I have to be honest, I am not loving the thought of getting on a plane in 30 hours. It doesn't seem real... I have actually had to say good-bye to people today. Packing my room, watching the room empty out, ending up in suitcases the size of riding lawn mowers, some things in the trash, some in boxes to be put in storage in hopes that I will be back to Berlin soon.
The good news is that today is day four after "the news" and I'm still doing pretty well, all things considered. I know it won't hit me until VERY early Wednesday when I have to get up and be ready to leave by about 5 am. Oy. Like I said, it doesn't seem real. I'm going through the motions for now, and am very excited to get back to Seattle. However, leaving is like breaking up with your fiancee. Just when you were starting to really get to know them on a deeper level, committing yourself fully to her, confident in the way she makes you feel (except the job part, LOL), looking forward to a long life with her, then you have to break up and move away. Okay, maybe that's a bit of a strong parallel, but that's what I went with.... LOL.
In other news, I called British Airways again this morning (my 26th call (yes twenty-sixth)) and I was told I would originally get a call back on Friday from "Kevin" at BA in England. No word since then, not even today. As a result, BA requires payment of the fee to change the ticket more than 24 hours prior to the flight. My last chance to do so was this afternoon. It was $275 (yes, two-hundred seventy-five). I had no choice but to do this even though I am currently disputing that I owe the charge. Long story, but essentially I did not give authorization to actually change the date last month, but they did it anyway.... So, after 26 phone calls, an hour plus diversion to go to the airport to pay it in cash (don't have a credit card), I have spent a total of 6 hours dealing with this mess. The lady agent (not a BA agent) was very pleasant, but I made it clear to her and asked her to notate that I still dispute this charge. Unfortunately, since the fee MUST be paid, I was obligated to pay it today. That really hurt financially!!!!
AND, I survived paying it without hurting anyone (I was concerned about that, by the way, due to the amount of time, effort and money their mistake has cost me). At any rate, after I paid the fee, I had just enough time to catch the bus to meet everyone for a movie tonight.
I am very grateful for Oliver, who invited me to a movie tonight at the newly remodeled Zoo Palast. I had never been in there, but it's a bit iconic for Berlin and the upgrades they made were impressive. The seats were like leather recliners and super plush. The "snack bar" looked more like a regular bar, where you could get beer, wine, and whatnot. The whole theater that new carpet smell and an extremely high-tech sound system. We went to see "All is Lost" with Robert Redford because that is what Oliver wanted to see. I tried to talk him into seeing "Walter Mitty", but he had just seen it a couple days ago.
One thing I would like to say here, and don't misunderstand me. I think there is always a tendency to do things only if we really want to do them. This was not my first choice of movies honestly, but I chose to go not just because Oliver was paying my ticket, but because it encouraged him and built unity in the group. We had seven people come, some that didn't want to see this movie. Some came just to hang out before as well, but that is not what I'm referring to. I respect that people didn't want to see this movie, but I am a firm believer that sometimes we do have to deny ourselves for the good of the group and the unity. I wanted to see the other movie, too, but it was more important to be unified than to have my way. I was a little discouraged that some people didn't stay for that reason.
In any case, I still had a fun time and the movie was pretty good, it was very unique and it was good to see Robert Redford in his first movie in a long time. Also, since there is really only one actor in the movie (really!) and very little dialogue/monologue(?), and since it was running in German, our new friend and brother from the Boston church, Collin could still come and understand. The movie was very much situationally based, not on a spoken language. So he said he understood it just fine, except a short narration at the beginning of the movie. I think he had a good time.
Afterward, he and I went out to the grocery store and apparently it was his first time in a German store. For those of you that have experienced the grocery stores here, you know they are a bit like the Autobahn. You had better bag your groceries as they are ringing up the purchase. Once they are done and give you the total, you pay and get out of the way! It was quiet tonight, so it wasn't too hectic. I think he enjoyed that too.
Today I did some more walking. After spending three hours in the Technik Museum, my dogs were barking something fierce. Today, I got lost looking for the Ramones Museum for my friend John K. I finally found it and took a few pics, grabbed a couple things as souvenirs from there and a little something for John as well. He's a big Ramones fan. (For those not familiar, the Ramones was a punk band from the 70's and early 80's and they only have one museum in the world and it's not far from where I live here.) They are a US band from New York....
I've definitely been trying to get in time with people so I'm not alone in my thoughts and by myself. That's when I start not doing so well. I can tell my anxiety is a bit high right now, but having time with people and doing a bit of sightseeing is doing me a world of good. I guess I can cry half way to London on the plane again like I did in 1992. LOL.... Hopefully not, but I can't make any promises.
Finally tonight, I decided in the last couple of days that I was going to buy myself a little something with which I can remember my time here, even though I have tons of new friends, photos, etc. I decided to buy myself a Berlin flag. I've always loved flags and I used to collect them when I was a teen and young adult. You can ask my parents, I had lots of flags back then! Anyway, I think it's the perfect memory for me of this amazing place, and a reminder of my heart and desire to return here again someday, hopefully sooner than later, and certainly I hope not another 20 years! It's a white flag with narrow a narrow red stripe on the top and bottom and a black bear in the middle. I've always loved the Berlin bear....
That's it for tonight. Thanks for letting me share some thoughts of my last days in this wonderful place. Have a great week everyone and for those in Seattle, hope to see you all later this week.
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