dream_germany epitome of incomprehensibility In real-life Germany, you usually have to pay a euro or half of one to use rest-stop washroom, but here there's a station with free bathrooms and water fountains. Minimalist and classy water fountains, with wood and faux-marble paneling, elegant in light and dark. But that's not all. In the middle of the room, there's a make-your-own bubble tea station - and it's all free. The central basin, a large square tank, has clusters of tapioca balls floating in water. People scoop them up with spoons. At first I pause to wonder whether or not it's hygienic, then I grab an empty cup and scoop some of my own. I don't know whether I think the water I scooped up with the tapioca will magically turn into tea or juice, but I skip straight to the smaller basins of toppings, which are more like ice cream toppings - sprinkles, foam. And ice cream itself. I scoop some white ice cream with an aqua blue streak. It makes me think of old-fashioned soda floats, though the garish slushie colour seems more recently retro, more like my own childhood. I pause to consider the timeline: am I or am I not lactose intolerant yet? I decide I'll eat/drink my free conglomeration anyway, and the scene shifts. 230722 ... e_o_i The setting wasn't so well-defined this time - some kind of large room, possibly with snacks on side tables. The event was clear, though: an in-person reunion of the summer school group (our 1.2-month reunion, apparently). In Germany! I wasn't sure how I'd gotten back there, but it didn't surprise me much. I was more surprised to see Lindsey there, tall and stately as usual. Calm-looking, too. The dark shading I'd seen under her eyes sometimes had receded. So I asked her, "How are you doing? Where have you been?" "Good. Better." She smiled. "I was in Costa Rica. After all that stress...a place to relax, you know." I echoed her smile. Happy. Relieved. When I started disbelieving, it wasn't her veracity but that of the whole situation: why Costa Rica in particular? Would she have the budget to go there right after the course? My doubts woke me up and told me, "You should finish the story you started, even though it's hard." Even though I was sad for what happened to her. Even though those who treated her unfairly were acting from understandable motivations. Even though the truth of the matter is complicated. But the problem about writing it all down is time. Soon, I hope. 230728 ... e_o_i Dad's driving a car. I'm in the passenger seat. We pass a large gate with pillars and a statue on top (it's supposed to be horses but I don't know if the dream gave it horses). "That's the Brandenburger Tor," I say, German for Brandenburg Gate. So we must be in Berlin. But twilight is falling and we're on a long empty highway. I worry we're headed the wrong way: north, out of the city. Like when we were heading to Vanier College for a play but the GPS had the wrong address and tried to steer us north out of the city, only the city in question was Montreal, not Berlin. I want to go back to the city. I'm not sure which. 240408 what's it to you? who go blather from