Today I left my bag on the bus. It was silly and absent minded - I could blame hauling ice-skating gear and the pram, but really there is nothing and no one to blame but myself.
It had pretty much everything in it (wallet, keys, but thankfully not phone) so as soon as we got inside I looked up Helsinki transport's lost property office. They're not open on Sunday so I sent an email inquiry. I wondered whether I should cancel my cards but decided not to.
About an hour later, my phone rang. A passenger had found my bag, and said he would meet me in 20 minutes in Kamppi to return it to me. He said I could check that everything was there but of course I knew I didn't need to.
A few weeks ago I lost a different bag. I was walking the kids home and it must have fallen out of the pram without me noticing. I mentioned it to my team at work and they told me that I should enquire at the Police Station. Sure enough, it was there, completely intact, nothing taken from it.
So, aside from my appalling track record when it comes to bags, the interesting thing about this is the honesty and respect for others' property that is such an important part of the culture in Finland. It's one of the really nice things about living here. I can't imagine this happening in London or Sydney. And it's not a strictly positive pleasure, or a god forbid a 'wow' thing: just a deep solid substrate that make me want to hug the city. I hope I remember this feeling in the dark depths of winter.
When Matt was living in Helsinki but I hadn't made the move yet, I left a single glove in a bar. When I visited again a few weeks later, they recognised me and returned it.
I hadn't kept the other glove.
Posted by: Fiona Romeo | November 10, 2011 at 04:41 PM