Satu Rämö on the Fascinating Differences Between Finland and Iceland

Satu Rämö was born and raised in Finland, but has been living in Iceland for almost 20 years. She shares a lot about her life in Iceland with Finnish people and she has a huge following in Finland. I think it is safe to say that she is the official Finn in Iceland, as well as a creative entrepreneur, author and social media nerd.

I met Satu through her husband Björgvin. He and I used to work at the same company. One day I was talking about the trials and tribulations of learning Icelandic and Björgvin said that his wife had gone through it and I should read her book, which is titled “My Journey to Iceland: 10 Crazy years and I am still here”. It was so interesting to learn about her life, the different cultural adjustments, how she met her husband and so much more.

During the interview we talked about a variety of topics. Of course one of the questions had to do with the differences she has noticed between Iceland and Finland. To connect with Satu on Instagram, her account is @satu_ramo.

Questions I Asked Satu Rämö During the Interview

You’re from Finland and I’m just curious about what brought you to Iceland?

Your book, which is titled, “My Journey to Iceland: 10 Crazy years and I am still here”, which was published in 2016, gives a good timeline of your journey here. One story that stuck out to me is when you met some Icelanders who were on vacation. It was during the economic boom in Iceland, so Icelanders were spending money like crazy. What was it like to be in the country before the economic meltdown?

What are some surprising cultural differences that you observed between Finnish and Icelandic people when you started living here?

Finnish, like Icelandic, is considered a difficult language to learn. What was it like learning Icelandic here?

Do you have any advice for people that are learning the language or who want to learn it?

You have a large following in Finland. What is the perception of Iceland in Finland?

And vice versa, what do Icelandic people think of Finnish people?

You and your family moved from downtown Reykjavík to Ísafjörður in the Westfjords last year. What inspired you to make that move and what is life like for you in a smaller town?

What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

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