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How I ended up staying by an accident

by Tuuli Hongisto

Summer Cabin I left Helsinki in October 2004 to go abroad for a gap year (or maybe half, if it didn't go too well), and like many young people coming to London before and after me, took a job in a bar.

I had a splendid time, as any 21 year old would in that environment, and decided to apply for a university place. That was more of an experiment, and I did have a plan of going back but then fate intervened and through a misunderstanding I missed the chance to take part in the entrance exam for the University of Helsinki. The trip to Finland turned out to be a lot more fun without having to sit the exam, and when the offer letter for a BA in Politics and International Relations in London arrived, there was no looking back.

Now, after four years, I feel like I still can't quite go back home yet. Why? Because I still don't feel like I am "done" with London. There's more to see and explore, and for me finding out what this city is about has taken so long, I haven't had much time, energy or need to travel outside to explore the rest of the country, London has been such an adventure in itself.

I have only briefly visited Cardiff, Edinburgh and Newcastle, which is a bit pathetic and now that I am getting closer to the end of my undergraduate degree, I have drafted a plan to visit as much of Britain and that beautiful neighbour Ireland as I possibly can without flying and with this chronic budget deficit I have developed over the years at university.

Being foreign in London is peculiar as, unlike my expectations, I am not being compared to the British much at all. I am rarely ever pointed out as "the foreign girl", as everyone else in this city seems to be an immigrant or a child of one too. The number of born and bred Brits with UK family roots I have met is comparatively small for someone who has lived here for a number of years. On my second year in university I was a member of a team, where we suddenly realised that the 20 of us had 18 nationalities and 21 languages between us!

Fresh off the boat I had a habit of always stopping to say hi and introduce myself whenever I heard someone speak Finnish, but I have since stopped doing that, as I realised that although we're probably one of the smallest of foreign groups here, I do bump into a surprisingly large number! We don't have the feeling of an immigrant community really, and Finns are all a bit dispersed but then we are not all that communal back home either, so I have not really felt the need for taking part in any excessive Finns -in -London -type of activities. We do build our own social networks through friends, and so many of my friends travel here for work and fun that a month with no visitors is a rarity now.

I grew up in Helsinki, a city I passionately love, and was brought up by a father who always made sure I was very proud to be born a "bare foot" Helsinkian to almost a comical extent. Our summer cabin is in Laajasalo, Helsinki and my dad cycles there from his central Helsinki flat in Ruoholahti, while most Finns make their way for hours and hours into the countryside at weekends to get away from the city. So I could not imagine ever loving another city. London to me is a horrible mess of course and I find myself muttering "this would never happen in Finland" every now and again, but as surely as there are morning disruptions on the Circle Line, I am forming a love- hate- relationship with my accidentally- adopted -hometown. The thought of freshly -baked bagels from Brick Lane, and the view from London bridge through morning smog brings the same feelings of home as drinking my cup of filter coffee in one of our street cafes in Helsinki.

There were so many surprises after I arrived that I could write a book about them. Turned out that in the UK I would be considered a "mature student", which to me (or any other Finn probably) sounded weird, after all I only had two gap years and back home many of us graduate in our thirties. Indeed, I can't think of anyone who had graduated from university by the age of 21! So I was a bit unsure how my university life would go, being older than most others.

Three years later, I can warmly recommend the experience, and studying in London has taught me time- management skills unheard of back home, where many of my friends are just starting to think about doing the undergraduate project after four- five years of study. Sometimes my friends wonder how we push through with such tight deadlines and inflexible academic calendar but I have found it really good, and doing a degree in a set time brings a kind of certainty and direction to this otherwise confusing stage in a person's life.

I would warmly recommend living in London to my fellow Finns and others. The international atmosphere, vibrant and easily available culture (cheap theatre tickets, dance shows, exhibitions, cinema, free museums, you name it!) and (most importantly for a politics student) the central location in world events has so much to give! The bathrooms might be from the 19th Century but you don't get such a rich life surrounded by 2000 years of history in many places in the word.

In London I recommend

Nordic Bakery

I thought Christmas had come early first time I tasted their korvapuusti (=cinnamon roll, -also translates as a slap on the ear)! It is the only korvapuusti which compares to those I remember eating in the legendary Succès café when visiting my grandparents in Ullanlinna as a child, and probably everyone in Helsinki knows that this is the best compliment a korvapuusti can possibly get; it equals 5+ bakery product stars. Go have a cup of filter coffee, a Karelian pie with egg and butter, and finish it all off with a juicy cinnamon roll, and you'll be looking for the next flight to Finland.

http://www.nordicbakery.com/

Scandinavian Kitchen

Just five minutes' walk from the Oxford Circus Tube, on Great Titchfield Street, is another place for a great Scandinavian experience. Although geographically only the North-western part of Finland is actually Scandinavia, and our language is a story of its own, culturally we share much in common with our Scandi- neighbours. To the annoyance of those stubborn Finns who would still argue that we are not Scandies but to my enjoyment, this splendid lunch café and shop caters for my home sickness just perfectly with its selection of proper open rye -bread -sandwiches, good filter coffee and even blueberry soup!

http://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/

Notting Hill Arts Club

Not only can you taste the finest Finnish Lapin Kulta (Lapland's Gold) beer in this eclectic bar/club situated conveniently a few minutes walk from Notting Hill Gate tube, but if you follow their events closely you'll find that many young, interesting Finnish and other Nordic musicians have found their way there. If you want to expand your knowledge of Nordic music beyond Sibelius, NHAC might be well worth the visit.

http://www.nottinghillartsclub.com/

If you make your way to Finland, make sure you visit…

My favourite Helsinki spots:

Café Succès

Korkeavuorenkatu 2 B

Let the cinnamon rolls speak for themselves.

Suomenlinna

A bit of a tourist cliché, Suomenlinna truly is worth the visit. Wonder around the fortress, enjoy the beach and have a picnic one of the many parks of the island.

Often crowded, but always worth the visit, truly one of any Helsinkian's favourite places!

Elsewhere:

Turku

Escape to the old capital of Finland. Turku is one of the most beautiful places in Finland, and its oldest city, said to have been founded in the 13th Century. Visit the medieval castle and the Cathedral of Turku, and have lunch in one of the many beautiful restaurants. If you visited Helsinki even for a shorter time, Turku is just under two hours away by train and definitely worth the visit. Home of a vibrant night life and a lively cultural scenem it is home to one of the best summer festivals in the country.

Tuuli Hongisto is a 24- year old third year undergraduate student who, if everything goes as planned, will be studying for a masters degree next year. In spring -summer 2008 Tuuli is working as the Press Office Stagiaire for the European Commission in London, and she is currently working on her undergraduate final project on European Union as an actor in international relations.

Tuuli's interests also include the United Nations and international law more broadly; she is currently acting as the Campaigns Officer for the UK United Nations Student and Youth Association and representing the United Kingdom in the international Making Commitments Matter youth initiative researching the national implementation of UN agreements.