Learning new things at work makes me a professional

Suraj Lamichhane from Nepal wants to learn to speak Finnish. He works at SOL Palvelut as a service provider responsible for Inex cleaning in Sipoo and spends a lot of his free time learning the language of his new home country. He listens to a lot of educational videos and practises pronunciation. The interview is conducted partly in English, but from the sentences that Suraj says in Finnish, it is clear that his voca- bulary is already extensive and that he speaks good Finnish

-Finnish is a challenging language to learn because the written and spoken languages are so different, he says.

Another problem is the quiet nature of the Finns. Finns do not talk to strangers, so it is hard to practise.

At the workplace, Suraj has also received help in studying the Finnish language, as his colleagues have taught him phrases that interest him. At work, the working language is English, because many people in the workplace have different native languages.

28-year-old Suraj came to Finland via Dubai. He has lived in Finland since 2018. He began working at SOL and the Inex logistics centre in 2022.

-I worked as a cleaner before starting at SOL. The onboarding process to my current job was great, and I can now say that I feel like a professional. I learned a lot during the onboarding and training process. Cleaning is not as easy as many people think; it requires knowledge of many things. When I learn something new about the profession at work, it makes me a professional, he says.

Suraj thanks his supervisor for good leadership.

-I also like my work at SOL because we are treated really well in the workplace. The supervisor is kind to us and you can always ask them for advice if you are unsure of something.

All in all, Suraj finds that Finns are very friendly

-In Finland, things are handled really well, and people want to help. I have not encountered racism, for instance, he says

-Finland is beautiful and the climate is nice. In Dubai, for example, the working conditions were really hot. Although Nepal is not as cold as Finland, the houses get cold in winter. Finnish homes are always warm and comfortable.

In addition to work and language studies, video calls to Nepal are an integral part of Suraj’s everyday life. He calls his mother back at home every day. He last visited his home village in rural Nepal four years ago.

I’m proud of my home region and my parents. I want to thank them for raising me well.