1---
 2template:
 3slug: finland
 4title: I am moving to Finland
 5subtitle: This is what I was packing for
 6date: 2023-01-18
 7---
 8
 9The past two weeks or so have felt like a fever dream. It's been a
10blurry daze ever since I received my passport from the Finnish Embassy
11in New Delhi. I still can't believe everything has finally materialized
12and this move is actually happening. In about 10 hours from now, I will
13be boarding my flight from Bangalore, transiting via Doha, to Helsinki.
14
15So, how did this come about? I got employed there -- I'm joining
16[UpCloud](https://upcloud.com) as an SRE in their Orchestration team,
17and will be working out of Helsinki. They helped with the immigration
18process and will also be helping out with certain initial local affairs
19and apartment hunting.
20
21The biggest, most obvious change for me will be the weather. Going from
22around 25°C to near-zero temps will need some acclimatization. I bought
23the thickest, heaviest, water & snow-proof parka that Decathlon had to
24offer, along with some monstrous snow boots -- I hope it'll suffice for
25the first few days.
26
27I'm very much looking forward to life there -- low pollution, clean water,
28fresh produce (berries!), excellent public transport. Oh and of course,
29the *slightly* less population density. Fun fact: the total population
30of the entirety of Finland (5.6 million) is less than half of
31Bangalore's (13 something million).
32
33Suffice to say, I'm beyond stoked for this new beginning both in
34Helsinki and at UpCloud. I'll post an update once I've settled down. In
35the meanwhile, my [fedi](https://h.icyphox.sh/@icy) will have more
36frequent updates.
37
38Moikka!