Essi’s wanderlust turned into working from home in Seinäjoki

“I settled in Seinäjoki after many detours. If anyone had said to me a few years ago that I would move to South Ostrobothnia, I would have thought they were joking. I believe however, that everything has a reason and life guides you to the right place and time. I have always been curious by nature and gone where life takes me.

After my studies in 2016 I wanted to see the world. I sold my possessions, packed my life into two suitcases and moved for a few months to Sydney, Australia. From there, my journey continued, for work reasons, to Bangkok, Thailand. After seven months in Bangkok I spent almost a year working in Torrevieja, Spain. I was excited about exceeding myself, and I was charmed with the pulse of big cities, but soon I began to miss Finnish space and clean nature. I moved back to Finland’s capital area.

However, after a few years I noticed that the capital area started to feel cramped. Continually travelling by metro, especially during corona, really started to be oppressive. The capital area’s expensive living costs and the lack of peaceful nature trails often got me thinking about what it would be like living elsewhere in Finland. I had already worked partially from home for a few months, so I was not chained to a location. 

Living in different places I have learnt that daily life is always daily life, no matter where in the world you are.

Then I met my current partner, who lives in Seinäjoki. The idea of moving to his hometown felt natural. The stars were aligned to deliver my longing for peace. Seinäjoki’s nature and ease of living, and of course my partner, stole my heart. Currently I work for a very flexible company. Luckily, I received the green light from my manager to work solely from home. So, with that new-found freedom, I came to Seinäjoki

Living in different places I have learnt that daily life is always daily life, no matter where in the world you are. The short distances in Seinäjoki and the city’s compact size, do however make daily life nicer. On workdays, it is refreshing to walk with my dog along the river, or to have lunch with new friends. After work it is only a few minutes cycle to the gym or yoga. Numerous nature trails are under a 10-minutes’ drive away. It has been easy to settle in Seinäjoki, as people are wonderfully genuine and have welcomed me with open arms. Complete strangers breezily greet me in the stairwell, and outside people stop to chat while I am walking my dog. New and refreshing from the anonymity of living in the capital area.”

Essi