'Paving the Way' Handbook - ICMC

34
Jo was arrested, interrogated and detained
by the Myanmar regime for his role in the
student uprising that shook Yangon in
December 1996. He was released from
prison in April 1997. In July 1997 he left
Burma and travelled to Bangkok where he
worked for an NGO until his resettlement to
Finland in December 2000.
Jo
What were your initial impressions of
Finland?
We arrived in the quiet little town of
Kuopio in central Finland a day before
Christmas 2000. We received a very
warm welcome from Kuopio social
services. For each family there was a sizable flat, some
good second-hand furniture, complete with beddings, and
pots and pans and utensils. Even cooking oil and rice were in
the kitchen.
REFUGEE PROFILE
Seeing the snow for the first time was exhilarating, but the
cold of -24 C was something we were not really prepared
for. For example, we should have been informed about the
need for the long johns in the European winter.
What support in Finland was most useful?
In addition to financial allowance, there was an excellent
language course that had kept me busy the first 18
months. There was also a job placement programme, which
I completed as a research assistant to a professor of
sociology at the University in the summer of 2002.
You have been in Finland for 10 years, what have been some of the
biggest difficulties?
Socializing in the Finnish society was the biggest challenge
but we came to Finland in a small community and were
able to assist each other in adapting to our new country.