You couldn’t ask for a bigger contrast – flying from the haze-filled sky of Singapore to the crisp clear sky of Helsinki. In 12 hours, I felt like I could breathe again.
The approach into Helsinki
It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve had to breathe in the noxious smoke particles from the forest fires in Indonesia – an annual occurrence that everyone seems powerless to stop – and the first thing I did when I stepped out of the aircraft was to take in huge gulps of fresh air – never mind that it was minus one degrees.
The flight on Finnair, the first I had flown with them, was pretty okay. You can’t compare their business class with Singapore Airlines’ of course – but it’s decent enough especially if you just want to sleep through the night flight.
I was met off the aircraft by Finnair’s VIP service – not a bad welcome. “Mr Yeoh Siew Hoon”, the sign said. The woman laughed when she saw me and said, “Sorry.” We walk down the steps from the aircraft to the tarmac. The air is brisk and crisp. “It’s a beautiful morning,” I said. “Yes, but it’s cold,” she said. “I fear winter is here.”
She leads me to a coach – I am the only passenger – which takes me to a lounge. There’s an immigration officer on duty. He wants to know why I am here, how long I am staying and where. He insists on seeing the email with the conference invitation.
My escort collects my baggage while I wait at the lounge, where my driver is also waiting. You got to love this aircraft-to-door service. The sun is just rising but there’s already a lot of traffic on the road, most heading into the city and to the West where my driver tells me the tech companies are, such as Nokia and Rovia (maker of Angry Birds).
Invigorated by the fresh air I’d been gulping down, I asked him if Finland, like Denmark and Iceland, was one of the happiest places on earth. I guess I just wanted to break the ice because he seemed so formal and I felt like I was on helium.
“It depends how you measure it, we have one of the highest suicide rates in the world,” he said. “It’s very dark here, in winter months, there is no light.” He told me winter had just arrived today. “It’s starting to get very cold.”
Looking for a happier subject, I asked him about the economy. “It’s tanking,” he said, “because of the Russia-Ukraine situation. Our biggest importer is Russia and due to the US sanctions, factories are closing down and people are out of jobs.”
I tried again. “Are you from here?”
“I am from Stockholm. Within the EU, we can move around and work anywhere. This is why we have the refugee problem now – the borders are open.”
He tells me that 2,000 refugees are entering Finland a day and they are expecting 200,000 in total. If that is true, that’s big for a population of 5.5 million. “People are divided about it – there are those who say, welcome and there are those who say, we don’t have housing for our students and our youths don’t have jobs. It’s a big debate.”
I murmur my understanding. In Singapore, some locals too are worried about foreigners coming in to take their jobs. Our air may be different but the issues, the same.
The grounds of the Hilton – as autumn gives way to winter
Finally, we arrive at the Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa. That’s another thing I learnt about Finland from my driver – they have the second hardest language in the world to learn, after Mandarin. He told me it took him, a Swede, ages to master it and still he mixes up “six”, “Christmas tree” and “moon” which have the same root word “kuu”.
Determined not to be deflated, I asked him what “happy” was in Finnish. I think I made him smile. At last.
My next letter from Helsinki will be happier, I promise.
