On Sunday morning, we left Annikki with her grandmother and headed off to the Ikea in Tampere to do some shopping. We arrived slightly after 12, and were confused why the parking lot would already be as full as it was, since the store had only been open for a few minutes. We quickly realized once we got inside that it was some kind of family day. The restaurant area had been open for a few hours, and some newspaper or advert had given away free meal vouchers.
It was a zoo.
I quickly texted Ilari and Emmi, the friends whom we'd agreed to meet for lunch, that we'd accidentally picked the worst day ever for two adult couples to meet for meatballs. We decided to brave the storm, and after 15 minutes of queuing with screaming children, we were able to enjoy a nice meal and some good conversation.
After lunch, we browsed around the showroom. We all found what we needed and were in and out in under two hours.
While Yki was loading flat-pack boxes onto our dolly, I heard a man call my name. He came over and shook my hand. At first, I didn't recognize who he was at all, but then he said his name. Samuli. Samuli is one of my oldest online friends and one of the first Finnish people I'd ever spoken to. He had no idea I was going to be at Ikea, since I hadn't told anyone other than Ilari, and it was just a crazy coincidence that we were both in the warehouse at the same time. We talked for just a few moments and then went our separate ways. I was in shock for a few hours.
Sunday was a lot of fun, minus the screaming children. It's unfortunate that I don't get to see Ilari much because of distance, but we always have fun when we're out together.
It was a zoo.
I quickly texted Ilari and Emmi, the friends whom we'd agreed to meet for lunch, that we'd accidentally picked the worst day ever for two adult couples to meet for meatballs. We decided to brave the storm, and after 15 minutes of queuing with screaming children, we were able to enjoy a nice meal and some good conversation.
After lunch, we browsed around the showroom. We all found what we needed and were in and out in under two hours.
While Yki was loading flat-pack boxes onto our dolly, I heard a man call my name. He came over and shook my hand. At first, I didn't recognize who he was at all, but then he said his name. Samuli. Samuli is one of my oldest online friends and one of the first Finnish people I'd ever spoken to. He had no idea I was going to be at Ikea, since I hadn't told anyone other than Ilari, and it was just a crazy coincidence that we were both in the warehouse at the same time. We talked for just a few moments and then went our separate ways. I was in shock for a few hours.
Sunday was a lot of fun, minus the screaming children. It's unfortunate that I don't get to see Ilari much because of distance, but we always have fun when we're out together.
