My memorable
journey to Germany
T
he date of my flight was 27th of February, by Kuwait Airways. Due to some internal problems of Kuwait Airways, the flight was cancelled. I was a little bit worried about it for I was facing a lot of obstacles time and again on the way to mystudying abroad in Germany. At 10:30 PM on 5th March I went to Zia International Airport as I was to report at 4 PM. After waiting the whole night with my younger brother and my brother-in-law, the result was a late flight of about 2 hours.
Kuwait Airways was really gorgeous even in the economical class. I was connected to a flight from Kuwait to Frankfurt. After getting down from the plane I saw a young lady waiting for the passengers bound for Frankfurt. I came to know from her that my flight had already left as I was one hour late and there were no flights to Frankfurt that day. I was quite disappointed having such a bad news at that moment. She however consoled me and requested me to wait for a while. After ten minutes, she took me to hotel 'Safir' and gave me nice room to pass the time.
The same lady took me to the airport the next morning and gave me the ticket for Frankfurt. But first I have to go to London, then from London to Frankfurt. I got down at the Heathrow Airport. I was really surprised seeing such a large airport. I did not have any idea as to how to go to my boarding terminal? I asked a person, most probably a passenger guide; he showed me a way and told me to go to the waiting bus. After walking a few minutes I saw a person asking me whether I was for terminal 2 or not. Yes, I was for terminal 2. I got into the bus. Then I went to the Lufthansa counter and confirmed my ticket. I
One chemistry
student to another
I am attracted to you Like an electron to a proton Together we form an ionic bond
Though we are opposite charged ions
I am drawn towards you Our love is unique as an orbital
For only two electrons can fill this space
As my love for you increases My energy level rises
I am in this excited state Increasing the tendency to form a chemical bond I was an element
It took you to make me a compound substance
Falling in love with you is a chemical reaction
Which causes my love for you to grow
Ours is an exothermic love Each for giving off love not just absorbing it
Sometimes you do something especially nice Which speeds up the chemical process Like a catalyst in my increasing love for you I realise we have our inhibition periods
And sometimes I am selfish enough
To be an endorthermic reaction
Only absorbing your love The feeling I have for you is so intense
It cannot be measured in kilojoules
Often I have to make a qualitative elementary analysis
To understand and love you more
But I don't expect to know your empirical formula You are too complex a person for that
When you are gone I am a noble gas An inert substance When I am without you The world seems still And I am at equilibrium
had about 3 hours in hand visiting the market inside the airport. At about 8:30 PM, the flight left London and landed at Frankfurt airport at about 10 PM.
The next phase of my ordeal began from here on. Getting down from the plane, I asked a person where to collect my luggage from. But the lady did not
understand English and pointed at the information centre. Having correct information from the information centre I collected my luggage. Then I was to find the railway station in the Frankfurt airport. I asked a person about the railway station. He just stared at me and made a sign that meant he did not understand me. I asked another person and got the same reply. Then I asked an African lady, she could speak English and showed she me the way to the railway station.
There was about 60 kg luggage on my trolley. I was thinking about how to take the trolley down the stairs to the underground station. When I was on the platform of the underground railway station it was about 11:15 PM. Only a few persons were in the station. I found no information centre nearby. I asked a German gentleman about the train to Kaiserslautern. He replied, 'nicht English, nicht English, which means no English, no English.
I found a ticket machine and an information board. I tried my best to understand the schedule attached to the board but could not understand as it was in German language and I did not know how to operate the ticket machine (There was no ticket counter). After every 15 minutes one train came and went by. I did not know how to get a ticket and which train to get into. I was about to cry and curse my fate. Then I saw a young man (Most probably of my age) waiting for the next train. I asked him the same question and he started to speak with me in English. I requested him tell me the train schedule for Kaiserslautern. He told me that there was no train to Kaiserslautern from that station. He told me to go to Frankfurt Main Station. As he was also going in the same direction he advised me to go with him.
He wanted 3 DM (1 DM = about 40 Taka) to buy a ticket for me from the
machine. I told him that I had only dollars (I changed a TC) and requested him to spend the required DM for me and take same amount of dollars from me. Making no delay, he bought my ticket. In the train, he asked me about the purpose of my journey. I told him about my going to Kaiserslautern. After a while, we were in the main station. It was about 12:00 PM. The temperature of Frankfurt on that day was 5° centigrade. I was getting very cold.
The next train was at 7:15 AM. It was direct. He told me to decide. I decided to go the next morning by the train at 7:15 AM. He asked me how I would pass the time up to 7:15. I would pass the time in the passenger lounge, I answered.
He invited me to spend the time with him at his apartment. I was silent for a while and thinking what should I do. I was too tired to think of anything. Relying on Almighty Allah, I decided to go with him, but what about the luggage, I asked him. He took the trolley to a place where there were many fixed boxes to lock something for a charge of 2 DM. When he put 2 DM (From his own pocket) into a hole, the key of the box was active. Putting the luggage into the box, he gave me the key. Then he bought another 3 DM ticket for me and we went to his
apartment. He did not need a ticket, because he had a monthly pass.
That was a two-room apartment, with a bath and a kitchen. It was a very well-decorated apartment. He was not married. His parents lived in northern
Germany. He lived there as he worked nearby. He was not highly educated and did a job in Lufthansa . He told me to have a sound sleep and said good night. In the morning, at about 5:30 AM, he woke me up to take breakfast. We should start immediately to catch the 7:15 train to Kaiserslautern. He again bought a 3 DM ticket for me to go to the main station. Our first task there was to exchange some dollars into DM. He bought a ticket for me to Kaiserslautern with a student discount. Then, we got the luggage and I got into the train.
When everything was ok, I had 5 minutes in hand to talk to him. Our last conversations were -
"You have done a lot for me."
"I think, every German will help you if you can make him understand your problem."
"I heard a lot about Germany before coming here, now already I have met one German, I have realized that you people are really civilised."
He laughed only.
"I have heard a lot about your technological development. You are very
developed in communications, actually, that is the reason I have come here, and I want to have my higher studies in Information Technology."
"I think, German technologies should be developed even further." "I will be very glad if you take what you have spent."
"No, thanks, it was my responsibility."
"I will give you my address at Kaiserslautern, ok?"
"You must contact me on my number at night or on off days." "When I will come to Frankfurt I will meet you."
He shook hands with me and I was choked with emotion. I looked at him as far as I could see and he was standing there with a smiling face.
It would take 1 hour and 45 minutes to go to Kaiserslautern. The train is moving in a good speed leaving hills behind one after another. What a timing! When I was in Kaiserslautern it was 9 AM. I called Mr. Sonal (the person responsible for the international students) on is cell phone. He told me to wait for 20 minutes. I told him...
"Mr. Sonal, how will I recognize you." "you just wait there, I will find you."
It was so cold in Kaiserslautern. I was almost trembling with cold. Within 15 minutes, I saw a person with 'pakano gof' (Moustache twisted), coming towards me. He asked me...
"Are you from Dacca, Bangladesh?" "Yes, I am from Dhaka, Bangladesh."
He dropped me at my apartment. I was so tried. I had to adjust my life in Kaiserslautern.
email: krahman@uni-hohenheim.de
