In English – Oulu through the lens of an outsider

TEXT by Minne Mäki & Adeyemi Adebayo PICTURES by Adeyemi Adebayo ILLUSTRATION by Tuuli Heikura

Oulu insiders and outsiders

Every year, around 9500 people move to and around 9000 people move out of Oulu. Statistics tell us that most people both come here and leave because of work. When moving to a new district, the biggest questions seem to be asked first: What is this place like? After a while, the question starts to become more precise: What is this place like for me? The same applies to the moment of departure: What was this place like for me? What are the memories I’ve shared with these streets and their people? As outsiders of the city, we shared a few mundane moments with Oulu residents, asking these questions. Little by little, they add up to become a tiny but accurate fraction of stories that tell us what it is like to be here: What it is like to arrive, wanting to leave or having stayed your entire life.

Mirjami

“When I was 18, I didn’t have any plans for the future. Everyone around me was working or studying, and I was doing nothing. In an attempt to find myself, I went volunteering in the Netherlands. I was really lost, but found out that I was able to survive. It was a turning point for me, as I understood that I have to take responsibility for myself. When I came back, I started studying to become a hairdresser. I soon realized I loved working with my hands. I like seeing the result of my work right away. Now, I’m not so uncertain about the future anymore. I see myself doing this for a long time.

In the Netherlands, people are a bit more open than in Finland, they look you in the eye and are really good with small talk. I started getting used to it, it was refreshing. But sometimes, in situations where everyone was talking a lot, they might ask me whether I was super shy. I answered no. I just didn’t have anything to say.

Having come back from the Netherlands, there are some things I see differently. I worked with refugee kids and people from the Middle East and Africa. We had this one young kid who had only lived in the Netherlands for two weeks. He was struggling because he didn’t know the language and everything had changed so quickly for him. It opened my eyes, because people actually had to leave their homes even though they didn’t want to. It made me realize that even if my own problems feel big, they are not.”

“I have been in Oulu for 78 years. Ten years I worked in Simo. But other than that I’ve always been here.

Over the years, Oulu has changed so much. When I was a little girl, we were thinking about näköpuhelin (visual phones) and we thought that it could never be made possible, and now we are here. Back then, Oulu had 20.000 inhabitants. Now, it’s over 200.000. To me, one of the most striking changes is that nowadays there are people here from all nationalities. When I was small, everyone in Oulu was white. I am happy that Oulu has become less parochial. Nowadays we are less curled up into our own culture and are influenced by others.

I have travelled a lot, which has been wonderful. You know that you are not in Oulu anymore when people are talking all the time. It has been hard for me to learn how to talk to others because here in Oulu, we sit and read and are quiet.

I come and sit here often. I like to look at people. But still I rather look at them than talk to them.”

Maria & Elia

“In summer, life in Oulu is getting better. When the sun starts to shine, the birds start to sing and everything is green, it gives some energy to go forward. You get some life around you.

I’m Russian, but I’ve lived here for 11 years. I don’t think I will go back. Russia is not my place to be. I wouldn’t fit into Russian stereotypes. In Finland, I can express myself and I have a lot more chances to be what I want to be and do what I want, even though I don’t know what that is yet. I like art, so maybe something with art and people.

I like Finland a lot, but there are loads of things that need to be fixed. Like mental health care. For young people it is really important to get help right away. Now you need to wait way too long. There’s also a lot of sexism and racism, and trans rights need to be changed. It’s embarrassing to live in a country where many things are so good but still don’t have these simple things fixed. Growing up here is really good, but I feel like I belong somewhere else, to a bigger city. Somewhere, where there are more opportunities.“

“We met at dance practise. We both dance k-pop. Dancing makes me feel the music and express everything that I hear. It lets you be free, it combines art, sports and other people. I also express myself by drawing when I’m feeling bad. It clears my mind and makes me feel better after, refreshed.

I’ve always liked trying different clothing styles. I’m inspired by fictional characters, like rats and fairies. I like recreating them in the real world, use a lot of make up. Today, for example, I feel like a princess. This style is called Yami Kawaii (Scary Cute). It raises awareness of mental illness and being suicidal. I dress up like this as a statement to make it less a taboo.”

Party girls

“I feel like leaving Oulu already, because I’ve lived here my whole life. And it’s not that big. Luckily, next year I’m doing a high school exchange in Belgium.

Because of the pandemic, there is not too much to do. No parties or anything. I just hang out with my friends. Well, there would be things to do but I don’t have the money for it. If I had the money, I would eat sushi every day, and pizza. And go to the movies. I like the art museum too. That’s free of charge for minors so we actually go there. It’s this sciency place and they have these weird exhibits there.

When I grow up, I want to live here during the summer and be somewhere else for the rest of the year. In the winter, I get seasonal depression from the darkness. There can be days that I don’t see the sun at all. I hate that. I’d like to live in Berlin someday.”

Helena

“I’ve lived near Oulu all my life. I grew up in Muhos. It’s a smaller community 30 kilometers from Oulu which has about 6,000 people. When I was a kid, Oulu was the exciting place. First, we came here with our parents. To shop or eat in a restaurant. As a teenager, we came shopping by train or the bus all by ourselves. Oulu was the big city. After living in a small town, it was a big deal to move here for my studies.

Now, I live in the countryside again and mostly come to Oulu for work. Every now and then, we come here with the kids. We were here a few days ago, when the weather was beautiful. We went to a big playground and I could see their excitement. They are astonished by all the people and shops in the city center. Those are normal things to children who grow up in the city and, of course, if you compare it to bigger cities like Helsinki, or real big cities like London, Oulu is a very peaceful place. But for those who have always lived in a small community, it’s exciting.”

Shakeel

“I’m studying for my Masters in Business. I’ve been here for just over 2 years now. I’m from London and I didn’t want to start working right after I graduated my Bachelor’s degree. There was a postgraduate fair in my previous university, I didn’t have any plans so I went there and the University of Oulu had a stand. I spoke to a representative who seemed very happy. I had no idea where it was but the fact that it was an obscure location made it feel interesting. I did a bit more research and ended up here. I didn’t have any expectations, though I obviously knew it was going to be cold. I came in September, 2018. I had a few weeks of decent weather but then, I was like “holy shit”. The winter really hit me hard. I was indoors, eating, getting fat. But it

turned out alright, I just had to find things to do.

I remember speaking to a Danish course mate who had a few friends in Finland. She told me it’s hard to make friends here. Luckily, in my course, we had a good mix of Finns and international students, so I wasn’t the only one and it was easier to adjust. I have friends and people I’ve been hanging out with but I’m in my third year, so most of my course mates and friends have graduated. I’ve been doing my own thing for the last few months, working delivering food. I’m doing it on my bike, riding all over the center, wearing a pink jacket.”

Fisher Wisam

“I’ve been coming to this particular fishing spot for the past 2 years. I’ve caught loads of fish.

I left Iraq about 8 year ago. It wasn’t safe there. First, I went to Syria and Turkey. Then, I went to Algeria, and to Macedonia, and to Hungary, Serbia, Austria, then Germany, Denmark and finally Sweden before ending up in Finland 5 years ago. It took a long time and a lot of money. It was hard to stay in all those countries without legal documents. We only stayed in camps. Eat, sleep and repeat.

After being in Finland for two years as a refugee, I had got 2 or 3 negative responses to my residence application. I ended up finding a girlfriend, we got married and were able to stay here. I work with a cleaning company. I don’t like the job but it pays good money. In my country, you work for 8 hours and you earn almost nothing.

I’ll get my Finnish passport in 4 years. I might move somewhere else then. Here, it’s cold for most of the year and nothing really happens. I’m thinking of moving to Spain. It’s a little different and much warmer. Or maybe I’ll move to Australia.”

“What can you say about a place you’ve lived in your whole life? I like it here. The summer is too short. That’s pretty much my only complaint. But Oulu is a good place to live if you ask me.

I work for the university’s botanical gardens. I enjoy the work very much. I’ve been working for 2 years here now. Before, I was a farmer, milking cows in Kiiminki. I did that with my ex-wife for about 8 years, but we didn’t get enough money from it. When you have cows, you are occupied every single morning and evening, you never have a weekend off. After getting this job, what I do here, I’m never going back. It gives me so much freedom. This is the most satisfying work I’ve done.

My ex wife and I split up six months ago, after being together for 20 years. I’m with somebody new now. I’m happy now, and feel my ex was never the right person for me. Still, the break up was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to experience, fighting and dividing our property. The last fight we had was about the children. Now they live with me every other week.”

Netta

“Finns are awesome people from April to September. But from September to April, when it’s cold and dark, nobody is in the mood to talk or be outside.

I work in a children’s home and it’s one of the best things that has happened to me. I’ve been working there for three and a half years now. The children come from such different backgrounds, so they react to the home’s circumstances very differently. They are the best and the most annoying people in the world. Working with them has opened a whole new world to me.

I was quite young when we moved from Kuopio to Oulu. We moved here because of my parents’ work. At the time, my father was a mechanic for planes, so we moved to Oulunsalo, the airport area. My mom still lives in Oulu and my father, I don’t really know, we don’t keep in touch.

He has mental issues and was violent when me and my siblings were kids, so when my parents divorced three years ago, I decided I didn’t want to keep in touch. They were always arguing and fighting. After that, they might not talk to each other for two weeks and dad wouldn’t talk to us either. He always took medicine and did therapy, but they didn’t change anything. I think he has always been that way because he had his own issues in childhood. Once, he said he has a monster living in his head that he can’t control. Still, I remember he had a great sense of humor. He joked about everything when he was in a good mood. That was a great thing about him.

I think it’s really bad to get used to violence. Now, because of my past and because I don’t like disappointments, I try to live in the moment. It’s the easier choice for me because I’m scared of making plans that don’t come true. Still, I hope to get into university to study Biochemistry. If not, I’ll apply abroad. For now, I’ve applied to Oulu and Jyvaskylä. Staying in Oulu would be the easiest for me. I could go to school and continue working.”

Bus driver

“Me and my family moved to Oulu from Västra Götaland, the south of Sweden, because my wife is from here and she needed to take care of her mother. I had lived in Götaland ever since I was nine years old. Because of the pandemic, I haven’t been to Sweden in two years.

Compared to Swedes, people in Oulu are quite reserved, but luckily not everyone. In Oulu, I work as a bus driver. In regular buses I’m only driving people who are in the bus for such a short time that there is no time for talking. Before, I used to drive handicapped people and seniors. That was more sociable and because I usually drove the same people, we were able to build relationships. I liked listening to old people. They had a lot of stories.

When I was younger I ran marathons, but I have run enough. Now I like to walk in the Iinatti forests. Still, I miss Swedish nature. There, spring comes earlier and winter comes later. I have somehow adjusted to the Nordic winters, but still I’m freezing like a little pig.”

In Oulu, the weather is not only an effortless subject of conversation. It is a condition that materializes in all divisions of Northern life. It seems such a comprehensive matter that no statement about the city can disregard the meaning of light and temperature. Winters might come as a shock, they might exhaust the body of its resources or, to some, cold and lightless times allow a yearned space of hibernation. Still, weather conditions leave no one indifferent. Furthermore, like temperatures changing, Oulu bears a constant tension of transitions based on the longing of something bigger, something more peaceful, something warmer, something new, or someone. •

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