IKEA

In the land of boxes, we have come across a few things that did not survive the move - this screw on Kyra's loft bed that is supposed to be straight, a lamp and two metal frames that hold organizing drawers.  These frames are from IKEA and they are called Antonius.  

The packers assumed that these could sit at the bottom of a crate and withstand loads of furniture and boxes being placed on top of them.  Their assumption was faulty.

As these frames (with drawers and a top) are used as Allen's dresser, we needed to do something.  Fortunately there are many IKEAs in Belgium and one of them is within an hour's drive.

So this morning, I programmed the address into the GPS and off I went.

With the exception of the signs being in Flemish and French, this IKEA looks like the IKEA back home.   First one winds one's way through the showroom and then through the marketplace and finally to the self-service shelves.  A Billy bookcase is called a Billy bookcase, Effectiv office furniture is Effectiv office furniture and so on.

When one lives day in and day out in the unfamiliar, it is refreshing to come upon something familiar.  I didn't have to wonder how this store worked, where to find things, if I would find what I was looking for, how to pay for it, etc.  I knew precisely how to navigate the store, use the self-service aisles and check-out.  In a while when I assemble my purchases I know that I won't need to navigate instructions in a foreign language - I'll just follow the pictures.

As I continue to unpack and try to figure out where to put stuff, I imagine there will be another trip to IKEA in my future - so that I can buy stuff that is useful and so I can get a small taste of the familiar again.