Returning to Germany from Austria in June 2024. I arrived in a city late in the evening, perhaps Bad Windsheim, and got off the train at the station. The train left, and I remained there. Nearby, there was a ticket machine and a pharmacy. Outside the pharmacy, an electronic board showed the time, which I really needed because my smartphone wasn’t working. On the next street, I found an unlocked building. I wasn’t sure what it was—maybe a cultural center. I went inside; the building was empty. I called out loudly, “Hello,” but no one responded. Near the entrance was a black leather sofa, more comfortable than the one at home. I left my bags next to me, lay down, and fell asleep. During the night, I woke up briefly to check the electronic board, then lay back down on the sofa. In the morning, I went to the station to wait for the first train. I boarded it and headed to Berlin because I had a deadline at Matilda Platz 1. I arrived late, but fortunately, they still accepted me. This journey had been long and difficult: I was on the road for several days, slept poorly, my smartphone broke, I lost my glasses, and I had to return to Berlin to meet my deadline. Before this adventure, I had been sitting in a café in Berlin, trying to imagine what Germany had in store for me—but I couldn’t have imagined what awaited.
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