I grew up in Canada and after several years abroad settled here. My father was born in Finland and my wife and I only visited various welcoming relatives there for the first time last year.

Canada is vast and diverse, and so are its peoples. There’s however a strain of Americanism which is mostly unavoidable, except perhaps in Quebec which is French-speaking and culturally distinct. Finland on the other hand is homogeneous in comparison in both geography and people. It’s more egalitarian with better public services overall, more people-oriented and less materialistic. The cost of living is not really higher in the Helsinki area than in southern Ontario, where we live. We wouldn’t hesitate to relocate to Finland except for our inability to speak Finnish.

Leonard Cohen once said, “I love the country but I can’t stand the scene,” and I guess that applies to my relationship to Canada. I find Finnish culture familiar and comfortable and if I could choose between Helsinki and Toronto, I’d move to Helsinki in a heartbeat, and my wife (who’s from Japan) agrees.