A pages/blog/finland.md

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+---
+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!