Stage 14 - Tampere

As we arrive in Tampere the next evening, we are tired and still don't know where we will stay overnight. It's Sunday and my work week starts tomorrow at the Finnish office. We had actually thought about renting an Air BnB, treating ourselves to a little luxury and convenience around my work routine. But it's so difficult to find a parking spot in Tampere where we can safely and affordably park the camper. And it's expensive. It costs us about 600 euros to stay in a fancy apartment in the center of Tampere for a week. It has to be conveniently located so that I can easily bike to work, that's clear. And there is another reason why we hesitate to rent an AirBnB: we feel comfortable in our cinnamon bun and don't necessarily want to take out all our stuff and then put it back in, and who knows if the bed there is as cozy as ours. And anyway.

We drive through the slowly darkening city for a while. The campground looked okay, quite simple but mainly the sanitary facilities are really not nice. And it's cold. Live and work here for a week? I'm already worried about work, it's a new step after all. Meeting my colleagues in person and being with them, no longer just closing the laptop. Real people, not just in video meetings. After 1.5 years of working from home, it feels so unfamiliar and somewhat "scary". On the other hand, I'm also looking forward to the time in the office, getting to know everyone and finally being able to chat. Chris says it's brave of me. Who would do something like that? Travel to a bunch of unknown colleagues on his journey, voluntarily and without a direct invitation. Simply out of curiosity and commitment.
Yes, I see it all that way too, but I don't feel really comfortable right now. Without a solution. Finally, we have to eat first and that's what we do, in a pub near the campground, where a few shady characters hang out. But the food is delicious, even if the only soft drinks available are Fanta and Sprite.

Finally, we drive to a free spot on the lake shore, right next to the campground. We feel comfortable and somehow safe here too. We already know what freedom feels like. I'm glad and grateful that we have found a solution for the night. As so often, something always turns out to be good. Sometimes you have to think about something else or fill your belly before a solution is found.

The next morning, our first stop is the post office. Our package is stored there, which contains not only wine and Stollen from Dresden for my colleagues, and thanks to Theresa and Basti, warming soles and a woolen poncho, but also our absentee voting documents. It's a great feeling to receive a package from home after almost 2 months and to open it and find everything ordered inside. We immediately make our crosses on the ballot papers, carefully seal the two red envelopes, and pay 20 euros per letter to ensure that they arrive in Germany on time for the federal election 2021 as Priority/Express within the next 5 days. Good luck!

Then Chris drives me to work. That's a good feeling. But I prefer to get out alone and I feel a bit like a child on the first day of school, very excited but definitely not wanting a public goodbye kiss now. But you have to go through it. Alone. And the support from home is certain and yet you feel accompanied. That creates trust. In yourself and at home.

After searching for the entrance for over half an hour (Chris is still nearby checking if everything works, then he asks me if maybe I entered the wrong address). I write to my boss. He comes out immediately and I'm very happy and we almost hug. But in times of Corona, we're not allowed to do that, so it's a strange, joyful, uncertain greeting with a hand and a fist and laughter and shoulder taps. Warmly! I feel at home right away.

All the excitement turns into joy. How different it is here than I imagined. And so big. And there are the colleagues. Mervi and Antti. They welcome me so warmly and kindly. I'm happy and feel immediately comfortable and welcome. After the initial arrival, we have coffee first. And then we sit and chat for at least 2 hours. They are very interested in my journey and they talk about Finland and how it already snowed last week in nearby Oulu. And sauna in Finland, which is so important that some offices even have them built for their employees. I'm amazed and just happy to be here. I have known the colleagues for five years already. Via email, phone, and video. Now also in person. And it fits!

At 10:30 or 11 o'clock, we go to lunch. That's typical Finnish. Dinner usually starts at 5 p.m. Ha! How are you supposed to get your work done like that? We go together across the street and then to a cafeteria around the corner. Buffet for a fixed price. Delicious home cooking. I help myself to some more of the tasty mashed potatoes. I feel a little guilty thinking of Chris, who is now alone in the camper and doesn't have such food in front of him. So kind of him to spend the week here with me and wait for me and take care of me, providing emotional and practical support!

The day flies by and when I leave the office, I'm in such a good mood, like I haven't been in years at the end of the workday. Spontaneously, Chris and I meet in the city by bike, because my colleague has put together a great bike tour through the city with all the important sights and printed it out for me. I'm bursting with joy. Chris and I on bikes in Tampere's afternoon sun at 20 degrees and a blue sky. Chris immediately claims the map and safely guides me along the lake, past the tree-lined, autumn-colored shore. Up to the mountain above Tampere, up to the observation tower, from where we can see the whole city. Past parks and monuments, along the harbor road, and then back into the city center, where young life pulsates and we look for a restaurant.

We end up in the coolest pizzeria in town with an actor-like young waiter, and we enjoy delicious white and red pizza and pink Finnish gin. Happily, we cycle back home, where Chris waits for me in front of the eerie, barren washrooms so that I don't have to be there alone in the dark. Yes, at home, that's how I feel in the camper, and we have also arrived at this place here. Thanks to my husband who has chosen a nice pitch and has already set everything up.

The next day, I meet Masi, one of my colleagues who has been the most inspiring and challenging for me so far. She is very self-confident, highly knowledgeable, and sometimes can seem very short-spoken, strict or even snappy. In real life, I think she's fantastic because she talks so much and I learn so much and our mutual warmth warms everything up and accompanies every strict word with a wink.

Masi even asks me directly if I want to go to the sauna with her and her husband today. Ha! In the past, I already felt weird about combining personal life and work by going to a bar with a colleague. Now, only in swimwear, sweating side by side?! Yeah, sure, no problem. We're in Finland and open-minded about cultural peculiarities. Chris also immediately agrees and so we meet in the sauna in the evening. It's great because it's a fancy facility, connected to a bar and restaurant, right in the city by the lake, so the diving pool is filled with lake water. And there are warming glass huts outside where you can have a drink after sweating. We love it all!

Afterwards, we also go out for dinner with the two of them and when we want to leave a tip, the cashier is completely puzzled. There is no tipping in Finland, restaurants are not service-oriented, and the waiters receive enough money even without a tip, as we also learn from Masi. By the way, Masi's full name is Dr. Masoumeh Hasani. She is Iranian and has done her studies and PhD here. She has been living here for 10 years now and has also married her Finnish husband, Toni. Her family lives in Iran. I would love to learn more about her experiences, her story. From another colleague, whom I have known for years, Krisakorn, I know how exciting the immigration process in Finland can be. He is from Thailand and came here with his wife a few years ago. I also meet him again in the office and I'm very happy. The last time we had seen each other was in Malaysia in 2018. When traveling was still normal. He is extremely pleased with the (package sent in the mail) Christstollen from Dresden - he previously studied in Dresden and knows the delicacy very well.

So time flies in Tampere and I'm glad to be here. Personal encounters make so many things easier, things that can only be insufficiently clarified via chat. We always have a lot of fun with our colleagues during lunch, and Matti, my boss, is cool. I really like him and enjoy feeling like part of a team again after a long time. Antti takes a lot of time to explain materials and their structure to me, and Masi also shows me many things again. Mervi and I laugh a lot, and Tuomas is cool. I also meet some colleagues from the past and I'm happy about the personal contact. Hannu used to be my colleague in project management, and Milla has always been just a name to me, but now I know her warm laugh too. And then I also meet Juha, who terminated my employment a little over a year ago when he closed the Dresden office. Maybe it was difficult for him, but he seems uncomfortable seeing me. At the same time, he seems happy to see me again. I can feel that too. We worked together on a project and jointly served one of the company's most important customers. As the gentleman was very, very stubborn, we shared some peculiar moments. Juha is about the same age as me, but he heads the entire development department in the RFID division of a 33,000-employee American corporation. It's probably the Finnish reserve, which is particularly valued as coolness in view of American culture. At least that's what I can say now - personal encounters can be very, very humorous with the Finns.

On Thursday, we go to a "virtual reality shop," which Matti invites us to and I bring Chris along. I want him to meet Matti and everyone. The situation is kind of weird because I don't know if it's okay to bring him and he also doesn't feel quite comfortable. The Finnish poker face and rules of politeness provide me with a certain limit of knowledge here.

After the game, we go to a fancy Asian restaurant, without Chris this time. Unfortunately, most colleagues couldn't find the time on such short notice, but I'm still happy about it.

Matti even takes me and my bike home. In the morning, he had already thought that this might be necessary and put his bike rack in the trunk of his hybrid car. A dear, caring, considerate person.

Finally, it's Friday and there's only the morning left for a few errands in the office. Time has flown by and I have worked as little as I have in a long time. But I have spoken and laughed so much. More than I have in a very long time. My head is buzzing, but I feel good and I'm happy. One last time, I rode my bike to work, along the lake through the forest, then a short stretch along the road, under the underpass, and over to the industrial area. I miss business trips and getting to know new situations and people somewhere unknown. Settling into new circumstances for a short time and then returning home. Hopefully, that will happen again soon.