The business of motherhood for an expat
I'm Daniela. I'm an expat living in Helsinki since two years ago. First thing I did when I moved to Helsinki was to look for the familiar activities/events I used to do back home, in Bucharest/Romania.
I was overjoyed when I found out that there is a group of Mothers in Business, so it felt just right for me to attend some of my first events hosted by MiB, in a city where I still didn't knew anyone. Because where else can someone like me enjoy the perks of motherhood in a business environment?
Fast forward two years later and an opportunity presented to me where I would attend an event as a representative of MiB.
“Because where else can someone like me enjoy the perks of motherhood in a business environment?”
The event was Espoo Career Bootcamp (an one-day career development event that gathers together nearly 200 highly educated international professionals, both new-comers and long-timers, as well as service providers in Finland), organized by Espoo Talent Hub, for the fifth time.
I loved being there, on the other side of the table and being able to answer people's curiosity about what exactly MiB do?
When I replied to them that our main focus is creating a society where work and family are part of everyday life, not only they were somehow relived to find out that an organization like this exists, but they were also excited to start attending these events where they're allowed to bring the children as well.
But beside answering this important question, I also participated in all the workshops and loved listening to other people's job path in Finland.
“...they were also excited to start attending these events where they’re allowed to bring the children as well.”
I've encountered some old acquaintances, like my mentors from the Auroras Verkosto, as well as new ones such as my mentor from The Shortcut (Spark Program- entrepreneurship course).
What brought me the most joy was the fact that I was able to actually help a few persons by connecting them with someone they needed for developing their own business further. I knew I had this capability back home, but to be able to find out that I can still do that also in a new culture and environment, that brought some sense of personal accomplishment.
This is our second expat life experience and we're enjoying it a lot.
The highlight of this one day event was when someone from Business Espoo asked me if I would be interested in representing MiB at their event in October. I have the confidence now, a confidence I thought it to be lost, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll end up.
It took me two years to have the courage and self confidence to start being more active in this kind of events that bring me joy for being helpful for others at the beginning of their Finnish adventure. It took me almost two years to start creating and writing again on my own blog too, so maybe that's the time I needed to finally feel completely at ease and at home in this not so new country anymore, for me.
Whatever your story may be, be assured that you're not alone, you can always reach out to other mothers, such as yourself, who have to combine motherhood with business. For some us this may happen sooner after the relocation, or later, no one knows exactly what "soon" and "late" mean. They have a different time frame for each one of us.
I've been an expat for 8 years now (I've lived in Turkey before), I can totally relate to managing motherhood in a foreign country from baby years until teens now. It's not getting easier as the children grow up, but it's not getting harder. It is exactly what it is supposed to be for each one of us.
Enjoy your motherhood in Finland with Mothers in Business!
Join us as an active volunteer: https://www.mothersinbusiness.fi/vapaaehtoiseksi
The writer, Daniela Durbaca is a teenager's mom and relocated to Helsinki with her family in 2023.
You can find more of Daniela's life and experiences on her newly opened blog page: https://substack.com/@danieladurbaca , where she writes about life for an expat family in Finland, travel posts and cultural ones (for adults and children)
