Motherland: England

The punchline of this Indian-Canadian's (real Indian, not Native American) joke was that the motherland for all Indians is not India but England. I can't help but feel a bit of that as I took "the Tube" (subway) to my hostel. Just about every other name reminds me of a certain street in HK that has the same name.

Oh let me backtrack...

The flight was to depart at 7:30 am so I set my alarm clock to 5:30 am

5:20 am: I woke myself up (beating my alarm clock, ha!.... which almost never happened...) feeling really lousy with a bit of cold and sore throat.
5:21-5:23 am: unpack a few things so I can check my backpack in and not have my gifts being thrown around by airport people
5:24 am: For a good 15 seconds or so I debated whether to take shower.
5:25 am: unpack a few more things
5:29 am: stepped into shower
5:41 am: body-warming-cleansing-and-mind-refreshing ritual completed (I usually take a shower for 30 mins ish so I was delighted to beat the clock yet again!)
6:00 am: Packed everything, brushed teeth and checked out of hostel
6:02 am: Got to train station and the S42 train was right there waiting for me. Very very delighted at perfect timing. Pat self on back for job well done.
6:18 am: Got to Beusselstr. station and realized I have missed the TXL bus to Tegel airport by 3 minutes. Next one at 6:31 am. Wonderful feeling of self fleeted and transgressed into self blame. Pondered what I could have possibly done to have made the 6:15 am connection. Conclusion: aside from waking up 30 mins or earlier, none. I still would have had to wait for S42 train regardless.
6:22 am: sigh 9 more minutes to go....
6:23 am: Spotted this guy who seems to be travelling very anxiously got into a taxi right in front of bus stop. There's an idea!
6:24 am: Now en route to Tegel airport by taxi and delivered me right to the check in counter. Very pleased with self, yet again, for actually getting to airport way earlier than expected.
6:40 am: Now waiting at the gate to board plane after checking in.
7:00 am: Now on plane, hurray!
7:25 am: Now pondering the multitude of scenarios in which I will die on this plane. Euphoria replaced by morbid considerations of dying. Said to self that if the plane was to blow up right this moment, it'd be ok. I could accept that................ Thought of death turned into thought of insufferable living; what if i was to be completely burned but kept alive? I will turn into a vegetable, a grilled vegetable. What would I do then? Will anyone love me? Will my friends abandon me? Will I then draw from my experience of "overcoming" my disaster and write some piece of mementos that'd inspire generations to come?
7:32 am: plane took off
7:33 am: sound asleep
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10:10 am ish: Arrived at this good looking hostel but unfortunately no checking in till 2 pm.
11:14 am: Present- time to figure out where I am going today. There are tons of art I want to see. Can't believe I am going to see so much of the art I have always read in books and dreamed to see in person, namely William Turner, Rothko...etc.

'Till next time!