Suoritin yleisen kielentutkinnon suomen keskitason tentin eilen. Koe kesti yhteensä 4 tuntia, ja minun mielestä meni ihan hyvin (katsotaan jos tulokset ovat mukana). Itse asiassa, minun mielestä oli liian helppo, ja olisin voinnut tehnyt sen jo pari vuotta sitten.
Nyt haluasin suorita ylin tason, mutta ongelma on että en ole löytänyt mitään tietoa valmmennuskursseista vaikeimmiin tenttiin. Ei ole muutta kursseja työväenopistossa ja en tiedä keneltä voisin kysyä. Onko kenellä ehdotuksia?
And were thoroughly indignated when I told my friends the whole story of how difficult it is to get the citizenship of the country where I currently live. Don't think anything will change, but was definitely nice to have their support. Without my wife and them, I wouldn't be here, as I wouldn't have understood this culture very much.
Are definitely not the same thing. How can you explain then the amount of patents per capita Finland gets with the relative lack of entrepreneurship? Maybe the risks are too great, the state will keep you comfortable, and even if you hit it big you will not reap the rewards of your efforts. I know Tekes is doing a lot for the technology sector, but I wonder how effective it is given the overall structure of society.
Not that Latin American countries do any better, especially with their problems of monopolies choking innovation and competitiveness.
Finland 0-0 Belgium
Finland has almost performed seppuku, with its hopes to qualify to the Euro 2008 needing nothing short of a miracle. Two goals were ruled out for offside, one correctly, the other not.
Mexico 2-2 Nigeria
The senior team played against the Africans in Ciudad Juárez, and after going down 1-0, they ended up tying 2-2. A very interesting game.
Finland 0-0 Spain
In the commemoration of the centennary of the Finnish Football Association, both teams played a rather passive game in rather cold conditions. Nothing to play for and Finland’s 4th 0-0 tie in a row.
Mexico 2-3 Guatemala
A wrestling rather than a football match, with 2 players per side sent off, and the under-23’s giving a not-so-nice year end’s present to Hugo Sánchez, Mexico coach.
Had I not gone to Finland to study, I would have ended up in Hamburg. After all this time, I finally had the opportunity to visit the city. It was interesting to have a glimpse about how different would my life now be For starters, I wouln’t speak Finnish nor be married with my wife, but would probably have much better German language skills. I would have probably adapted to German culture instead. Those details would have made a rather different me (or maybe not).
In short, you build your life every day, so try to make it the best it can be.
Uno de los blogs que leo es de un mexicano que después de vivir en Finlandia acaba de regresar a México. De su experiencia personal tiene tres puntos que comparte que me parecen muy válidos.
Total que uno no es de aquí ni es de allá, jajajaja.
Más en su blog.
As much as I might sometimes encounter barriers here, I don't want to give a lopsided view about my experience in Finland. I am very aware that nowhere is perfect and neither am I, and furthermore, I really enjoy my work, have very good friends, and I'm even part of a family here.
That's truly what this post is about, because, as my family back in Mexico would say, I truly landed in a soft sport when I came here, met my wife and after some time was pretty much adopted into her family. I cannot be grateful enough for that, since through them, my friends and of course my wife I came to know, love and integrate here in Finland. With them I've shared my successes and they celebrate them as much as my blood family does. They have even asked me to enter their family records which of course is an honour.
This is probably what makes it a little confusing, because for those that know me I am "one of them" but certain sectors of the general public tend to see me with suspicion. I'm not going to change that, so I should stop caring and move on. 😉
I met Ceronne briefly during my last quick trip to Paris. Unfortunately I couldn't chat with him longer since I was on the move, but as usual it was a pleasure.
He commented that, after finishing his masters, he had a small discussion with a social worker who told him that in two years he would be able to apply for French citizenship. I congratulated him, and he mentioned that the process works in such a way that his 2 years as a masters student in France are taken into account in the process. This is beneficial for both parties since the person in question gets an incentive to stay and the country another educated taxpayer.
With this information, I started to think about my own situation, which compares unfavourable with his. Even though I have lived 6 years in Finland, my three years as a student don't count, and neither do two of my years working as I had a B-class residence and working permit for some reason I don't understand. Only one year would count, but I moved to Belgium for a year so I would have to start from scratch, which means that I would be eligible in 4 years (or after 10 years altogether of living in Finland). It would be even longer but I am married to a Finnish citizen now, who has been my companion for the past 7 years. When I compare my case to that of a certain discus thrower, for example, I further lose hope.
For my Finnish readers out there, even though most of the posts in this blog are in English, I do speak Finnish. Furthermore, I will be taking the official language examination soon, if only to have a paper that proves it.
The worst part is when my Finnish friends and acquaintances ask me when am I going to become a citizen of the country I live in and my only answer is not anytime soon, if ever…
Look nothing like me and as over-the-top this article is, I know it has a grain of truth. Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I really like this place and my life here.
So much so I'm taking the official Finnish language exam that is needed for citizenship, even though it's still at least 4 years before I would be able to apply for it and, frankly, I'm not sure whether it would make any sense.
