What. A. Day.

It's amazing how quickly things can change. Thursday had me feeling in control and genuinely happy whereas Friday had me soaking wet and sprawled out on cobblestone. On Friday, I straightened my hair and donned my Pumas in anticipation of my apartment look-through. As I left the hotel, I realized I didn't have my umbrella with me, but I decided it didn't really matter. I would later regret that decision. It was a slow day at work. It's been a hard transition as I'm used to fielding numerous emails yet now I have to savor each one (for now!). Björn asked if I wanted someone from the office to go with me, but I declined. Everyone has been so helpful already and I felt confident I could do this on my own. I used my time at the office to familiarize myself with the route to the apartment and to print a map. I had planned on walking. It was only 3km (less than 2 miles) and I enjoy walking. I think everyone in the office thought I was a little crazy, so I decided to take a bus. Berit helped me figure out which line and which stops and which direction I needed to travel. I packed up my laptop and all of my work in preparation for the International Book Fair in Franfurt and lugged away.


I left at 3:38 knowing I'd have more than enough time to get to the meeting. I absolutely didn't want to be late since I don't have a Handy to call anyone! I had been gone about 5 minutes when it started to rain. It was a little bit more than a light drizzle, but it was enough to destroy my straight hair. Thankfully I had a scarf with me (just like the last time this happened!). I took great pleasure in the walk to the bus because it was a new area I hadn't seen. I even found a restaurant that might be good for dinner. Naturally, Bus 5 was just pulling away as I reached the stop. Checking my watch, I knew it was still ok. Surprisingly enough, another bus came rolling almost immediately. I hopped on, paid my fare, and counted five stops.


The problems started when I left the safety of the bus. By now, the rain had picked up a bit. I'm no master of directions, even in America, so I knew I really had to focus. The problem was that the bus seemed to drop me off on an island in the midst of a busy street. I tried to look to both major streets and didn't seem to recognize either from my small Googlemap. So, I went with my gut. Terrible idea. I won't bore you with all of the details, but I pretty much just started walked around hoping to find a street name that I recognized from the map. I asked people on the street if I was heading in the right direction, I stopped at bus stops to check maps, and I tried to avoid puddles of construction mud.


Soon I realized that I walked in the completely opposite direction and was now in a different area. Now I was really hustling. I had to be there on time. Now that it was 4:20, I'm really starting to freak out. I eagerly anticipated each upcoming street only to be sorely disappointed when it was still not the one I was looking for. Then I saw a taxi. I figured this would be the only way I'd make it on time now. My focus was now on taxis and not street names. Then I saw one stopped at a red light. I ran a few steps to catch his attention yet found my ankle losing a battle with wet cobblestone. I winced in pain as I fell completely to the ground as the light turned green and my chances of being punctual sped away. You're probably imaging me just laying there on the ground, as you may have witnessed one of my many previous encounters with the ground, but I actually popped up rather quickly. I still had hopes of catching that cab.


As an athlete I was trained to fall properly and I think I really mastered this skill. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt. It hurt my pride and the outer side of my right ankle. I had that split second feeling of pain where I just wanted to sit back down and cry and give up. But I still a few minutes to make it to that appointment and I knew I could still walk. I still had some hope in me. At 4:25 I asked an older gentleman for direction and he offered to take me there. For our walk, the rain subsided. I asked him if the rain always comes and goes so quickly. "Yes, in fact you can see another big cloud behind us. It all comes from the West." Great. Twenty minutes later I found myself at the apartment with no one waiting for me. I was only 15 minutes later, but without a phone call I suppose this was just unacceptable. I even tried turning on my iPhone in the hopes that it worked despite my service being suspended. It did not. I waited until 5:00 just to be sure the woman wasn't late or hanging around in a car waiting for a lost American to show up.


Shoot. This really needed to happen today as I'm leaving for the International Book Fair in Frankfurt on Sunday and won't be back until Thursday. Well, there wasn't anything I could at that very minute, so I decided to take the bus back. Things were starting to look up for me as I saw my bus. Then I saw my bus pass me. Of course, I was standing at the Night Bus stop, not the regular stop. By the way, the bus stop was REALLY close to the apartment. Hindsight, sigh. Feeling even more discouraged, I decided to punish myself by walking home. It was an enjoyable walk until it really started to pour. The streets vacated as people ducked into stores and under overhangs. I was already wet so I really didn't care. At this point, I was just glad that my map hadn't smeared and that spray coming from passing cars hadn't made a direct hit with my body.


I made it back to the restaurant I had picked out and seated myself. I ordered a Thunfisch pizza and an Alsterwasser (aka Radler aka Shandy). I just sat there thinking about how the afternoon has played out. I really should have taken the offer for help. Once back at the hotel, there was only one thing I wanted to do--call my mom. I was able to get Skype going in the lobby but it wasn't the best connection. At least I got to hear a reassuring voice that it will all work out. I sent some work emails and an email to the apartment people to see if I could meet them on Saturday. Needless to say, it's Saturday and I'm writing this post and not seeing an apartment. Hopefully I can see it next Friday instead. I'm still hoping that this apartment will work out or that an even better one will come along. And thankfully I did not wake up to a swollen ankle. Just a little tweak which will make heels really fun at the fair.

Today's plans include reading, walking (on dry surfaces at a slow pace), and a mini fashion show as I pack for the Book Fair. The sales team will pick me up Sunday morning at 9am for our drive to Frankfurt. This will be interesting! I will fly back on Thursday with Berit and Uwe who are just coming for the day. I will do my best to write in the meantime, although I anticipate being quite busy these next few days. Stay dry!