My Kind of Life in Kuopio

When you come from a different culture and environment, starting a new life in Kuopio can seem exotic, even a bit intimidating. There are many reasons for moving to Kuopio, and every new citizen has their story to tell. Here are two of them.

TEXT MIKKO JAAKKOLA | PHOTOS ADOBE STOCK, SUSANNE CSADER, JUHA LESKINEN AND VICENTE SERRA

Summer is a busy time for the women’s championship team midfielder Lavdije “Lavi” Begolli.

Football brought Lavdije Begolli to Finland

In 2021 the Kuopio KuPS football club had a near perfect season, as the women’s and the youth teams won their respective championships and the men’s team finished second in the league. One of the mainstays of the women’s championship team is midfielder Lavdije “Lavi” Begolli. But how did an Albanian become a Savonian in the first place?

THE FINNISH CHALLENGE

Lavi is a professional footballer who moved to Finland in 2017. She spent three seasons in Jyväskylä before transferring to KuPS.

“Last year I got an offer from KuPS, which I knew was a good team and had a chance to win the championship. And championship was my ultimate goal.” But why choose Finland in the first place?

“In Albania I was studying at a sports university, playing football professionally and helping with a family business. So, when my agent told me about the option to come here, I knew it would be a challenge, but that’s what I was looking for, so I decided to take it on.”

“I had absolutely no idea what Finland was like and spoke just a little bit of English when I arrived in 2017. It was cold and dark, and the first weeks were really hard. I thought about quitting and going back but decided to tough it out.”

COLD AND DARK WINTERS, WARM AND BUSY SUMMERS

As spring turned to summer and her language skills improved, life started to get easier for Lavi

and she realised that she really enjoyed being in Finland.

“I like it here, not so much the winter when it’s cold and dark, but the light summers when it’s nice and warm.”

"I knew it would be a challenge, but that’s what I was looking for."

“Of course, summer is a busy time for a football player. We have a lot of games and practice twice a day, and then there’s school, but afterwards I like to go hiking or spend time with my friends.”

A CHEF IN THE MAKING

As Lavi mentioned, she also studies in Kuopio.

“I have studied to be chef for 6 months now. My goal is to graduate in about 3–4 years’ time and start working in a restaurant after my sports career and later maybe open one of my own. That’s my dream, or maybe I should call it a new challenge.”

“But for now, I want to focus on my first career. I still have many years left as a football player and hope to win more championships with the team. The next challenges come only after that.”

What about Kuopio – are you going to stay?

“Yes! I like it here and I’m even learning Finnish. I have no plans to move.”

Susanne Csader discovered her inner nature lover

Susanne Csader from Germany is a PhD student whose area of research is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. When she spotted an opening at the University of Eastern Finland, she naturally applied for it. It was only after being invited to an interview that she googled “Kuopio”.

INTO THE UNKNOWN

Finland was not really on Susanne’s list before, and she didn’t have a very clear idea of where she was headed.

“I didn’t know that much about Finland and nothing at all about Kuopio. All I knew were the usual stereotypes: snow, drinking and darkness.”

“The only city I knew was the capital, Helsinki, and I figured that Kuopio can’t be that far away from there. Then I opened a map of Finland and zoomed out and out from Helsinki and realised – oh, it’s up there, 400 km or so from Helsinki!”

“In any case, I wanted to visit the place. And right from the beginning people were so nice and the facility was great and all. I decided to move here right then and there.”

ADVENTURE IN FINLAND

Susanne moved to Kuopio in January and has not regretted the choice.

“I’m really happy about the decision I made. I didn’t really experience cultural shock of any

Susanne Csader has grown into spending more time in nature in Kuopio.

kind. Right from the start, I felt welcome and at home, so for me it’s been more like an exciting adventure. I’ve made a lot of friends and met new colleagues, and the people here are so kind and helpful.”

“Of course, there is the language barrier. I’m studying Finnish, but the language is so hard, harder than I imagined. But if I want to learn a new creative hobby, for example, almost all the courses are in Finnish.”

“Apart from that, my time in Kuopio has been really nice. Especially the summers when there’s so much to do.”

“I wasn’t actually that keen on spending time in nature before, but now I’m really into biking and I often go canoeing with my friends. It’s so easy to just go outside in the summer and do stuff. I guess in Kuopio I have grown into it and appreciate nature more.”

“This year (2021) I spent a week in Lapland with friends and enjoyed hiking. That might become a new hobby of mine.”

THE FUTURE IS OPEN

Susanne has now spent three years in Finland working on her PhD. At the moment she is staying in Hong Kong for a project. “I just received further funding for my work in Finland, which means that I’ll be staying for a while longer, but after that my future is open.” “Before the COVID-19 pandemic I was thinking "And right from about maybe finding a job the beginning people here, but because of the current situation I haven’t were so nice." been able to visit my family and friends as often as I would have liked. That is also something to think about when planning my future.” “But never say never, and if the right opportunity comes by, I could see myself staying in Kuopio for a while. Only the future will tell.”