All posts by chivacongelado

in english

“We changed the world and then we fucked up the endgame”

2 Comments

On a recent flight I saw Charlie Wilson's War, and it brought to the silver screen (or LCD, in this case) a couple of interesting points.  We already knew that for the Soviets the invasion of Afghanistan was an equivalent of the Vietnam War for the Americans, but I didn't know that many details (still sketchy, after all, it's only a movie) on the American covert operations there.

The movie is funny and well-paced, but one thing that I would have liked to see more is a better job at bringing home the point that some of the "freedom fighters" of the 80's became the "terrorists" of the 2000's due to neglect.

Interestingly enough, I remember some of the newsclips shown in the film, even though then I was a small kid.

in english

Banking as a foreigner

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From my experience, I would say that in general Finland has a very modern, developed banking system.  I haven't seen a cheque since I moved here (thank the Lord), and you can handle most of your affairs electronically.  Personal service is not as consistent.

In general, over the counter service is pretty friendly and at the bank you also have access to an advisor.  The issue I encountered, however, was when checking with other banks about mortgage options.  Whereas my bank treated me really well, the same was not repeated when checking out with another.  Although I understand perfectly (especially with the current economic climate) why they would be cautious, some of the reactions from the bank representative puzzled me a little bit.

We were discussing our background and when we mentioned that I am also educated her answer was something along the lines of "Really?".  When she asked for my profession she was also rather sceptic, but the one that really made me unease about the whole deal was when she asked for my job title, as she suggested "So, are you an assistant?" which was completely out of line with what I had told her about my professional experience, meaning that basically she didn't believe anything I said, even though all of that is easily cross-referenceable, e.g. my income.

When I mentioned the issue to my mates, they suggested that I shouldn't have spoken Finnish to the person at all even though I'm fluent.  I wonder what kind of prejudices kicked in?

in english

Immigrant entrepreneurs

4 Comments

I've read a couple of stories about immigrants and their children starting up their own companies here in Finland, especially in the service sector.  There are two companies whose services I use that are founded by immigrants: my barber (Figaro barbers in the corner of Albertinkatu & Uudenmaankatu, Helsinki) and one of my favourite fast-food places (Habibi Lebanese cuisine in Forum, Helsinki).

Given the simple facts that there are quite many barriers to open a business (capital investment required, cultural, regulatory, etc) I find their belief in their success quite admirable.

I'm just waiting to see when would somebody open a proper Mexican restaurant, as the stuff hereabouts is Tex-Mex.  Maybe I'll have to do it when I retire.  Mole poblano and tacos al pastor anyone?

in english

Grunge

I was recently in the cradle of Grunge, but 15 years on, didn't really see much of it when I was there (I didn't visit the Experience Music Project then, so that's for sure a reason). 

The climate, however, made me understand immediately why such a sound would find its origin there since it is pretty similar to what is found in the Nordic countries and as you may know hereabouts heavy metal, which can also be kind of depressing, is very popular.

I was very excited to visit the place of origin of bands I've liked since my teenage years, such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam & Foo Fighters, but I was not able to attend any gigs.

in english

Dependent on cars


Dependent on cars
Originally uploaded by Chiva Congelado

I don’t have a car. I used to, but sold it when I moved to Brussels and when I came back I didn’t really see the need for it, since in the Helsinki metro area we tend to have pretty decent public transportation.
it was not a surprise, but definitely a noticeable difference to see that the city of Seattle (as many other cities in the United States) is built around the car, to the extent that you get commuting times in the local news right after the weather report.
No surprise the price of oil has everybody up in arms.