Kudos, Finland!

Some of you who know me, know that I always say "Everything's better in Sweden". Well, recently I have been proven wrong, believe it or not. The bank system is SO much simpler, clearer and better in Finland. First of all, you need an income to open a bank account. Which is ridiculous, since they open accounts for children as well. Second, according to the people in customer service of *insert bank name here*, it depends on the branch office who they open an account for. WHAT? How is this possible? Aren't the branches part of the same company? If they are, shouldn't they all have the same rules that apply? I really don't understand how this is possible, if there's someone out there who does, PLEASE explain it to me. I'd love to be able to understand this awful, awful system.

To sum up, because I do not at this time have a steady income I will probably (because it depends on the branch...???) not be able to open an account before I either get a job or apply for student benefits. So until then, I have to use my Finnish debit card, which costs me A LOT of money, since the exchange rate is horrible. Seriously, does anyone else see the annoyance of this situation, or am I overreacting?

Be well and look out for Swedish banks!

xx Mitra