Close to nature in Matinkylä

Asif and Zainab Naqvi have integrated into Espoo as Swedish speakers.

Asif Naqvi came to Finland originally to pursue a master’s degree in finance and banking at Hanken School of Economics. When his family joined him in 2022, they moved to Espoo – first to Finnoo and three years ago to Matinkylä, where connections are better.

“Both of us study in Helsinki, but we prefer a calm environment close to nature,” says Naqvi. 

In Matinkylä, the family values cycling routes to Espoo Central Park, the nearby beach, and the Matinkylä sports park across the street.

“Our son plays football, and he really enjoys the excellent facilities.”

Asif Naqvi is now studying for a master’s degree in machine intelligence and data science at the Arcada University of Applied Sciences. His wife, Zainab Naqvi used to be a housewife in Pakistan but has now completed vocational studies as a care assistant at Prakticum.

“I will continue my studies to become a practical nurse,” Zainab Naqvi says, smiling. 

The family has chosen to integrate as Swedish speakers. Asif Naqvi first arrived in a Swedish-speaking environment at Hanken.

“I had already learned Swedish when my wife and children came to Finland. Our son started at a Swedish-speaking school. The preparatory class was small, so the focus was on the children. In August, he will start the 8th grade.”

Zainab Naqvi was able to join the integration training in Swedish, since their son already attended a Swedish-speaking school. Their daughter, however, went to Espoo International School.

“She didn’t learn Finnish or Swedish well enough, which limited her options for further education. She is now in Pakistan completing her A-levels, but will return in October and start learning Swedish, hopefully continuing to university next year,” Asif Naqvi explains.

Their family enjoys living in Matinkylä as it has almost everything they need. Still, they have one wish: a Swedish-language conversation café at the Iso Omena Library.

“There aren’t any Swedish language cafés in Espoo, and we are not the only Swedish-speaking immigrants here,” Asif Naqvi says.

“It is difficult to learn a language if there are no opportunities to use it,” Zainab Naqvi says in Swedish.

• District in Espoo by the Gulf of Finland
• Swedish name: Mattby
• Matinkylä and Olari form one of Espoo’s five urban centres.
• Matinkylä has roots in the medieval village of Mattby.
• At the end of 2023, Matinkylä had 22,688 residents, of which 2,212 were Swedish speakers.

Text: Katariina Krabbe

This article was originally published in the Espoo-lehti magazine 2/2026. Read other Espoo-lehti articles.