---
template:
slug: finland
title: I am moving to Finland
subtitle: This is what I was packing for
date: 2023-01-18
---

The past two weeks or so have felt like a fever dream. It's been a
blurry daze ever since I received my passport from the Finnish Embassy
in New Delhi. I still can't believe everything has finally materialized
and this move is actually happening. In about 10 hours from now, I will
be boarding my flight from Bangalore, transiting via Doha, to Helsinki.

So, how did this come about? I got employed there -- I'm joining
[UpCloud](https://upcloud.com) as an SRE in their Orchestration team,
and will be working out of Helsinki. They helped with the immigration
process and will also be helping out with certain initial local affairs
and apartment hunting.

The biggest, most obvious change for me will be the weather. Going from
around 25°C to near-zero temps will need some acclimatization. I bought
the thickest, heaviest, water & snow-proof parka that Decathlon had to
offer, along with some monstrous snow boots -- I hope it'll suffice for
the first few days.

I'm very much looking forward to life there -- low pollution, clean water,
fresh produce (berries!), excellent public transport. Oh and of course,
the *slightly* less population density. Fun fact: the total population
of the entirety of Finland (5.6 million) is less than half of
Bangalore's (13 something million).

Suffice to say, I'm beyond stoked for this new beginning both in
Helsinki and at UpCloud. I'll post an update once I've settled down. In
the meanwhile, my [fedi](https://h.icyphox.sh/@icy) will have more
frequent updates.

Moikka!