Well, actually, the exact translation for the Finnish word TURVARIEPU is safety blanket. And that’s something that I would like this thread to be a channel for foreigners in Finland and especially those who feel a bit alienated in here.
Is Finland still the happiest country in the world? This is a channel and an opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings of Finland. Have they changed from what they were to something else since you got here? Better? Worse?
I was born in Helsinki in 1973, so I have a pretty extensive experience of and from Finland and of Finns, both good and bad, better and worse. I think the golden years for Finland were back then when Nokia ruled the world, Lordi won the Eurovision and Finnish metal bands were the best in the world.
Now Nokia is dead, Alexi Laiho is dead, Lordi became a laughing-stock for several years and the Nightwish camp seems also to be in some kind of an internal turmoil that they don’t want to air in public.
Instead now we have an ultra right-wing conservative government, who’s main aim and objective seems to be to take away all the things that once were so near and dear for us and what Finland was known for once upon a time.
Time that feels and seems so alien today that it feels like an another era.
So this is a thread where you can share your experiences. And don’t be afraid to use your own native language if that feels easier, nicer and closer to home for you.
The main idea and concept here is to have at least one safe, cozy and warm place where to feel safe and at home to share your feelings and experiences when the world and your new home country seems and feels to be too rough and tough for you.
This is the safety blanket metaphor in a nutshell.
Let this forum and thread be also a gentle reminder of this beautiful country how it was here in better times – and how we can try to rebuild it back to its former glory.
Together.
So share your thoughts and feelings: how are you doing? How is Finland and Finns treating you? What are you missing from your home country? And what can we do to make you feel more at home here?
