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DAY 22 SUNDAY MAY 22 2005 My first day in Germany sees me rushing back to Holland to the city of Arnhem in search of a lost passport. I don't expect the money to still be there, but I am hoping for my passport to be there. I will cut this journal entry very short as it is so fucking painful and just get down to the nitty gritty. (Believe me this really is the short version.) The phone cards I bought in Holland don't work in the German phones so I couldn't call the hotel and ask and it is Sunday, the post office is closed so I can't buy more. I went to the train station at 11 am only to wait an hour as it is Sunday and the ticket counter doesn't open till noon. The man said I would have to bus to Nijmegen as there is no track to Arnhem. From Nijmegen I could train to Arnhem in about 10 minutes. It was now noon. The bus would come at one pm. I wanted to get there as soon as possible so I waited quite a while for a taxi sitting on a bench at the taxi stand. God, this is where it all gets so bad for me. About 20 minutes later a taxi guy shows up and I explain that I want a quote to go to Nijmegen. He gives me a quote of 35 euros. I say ok and get in. He immediately drives 45 seconds and parks. The taxi guy doesn't speak any English and gives me a long ass explanation completely in German. I understand nothing. I get out of the car and go to the phone booth and cry for awhile. I buck up and go find the bus depot. That is not hard as it is right across the train station from me. I find the number 58 bus to Nijmegen and go sit down in the covered bench area as I am trying to stay out of the sun. Even the backs of my ears are sunburned, which I don't understand why, you would think my bike helmet would have blocked out the sun. Any way I don't want the sunburn to bubble up so I sit in the shade. I am the only one in the parking lot at this point, it sure is empty. I can't give you a play by play of all that happens next so this is a summary: A black Jamaican guy comes up and starts talking to me, in English, no less. He says he has been watching me since I was waiting for a taxi. That must have been about half an hour ago, by this time. This news alarms me. I am getting bad, bad vibes from him. Come to think of it the taxi guy wasn't giving off such a good vibe either, but this is a vibe of a different sort. One thing I am very proud of is that so far I have been a very good judge of strangers. Every assessment I have made as been spot on. So my instincts are up and I am listening to them. He gives me this spiel about how he would like to get to know me better. Where is my hotel, what is my itinerary, are you traveling alone, where are you from? I evade his questions. He then asks me if I am from the US. I say yes and he mentions how he admires that Americans say just what they want to say and don't hold back. I think to myself this is my opening. I tell him I am very tired and don't want to talk, please go away. He says "Yes I know you are very tired, I would like to get to know you better, where is your hotel?" Arrrrgg! He wouldn't leave me alone and the conversation always got steered back to the question of where is my hotel. By this time I was already backed into the glass corner as far away from him as possible. He reached out with his hand and I flinched. I'm a bit embarrassed about that, but I didn't know what his hand was going to do. I just saw it coming for me out of the corner of my eye. He stroked my hair. Look, I DO NOT expect these kinds of problems. My thinking on it is that tall, blue eyed, blonde girls get this, not me. Fat girls don't rate. He must have thought I was easy pickings. I got up and left, very unnerved, and sat in the sun with two women that had just walked up. Thank God. Then the same taxi guy comes back and motions for me to get in. Great this is my chance to get away from the other guy. So I hop in and we were off. For about two minutes. We go to the roundabout and he keeps driving round and round and round while speaking on his radio. The price keeps going up and up and up. Finally I said I don't know what you are doing, take me back. He drops me off right where he picks me up, but doesn't drive away and keeps watching me. He gets out and gives me a lot of hand signals. I walk away to another phone booth and cry in as much privacy as possible. Between the pest, the creep, my missing passport, my missing money, five hours of biking, no food today, and the no English barrier I am unnerved and stressed out. By this time I am thinking I have made a bad, bad error in judgment going on this trip. I should just go home! I leave the phone booth and the taxi guy comes up and motions for me to get in his car. Look we've already played that game for forty five minutes. Enough already. I stand directly under the bus sign and look over and here is the bus. Thank God. It's been one full hour by now. I hop on and pay and am off to Nijmegen. The hour from hell is over. I silently cry on and off during the whole 45 minute bus ride. The bus only cost 3.60 euros. MANY HOURS LATER... I made it to Nijmegen and took the ten minute train to Arnhem. I retrace all my steps and look everywhere. The hotel and hostel did not have my passport. They say I will have to go to Den Hag, but that I must come back to Arnhem tomorrow as the police station is having some type of passport day. A day where all the passports are held in one place. Okay. I wait for the bus for Nijmegen for 45 minutes. I got tired of waiting and re-looked at the schedule. It will be another two hours till it comes because it is Sunday and does not run as often. I take a 55.00 Euro cab back to Cleve, Germany. I find an internet cafe and send two depressing emails to Jeff saying I am coming home as soon as I can. I look for a place to eat. It is now 7 pm at night and I have my first meal of the day courtesy of McDonalds I bawl myself to sleep with worry, tears, and the phrase "fat girls don't rate" rattling over and over in my head. Crikey, I am feeling rather sorry for myself tonight. I need a hug. |