“Are you a lifer?”
…this is a common question asked amongst foreigners from fellow foreigners in Finland. Like, “Are you a lifer in Finland?” which means “Will you live in Finland forever?” There’s much pride amongst these self-proclaimed “lifers”, they even tend to brag about the fact. And if you won’t declare yourself a lifer, you’re treated like the non-believer in a strange cult.
I am not a lifer, but that has nothing to due with Finland. I would never pledge my life’s allegiance to any country (or city, company, etc. for that matter). However, I’ve been asking myself more frequently lately, “Do I think I’ll be in Finland forever?” That’s a tough question – I’ve been here 4 1/2 years and when I first arrived I was more likely to answer “yes” to that question than now.
If I would have returned to the states after just a year or two or three, I would have felt shame, as if I had failed my “mission” somehow. But now I think I could return and be quite proud of myself and the time I spent. Although it wouldn’t be a complete success if I left now, one of my biggest goals was to become fluent in Finnish – I said to myself, “I won’t leave until I learn Finnish.” For the first couple years I thought I’d never become fluent, but now I’m confident of that goal, as Finnish is like an “upside down triangle”, whereby you start at the bottom and learn little, but as you go up you learn much more (English is the opposite supposedly).
Much about being a “lifer” doesn’t depend on yourself – If you’re living abroad, you need to have a good job and you need to be bettering your career, or else you’ll go insane. A job and a career is what makes or breaks you as a foreigner. I work hard and have been very fortunate, people ask me “How long will you stay in Finland?” and I say, “Until my company stops paying me.” …which is probably very close to the truth.
One of the reasons I think I’ll eventually return to the states is, very honestly, salary (which includes taxes, purchasing power, etc..). I won’t try to argue that the “quality of life” would be better for me in the states, but I’ll be able to live a bigger house, drive a nicer car, take fancier vacations, have more money at the end of the month, have more job opportunities etc..
Yes yes, the Finns can sleep better at night knowing they gave more of their hard-earned income away to taxes to benefit “society” (“society” meaning, within the confines of tiny Finland, meanwhile much of the rest of the world lives in their own shit and piss, especially those unlucky saps just east of the Finnish border). Life is short, sometimes you gotta just “lookout for #1″ as they say. Harsh, but true.
So for all those living abroad out there, have you shared the same experiences as me? Did you once think you were a “lifer” but have since changed your mind?
