Jirina Alanko
Mebe
English
Helsinki is lively, but not crowded.
“Helsinki is my whole life, a lovely and wonderful city. The locals in Helsinki are nice, and life here is good. In this city, it is possible to succeed as an event producer and performer,” says comedian Mebe, 35.
When talking about Helsinki, he emphasises how safe the city is: here you can walk in peace.
“In many cities around the world, street hustlers and pickpockets are a big problem. In Helsinki, you don’t even think about pickpockets.”
According to Mebe, life in Helsinki is also made easier by the fact that all the technology is modern and things work well. Buses and trains usually run on time, and they are well maintained.
Mebe and his family moved to Finland from Kurdistan in the 1990s. He has lived in Rastila in East Helsinki for 15 years, and today he has another apartment in Pihlajisto in North Helsinki.
Mebe has been a stand-up comedian for almost 11 years. In autumn 2018, he founded his own comedy club, “Suomen hauskimmat mamut” (The funniest immigrants in Finland). He is also a familiar face on TV, appearing on comedy shows and series. His TikTok account, KoomikkoMebe, has 14,000 followers.
According to him, Helsinki is a cheerful place from a migrant's point of view.
“There is just enough life here. Helsinki is not as quiet a place as Northern Finland, which I find generally depressing. I once went to Utsjoki, and the centre of town was nothing more than one street sign.”
Compared to the world’s metropolises, Helsinki is a small city, but it still offers all the services and events of a capital, Mebe points out.
“Helsinki is lively, but not crowded. There are not too many people, so you don’t have to climb onto the roof of the train if you want a seat.”
If friends were travelling to Finland from abroad, Mebe would urge them to visit East Helsinki.
“There are a lot of different restaurants, interesting and fun events, and a good amount of nature here. East Helsinki has everything a person needs. It’s beautiful in the East, and you can easily get here from the city centre by metro.”
Mebe points out one of the advantages of Helsinki that is perhaps less often considered: affordable, unlimited internet.
“Finland is one of the few places in the world where you can get unlimited internet for only 13 to 20 euros per month. Tourists can also buy an unlimited prepaid subscription for around 24 euros.”
Text: Elisa Helenius
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Mebe’s favourite places in Helsinki
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This restaurant sells Middle Eastern dishes, such as lentil soup, kubba and shish kebabs. It has very good service and great food, and Middle Eastern music plays in the background. The price of the main dish always includes a salad buffet and black tea. The whole experience is nice. After eating, it’s nice to stay a while just to drink tea and chat. We Middle Easterners are often very social, and I can chat in restaurants with unknown customers and employees without hesitation, and no one thinks I'm weird. I recommend the shish kebab and chicken portion, or half a chicken with rice and bean sauce. The portions cost less than ten euros each.
This has to be the main destination for those hungry for knowledge right in the heart of Helsinki. I can proudly recommend Oodi to tourists, as it is definitely worth a visit. In Oodi, you can do much more than borrow books, such as shoot video podcasts, play computer games use a 3D printer. When you walk past Oodi, the architecture itself is a wow experience.
Many events are organised at Stoa in Itäkeskus, including my own comedy club, “Suomen hauskimmat mamut” (The funnies immigrants in Finland) – tickets are sold out every time! Stoa also hosts many other cultural events, and it also houses the large Itäkeskus library.
Kamppi Centre is a public transport terminal and shopping mall that has many different clothing stores. I once bought some nice footwear from ECCO Shoes, and when I needed a new pair later, I bought the same ones. I also usually arrange Tinder dates at Kamppi Centre because it’s a safe, public place.
This cinema complex at the Itis shopping mall is stylish and boasts the only IMAX theatre in Finland, complete with a massive, curved screen. Itis is easy to get to by metro or bus, and there is plenty of space for cars in the parking garage. I have seen many movies at Finnkino Itis Helsinki. I went there once with my wife to watch the new Top Gun movie, but our seats were too close to the big screen, so our necks started to hurt already during the commercials. The movie hadn’t started yet, so we jumped up to move back to some empty seats. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that those seats were taken. The screening was completely sold out, so we ended up watching the movie sitting on the steps of the auditorium!
This restaurant is owned by a Kurdish family and has a menu that transports you to Italy and Turkey. I myself go to the restaurant in Herttoniemi, but they have another restaurant in Vantaa. I love Herttoniemi anyway! It’s nice to walk by the sea there. It is an ideal place for a walking date.