Thoughts

I left Berlin this morning with little sleep and plenty of images, both in my head an in my camera. Last night was a fun way to say goodbye. I saw the tourist spots, but finished it off with a spot off the beaten path. (Off the path, yes. But not unbeaten by any means. That place was hammered.) I went over to the Alexander's and shared a morning cappuccino with Elisabeth and Scott, which was delicious. She has a steamer for the milk, a single cup coffee maker, and sugar cubes that really do the trick. A quick chat about the train station, a scratch paper drawing of the platform, and a hug and a handshake, and I was off to my final destination for the next few months.

With some guidance from Elisabeth, I was able to navigate the train transfers with only a little nervousness. I do wish I had purchased more substantial food at he station and filled up my water before getting on the train. 2 eggs, toast, and an apple juice shouldn't cost that much, but it's train fare and it is to be expected. I did the dumb thing and pointed at the menu when ordering in the food, but not before I choked up when an attendant came by my seat and asked about ordering food. She was speaking fast, and was caught off guard. Still, the meal did satisfy my morning hunger.

I lucked out and had two seats to myself on the train so I was able to curl up and get some sleep. The countryside is pretty flat here. Lots of gently rolling hills of green and some scattered small clusters of houses. When transferring to the train bound for Frankfurt, I misplaced my ticket and had to triple check all my pockets. Without finding it, I dragged my bags back onto the train to see if I'd dropped it. Sure enough, it was folded and sitting there on the floor. I grabbed it and jumped off the train just as the bells rang and the door shut behind me. Maybe 30 seconds later, and I would have been stuck on the train I'd just got off. Not good, and neither would have been getting busted for not having a ticket on the next train.

Rita, with her bright red hair, called to me from the crowd as I climbed the stairs to leave the station. I thought it odd that someone was calling my name, and wondered how she could recognize me. Did I really look like a lost tourist? Was I an obvious American? No. She recognized me from a picture shown to her by Lauren, who are my classmates from SJSU that arrived a few days prior. We chatted as she guided me through the next maze of jam-packed busses to arrive at our destination in Darmstadt. Rita is amazing. She is a coordinator for the international student program, a fellow industrial design student, and works two jobs. She also spent time working in Hawaii and learning how to surf. She also took a trip to Spain with her sister for a fun vacation of surfing.

Once we met up with Lauren and Sam at their apartment, I dropped my gear and we headed out for coffee and a walk around town. It's a cool spot that is a good change from Berlin. This is a small town with two colleges so there are a lot of young people. We did a quick lap before Rita ran off to catch a bus so she could get to Frankfurt, pick up her car, drive to the Frankfurt airport, and pick up another exchange student who will be joining us from SJSU.

Sam, Lauren, and I spend the rest of the evening relaxing at their apartment. Dinner was a pot of slow cooked sausage, onion, sauerkraut, and jalapeno. Very German. With some improvising based off a meal they had two nights before, it turned out pretty well.

That concludes my 1st partial day in Darmstadt. With school starting soon the topic of my rants will change. Posts may become less frequent too as I settle into a routine. I'll try not to get too emotional about the stress and struggles. Tomorrow, I'm sleeping in! I need it.