Story #15I was born in Namibia and lived there for over a year before joining my mother and brother to accompany my father who was studying in Finland at the time. We ended up living in Helsinki until my completion of preschool. We then moved back to Namibia, and I lived there until when I returned to Finland for studies.
Namibia is a very hot and dry country sandwiched by two prominent deserts that mark its climatic conditions while the freezing cold Finland is quite the opposite with its abundance of lakes. Although the landscapes formed by sand dunes and snow anchors may share shapes, the environment that enables either is very far from each other. Cultures in Namibia are predominantly of collective nature while in Finland, individualism plays a great role in forming the core values of the culture. This affects family life greatly, both directly and indirectly.
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Story #14Grace, a French national, found herself in an unexpected adventure when she decided to move to Helsinki, Finland 6 years ago.
It was through a mixed Spanish-Finnish friend that she got introduced to the Finnish culture. Her curiosity and desire to live a new experience in a northern country led her to visit Finland, where she immediately embraced the allure of a new country filled with the wonders of Nordic landscapes and the mysteries of a foreign culture. As she settled into her new home: Helsinki, Grace excitement and enthusiasm for her new life in Finland were matched only by the challenges that came her way. As she embraced the Finnish culture, she soon realized that navigating daily life without knowing the language proved to be quite a hassle. Added to this, Grace also faced the daunting reality of being unemployed. Story #13Synnyin Sveitsissä (Zürichissä) vuonna 1990 suomalaiselle äidille ja intialaiselle isälle. Kerrostalossa, jossa kasvoin, oli paljon muitakin lapsia kahden kulttuurin perheistä, joiden kanssa olen yhä yhteydessä. Koko kaupunginosassa asui pääasiassa muualta muuttaneita pieni- ja keskituloisia perheitä. Tulimme kaikki hyvin toimeen keskenämme, ja perheemme auttoivat toisiaan lastenhoidossa, eli menimme vaihtelevasti kavereiden perheiden luokse, kuuntelimme paljon kansainvälistä musiikkia ja kokeilimme uusia ruokia. Isäni joutui myöhemmin pakkoavioliittoon (muistaisin että olin noin 5-vuotias) ja äitini teki paljon töitä. Vietin silloin usein aikaa naapureidemme, iranilaissveitsiläisen perheen, heidän 2 lapsen kanssa. Seitsemänvuotiaana äitini tapasi isäpuoleni joka on alun perin kotoisin Kongosta. Hänen teini-ikäinen tyttärensä muutti sit Kongosta luoksemme vuonna 2001, ja meistä tuli monikulttuurinen ”patch-work”-perhe. Vaikea sanoa miten kaikki tähän mennessä tarkoilleen muokkasi identiteettiäni, mutta se on kokonaisuudessa osa minua.
Story #12The Challenges Faced by Finn Returnees: A Journey of Identity and Integration My name is Nora Dadi, a Finnish individual with mixed Finnish heritage, born to parents from Kuwait and Finland. My story emphasizes on the obstacles faced by Finn returnees, drawing from my personal experiences. I am currently the Volunteer Coordinator at Familia, an organization that supports multiculturalism and multilingualism.
During a 16-year period away from Finland, I lost touch with the Finnish language and my Finnish identity. Returning to Finland, I felt like an alien, denied the same opportunities given to immigrants. I had to spend a significant amount of money on Finnish classes, unlike other immigrants who had access to free language courses. My inability to speak Finnish resulted in discrimination and being viewed as an immigrant. Additionally, the cultural shock as an adult highlighted the differences between my childhood perception and the adult perspective of Finnish culture. Lacking knowledge of my rights and receiving no support, I fell into a deep depression. Story #11Pienenä vieraaseen maahan muuttaneena lapsena en vielä ymmärtänyt kuinka suuri vaikutus tällä kulttuurisella muovautumisella tulee olemaan. Kotona yhtä kieltä käyttävänä ja yhtä kulttuuria näkevänä, minun oli sopeuduttava siihen, että kodin ulkopuolella puhutaan muuta kieltä ja kulttuuri on erilaista. Kukaan perheeni ja läheisten perhekavereiden lisäksi ei siis ymmärtänyt minua kielellisesti tai kulttuurisestikaan. Jo pienestä asti pääsin tällä tavalla muokkaamaan itseäni ja omaa suhtautumista erilaisuuteen. Minusta on tullut sopeutuvampi erilaisiin tilanteisiin.
Story#10Prior to moving to Finland, Susan worked in Denmark as volunteer with children, on a cultural exchange program. Having worked with children, she decided to further her studies /seek work opportunities as well. Out of the Scandinavian and Nordic countries that Susan applied to; Finland came through with the opportunity to achieve both.
Susan faced challenges in adapting to a new culture. However, she had some prior insight as to what life in Europe entails. However, still being away from home, close family members, relatives, and friends, whom she had been accustomed to having frequent social interactions with, as pillars of support was one of the main challenges Susan faced. “The initial years were obviously the hardest, but I was fortunate enough to meet some people; Finns and immigrants, who made me feel welcome, and also helped navigate my way through all the initial challenges.” Susan said. Story #9Marie Sandberg has been a supporting member of Familia since 1997. Her first encounter with Familia started when she was looking for a place where she could get familiarized with the topic of intercultural relationships. She was seeking for more information and how she could get more involved.
Since then, Marie has witnessed the first Olohuoneet (Living Rooms), cultural events, the ebb and flows of trends, and the evolution of Familia itself. Overwhelmed by nostalgia, Marie recounts Finland’s context back in the mid 1990’s (characterized by a low scale integration). Knowing that she held a vast treasure trove of memories to be shared, she explained how back then, Finns wanted to get exposure to international people and how Familia provided this need by creating the Olohuone (Living Room) concept. “The Olohuoneet were the perfect meeting places for fathers, mothers, grandparents, and small children. Everyone was welcome, foreigners and Finns alike. Olohuoneet were spaces where ideas and experiences were exchanged, and new friends were made.” Marie remarks. Story #8
Volunteering has been a part of my life since childhood. Back then though, most “volunteering” was done because it was a requirement, through school, church, club scouts, etc. However, the more I volunteered, the more I enjoyed it and saw the value it brought to myself and others. When I began my professional life after school, I became involved in many different organizations where I volunteered in teaching, advocacy, outreach, and various fundraising events. I was meeting lots of new friends and acquaintances at these events and often invited others to join; spreading the joy of volunteering as much as I could. When I moved to Finland, I approached the move with optimism and like it was an adventure. As I embarked on this new chapter in my life, I had many ideas about how I would try to build a new existence. I honestly intended to simplify things as much as possible and focus on just a few interests (in particular, music and sharing about my experiences in Finland through social media). But as they say, life is what happens when you’re busy making plans, and the reality of my situation did not go as intended… Story #7What does it mean to be from everywhere and nowhere at once?
I am writing from a small cabin in Karigasniemi. To get here, you turn North from Mannerheimintie and keep driving 15 hours, and then walk for another 30 minutes from the nearest road. Fortunately, a Lappish man (actually a Sami man), Nilla, has been kind enough to drive the snowmobile a few times back and forth, so it's easier to walk the harder snow from snowmobile tracks. All my life I have had a passion of understanding people and trying to figure myself out. So much so that I forced myself into the School of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Quite merit for somebody who was relatively talented at math but had close to zero skills in writing or other studies in humanities. My master’s program was that of Ethnic relations, Cultural Diversity and Integration, and I wrote my Thesis on Third Culture Kids. A little controversial topic for Thesis, as there was not much Academic research at that point. Story #6To Noora Hammar, Rovaniemi was the place where she gained her first real exposure to diversity. She grew up in Salo- a busy small city located in the Southwest Finland region.
Her interest in Public Law and Human Rights motivated her to apply for an internship at the European Parliament in Brussels. “This internship rendered me with the skills to develop an intercultural competence first hand” she said of her first working experience abroad. She completed her bachelor’s degree in public law from University of Lapland while interning in Brussels. When her internship ended, Noora continued as a Parliamentary Assistant for the Vice-Chair of the Development Committee in the European Parliament, where she focused on sexual rights, women and children’s rights, and migration. In 2015, she left her position in the European parliament to focus on her master’s thesis for University of Lapland, where she graduated in 2016. |
Haluamme kertoa juhlavuotemme kunniaksi 35 tarinaa kahden kulttuurin perheistäJulkaisemme 35 viikon ajan 35 erilaista tarinaa, jotka kuvastavat monia haasteita ja mahdollisuuksia, joita kahden kulttuurin perheet jokapäiväisessä elämässään kohtaavat. Haluamme näiden tarinoiden heijastavan todellisuutta ja tarjoavan vertaistukea, voimaannuttavia kokemuksia ja inspiraation lähteitä sekä lisäävän tietoisuutta kulttuurienvälisyydestä ja monikielisyydestä Suomessa. For 35 weeks, we will be publishing 35 different stories that reflect the many challenges and opportunities intercultural families face in their everyday lives. We want these stories to reflect reality and serve as an accessible peer support, source of empowerment and inspiration, and increase awareness of Interculturalism and Multilingualism in Finland.
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