Friendship and Finnish

It is a cold and dark evening at the beginning of November. However, the central library Oodi looks warm and cosy. This is where SuomiKamu friends Tero and Dmytro meet. It is a good meeting point for friends coming from different parts of the city. 
From there, they head to do some sports, have a coffee, or just go for a walk.

- Mainly, we practice speaking Finnish, and we talk about different subjects. Last summer, we, for example, went to an outdoor gym and cycled around the city, Tero explains.

Tero has been a Red Cross volunteer for a long time. He was involved in the Tuusula branch's friend activities for 11 years. When he moved to Helsinki, he joined the SuomiKamu Friend Activities. That is how he ended up as Dmytro's friend.  According to him, the SuomiKamu activity suits a working person well because you can meet friends during evenings and weekends.

- Being a volunteer is good for people in a suitable life situation and for people who want content in their life, Tero ponders. 

Dmytro and his family arrived in Finland two years ago. He is orinally from Ukraine, but moved to Finland from England where he previously worked. 

- My children go to Finnish primary school and they already talk better Finnish than I do. They talk so fast that I cannot keep up, he laughs.

The idea of SuomiKamu friend activities is to find a friend for a recent immigrant.
The volunteer friend will help to practice finnish and to integrate to Finnish society. 

- Finnish people speak fast and use a lot of slang words which makes it hard to understand. I often ask people to repeat, Dmytro says. Although he learned one slang word from Tero: "fillari" (bicycle).

Integrating into Finland has gone mainly well. Finnish nature has made an impression on Dmytro.

- I love lakes, forests, and the sea, but cold and wet weather I do not like, he laughs.

 

Do you want to volunteer as a friend to support the integration of immigrants?

Join SuomiKamu Friend Activities