Steverp’s blog: It’s official….. Helsinki, here I come!

Comment: For those who have followed Stephen’s life know that he’s been longing to live near his child in Finland. This will now happen. We wish you the best of luck in your new life in Helsinki. 

Here are Stephen’s previous blog entries published on Migrant Tales:

Where I need to be (hopefully with some help from some Finns!)

Immigrant employment: Pessi Ilmari, job hunting & a possible future in Finland

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By Steverp

The decision was taken over a month ago & the flight was booked a number of weeks ago …… but yesterday it became ‘official’.

Yesterday I handed my notice in at work, so I officially now have less than 5 weeks at work & exactly 5 weeks (at the time of writing) until I land in Helsinki to start a new chapter in my nomad-like life!

Over the last couple of weeks there have been many a sleepless night, & I’m sure there are many more to come. The worry about the lack of money, finding somewhere to live, looking for a job, the thought of having to get myself in countless places once in Finland so that I can obtain a residency permit & then be able to claim benefits etc should I need to – which, looking at the current job situation, is quite likely.

But, despite the worries & challenges, it feels like a weight off my shoulders. Things will no doubt be tough for the first couple of months & maybe even beyond that, but the thought of being near Pessi & actually seeing him properly every week completely outweighs all the possible pitfalls.

Over the last few weeks I’ve ramped up my search for a new job & somewhere to live. Finland is still a place where contacts & networking mean an awful lot, so I’ve made a conscious effort to get in touch with certain people in certain companies/industries for work, as well as opening lines of engagement through various blogs, forums & groups in the hope I can find somewhere decent & cheap to live initially. The joys of the internet have led me to meet some great people who have offered advice, information, help & even a helping hand when it comes to somewhere to stay – all very much appreciated! The ex has also been a great help – offering information, answering random questions, being a translation service & also agreeing to pick me up from the airport on my arrival & letting me stay at hers on the the first night – all of which will make my arrival that much easier & more enjoyable. I’d probably be lost, or at least panicing & stressing more, if she wasn’t being so helpful.

The moving preparation began last week. I moved out of my place & have come back to my mum’s place for the remainder of my time in the UK. Money is one of my main worries, so doing this saves me a good couple of months rent, so although it can at times be a bit of a struggle, it’s well worth it. Over the last week I’ve spent time in the loft getting rid of all the stuff I’ve been saving in case I ever needed it again. The de-cluttering process is liberating in some ways – getting rid of all the crap you hold on to for no real reason. Huge amounts have been given away to people & charity & binned. I’ve replaced a few key things & tried to down-size where possible. My life now consists of a suitcase & a holdall that I’m living out of, & a few more things that are still in the loft & that I may see again one day once settled etc in Finland.

So, for now, back to the loft to shift another box & then back to what seems like endless emails to companies & people to sort out somewhere to live & keep plugging away at trying to find that elusive job that I so desperately need/want!

Read original blog entry here.