How to make friends in Finland?
Many people might think that the hardest part of living in another country, especially if it’s for years on end, is how to earn enough money to survive there or adapt to the new climate. They research long nights on strategies for how to minimize their spendings and maximize earnings. They purchase bags full of winter clothing if they are moving to Finland from a warmer climate.
Yet many people forget to take into consideration that they, like all humans, are social creatures. Even introverts need friends sometimes. And for most people who move to Finland to study, they must start from scratch to build up a group of fun, reliable, and trustworthy friends.
Are friends important?
They are. And the reality is, friends you can meet in real life will always take precedent over people who are thousands of kilometers away. Sure, one might think that they can still go by with social media, keeping connected to the people back home via Facebook or WhatsApp.
However, the nature of humanity is to give more importance to the events and people that are immediately present. Nothing can take the place of real-life friendship, anchored in day-to-day interactions rather than messages sent online. That is especially crucial if one moves to a country life Finland, where the nights can be long and days dark, making it very easy to stay stuck inside one’s room for days on end without going outside or taking part in any other social interactions.
In this guide, you will learn a few personalized tips and tricks of how to make friends in Finland. In order of importance, this guide might not immediately seem as important as how to budget your stay or network for a job, but soon you’ll find out that to do almost anything else, you first need people you can trust. And what better way to find those people than to make lifelong friendships?
Stereotypes about Finns might have made you forget one very crucial but constant law about humanity.
If you want to make Finnish friends, don’t take stereotypes seriously!
Before coming to Finland, you might have seen many videos and read many posts about how Finns are one of the most introverted people in the world. That you can only make friends with them if they are either very drunk, or in the sauna.
Some might have shared their experiences online on Reddit, YouTube, or Facebook, that even after living in this country for many years, they don’t have any friends. There are many reasons, such as, ‘The language is too hard!’, or ‘The Finns are too introverted!’, or ‘It’s too cold and dark to go out and meet people!’
After listening, reading, and watching many such stories unfold online, you might have gotten a pessimistic idea about your future social life in Finland. It might have made you forget one very crucial but constant law about humanity. It’s this: “Every human is unique.”
Yes, culture influences who you are, and the long dark climate, the cold winters, and quiet social scene makes the Finns a tiny bit more introverted than other nationalities, say Indians or Brazilians. But like every other human being in the world, they too dislike loneliness. They are very interested in meeting new people, and they crave knowledge about other cultures just as much as you might want to know about Finland. The thing is, they might not approach you first.
So, you’ll have to be the first one to approach.
Be the first to approach a Finn
Let me repeat that once more. Be the first one to approach.
After the initial inertia of awkwardness, you’ll find the Finn opening up in a very heartfelt way. Even if they are not drunk. Almost every Finnish person speaks very good English. So even if their language is very hard, you’ll have zero trouble communicating in English. And it’s only the hardest to make that first Finnish friend. After you get a genuine connection going with one Finn, though, the doors to making more friends open up.
For example, one complaint a lot of internationals make is that because the towns and cities in Finland (such as Jyväskylä) are much smaller in population than an average city in America, England, or Japan, there are just not enough events to meet local people. That’s true, and finding events can be a challenge. Going to events is a great way to meet locals too!
But here’s the thing that a lot of people get wrong. They think they first have to go to events to meet people. But many internationals who live here and have successfully made Finnish friends will tell you that’s it’s actually the opposite. First you make a Finnish friend, and then they will take you to events!
Because the language of choice for most Finns when they announce events in social media is Finnish, the posts might just not appear in your feed. Even if it does, you might find it intimidating to show up, since you might rightly assume that even if you go, you won’t be able to talk with anyone. That isn’t true. Make a Finnish friend first, they’ll take you to all sorts of fun events that you never knew existed just around the next corner.
Go first, ask questions, show a genuine interested about the Finnish culture, and most Finns will be more than welcoming. No alcohol needed. They will show interest in your culture too, and they are very polite people (being rude gives them existential trauma).
A great way to make the first Finnish friend is the Local Friendship Program organized by the Ģֱ. There are also many other speed-friending events hosted by the various subject associations of JYU, and the student union too.
After reading this far into this section, you might have noticed something important. Jyväskylä, by and large, is a student city.
Meet exchange and degree students to make international friends
When an international student first arrives in Jyväskylä, they usually either enroll in the Autumn or Spring intake of students. This means that alongside them, there are many new international students who also arrive, brimming with curiosity about this new, snow-laden culture.
Often times, because everyone is so new here, it’s easy to open up to each other and make friends. Especially if you are staying in a student housing, such as the Kortepohja student village by Soihtu, the business wing of the Student Union JYY. Making friends with internationals thus feels more natural, with few having problems with it. But still, in this post, I’d like to mention a few things to keep in mind. Maybe it will make your friend-making journey even smoother.
There are a few different kinds of international students: Exchange students, who are here for one or two semesters. Then there are degree students, among which master’s students number the most, who hopefully will stay for four semesters. Doctoral students, who are here for longer, anywhere from three to four years. This year, JYU also introduced a bachelor’s programme in Business Innovation and Sustainability, and these students will stay in this quaint student city for upto eight semesters, which is around four years.
After reading this far into this section, you might have noticed something important. Jyväskylä, by and large, is a student city. The people here come and go, and depending on how long you stay, your social circle may shrink or expand as the years pass. Some do decide to stay here after studies, but it might not be as easy to meet them as international students, as you won’t have the common umbrella of ‘studentship’ to pave the way for chance meetings.
Where and how to meet each type of internationals at JYU
Exchange students are here in Jyväskylä for cultural exchange. Their main purpose is to learn more about the country and its culture, not only studying. Hence, they might have far more time to make friends, attend events, and even organize parties than degree students. Because of the magnitude of time they can spend on non-educational activities, they might be the easiest group to meet.
Master’s students, on the other hand, are on a timescale to graduate by two years, and for bachelor’s it is three. Many might be paying tuition fees, so the time they can spend on free time activities might be overshadowed by the time spent studying.
But don’t worry! Everyone needs free time, and there are many places and events where you can get to know many new people. For example, the sports classes held by uMove, the University’s sports services. There are ball games, yoga classes, and not to mention the various social dance programmes available such as Historical Dancing and Show Dance.
Finnish language classes emphasize social interaction as a tool for learning
Another great and obvious way to make friends is your own degree classes. Chances are, when you start your compulsory classes, your classmates will also be new students like you. The previous theory of ‘everyone being new hence making it easier to make friends’ apply here too.
JYU values practical group work, so you’ll have plenty of chances to work with your fellow students, exchange ideas, debate and compromise, and of course, make friends.
On this topic, I highly recommend taking the Finnish classes such as My Finnish, Everyday Finnish, and continuing to Study Life in Finnish, and more. This has a few unique advantages. Firstly, the classmates are from varied origins. Exchange students, master’s and bachelor’s students, and also doctoral students who are doing their PhDs here.
Most of the Finnish language classes are highly interactive, and the teachers encourage the students to share their own culture with others. Trying to translate each student’s unique cultural contexts to Finnish is a great way to learn the language!
And secondly, you are learning the language. Finns love it when you show interest in their strange, hard, yet beautiful language. And speaking a few sentences in Finnish is a great way to break the ice with them.
Be active, be happy
Some other ways to meet international and local friends are the various events organized by the student union and City of Jyväskylä itself. Keep an eye out on their respective websites and social media (such as Instagram; search JYY and Study in Jyväskylä) to be the first to know about which events are happening.
As the old saying goes, you are responsible for your own happiness. In Finland, the happiest country in the world, that saying is a fact of life. Keep an open mind, be interested in others, and be the first to say hello.
If you put in the effort, soon you’ll find yourself part of a cozy group of supportive friends. The university, the city, and the student union can set the stage to meet new people, and all you need to do is to show up with a sincere heart.
