What does a Greek man do in Finland? This is what people used to ask Manos Kyriazis a few decades ago when he decided to leave Greece and settle down in Helsinki, Finland. He had never imagined that today many Greeks would come in Finland and ask for a job at his Greek restaurant.

“I was a sailor, and 40 years ago I decided to stay in Helsinki. I have not regretted it, I had a good life. The best thing is that my children managed to finish their studies; my son has a PhD in Chemistry. At first it was difficult, especially when I came to Finland, things were much harder. But I got used to the weather,” says to protothema.gr.

Mr. Kyriazis said that things are difficulty there too, since the country is in recession and government has made many cuts, but at the same time Finland is a state that cares about its citizens providing important facilities and an excellent education system. The major complaint of most people is the extremely high cost of living: “Just to give you an example, my restaurant rent is 22,000 euros!” Mr. Kyriazis said.

His restaurant ‘Minos’ is located at the shopping center Kampii and many Greeks and Finns choose it for its excellent quality of food.

Lately many Greeks who have moved to Finland are seeking for a job in his restaurant. “The number of Greeks coming in distant Finland has been increased due to economic crisis. There are a lot of people who come and ask for a job. Not only Greeks, but also Albanians” Mr. Kyriazis said.

While a few years ago seeing a Greek man in Finland was not that common, now more than 1,000 Greeks have moved there searching for a better life.