The End is Near

Well, as the saying goes, “All good things come to an end.” It appears that this cliché will be ringing true for my income over here in Germany a bit sooner than I was hoping; but that’s life, I guess… I was actually hoping to be able to continue working until the end of June (this was the initial stop date on my contract renewal); however, due to lack of clearance to work with the latest and greatest (and still pretty much top-secret) technology here, it looks like I’ll be heading back home a bit earlier than expected (most likely in the next couple of months).

To be honest, I’m actually not that upset about this development. Eight months of living in a country where the language barrier makes any attempt at self expression a completely futile effort is, in my opinion, at least six months too long (and yes, I am completely aware that not learning the language is nobody’s fault but my own; however Deutsch just doesn’t seem like a language that my mind is able to easily embrace). The money I was earning pretty much more than cancelled out the frustrations; however, once the income stops, I’ll be eager to get back to my “real” life…

I am hoping to head back to Amsterdam for my last hurrah on what has most definitely been the most interesting and surprisingly educational trip of my life thus far; however I have decided that I’m not going to take this trip alone. Although the five previous lone ventures to Amsterdam (well, I headed out with Jon and Cindy on trip #1 but returned alone) where all very interesting, I’ve already done that. I think that the money I would save by not doing it again may prove to be very beneficial on the resumption of my life back in the states – I will, once again, be unemployed when I return home. My buddy Joe, as it turns out, has expressed what I believe to be a sincere interest in flying over here and joining me on my farewell venture. If we can get all the arrangements in order for this trip (I will be calling Joe to speak with him about this over the weekend – assuming he ever actually answers his phone…), I most definitely will go. I believe the cost for that trip would absolutely be worth it. I figure that this may be the best opportunity for this as I am living in Germany and who knows if I will ever be returning…? (It’s possible though – this current trip wasn’t even a consideration prior to a month before I left. Life, you see, is funny that way at times…)

For yet one more interesting twist on what was a rather spontaneous trip to begin with, I’m actually considering (and currently looking into) heading back to the states via boat – not an actual cruise ship, mind you, but by cargo ship. I’ve found a company (the PZM Polish Steamship Company) that offers passenger service (for up to six passengers) on their 656 foot “I” class cargo ships from Amsterdam (which, of course, would make one more trip to Amsterdam necessary whether Joe can make it or not) to the Great Lakes via St. Lawrence Seaway – with Cleveland as a final destination – for about the same cost as a one-way flight. It would lengthen the approximate 10 hour flight to a 24-25 day cruise; but, since there’s really nothing requiring my immediate attention in my life, I’m actually considering it. It might make for an interesting experience and, after all, shouldn’t we strive to include as many interesting experiences as we can in our pathetically short lives?

I don’t know … maybe this is just one more sign that I may actually be loosing my firm grasp of sanity that I’ve always considered myself to have (well, minus the short departure back in ’87); although lately I’ve actually been wondering if sanity is all that it’s cracked up to be. Perhaps a bit of insanity is what my life needs right about now. I could always justify it as an opportunity to “think outside the box” and, from what I’ve experienced, thinking outside the box is often looked upon as a good character trait…

However I decide to travel, I will be doing it rather soon and it’s somewhat reassuring to finally be able to see the light at the end of this tunnel. Let’s just hope that the light I am seeing isn’t the front of an oncoming train. I’ve been hit before (haven’t we all?) and I’m beginning to wonder if I’d be able to survive the impact…

bis später,

Coriolis