FLASHBACK #34: Donuts And A Revelation @ Nakötorni

By now, Spring was well and truly on it's way. The days were much brighter, yet people seemed to be riddled with something known as 'Spring tiredness', a sensation also experienced by animals that come out of hibernation at the end of long, cold, dark winters. Yes, this affects the people in Finland and was now starting to affect me.

One Saturday morning, I received a telephone call from a colleague, inviting me to join her at Näkötorni for a coffee. It was a lovely day and I had no plans so why not? The girl I was meeting was a classy, snooty girl, the kind that other girls detest. Her parents were successful and she would be going to London in the Summer to start her degree at one of London's most prestigious Universities. She was looking forward to moving to London, but was understandably apprehensive of moving from small Tampere to mega-huge London.

We met outside Näkötorni, and entered the Coffee Shop beneath the tower. The tower lies on top of the world's highest gravel range, Pyynikki, my favourite part of Tampere. The original wooden tower was destroyed during the Finnish Civil War in 1918 and the modern-day structure of red granite was erected in 1929.

We had hot coffee and fresh donuts covered in sugar! Mmm! Afterwards, we paid the €3 fee to go up the tower by lift. At the top, we emerged from the darkness of the tower and onto the bright, roofless observation area. Even though the tower is only 26 metres high, the scenery was amazing when you take into account the additional height of the ridge itself. From here, you could see both of the lakes that seem to engulf the City.

We stayed up there for what seemed like ages. My colleague is the inquisitive type, the kind who would make a perfect Finance Auditor. Regularly, she would ask what bought me to Finland, why I have remained in Finland this long etc. She was bored out of her mind in Tampere, clearly more cosmopolitan that her fellow townspeople. I decided to take this opportunity to tell her everything and she listened intently.

An hour later, we were walking along the shore towards Eteläpuisto, her arms resting in mine. She thanked me for being so open with her, explaining that things now sort of made sense. She warned me, however, to be careful whom I confided in, explaining that Finns like to gossip just as much as anyone else. We parted, and she promised that my secret would be safe with her.

FLASHBACK #33: Securing A Future In Helsinki

The Spring of 2003 was largely concerned with the fact that I had applied for a job in Helsinki within the same company; the recruitment process was taking soooo long and I waited anxiously for the outcome. Getting the job was important - it was an opportunity to work in a Marketing-related area, which is what I was now studying, and it would also ensure that Bree and I could remain together. After all, my contract in Tampere would end in the Autumn.

After three interviews and two psychological tests (why?), the job was offered to me. The negotiations were swiftly handled and the contract signed. As an internal move, however, my boss in Tampere ensured that couldn't start the new job until the September. I kind of understood this as the project I was working on needed every resource it could find.

The news was a cause for celebration and I longed to move to Helsinki so that Bree and I could finally be together, rather than living in different cities. And it would be nice to get away from Finance after more than ten years of number-crunching!