I have to share this: It’s about Finland, public services and caring people.

Yesterday, I forgot my backpack on a train going to Tampere. With my laptop, my wallet, my medicine, my documents. All inside.

I was tired and stressed and I had two other bags with me. Still: Stupid and entirely my responsibility.

I called lost and found. They told me that IF they find it I can earliest get it back next week. Not this weekend for sure.

Unfortunately, I have to leave again on Sunday.

Which means they’d have to send it. It would take at least a week if not more. Without all my stuff - just before the Congress of @Die_Gruenen.

So I went to the station. And here my wonderful journey of talking to people who actually care begins:

The lady in the ticket office who barely speaks English first comforts me and then calls the station in Oulu (where the train is heading).

She says she cannot do more as it hasn’t arrived yet, but gives me the address of the lost and found office in Tampere. Where I then go...

The guy there tells me how sorry he is, that the office will be closed over the weekend, but that he can give me the number of the lost and found responsible for Oulu. Which I call...

With a nice voice answering me that she will only go to Oulu on Tuesday again. But that she can maybe help me with another number. Which I again call...

Another nice voice who forwards me to her colleague who gives me the number of an office in Helsinki who calls someone else who may be able to get in touch with the conductor of the train...

Eventually, I receive a call from Tommy (I hope I got it right) who tells me that the conductor found the backpack and that it will be soon on the travel back to Tampere with the train so that I don’t even need to go to Oulu to pick it up.

All of this happened on a Friday afternoon close to end of business before the weekend.

All these people could have told me that they are not responsible and that they cannot do anything. All of them would have been right.

But all of them helped me.

Which leaves me with saying this:

Functioning public services where you can actually call someone when you have a problem MAKE SO MUCH SENSE.

Also: Whoever tells you that Finns are cold and distant, the caring and warmth I received yesterday proves them absolutely wrong.

This is me happily reunited with my backpack.

THANK YOU to Tommy and all the nice voices involved in this. You really made my day and week and probably month.

Also: Thank you, European Union, for ending roaming charges so that I could do all these calls without paying endless fees.