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How I Learned Finnish Fast as an Adult Immigrant (and Why I Started a Language Learning Podcast)

Oheneba "Ohe" Poku-Marboah
July 5, 2025
How I Learned Finnish Fast as an Adult Immigrant (and Why I Started a Language Learning Podcast)

I have been having a slowly growing burning feeling in the back of my head to do something for a while now, especially to help other immigrants learn Finnish and thrive in Finland. I think it started when I heard of the concept of reparenting oneself, i.e., providing for yourself the physical and emotional needs you wish you had as a child but didn't receive. In noticing the need for me to do that, I realized that even though I am 27 years old, I still feel like a child who has no idea what to do with all the incoming flow of decisions I need to make. I thought adults had all the answers, but nope, here I am in adulthood, still not knowing anything. A kid in an adult's body - I am sure a lot of you can relate.

Well, hold on a minute; does that mean my parents' shortcomings were for the same reason? They were living that episode of their life for the first time. Parenting me, parenting my siblings, living in a country where they didn’t understand Finnish, struggling with the same challenges many adult immigrants learning Finnish face today, buying a house, graduating from their master's, starting a business, attempting a PhD - all for the first time.

So I have been wanting to create things that would have helped my parents if I had been their friend when they were my age, having just moved to Finland. Something that would have enabled them not just to survive in Finland but to thrive in Finland. There were a few things I would want to do to help internationals living in Finland adjust better and succeed, such as providing language learning aids and education about real estate, among others. That is why I decided to create this limited language learning podcast series: How I Learned Finnish - with Ohe.

To be clear, this helps anyone learn a new language - not just Finnish. This podcast project aims to help immigrants in Finland not only survive but also thrive by improving their language skills. Through storytelling, it explores what it takes to achieve adult fluency in one of the world's most difficult languages: Finnish.

🎧 Listen/Watch "How I Learned Finnish - with Ohe" via this link: https://www.howilearnedfinnish.fi

In 2022, I did something remarkable. I pretended not to speak English for an entire year to immerse myself in Finnish and learn Finnish fast as an adult immigrant, eventually reaching high-level fluency.

On January 1st, I publicly announced on LinkedIn and my social media that I would only speak Finnish with Finnish speakers from that point forward. What followed was an intense and mentally demanding immersion journey.

Now, through the podcast How I Learned Finnish - with Ohe, I share exactly what I did during that year to learn the language fluently. But more importantly, I seek out and interview others who have also successfully learned Finnish as adults, many reaching at least C-level fluency on the CEFR scale.

These cases are rare: according to a Finnish language educator, only about 2% of immigrants in Finland reach this level of fluency. My podcast documents their stories, strategies, and insights.

🎯 The goal is threefold:

  1. Normalizing Finnish Fluency for Adult Immigrants
    By showcasing diverse individuals who have achieved high-level Finnish fluency, the podcast aims to show that it is possible, even for those learning later in life.

  2. Practical Guidance for Learning Finnish as an Adult
    I interview people from a variety of backgrounds and life situations (parents, workers, students, different relationship and parenting statuses, etc.) so that listeners can find someone whose journey mirrors their own. This ensures that the advice and inspiration are not only aspirational but also applicable.

  3. Different Methods to Learn Finnish Fast
    For the listener to pick and choose which methods work best for them and their lifestyle.

In addition to these interviews, I also explore the daily habits, lifestyle changes, resources, and mindsets that make successful language learning possible - especially for busy adults. Many people start learning a new language but use their limited time ineffectively, often due to a lack of guidance.

This language learning podcast aims to change that, by showing it’s possible to learn Finnish fast as an adult immigrant through immersion, daily habits, and shared success stories

I aim to have a total of 10–15 episodes. It is essential for me that this body of work exists. Even if just five people, ten years from now, say this project helped them achieve their language goals, I will consider the mission accomplished.

📡 Where to Listen to the (How I Learned Finnish - with Ohe)[www.howilearnedfinnish.fi] Podcast

How I Learned Finnish Fast as an Adult Immigrant (and Why I Started a Language Learning Podcast)