Description

How does a young woman from Lappeenranta, Finland, end up building a life in Riga, Latvia, and why did a single gap year stretch into over a decade?

In this opening episode, Sirkka introduces herself in her own words, using the warm and melodic patterns of her native Eastern Finnish dialect. She describes her transition from a nineteen-year-old newcomer in Latvia to a qualified dentist and business owner who has now lived in the country for thirteen years. This introductory chapter is designed for those who want to practise spoken Finnish in a way that feels authentic, moving beyond the rigid structures of a traditional classroom.

Sirkka’s story is one of curiosity and contrasts. While she is a disciplined professional and a talented multi-instrumentalist—mastering the piano, clarinet, and accordion since childhood—she also shares her more relatable, human side. You will hear about her attempts to pick up the saxophone as an adult, her love for cross-country skiing, and her amusingly specific reasons for avoiding the sea, from the fear of nipping fish to the dreaded sting of a jellyfish. Sirkka also shares her background in six different languages, discussing how her linguistic world has grown from school subjects to the languages of her adult life, including her current motivation for studying Lithuanian and Romanian.

As the foundation of the series, this episode provides an immersive opportunity for Finnish listening practise through a monologue that is personal, spontaneous, and lightly humorous. It offers a natural introduction to regional speech and the rhythm of everyday conversation. The package includes an audio recording, a full transcript, a Finnish-English vocabulary list, detailed explanations of dialectal features, multiple-choice questions, and a complete answer key. This listening exercise lasts approximately 3 minutes and 30 seconds and is primarily designed for learners at upper A2 to early B1 level. Learners at A2 level can understand the main points, while B1 learners will benefit from the natural flow and extended descriptions.

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