My 40th anniversary trip to Berlin was restful. After a few days, at an IBIS hotel, in the tourist area, I headed to the suburbs. Once there, I had a great week of doing absolutely nothing. Well, I had to walk up a series of stairs that gave my bone-on-bone knee arthritis a good workout. So, there’s that!

Then, I headed to Poland. The only downside of the Berlin to Warsaw rail trip was when the handle of my beloved child sized pink Unicorn suitcase came off in my hand. I was exiting the train. Talk about Mind the Gap! The step down wasn’t level with the platform. When I grabbed the handle of the suitcase, to lower it, the plastic handle came off in my hand. I was a sight to behold, walking to my Uber, holding onto my suitcase by one of the metal rods.

I purchased a new suitcase, at the end of my Hop on Hop off sightseeing tour, a few days later. Perhaps mid March is slow, in terms of tourism. Only one sightseeing bus was running. It had two routes, red and blue. I arrived in time for the Blue Route. The bus went around once and then became the Red Route. Going and coming, there were less than ten people onboard. Everyone was happy, when the driver announced that he was taking a forty minute break, at Old Town.

For me, that stop was perfect. It gave me time to walk around and replace my lunch. I had purchased food just before setting off on the Blue Route. Two kids approached me, said they were hungry, and asked for money. So, I offered them my lunch. The boy, around ten, grabbed the bag tightly. The girl, a few years older, looked at me with a “Why did you give him the bag?” expression on her face. I didn’t have the language skills or time to cover the rules. Clearly, her partner in crime wasn’t the “Ride or Die” type. Sis, lesson learned!

My Warsaw lodging, in a short term rental apartment, was the highlight of the trip. It was a ten-minute Uber ride from the train station, in a very modern area with nearby restaurants and shops. My unit had a washing machine and dry rack. There was also a small patio. And, I was just a five minute walk from the Warsaw Hub. It’s a workspace with built-in grocery store, retail shops, and several restaurants. I could have never imagined lodging, in Warsaw, surrounded by high tech and skyscrapers.

Towards the end of my stay, I finally went to the nearby Sushi restaurant. The owner asked where I was from and then said that he LOVED Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He also wanted the EU to end. I didn’t have time to stop, drop, and explain the whole “I’m a retired Academic Librarian. Are you sure you want to chat with me?” situation. Still, we had a really good conversation. I ordered my food to go. He was making a test pizza (to add to his menu) and wanted my opinion. The pizza was better than the sushi.

Being in Poland, surrounded by the history of 1939 and the start of WWII, puts the current situation in the USA into context. But, what do I know? I’ve been away, since March 2017. I served two years in Peace Corps Armenia and nine months in Peace Corps Ethiopia, until the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown the agency. I quickly changed my home of record and spent my COVID 14-day quarantine and the next three months in Hawaii. (Many thanks, TMC)! By August, I was serving with AmeriCorps in Alaska. I exited the US, December 01, 2022.

The joy of full time travel really hit home, in Warsaw. I only know one word of Polish, Tak! It means yes. I figure who in Warsaw expects me to know Polish. And, trust me, after learning Swahili, Armenian, and Amharic, during my Peace Corps service, in Kenya, Armenia, and Ethiopia, I know that other than the basics, … My name is, Thank you, and Please (as in PLEASE call Peace Corps for me), I’m no good, other than in German!

In 7th grade, we had to take a quarter of Latin, Spanish, French, and German. Then, in 8th and 9th grade, we would study the strongest one. For me, it was German. When eighth grade began, I was told to pick another language. Only two students had excelled in German and the school was no longer going to offer it. During my recent visit to Berlin, I killed it! I could grocery shop like a champ! Duolingo for the win! Take that, Junior High School.

I will forever be grateful for the years I’ve had, so far, living outside of the United States. I probably learned the term “expatiate” from watching James Baldwin, on the Dick Cavett Show, in 1969. Baldwin lived in France. I didn’t want to live there. I just wanted to be an expat. Thanks, Jimmy! XOXO—GGT