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I dont know much about other countries.
But if you are thinking of Finland.
I can tel you 1 good thing, it has the CULTURE you asked for, Sweden doesnt have it anymore.
Helsinki is kind of liberal nowadays but the Pohjanmaa region is really redneck and has a true CULTURE, if 1 of you is black, dont mind nothing but Helsinki.
Helsinki has the most liberal feeling in Finland, also getting a job is easy because in everywhere in Finland, there is a huge unemployement rate.
Reason for that is the tax system and SOCIALSECURITY, you will get paid if u aint workin.
Taxes are 22% of your salary. For this 22% you get health-care, dentist is free until you turn 18, library, swimming hall, and some public gyms or such. etc.
Healthcare is almost free, its ~22euro for whole year. Its cheap as hell.
In Helsinki its pretty crowded and if you dont decide to pay more and go to a private doctor or company like Mehil'a'inen you can wait for 5-6 hours..
Finland is SAFE! I can tell you, Waaaaay more safe than UK or US.
The language is kinda complicated but you will learn it, im always in for Immigration (legally) if they work, which you plan to do.
The distances aint NOTHING compared to America.
Especially in Helsinki, its store after store Pub after pub. Its alot bigger city than most people think.
The weather might be shocking, to be honest, it sucks.
Lots of rain and sudden changes of the climate are odd.
But you'll get used to it! We have all 4 seasons, nowadays it aint snowing often in the South (Helsinki) tho.
On the bright side: In summers, the sun NEVER goes down, true story. REALLY! BELIEVE IT! IT REALLY IS CMON!
As for the education, its awesome, Finlands school system kicks America's to the BUTT! It's free and the QUALITY is MUCH better.
There is also a free high-school (You only have to pay for the books).
Vocational schools are free (books again..) the education in these places takes 3-4 years and will get you a profession, like plumber or whatever, most people still go to high-school and then think what they gonna do.
There are universities too but I dont know nothing about them.. They aint completely free , that's what I can say tho.
Hope this helps.
If you are thinking about Finland at all, contact me via PM.
Last edited by FinnishAmerican; 10-30-2008 at 01:26 PM..
I believe many settled in this part of MN because it was similar to Sweden in their eyes. The culture of this part of the country is still very scandinavian in many ways, including the Jante Law mentioned previously to some extent.
The reason why Scandanavians moved to the upper midwest is because specific companies offered them jobs working on railroads and other infrastructure, and in return were given their own land. Scandanavians were considered dependable, dedicated workers...(along with being brawny)
Otherwise, I could never understand why Scandanavians would want to go from one cold place to another...
Finland is SAFE! I can tell you, Waaaaay more safe than UK or US.
The language is kinda complicated but you will learn it, im always in for Immigration (legally) if they work, which you plan to do.
The distances aint NOTHING compared to America.
Especially in Helsinki, its store after store Pub after pub. Its alot bigger city than most people think.
As for the education, its awesome, Finlands school system kicks America's to the BUTT! It's free and the QUALITY is MUCH better.
There is also a free high-school (You only have to pay for the books).
Vocational schools are free (books again..) the education in these places takes 3-4 years and will get you a profession, like plumber or whatever, most people still go to high-school and then think what they gonna do.
There are universities too but I dont know nothing about them.. They aint completely free , that's what I can say tho.
Hope this helps.
If you are thinking about Finland at all, contact me via PM.
I think any European homogeneous society is safe, but as it brings in people from other parts of the world this changes. Liberals here in U.S. often believe the b.s. "people are people" but its not true. People who come from other parts of the world can't necesarily adapt. If you look at the prisons in Europe, they are full of north Africans, and people from the middle east. This may not be politically correct, but its true! Europeans are a humble people, but others who come from, lets say Islamic countries; they are happy at first, but then dislike our native customs--they hate liberal thought!
I think any European homogeneous society is safe, but as it brings in people from other parts of the world this changes. Liberals here in U.S. often believe the b.s. "people are people" but its not true. People who come from other parts of the world can't necesarily adapt. If you look at the prisons in Europe, they are full of north Africans, and people from the middle east. This may not be politically correct, but its true! Europeans are a humble people, but others who come from, lets say Islamic countries; they are happy at first, but then dislike our native customs--they hate liberal thought!
You strike me as an American. In Europe Liberal is used for center-right wing political parties.
I live in Sweden, and I think don't think we would have better education than the US.
How big is the house your living in now? Because here it's really hard to afford a nice house.
Sweden is safer than USA, but a lot of peaplo get very drunk here, and then they get very aggresive and they can be dangerous some times.
I dont know much about other countries.
But if you are thinking of Finland.
I can tel you 1 good thing, it has the CULTURE you asked for, Sweden doesnt have it anymore.
Helsinki is kind of liberal nowadays but the Pohjanmaa region is really redneck and has a true CULTURE, if 1 of you is black, dont mind nothing but Helsinki.
Helsinki has the most liberal feeling in Finland, also getting a job is easy because in everywhere in Finland, there is a huge unemployement rate.
Reason for that is the tax system and SOCIALSECURITY, you will get paid if u aint workin.
Taxes are 22% of your salary. For this 22% you get health-care, dentist is
free until you turn 18, library, swimming hall, and some public gyms or such. etc.
Healthcare is almost free, its ~22euro for whole year. Its cheap as hell.
In Helsinki its pretty crowded and if you dont decide to pay more and go to a private doctor or company like Mehil'a'inen you can wait for 5-6 hours..
Finland is SAFE! I can tell you, Waaaaay more safe than UK or US.
The language is kinda complicated but you will learn it, im always in for Immigration (legally) if they work, which you plan to do.
The distances aint NOTHING compared to America.
Especially in Helsinki, its store after store Pub after pub. Its alot bigger city than most people think.
The weather might be shocking, to be honest, it sucks.
Lots of rain and sudden changes of the climate are odd.
But you'll get used to it! We have all 4 seasons, nowadays it aint snowing often in the South (Helsinki) tho.
On the bright side: In summers, the sun NEVER goes down, true story. REALLY! BELIEVE IT! IT REALLY IS CMON!
As for the education, its awesome, Finlands school system kicks America's to the BUTT! It's free and the QUALITY is MUCH better.
There is also a free high-school (You only have to pay for the books).
Vocational schools are free (books again..) the education in these places takes 3-4 years and will get you a profession, like plumber or whatever, most people still go to high-school and then think what they gonna do.
There are universities too but I dont know nothing about them.. They aint completely free , that's what I can say tho.
Hope this helps.
If you are thinking about Finland at all, contact me via PM.
What part of "safe" do you mean?
When I mean "safe" I don't mean when a 16 year old goes to a school and shoots several kids with a gun.
I'm not saying that it's a unsafe country, but it's a lot of crime for such a small country...
But, first was 18, second was 22. So get your facts man.
Finland has the most crime in Scandinavia that might be true.
But it is REALLY safe compared to UK or US or any nation tbh.
Its rare that outsiders get attacked or robbed.
Finland has organized crime tho: Bandidos MC, Hell's angels MC, Cannonball MC, Klan mc, Diablos MC, Rogues Gallery, NBK, Bats and M.O.R.E
but that's not a threat unless you get involved.
Oh, was it 18? It was a year ago so it's a little bit hard for me to remember, so don't say that I don't have my facts, because I do.
And like I said, i'm not saying that Finland is unsafe, so don't start a argument about this.
And you can't compare to US, because it's 3rd biggest in the world.
Last edited by Julian/SWE; 10-31-2008 at 03:20 PM..
Simply put...if you're unhappy with life in America, you will be damn disappointed with anywhere else you go.
We have significant improvements and corrections needed in the American political system, but you will learn quickly that Europe is a nice place to vacation...and that's about it.
I have Norwegian ancestry myself. Love the Scandinavians...both for their genuineness and yes, the physical beauty. But get ready to part with more of the money in your wallet than you ever dreamed of.
THE WAGES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ARE NOT COMPARABLE TO WHAT AMERICANS MAKE FOR THE SAME QUALITY WORK!!!! THANK YOU SOCIALISM.
In the U.S., 6% unemployment has always been the threshhold for what is and isn't a recession. 6% unemployment is a dream for many European countries. Some will never see a figure so low. Yes, Scandinavia is on par with the U.S. in this area. And it's mostly thanks to socialism. In Oslo, some of the sidewalks are heated. Is this where you want your tax money going??
And if you're really interested in Scandinavia, I hope you like the sun setting at 3 pm half the year.
You talk about a hope of escaping materialism?? Hahaha! You're joking, right? Hell, one could reasonably argue that there's more materialism in Moscow, Russia than just about any other spot on this globe. Go spend a week in Moscow. Oh yeah, and watch out for the mafia.
If you are really into communals and all that, go to New Zealand. It's probably the most egalitarian society on Earth. You can smoke pot in the streets of downtown, everyone is having sex for free, and there's very little power distance within the culture. There's your "community."
So, in short, if you don't believe in individualism, yearn for having no money left over at the end of each month, enjoy a collectivist culture that rewards stagnation and not innovation, long for a tiny apartment and a rusty little gay-mobile, and can't wait to work 60 hours a week for half the real earnings you get in the U.S....take your pick. You have a plethora of options. I'd love to see you go.
We only want achievers in this nation, not takers.
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Pub after pub. Its alot bigger city than most people think. 
Why Scandanavians moved to upper midwest
