surrounded by the unique blend of Finnish and Swedish cultures. My family has a strong connection to their Swedish speaking roots, and thus, I was raised with a deep appreciation for language and traditions.

​If you don’t know Vaasa, it is a lovely city with a vibrant community of Swedes Finns. I have to say that this is the place where I always feel a sense of belonging. Here I also attended a Swedish speaking school, and now years later, I think my education instilled in me a sense of pride in my linguistic heritage. My mamma and pappa also took me to many cultural events and community festivals.

Once I entered my so called “adulthood”, I faced the challenge of limited career opportunities in Vaasa. I wanted to explore somewhere else, and I made the decision to move to Helsinki because I thought there were more extensive employment options. In Helsinki I faced the complexities of navigating a predominantly Finnish-speaking environment- both working wise and daily life. 

While I found a job, the cultural differences became apparent. My international colleagues asked me: but you are a Finn and you speak also Finnish! What do you mean?! I couldn’t really explain, I couldn’t even put it into words in my own head! I missed my close-knit community and overall Vaasa’s landscape. I missed the ease of communicating in my mother tongue in an easier way.

​I would say that I had a deeper longing for the cultural familiarity I experienced in my own hometown. In Helsinki I got to know more about me.  My unique blend of Finnish and Swedish influences in Vaasa is an integral part of my identity. I wanted to live and thrive in an environment that embraces both my linguistic and cultural heritage.
I decided to move back to Vaasa after couple of years. In retrospect, I would say that what I went through in Helsinki was in fact an identity crisis. 

But an identity crisis in my context does not necessarily mean rejecting my Finnish identity but rather embracing the complexities of having a dual cultural and linguistic uniqueness within the country. Its reconciling my Swedish-speaking identity with the broader Finnish national identity.

​I wish there will be more efforts focused on addressing this issue- initiatives that promote cultural awareness, fostering inclusivity, recognizing, and celebrating the diversity of linguistic and cultural identities within Finland. I would love to see more representation out there. I want the Swedish-speaking minority reflected in the societal narrative- I don’t want us to feel culturally invisible. 

Editor: yvette ahonen