After my thread about Finland (

https://twitter.com/freetonik/status/1210142793110343682

), many asked to write about other places I lived in: Kazakhstan, Canada, Russia.

Let's start! One like — one interesting fact about growing up in Uralsk, a small town in Western Kazakhstan.

(gonna be partly sad though) 1. I was born on June 22, 1988, in Soviet Union, which was about to collapse. 90s, mass unemployment, poverty, crime, drugs. I lived with my grandmother while my parents made regular train trips to Russia to sell fish on the streets of Orenburg.

I want to take this opportunity and share some advice to myself for 2020 and the next decade. I am not smart or experienced in life, so every small bit counts.

Maybe, these could be useful to someone else, too.

Thread 1. Business relations are as important and high-stakes as marriage. Do not "partner up" on a whim. Do not just engage with someone who seems cool.

Collaboration is fantastic, but finding the right people to collaborate with is hard. Maybe even harder than finding a life partner

Let's do this.
One like – one interesting thing about living in Finland as a foreigner. 1. Finland is a bad place to learn Finnish :D 99% of people (at least in the south) speak better English than I ever hope to speak Finnish. BUT! If you resist the temptation to switch, many Finns will slow down and naturally help you practice.