Finland vs. Sweden

I've spent the last 4 years living in Finland and I've enjoyed my life there quite much. I've had an opportunity to move to Helsinki but I've moved to Stockholm instead. I've been looking for new experiences and I found them. But so far it has been nothing but frustration. One huge frustration with pretty much everything. I do love Stockholm. But unfortunately it's in Sweden.

I've visited Helsinki last weekend to see some old friends of mine there and after I've went through some troubles with loosing my wallet I've been thinking a lot how it would have been in Sweden. And it would have been way worse. I'm pretty sure.

So I did loose my wallet in Helsinki and I was very lucky to loose it in Finland. The first thing I did is calling a special number and blocking both of my cards. Then I went to the nearest Nordea office, showed them my Russian passport which they were more than happy to accept as an ID, asked for some cash from my bank account and asked them to block my internet banking as well. Just in case. I didn't have the username in my wallet, but my passwords were there. I ordered new cards, new passwords and got the cash. Easily and without any problems.

Then I went to Helsinki train station to look for my wallet since I left it in a train on my way to Espoo. At the information desk they sent me to the station services whew a worker gave me a card of Helsinki lost and found office and told me to go get my wallet there on Monday. Unfortunately, I've lost my wallet on Friday evening and on Sunday I had to return back to Stockholm. I've explained the situation to the guy, told him that I have no chance of getting my wallet back since I can't stay here until Monday. He advised me to try to ask from conductors lounge and explained where it is.

I went there but the door was locked. Luckily, some conductor came and was about to enter. I asked him to help me and he let me in. We went in and walked into some room. He asked something some guys sitting there. One of them opened a table drawer and took my wallet out. I told her my drivers license is in it if she wants to make sure its mine. She checked it and happily returned me my wallet.

Then I had to unblock the cards and internet banking. I called customer service number and explained the situation. The worker who picked the phone told me in perfect English that he doesn't speak any English. :) Another person is responsible for English-speaking customers and he tried to connect me with him. As it turned out, the English-speaking operator wasn't available at the moment and he agreed to help me though it is not part of his duties.

He told me that my Visa card is blocked permanently and I will receive a new one by mail. Visa Electron and internet banking can still be unblocked and he told me the nearest address where I can do it. The time was about 8 pm and I was lucky that Nordea office in Stockmann is open until 9 pm. There I showed my Russian passport and successfully unblocked my Visa Electron and internet banking.

How would it be in Sweden? First of all, I have no means of proving my identity in Sweden. My Russian passport is not considered to be a valid ID due to "insufficient level of security" and I cannot get an ID issued by Skatteverket since I have no relatives with Swedish citizenship who could vouch for me. Therefore even though I have a Swedish residence permit and a personal number, I have almost no rights in this country. In Finland I enjoyed and still enjoy all the rights and freedoms just like any other citizen who has Finnish personal number does.

Here I can't open a bank account, I can't get a phone subscription. I can't do anything just because I can't prove my bloody identity and I have no way of doing it! In Finland my Russian passport was accepted everywhere. I could get any subscription I wanted, internet, phone, car insurance, bank account etc. I've never had any problems. Banks used to issue IDs here but they don't do it anymore. The system used to be pretty bad and now it's even worse.

Second, Swedes do enjoy bureaucracy. I've never seen so much of it in my life! Everything is so complicated and takes awfully long! Getting Swedish personal number took me more than a month. It took me couple of days in Finland. Dealing with taxation issues was also quite a pain in the ass. I am still working for my Finnish employer but taxation office in Finland told me I have to pay taxes here. I was ready to pay taxes here. I went to Skatteverket and explained the situation. I was told that it's possible but it took me more than two months to get taxation percentage estimation! In Finland I would have got it right away!

And Swedes do enjoy rules and following them strictly. I tried to open a bank account here. KTH has an agreement with Nordea and students can open accounts even without a Swedish ID card. I just happened to go to the wrong office. Couple of friends of mine and me went to Nordea office near Sergels torg. Got queue numbers, waited for our turns. Two friends of mine managed to open their bank accounts. I didn't. I was the unlucky one to get a very mean worker who refused to open an account for me.

I've had all the forms filled in with me, everything ready. All he had to do is just check that everything is correct! But no! He told me to go to the office near Odenplan. And instead of explaining nicely he was very rude to me! I tried to draw his attention to the fact that the two friends of mine, also KTH students, have managed to get their bank accounts about a minute ago from different workers and it didn't seem like a big deal for them. He still refused to help me. I tried to address the other workers who agreed to open the account but the guy told her something in Swedish and I left with nothing.

I went to Odenplan office the next day and I faced rudeness again. It turned out they deal with students only on Mondays after 6 pm. And I wasn't told that nicely. No! I was almost literally told to piss off! These are the rules. No can do. What's the big deal to open an account for me on Tuesday? Why am I any worse than other customer just because I don't have a valid ID? I went home, calmed down and the next Monday I returned to Odenplan office, got the account, got the papers. I was told I will receive my Visa Electron card by mail. I still haven't heard from them. And I don't even want to bother to go and ask why.

I simply don't want to be their customer anymore! I was very loyal to Nordea Finland because of their excellent service but Nordea Sweden turned out to be totally different! I am treated as a nobody by the Swedish government but Nordea Sweden is making it even worse. And Nordea workers aren't the only ones who were rude to me. When I went to Skatteverket to ask about possibility of getting an ID card, the worker was pretty rude to me as well.

These things have ruined the whole impression of this country. I'm pretty sure if I would loose my wallet here, nobody would bother to help me. I wouldn't be able to prove my identity in bank to get anything. I'm pretty sure nobody would give me my wallet back unless I go to lost and found even if they would have it in their drawer. These are the rules and we don't care if you are in trouble and have to leave the country before lost and found office opens.

I really did have high hopes and expectations about Sweden but it has been a disappointment for me. I really hope my opinion about this country is wrong and it's just me being unlucky. But I really don't like the way I am treated here. Finland used to be way more friendly to me.

Stockholm by Night

Kista



Slussen

La Neta

Looking for an authentic Mexican experience in Stockholm? Head straight to La Neta. Don't even consider Taco Bar though to my taste their stuff is pretty good. It just won't be authentic. I am not the one to judge but my picky Mexican friends do not approve.

In case of La Neta they really did enjoy today. So did I. Owned and ran by Mexicans, this place is the closest to Mexico you can get here. Delicious tacos and quesadillas, authentic salsa and hot habanero sauce. You have to taste them! They will change the way you think about Mexican cuisine.

Cocaine

Saw a chick doing cocaine on the subway. She was squatting on the floor and the only thing she cared about is getting another dose. I’ve seen pretty disgusting stuff on Friday and Saturday nights after going out but this was way beyond regular puke every three meters. This is the side of Sweden I haven’t experienced yet.

One Day in Berlin

Kista Science Tower

Stockholm Transport Museum

I was very skeptical at first before visiting this museum since I don't usually get very excited about transport in general but when I entered my attitude changed completely! I do love vintage stuff and as it turned out, I do love vintage transport. The place was definitely worth the visit. The only problem was, that I came too late, just few minutes before the closing time. I have just had time to quickly look around, fall in love with the place and take couple of photos.

Solna Centrum

Swedish Football Fans

On my way home from Ramblas (a good restaurant that even my Spanish friend approves) where I went to have some Spanish beer and tapas with Javier and Sergio, I stumbled across a cheering crowd that I decided to follow. What the hell was that I found out later on today while reading The Local, AIK defeated IFK, though it was pretty clear from the beginning. They took off at Solna and so did I.





It was a typical crowd of cheering football fans and it seemed to be insane. People were literally climbing up the moving stairway. Everybody went out and walked into the nearest shopping mall. Then I realized that something is wrong with them. And the missing thing was... violence! Really! Where are all the broken windows and wrecked cars?




The biggest damage done that I've noticed was a bunch of stolen bananas from a supermarket on the way there and one overturned chair of a coffee house! Seriously! Even though there was no police around to stop them. The crowd just climbed some kind of stage inside the mall, cheered for awhile and then peacefully went home. Where are all the fights? Where's the drama? Damn Swedes, can't even have fun properly!

Happy Hallowe'en

Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg

Stockholm is an extremely interesting city to live in. You just have to know or know someone who knows something about the city and has a story or two to tell you.

I've passed by this building many times without paying any attention to it until one day a friend of mine told me that it has something to do with Stockholm syndrome. I just had to look it up and indeed it does. This is the place where the Stockholm syndrome was born!

The syndrome wasn't actually born in this building but the Norrmalmstorg robbery that took place in it in 1973 led to the introduction of the term which is used world-wide nowadays.

Rotating

Swedes undoubtedly do love rotating things be it roundabouts or rotating doors. They are everywhere and they are building more and more of them. I don’t know whether they do any good but rotating doors are annoying. So are the roundabouts.

I haven’t noticed that many in Stockholm where I live at the moment. I guess the reason is that the city was built long before the trend has started and there’s just no space to build the new ones. But there’s always some space to put yet another rotating door in.

When it comes to less inhabited places like Haparanda, Swedes do go wild and Finns are trying not to stay behind. I haven’t noticed that many rotating doors there but roundabouts are everywhere!

Let’s say you’re driving from Kemi, Finland to Kalix, Sweden. When you cross the border you have to go through 6 (six!) roundabouts within 5 (five!) minutes! Check out yourself if you don’t believe me. And look at the number of roundabouts around those six. I’ve instantly spotted six more.

Insane! Do they really like to rotate that much?

Scientific Communication and Research Methodology

Blah blah blah blah. Sounds like fun. Blah blah. Overslept the first lecture but heard a lot of "nice" things about it. Trying to make myself do something useful. Haven't opened my work laptop for weeks. Exam period was an excuse earlier but now I have none. Shitload of time and shitload of things to do. Gotta stop slacking off. Somebody spare some willpower!

Long Story Short

Where the hell have I been and what the hell have I been doing? Been working and partying pretty much the whole sumer. Traveled around Portugal a bit. Visited Lisbon, Coimbra, Figueira da Foz and Sintra. Decided to quit my job and move to Stockholm. Got a work laptop instead and was asked to continue working remotely. I guess they do want to keep me. Moved to Stockholm. Went to Spain to travel and party for a week. Came back to Stockholm and started my Master's. Been studying and partying mainly. Visited Finland twice. Frankfurt, Venice, Berlin, Tallinn ahead. That's about it.

Rainy July

Gare do Oriente

Lisbon, Portugal

Aurora

Jutta

Kemi

Nikon D40 with AF 50mm f/1.8

Won't autofocus on D40 but still it's a great lens. Had fun shooting with it.

Murhaniemi

Me & My New Baby

Canon EOS 50D with Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF).

Elisa

Tennis & Dog Park

View the whole set.

Tornio Party

View the whole set.

Suomenlinna

View the whole set.

Korkeasaari

View the whole set.

Takajärvi

View the whole set.

Beach BBQ

View the whole set.

Isohaara

View the whole set.

The Royal Institute of Technology

Got in there as well. Into Design and Implementation of ICT Products and Systems Master's program. Option number one worked out. Stockholm, here I come!

Yes, I am quitting my job. Two jobs, actually. Selling my beautiful car, giving up my nice two-room apartment in the city center with own lovely sauna and moving to Sweden. This might seem like all I've dreamt of (and it almost is) and I'm giving it up for at least two years. I know I can manage with Bachelor's degree. But there so much more waiting for me in the future. So much more to achieve. This is no time to stop. There's no limit for perfection.

Uppsala University

Got directly admitted to Uppsala University with 999 merit rating. I guess, the highest possible. I have two universities waiting for me already. Still waiting for results from The Royal Institute of Technology, my number 1 choice.

Helsinki University of Technology

Got into Master’s Programme in Foundations of Advanced Computing there. Still waiting for The Royal Institute of Technology to publish the results. Thinking whether to go study for Master of Science degree or stay in Kemi for a year and continue working as a software engineer.

Once Upon a Time...

Hello, Kurre!

I'm sitting in front of you and writing you a letter. You're drinking your juice taking too much in your mouth and it makes your cheeks so huge. You drink again and sneeze your nose. you keep the paper of course. You complain that I don't want to waste a paper from an exercise book but why do you save all those papers with all your snot and bacterias on them? You have in every single pocket of yours. That's why it's terrible to wear anything after you as I feel disgusted by them every time I put my hand into the pocket and meet another paper piece. You know, it's not very hauska to tutustua with them so throw them away every time. Ok?

This pen is awful. I'll take another one. Now it's much better. Actually I was planning to sketch a GUI for my project on this particular piece of paper but decided to write you a letter. So here it is.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
Pupu

Pupu wrote this letter, put it into envelope, wrote address on it, put a stamp on it and asked Kurre to send it. Kurre sent it and received it few days later. Few years later Kurre was cleaning and found this letter. Therefore it is published online for the first time ever.

Hairy Sausage Cooking Experiment

Dmitry's & Antti's Snowboarding Adventures

Episode I - The Snow Struggle



Episode II - After The Survival

Optical Measurements Laboratory

Accepted the offer. Starting there on Monday.

Dead Body Parts

Back in 2004 I used to date one chick studying in medical university. I have plenty of good memories and images connected with that time.

I've been going through some old photos and found these. Enjoy!