Somero People - Introducing Frédéric!

Over the past couple of weeks poor Frédéric has had to put up with me sitting at the computer to write this blog and then shouting at it when a photograph won't go in the right place (which is most days). He hasn't complained once, and has even started making comments on-line, even though he could simply tell me what his thoughts are over the breakfast table.

I asked him (in his own words) some questions about how he feels as a foreigner in Finland and in Somero, and this is what he said...

What impression did you have of Finland before you moved to live here?
Finland has got a positive image in France.  Saunas are well-known there of course, in addition to the fact that this is a sports oriented country and the education system is one of the best in the world. On the other hand, when I told my friends and family that I was moving here they were all worried about how I would cope in the cold!

What difficulties have you experienced since living here?

The first thing is the language. It is definitely a barrier in not being able to communicate with people even though most people here speak English.  The second thing I find difficult is the length of the Finnish winter. In the month of April I see that spring has arrived in the rest of Europe and everything is green and at the same time there is snow on the ground here...that is hard!

What do you like about living in Finland?

I find the people to be down-to-earth. They seem to be happy with what they have and do not come across as materialistic.  The education system has been excellent for our children,  and there is very little bureaucracy compared to what I was used to before.  In France there are shops all over the place offering printing services just so people can print out all the forms that the authorities ask for. In this country that is not necessary as there is much less form-filling and you can do almost everything on-line. I am also impressed and amazed about the fact that the Finns continue exercising in all weather conditions. When I see someone outside walking or running in minus twenty degrees then I really admire this country. In general I find that life is easier here, outside Helsinki there are hardly any queues in the shops, whereas in France the first question when you get back from the supermarket is "how busy was it?" There is not the same need to ask that here! I have to admit that when I first got here I missed certain things from France, but now I have the France 2 television channel at home, I can pick up my copy of Le Figaro newspaper at R Kioski and I have found some excellent croissants at Lidl...so I now have a bit of France here with me in Finland!

What message do you have for the Finns (don't forget your wife is one...)

My message is that Finnish people should be proud of their country and the way it works. Everything is well organised here, such as the schools, hospital and the local administration. Nowhere is perfect obviously, but the system is so much easier here than in many European countries and I don't think many people realise that. If I could make one small suggestion to make things better it would be that it would be nice if people could remember to raise a hand to say thank you when a car stops to let them cross the road!

What are your thoughts on Somero?

I will never feel completely at home, ("chez moi"), in Finland, because I will always be French, but having lived in different places in Finland, Somero is the first place where I am starting to feel a little bit at home. I find the people here to be more friendly than in the places we have lived before. I have always felt that the Finns have a lot of respect for the French and the French culture, but this seems to be even more the case in Somero.  There are also loads of activities on offer here and even though the town is small it seems really dynamic.  I also love the fact that Somero is a town with lots of amenities, but it is situated in the countryside and the scenery is amazing.