A Perfect match

Priscila Da Silva, who moved from Spain to Kuopio for work, found exactly what she had been looking for in the city.

Originally from Córdoba, Priscila Da Silva first visited Kuopio in the summer of 2022. Her Spanish friend was living in Kuopio and working for a biopharmaceutical company called Finvector. Having moved from Brazil to Spain as a child, Da Silva decided to visit her friend in Kuopio for a vacation, as she wanted to see what Finland was like.

“I fell in love with Finland from the very first moments,” Da Silva recalls.

“I immediately thought Kuopio was very cute. The quality of life here seemed good, the technology was high-level, and the culture was fascinating.”

The following year, her friend contacted her again. A position had opened up in her team, and she suggested that Da Silva apply for it. Since Da Silva wasn’t feeling fulfilled in her current administrative job, she said yes and applied to Finvector.

“I had already studied web development, coding, and programming in Spain, so I was very interested in the field. Additionally, I had been looking for a new job, and moving to another country for work had been feeling like the right step for some time.”

Just a couple of months after the job interview, Da Silva moved to Kuopio to work as a systems specialist. She had already mentally prepared for the move, and it went smoothly. It also helped that she had previously visited Kuopio and had a friend there.

“I integrated into Finland quite easily. I always say that my personality and Finnish culture are a perfect match – like on Tinder,” she laughs.

Although the first few months were seen through rose-colored glasses, the challenges of the new life eventually emerged. Da Silva explains how Spaniards are social, express their emotions easily, and touching others is common. In Finland, however, people are not as social, don’t show their emotions as openly, and touching is rare. It took her a while to get used to it, but now she even appreciates this aspect of Finnish culture.

She especially values the work culture. In Spain, she felt that there was too much work, and people burned out quickly. In Finland, at her workplace, the workload is realistic, and at the end of the day, she doesn’t feel completely exhausted – she still has energy for hobbies. Da Silva has just started rock climbing as a new hobby. She is also planning to study IT engineering next year at Savonia University of Applied Sciences.

Da Silva’s future is firmly rooted in Kuopio. She enjoys living there, and her job situation is secure. She warmly recommends Kuopio as a place to live for others as well. She says even the winters are easy to get used to – even for Spaniards.

Also, check out Priscilla’s video story (by FinVector)

Text: Akiola-Media Oy / Niina Linna
Photos: Priscila Da Silva