There’s something about Bodil and Marie!

At this precise moment I am taking the ICE (the German express train) back home to Reutlingen and thinking about these past wonderful and cheerful days in Rostock that I spent with my friend Marie and her parents. I never thought that I would stay as long as I did and that is why I want to write about my visit and about this really special girl.

So this is the story on how it all started on a summer Sunday, a day that I will never forget because I was so sad and touched by the departure of a friend, a friend that until this moment I realize how important she is to me (damn you Bodil, I really miss you!) and how in one way or another she was always there for me without noticing it.

On August 12^th (Sunday) Bodil, Gary and I took the 07:09 train from Reutlingen to Stuttgart. This was the day that Bodil was leaving Reutlingen, a place where she met so many new persons, friends and experiences and maybe (hopefully) love. I was one of the lucky guys to have become a friend, but also the blessing of being her neighbor. There is so much that we lived together at our building called the “Wurmhaus” (mental note: it feels so sad to think about all this right now…) and there is so much I wish to tell you all, to show you how important this was in my life up until now. The departure of Bodil marked the end of an era on our 2^nd floor. This might sound exaggerated to your beloved reader, but if you have ever had to say good bye forever to a friend you will know what I mean.

Despite all the farewells I have lived through my life, this one has been a rather different than all the others. What is so different this time, why has it hit me so hard, even after four days since our good bye?

You might want to kick me or tell me “Hector, get over it and get to the point” or something alike, but please bear with me. This is truly a part of Marie’s story.

So leaving Reutlingen had more meaning than otherwise thought: no more “can you make coffee?” or “can you do a one hand push up?”. Man, this sounds so trivial in the spur of the moment, but it what makes a difference in everything. I am heading back to this 2^nd floor of ours knowing that I will not see the pretty morning smile of my neighbor (because I’ll be damned but it’s a gorgeous smile that anybody in their right mind would want to wake up to) nor will I ever party with her in our living room or at Färberei (I am actually crying here in this bloody train and man, the people must be really asking themselves what the hell is wrong with me, but who the fuck cares what they think! I need a damn Kleenex!).

And after this emotional roller coaster, we are back to the train taking us to Stuttgart. We were all so tired. I don’t really recall what we talked, but I do know that getting Bodil’s luggage on the train was a pain in the… I mean that it was really hard work.
Once we were in Stuttgart we took the stuff to our “Gleis” (google for the translation if you don’t speak German, I’m not in the mood for translating) number 9 and were almost ready to go. Gary was going to take another train towards Italy, so it also meant saying good bye to a good friend that I met three months ago (a bit too late for my taste, but I’ll consider myself lucky for getting to know him at all). So those two love birds (because man, if they weren’t love birds, then who knows what they were…comrades in arms, travel partners, doctor and nurse, king and queen, slave and master, jedi and sith?) had to say their temporary good bye (with all the lovey dovey stuff that comes with it). They shall meet again in Sweden when Gary flies back to Canada on the 23^rd of August.

After that I took Gary to the DB Lounge (a place I’m allowed to go to and get free drinks, read newspapers, work on my laptop or go to the WC) because he still had a while to chill out. Bodil and I had 10 minutes to get to our next train that would take us first to Mannheim, and from Mannheim we would take another train to Hamburg. From Hamburg we would take our third train to Lübeck, where Bodil’s father and younger sister would pick her up (they got lost on their way there and Bodil had to wait at the train station for 40 minutes).

Once we were in Mannheim we picked up breakfast and then went to the DB Lounge (they have one there too, score!) to chill, drink a tea and talk about stuff (while I ate my sandwich, Bodil talked). Before we left Mannheim we reserved some seats in our train because it would have sucked to have gotten kicked out of our seats (this can only happen if the train is full and travelers can reserve the seats…this is especially wise to do on long trips like going to Hamburg). Going from Mannheim to Hamburg you can see most of Germany’s landscape, the autobahn, its cities and towns and everything that we (referring to all of us who have been living here for at least half a year or more) we have come to see as our home. So we just sat there reminiscing about this past year, about our fun times, about all the drama that was lived on our floor, about the love triangles, about the jokes, about the places we went, about the people that we will miss and won’t miss (oops!) and last but not least we fell asleep.

We arrived at Hamburg around noon and had like 30 minutes to get our next train to Lübeck. Once again we hit our favorite joint there: the DB Lounge! We left our “chivas” (goats in Spanish… it’s an old saying that refers to anything that you carry around with you ranging from your backpack to 6 suitcases or more) at the DB Lounge and went to grab lunch. The best part was that we went to Subway and got the “Sub des Tages” with menu! That action costed us our precious little time that we had to run like chickens to catch our train. We made it on time (we had 2 or 3 minutes to spare) with the bonus of a good run for our lazy brain and legs.

On this last train to Lübeck we had our last meal together. We took some pictures on this train and that put us in a really good mood until we got to Lübeck. When we were approaching the train station we tried to guess on which side the doors would open, either right or left. To Bodil’s luck the doors opened on the side that she had guessed (the right side). DAMN! Oh well…

And at this train station of Lübeck was the hardest of all: saying good bye to a friend that I have come to appreciate, respect and love. We stood there on the Gleis and I had to leave in order to get my next train to Rostock. This is when we hugged and Bodil cried like a baby! I don’t know, but I don’t cry that much at these times. A few tears came out, but I sucked it up, stayed strong for her. Even remembering that moment makes me teary eyed and I have like this big apple down my throat. We both knew that this meant the end of a phase in our lives, a time in our lives that we will never forget, a time that taught us so much about others and ourselves.

And the only wish I have at this moment is: Bodil, I hope and pray I get to see you again in this life (hey, maybe for Oktoberfest), but the uncertainty is what scares the living hell out of me! I am just trying to say that I really have come to love you like a friend and sister, like the girl that confided in me (with some stuff, not all of course), that made fun with me or of me, the woman that broke so many hearts (my species still has so much to learn…geez! You make us look stupid), but just the being YOU is what makes me smile! J

Geographical update: I just arrived at Göttingen and it looks like it’s going to rain!

Last but not least: Bodil, ¡DOY GRACIAS AL CIELO POR HABERTE CONOCIDO! I would gladly go all the way for you from Reutlingen to Lübeck again and to the End of the World and back! You are my Kumpel and I shall never leave you behind! WE ARE THE WURMHAUS CORPS! WE LOVE THE WURMHAUS COPRS!

Now I have to keep on writing on how on Earth I got to Rostock, because, damn, this little essay I have written has turned out to be more about Bodil than Marie. I can’t believe that I have written 3 pages on you and our trip! I have not done this before, but it’s cool (besides, I need to improve my writing).

After our farewell, I took the next train (it was fucking hot in there) to Rostock. Before I got to Rostock I had to change trains at another small city (I totally forgot the name of it). By this time I had taken 6 trains (but who cares when you have the Bahncard 100) and travelled over 900 km!

Bear in mind that I have been awake since 06:00 (struggled out of bed around 06:15), took the first train at 07:09 and finally met with my destiny at 17:00: Marie! So this is where the story of Marie begins.

If you know this girl like I do, you should know that the day has not come to an end until she runs out of energy (she is like a nuclear reactor on steroids). There is something I must explain first before I keep typing away: I promised Marie to come and visit her after her knee surgery (she busted her knee while skiing sometime in the winter). However, Marie got her surgery back at her hometown of Rostock, and Rostock is approximately 860 km north east from Reutlingen. Visiting Marie means to cross most of Germany from one end to the other. I guess I could safely say that she lives far away, but hell, do you think something like that could stop me?????? Thank you Diosito for the Bahncard 100! You are the BOSS!

Therefore, saying hasta la vista to Bodil was really hard, but then Marie came along (or I went to her) and made my life exceptionally merry and joyful. To our good fortune, her new boyfriend Gunnar (cool name, never heard it before) drove her to the train station to pick me up. So picture yourself that Marie was updating me with all or most of the events that had happened to her ever since she got back home. I won’t go into those details for now because that’s not the focus.

What we did do was go get some stuff at Gunnar’s place, get some gas for the car and some beer for us, then headed to Marie’s home and chill out a bit. Once at her place we just chillaxed and got our fine selves ready for the BEACH! I had totally forgotten that Rostock lies at Baltic Sea (Ostsee in German) and you most definitely have a beach! That is what exactly I needed after the long trip. I never thought that my day would include a visit to the beach! It was such a wonderful surprise! This is what life is all about! We also had a little dinner there: sliced up veggies and fruit. Have I told you how amazing this all was? I even got to see the Sunset! When I saw the sea, the seagulls, the sun, the people swimming and the sand between my feet I remembered that life is full of surprises (good and bad of course), and it is your friends that make a difference in the world.

I can now tell you that I went to bed with a full day behind me, that I slept like a babe, that I thanked the BIG BOSS (please feel free to call him/her/it whatever you wish, they are all correct) for such an intense day, but what I have not told you yet is the following: once we left the beach and went back home Marie’s dad (Mischa) opened the door for us and greeted me with a bloody face (he had just cut himself while shaving)! Now isn’t that a great first impression? I found it hilarious and so did Marie. The night had just started and I ended up talking with Marie’s parents most of the night about tequila and the types and kinds that exist (I love tequila, but the tequila sierra that you can buy in Germany tastes like disinfectant and will give you a strong head ache and hang over, therefore, I never drink that stuff). I never knew what I was getting myself into when I told Marie’s dad about the other kinds of tequila that you can buy. The whole night was pretty cool and around midnight I got really sleepy and that is how that day ended (plus the 30 to 60 min that I spent online updating facebook and studivz before the night embraced me).

For the time being, this is where I will stop my story about visiting Marie. The next three days are still to be told.

Cheers from the fastest train in Germany: the ICE!

Yours truly,

Héctor S.

PS: Almost in Frankfurt! Need to get some lunch there…foooooooooooood!

Bennie once asked: What is Love?

And somebody answered: What a beautiful question!
:)

What would be your answer?

Just a Game of Chess!

Hey gals & lads! Sorry for being such a lousy blogger. Time to catch up. It seems that life at one point gets so complicated, but at the same time it can be so easy. And well, I believe that life sometimes feels like a game of chess. You know, you start the game with such audacity and security, until you lose a piece or two (and I don't refer to pawns). With time (you have to be a fast learner) you have to adapt and protect yourself as best as possible. There is one thing though that we always protect besides ourselves (the king representing us): the queen (your partner, wife/hubby, gf/bf). It's funny how we get all upset one our queen gets taken. Nevertheless, she is not the most important piece in the game. I recently remembered that without the support of the towers, horses or bishops (these could represent your friends or family, colleagues at work, et. all) you can lose the game even if you your queen.

I am sure that many persons have already compared chess to our lives and the different situations we can find ourselves, so I am not really going to get into that right now anymore.

The support of your secondary pieces (tower, horse and bishop) is not only the only factor that plays a roll in the game. You also need to have (or gain, yes, it is a matter of practice) a long term vision of the game (i.e., to be able to play the game 3 or more steps ahead of you in your head) in order to see through your opponents strategy. But hey, this is only a game. And remember, you can always use your pawns (if they survive) to recover your lost queen!

You know, the best part about playing chess is the part of seeing how your opponent (which is usually a friend or somebody from your family) thinks, acts and reacts to your moves. Sometimes they get upset, sometimes they see victory at hand, sometimes they feel delight for getting the upper hand, and sometimes they lose all hope when they thinks that all is lost.

Seeing how my friends think is what makes me love this game. It gives you more insight into their person than whatever can be said with words or actions.

I hope I get to play chess against you too! Until now I have played recently against four people: Nina Jaretzke (she's beginning to understand the game and what she has to do in order to win), Natalia (a good friend from Russia; she almost kicked my ass at the game...damn, that was close!), Bennie (B. Schmid; my good old buddy from the mba who just lost a 3rd time), and Gerd Kloos (who kicked my ass at the Freibad!! Nice! I need a rematch for that one).
There is one person I would love to play with again is my cousin Min (Fermín Santillán). I taught him how to play many years ago and I am sure we have not played in like 7 years now. He has been the only person to beat me on like 50% of our games. Playing with him will have to wait for a little while.

Cheers to you all wherever you might be! I'm up for the challenge of playing anytime you want (as long as I'm free).

Check mate!

Héctor S.

PS: This is one of my favorite pics: Playing chess with Nina at the Main river