A Family's Love: Yohan Celebrates Christmas with His Parents in Finland
After almost a year of waiting, 11-year-old Yohan, together with the rest of the family, has finally moved to Finland to be reunited with his mother. This Christmas, his greatest joy is simply being together as a family, a heartfelt gift that means the world to him.
“I miss my friends in the Philippines. If they move to Finland, my advice is this: "It's important not to get too caught up in advanced technology. Embrace the simplicity here and take time to explore nature every day," Yohan expresses.
Yohan describes the similarities between kids in the Philippines and Finland, and one of them is that they play console and mobile games, which are ways to talk with each other even from afar. Yohan continues his expectations about the different landscapes of Finland and the Philippines, "When I came to Finland, I expected to find a more futuristic style, but instead, I found simplicity. It makes it easier to comprehend here in Finland than in the Philippines. They show off less than in the Philippines. Everything is well, which is why I really like Finland. The Philippines' buildings are futuristic, while here, they are simpler.
Yohan observes that the Philippines strives to become more advanced, while Finland strongly focuses on nature. He shares, "Finland is a place that is all about nature, and I really appreciate that. I'm accustomed to the cold weather. I'm glad to be here with my parents; our family is finally complete. I have spent my time visiting Vantaa and Helsinki with my family. We have beento the forests, played outside with my friends, and celebrated my sister's birthday. We also go to church regularly and I have met a lot of new friends."
Finland is bursting with immigrant children, especially in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. Children who cannot speak the Finnish language go to a special class with fewer children before being changed to a regular class. This helps the children understand regular teaching and keep up with their classmates. Yohan describes how he found the school staff and teachings in Finland different from what he was used to back home.
"The Finnish school system is quite good. The people here are caring and very friendly. My teachers are polite and passionate about taking care of us. I have about 13 classmates, including myself, which is a small class size. In the Philippines, my class had around 30 students. My favorite subjects are math and sports. Although Finnish is challenging, I enjoy learning it", shares Yohan.
Immigrant children, like Yohan, often find that the subjects they are taught are easier than how they are trained back in their home country. Yohan describes: "Mathematics was hard for me in the Philippines, but it is easy here in Finland. I am starting to like kuvataide, which is art, but what I like most is music. We do some handicrafts as well or what is called here käsityö. I love basketball and soccer, which Finns call football, and in school. Also, I love to play dodgeball in P.E class, which is liikunta in Finnish. The Finnish words that I have learned are colors, the alphabet and the human body parts. I have learned a lot of wordsand continue to learn more Finnish words daily at school.”
Focusing on local language studies impedes immigrant children's educational advancement in Finland. While these children may already possess advanced knowledge in certain subjects, their education primarily concentrates on mastering the local language.
“I have learned many new things in Finland. The food is yummy, and my expectations were very low at first, but when I came here, the food was very nice, especially the pasta. For example, spaghetti Bolognese and macaroni casserole. My favorite food is pulla, which is bun, in English. I drink milk at school daily and eat fresh salad.”
Mainos alkaa
Mainos alkaa
Yohan explains the differences and experiences between two distinct cultures and their educational systems. He states, "In the Philippines, you must bring food to school, whereas in Finland, you line up to get food, and it’s free! In the Philippines, we did not have a lot of big playgrounds, but in Finland, it’s almost everywhere so I get to play outside a lot."
Despite these differences, there are also similarities between the two cultures. Yohan points out that while it is generally safer for children to walk to school in Finland, he also walks to school in both countries because they are close to his home. "My house is very near my school, and I find it easier to walk," he adds.
International friends can play a significant role in helping individuals integrate and feel a sense of belonging in their new home country. Immigrant children often face similar challenges as adults when it comes to making Finnish friends and establishing a social network. Yohan exemplifies this experience: "I have many friends now who moved from the Philippines to Finland," Yohan explains. "I used to have a classmate in the same section, but they moved to grade 6. There were two Filipinos in my class, but now I am the only one since I just started with my preparatory class. I teach my Finnish friends my language. A lot of people here also speak English, and that makes me happy. Currently, I have more foreign friends than Finnish friends."
Yohan's grandparents played a significant role in his life, as they raised him while his parents were abroad. For most internationals who moved to Finland, the concept of family is broader than it is for Finns. Yohan's Christmas wish is simple yet powerful:
"When I meet Santa, I will ask him to bring my entire family from the Philippines to Finland."
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