My Finnish Language Journey — Part 5A
When I started learning Finnish in 2023, I wasn’t sitting inside a classroom in Finland.
I wasn’t surrounded by Finnish speakers.
And Finland was still thousands of kilometers away.
I was living in Dubai, working full-time, taking care of our little daughter after work, and trying to fit a completely unfamiliar language somewhere in between everything else.
At that point, Finnish wasn’t yet part of my everyday life.
It lived inside my laptop.
Inside Moodle.
Inside Discord.
Inside printed reviewers.
Inside my notebook.
And, quite often…
inside my car. 😂
This is the story of how I actually started learning Finnish while we were still living in Dubai – from minä olen and mitä kuuluu? to online lessons, benchmark tasks, printed reviewers, and those slightly nerve-racking oral assessments that slowly brought me one step closer to Finland.
Finnish Wasn’t a Language I Had Planned to Learn
Before our Finland opportunity came along, learning Finnish had never crossed my mind.
I had lived in Dubai for almost ten years and managed daily life mainly through English.
Then our recruitment journey toward Finland began.
One of the things that became clear very early was that if I wanted to pursue the healthcare opportunity in Finland, I needed to learn Finnish.
I talked more about why the language eventually became so important to me in the main article of this series:
Learning Finnish: The Beginning of My Language Journey
At first, Finnish was connected to recruitment.
But eventually, I would learn that it wasn’t simply a language I needed to pass assessments.
It was a language I would need to communicate with elderly clients, colleagues, daycare staff, neighbors, and people I met in everyday life here in Finland.
Of course, I didn’t fully understand all of that yet.
Back in Dubai, my first challenge was much simpler:
How do I even start speaking this language?
Starting With the Very Basics
Like almost anyone learning a completely new language, I started with very simple words and sentences.
I still remember some of those early phrases:
Minä olen… – I am…
Sinä olet… – You are…
Mitä kuuluu? – How are you?
Kuka sinä olet? – Who are you?
Millainen sää on? – What’s the weather like?
Missä sinä asut? – Where do you live?
Kuinka vanha olet? – How old are you?
Onko sinulla koira? – Do you have a dog?
Looking at them today, they seem so simple.
But when everything is completely new, even putting minä and olen together feels like progress.
😅
You have to remember the vocabulary.
Then the pronunciation.
Then the word order.
Then what ending you’re supposed to use.
Then someone asks you a question and suddenly all the Finnish you studied disappears from your brain.
😂
But that is where I started.
One word.
One question.
One sentence at a time.
My Very First Finnish Introduction
One of the things I can share here is my very first introductory letter in Finnish.
I really like keeping things like this.
Sometimes we become so focused on how much we still don’t know that we forget to look back at how much we’ve already learned.
When I compare those first sentences with what I can understand and express today, I can see that progress did happen.
It just didn’t happen overnight.
Learning Finnish Through NLRC
Our Finnish-language course was arranged through Silkkitie as part of the recruitment pathway I joined in 2023, and the language training itself was handled by NLRC – Nordic Languages Review Center.
In my experience, the course was provided to us without a course fee.
I have shared more about Silkkitie and how our recruitment process began here:
Our Silkkitie Recruitment Experience: How Our Finland Journey Began
At that time, I still didn’t know exactly where everything would lead.
There was always that little uncertainty in the background.
Would I really get to Finland?
Would I manage to learn enough Finnish?
Would I pass all the assessments?
Would everything actually work out?
But there was only one way to find out.
Keep going.
Moodle Became My Finnish Classroom
Most of our learning materials were available through Moodle.
For someone working full-time, having the lessons online was convenient because I could access the materials whenever I had time.
I could go back to previous lessons.
Read vocabulary again.
Review grammar.
Study examples.
And repeat things as many times as necessary.
Sometimes I understood a lesson quickly.
Other times…
I stared at the same page several times wondering why Finnish had decided to make my life difficult.
😂
But Moodle gave the course structure.
Unit after unit, we worked our way through the language little by little. In my previous article, I also shared that I remember having around 25 to 30 learning units, with assessments connected to the different stages of the course.
And Then There Was Discord
If Moodle was where the lessons lived, Discord was where much of the communication happened.
Our teachers used Discord for announcements, group communication, conversations, and assessment schedules. That was also how the online course was organized in the experience I described in my earlier Finnish-language posts.
Before this course, Discord certainly wasn’t something I associated with learning Finnish.
But suddenly I had another app to check.
😂
There might be:
- an announcement from a teacher
- information about the next unit
- a conversation activity
- an assessment schedule
- or details about when we needed to be online.
My group was SU094F, so whenever schedules were posted, that was one of the things I looked for.
Where is SU094F?
What time is my assessment?
Am I working at that time?
And sometimes the answer to that final question was…
yes.
😂
Trying to Study Around a Full-Time Job
At the same time that I was learning Finnish, I was still working full-time in Dubai.
Fortunately, my work involved a lot of time inside an office.
Whenever things were quiet and I had some free time, I tried to use those moments wisely.
I’d open my reviewer.
Look at some vocabulary.
Try to memorize a few new words.
Practice sentence structures.
Even ten or fifteen minutes could become study time.
I learned that when you genuinely want to learn something, sometimes you don’t wait for the perfect schedule.
You work with whatever time you have.
Before work.
During breaks.
After work.
While waiting somewhere.
Inside the car.
At home when things finally became quiet.
Little pieces of time eventually added up.
Studying at Home Was a Different Story
At work, I could sometimes find a quiet moment.
At home?
Not always.
😅
Our daughter was only a little over one year old at the time.
So after my workday ended, another part of my day began.
Being a mom.
Family time.
Household responsibilities.
Preparing for the following day.
And somewhere in between all of that:
Finnish.
There were days when I was tired.
There were days when I probably didn’t want to look at another vocabulary list.
But I knew why I was doing it.
At that point, we still didn’t know exactly what our future would look like.
But there was a possibility that these Finnish lessons could eventually open the door to a completely different life for our family.
That thought kept me going.
Why I Printed My Learning Materials
Even though everything was available digitally, I decided to print many of the learning materials.
I’m simply someone who learns better when I can actually hold the material.
I like writing notes.
Highlighting.
Going back and forth between pages.
Looking at a table several times.
Sometimes a physical piece of paper stays in my memory better than something I’ve scrolled past on a screen.
So my Finnish lessons slowly turned into piles of printed reviewers.
😂
I brought them with me whenever I could.
During quiet moments at work, I would open them.
Read vocabulary.
Try to memorize words.
Cover one side of a page and test myself.
Form simple phrases.
Sometimes I’d write something again just so my brain would remember it better.
That habit of printing my learning materials also became part of my earlier Learning Finnish: One Word at a Time story, where I shared how I studied whenever and wherever I could.
Learning Finnish: One Word at a Time
I Also Practiced While Driving
Another unexpected part of my Finnish study routine happened on the road.
Dubai traffic gave me plenty of time inside the car.
😅
Sometimes I listened to Finnish music while driving.
Even when I didn’t understand every word, hearing the language helped me become more familiar with how it sounded.
The rhythm.
The pronunciation.
Words that started appearing again and again.
Eventually, I would recognize something and think:
Wait… I know that word!
Those tiny moments were surprisingly motivating.
I had also written before about listening to Finnish artists while driving because music helped make the language feel a little less unfamiliar.
It didn’t feel like sitting down with a textbook.
It simply became part of the drive.
A Finnish Song I Loved Listening to in Dubai
One Finnish song I really loved listening to while I was still living in Dubai was “Mä olen tässä” by Mikko Harju. The song was released in 2016, and somehow it became one of those songs I kept coming back to while I was learning Finnish.
At that time, I couldn’t understand every word yet. I would listen while driving, recognize a few familiar words, and sometimes try to sing along even when I wasn’t completely sure what I was saying. 😅
One little line that stayed with me was:
“Mä olen tässä sua varten”
In simple English, “Mä olen tässä sua varten” means something like “I’m here for you.”
Songs like this made Finnish feel less like something I was only studying for an assessment. Little by little, I started hearing familiar words outside my reviewers and lessons, and that made learning the language more enjoyable.
But Reading Finnish Wasn’t Enough
Studying online had one unavoidable challenge:
At some point, we had to actually speak.
Reading vocabulary quietly to myself was one thing.
Speaking Finnish while a teacher was listening was something completely different.
😂
Our oral assessments were called benchmark tasks, and we had them connected to the different learning units.
Sometimes the task was a conversation between the teacher and student.
Sometimes another student was involved.
And sometimes the scenario was something from everyday life.
For example:
A restaurant.
A grocery store.
A library.
A flower shop.
Or an ordinary conversation between two people.
The teacher might take one role, while the student had to respond naturally in Finnish.
The Difference Between Studying and Being Asked a Question 😅
This is something every language learner probably understands.
You can study for hours.
You can memorize your answers.
You can know exactly what:
Mitä kuuluu?
means.
Then somebody actually asks you:
“Mitä kuuluu?”
And suddenly you need five business days to prepare your answer.
😂
That’s how some of those early assessments felt.
Before every benchmark task, I was nervous.
I worried that I wouldn’t understand the question.
Or I’d forget the vocabulary.
Or use the wrong word.
Or pronounce something incorrectly.
And because passing the assessments mattered for our progress through the course, they felt much bigger than an ordinary homework activity.
Whenever I passed one, I felt such relief.
One unit finished.
Then another.
Then another.
Little by little.
When the Assessment Happened During Work…
The assessment schedule didn’t always match my work schedule perfectly.
And obviously, I couldn’t simply disappear from work every time I had a Finnish oral assessment.
So when one landed during my working hours, I tried to use my break.
But I also needed somewhere quiet.
Somewhere I could speak aloud without colleagues walking past wondering why I was suddenly talking about Finnish weather or asking whether someone had a dog.
😂
So where did I go?
My car.
My Car Became My Finnish Classroom
I still laugh when I remember this.
During my break, I’d go downstairs, get inside my car, close the doors, connect to the online assessment…
and there I was.
In Dubai.
Sitting in a parked car.
Speaking Finnish.
😂
Honestly, the car was perfect.
It was quiet.
I could concentrate.
Nobody interrupted me.
And if my Finnish sounded terrible, nobody else needed to hear it.
Except my teacher.
Unfortunately.
😂
My car became useful even when there wasn’t an assessment.
Sometimes I sat there memorizing words.
Sometimes I practiced sentences aloud.
Sometimes I had entire Finnish conversations with myself.
Looking back, that car probably heard every possible version of incorrect Finnish grammar.
😂
But it never complained.
So thank you, old friend, for being my unofficial Finnish classroom in Dubai.
Following the Weekly Assessment Schedules
We received schedules telling us when the benchmark tasks and other sessions would take place.
Because I belonged to Group SU094F, I learned to look for my group whenever a new schedule appeared.
Those schedules became another part of daily life.
Check work schedule.
Check Finnish schedule.
Figure out how both could fit together.
Repeat.
😅
It wasn’t always easy, but somehow I managed.
What My Finnish Felt Like at the Beginning
My Finnish at the beginning?
Very, very basic.
😂
I could memorize vocabulary.
I could prepare simple answers.
I could introduce myself.
I knew basic questions.
But having a spontaneous conversation?
That was completely different.
I often needed time to translate things inside my head.
Someone would say something.
I’d think:
Okay… what does that mean?
Then:
I know what I want to answer.
Then:
How do I say that in Finnish?
Then:
Which ending do I use?
And by the time my brain had finished processing everything, the conversation could already have moved somewhere else.
😂
But at the beginning, I don’t think the goal needed to be fluency.
I just needed to start.
My First Finnish Didn’t Need to Be Perfect
One thing I understand much better now is that I was probably too worried about mistakes.
When you’re beginning a new language, you want to say everything correctly.
Correct grammar.
Correct pronunciation.
Correct word.
Correct ending.
But Finnish was completely new to me.
How could I expect myself to speak it perfectly?
I couldn’t.
So those first sentences mattered, even when they weren’t perfect.
Minä olen…
Minä asun…
Minulla on…
Those tiny sentences were laying the foundation for everything that came afterward.
Years later, I’m still learning.
But I no longer look at those beginner sentences and think:
That’s too simple.
Instead, I think:
That’s where it started.
One Word Really Did Lead to Another
This is why my older article Learning Finnish: One Word at a Time still means something to me.
That’s honestly how learning happened.
One word became two.
Two words became a phrase.
A phrase became a sentence.
Eventually, those sentences became real conversations.
Not perfect conversations.
Not always grammatically beautiful conversations.
😂
But conversations nevertheless.
Learning Finnish: One Word at a Time
At the time I wrote that older post, I was already looking back at some of these experiences.
Now, through this mini-series, I want to go deeper into what those early months actually looked and felt like.
Did I Ever Think About Giving Up?
There were definitely moments when Finnish felt overwhelming.
Sometimes I looked at grammar tables and wondered how I was ever going to remember everything.
Sometimes I became nervous before an assessment.
Sometimes I probably wished Finnish had fewer endings.
😂
But quitting would have meant walking away from an opportunity before knowing where it might lead.
So I kept studying.
Not because every lesson was easy.
Not because I was naturally good at Finnish.
And certainly not because I knew everything would work out.
I simply kept going because there was a possibility ahead of us.
At that time, every completed unit felt like another tiny step toward that possibility.
From a Dubai Office to Finland
This is probably what amazes me most when I look back.
Back then, I was studying Finnish during little breaks in my office.
Taking assessments inside my car.
Listening to Finnish while driving through Dubai.
Carrying printed reviewers around with me.
Repeating basic sentences.
Trying to understand words I had never heard before.
And I didn’t really know whether any of it would eventually become part of my real life.
Then April 2024 came.
We arrived in Finland.
Suddenly, Finnish wasn’t inside Moodle anymore.
It was outside my front door.
At work.
At daycare.
At the supermarket.
With our neighbors.
Everywhere.
And that’s when a completely different phase of learning began.
What Those Early Months Taught Me
Looking back, I don’t think there was one magical technique that taught me Finnish.
It was a combination of small things.
Making time.
Repeating.
Listening.
Writing.
Printing materials.
Speaking aloud.
Taking assessments.
Being nervous.
Making mistakes.
Trying again.
And most importantly:
not waiting until I felt completely ready.
Because honestly?
I don’t think I ever felt completely ready.
Sometimes you just have to begin with the Finnish you have.
Even if the Finnish you have is:
Minä olen…
😂
Video Source: Silkkitie
This Was Only My Starting Point
The Finnish I learned in Dubai was only the foundation.
Once I arrived in Finland, I discovered another challenge:
the Finnish people actually speak in real life.
😂
And sometimes it sounded very different from the carefully structured Finnish I had been studying.
That part of the story deserves its own post.
This mini-series will continue with more of my personal experiences – the things that confused me, the grammar that tested my patience, words I struggled to pronounce, how I practiced while working, and eventually the methods that actually helped me improve.
For now, Part 5A is simply about where it all began.
Dubai.
2023.
A laptop.
Some printed reviewers.
A very patient car.
And a language I never imagined would eventually become part of my everyday life.
My Finnish Language Journey
If you’re new to this little mini-series, start with the main article:
Main Article – Learning Finnish: The Beginning of My Language Journey
And you’re currently reading:
Part 5A – How I Started Learning Finnish While Working Full-Time in Dubai
Coming next:
Part 5B – Why Learning Finnish Was So Difficult for Me
Then we’ll get into the part where Finnish grammar starts showing its true personality.
😂
You can also read my earlier reflection:
Learning Finnish: One Word at a Time
Final Thoughts
When I look back at those first months of learning Finnish, I don’t remember them as one big moment.
I remember many little ones.
Opening my first lesson.
Writing my first Finnish introduction.
Printing another reviewer.
Trying to memorize vocabulary during a quiet moment at work.
Listening to Finnish inside the car.
Checking Discord for the next assessment schedule.
Feeling nervous before a benchmark task.
Sitting inside my car during a work break and hoping I remembered everything I had studied.
And then feeling so relieved whenever I passed.
None of those moments seemed extraordinary at the time.
They were simply things I needed to do.
But today, from Finland, I can look back and see that those little moments were quietly building something much bigger.
I didn’t learn Finnish in one day.
I didn’t suddenly wake up able to speak it.
And even today, I’m still far from knowing everything.
But every word I learned in Dubai gave me something to build on once Finland became real.
That’s why I don’t underestimate small beginnings anymore.
Sometimes the first step toward a completely different life can look surprisingly ordinary.
Maybe it’s opening a lesson.
Maybe it’s writing:
Minä olen…
Maybe it’s sitting inside a parked car trying to speak Finnish during your lunch break.
😂
You don’t always know where those little efforts will eventually take you.
I certainly didn’t.
But I’m glad I kept going.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
- Vincent van Gogh
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”
- Zechariah 4:10, NLT
Sometimes we become impatient because we want to see the result immediately.
We want to know whether all the time, effort, and sacrifices we’re making will eventually lead somewhere.
But when I started learning Finnish, I didn’t have that certainty.
All I could do was work with what was in front of me.
One lesson.
One assessment.
One new word.
One little step at a time.
Looking back now, I’m reminded that beginnings don’t have to look impressive to become meaningful.
Sometimes we simply have to start, stay patient, and trust that today’s small effort may become part of tomorrow’s bigger story.
A Note About My Finnish Course
This post describes my personal experience with Finnish-language training in 2023 as part of the recruitment pathway I joined through Silkkitie and NLRC.
Course structures, platforms, assessment methods, schedules, recruitment arrangements, and requirements may have changed since then. This article is my personal story rather than a description of their current program.
