AnYeonju_Narrative

Germany and the lost wallet

 

Two years ago, I went on a trip to a country where I had always wanted to visit: Germany. My German trip started in Berlin, and I went on to Hidelberg, Strousbourg, and finally, Munich. It took a month. Just like what it was in my dream, Germany was wonderful country; I fell in love with the citizen’s kindness, beautiful museums and architects, and well-preserved historical sites. Although I don’t speak German, still there was no problem to travel around the country, because almost every person there spoke English. I felt comfortable and safe as if I had been in my home country. However, on the last day of my trip, while I was waiting for my train at a station in Munich, I experienced the worst thing that a tourist could ever experience in foreign countries. I went to the station’s public restroom where I need to pay five euros for use. I needed to take the money out from my wallet. I inserted the coin into the machine at the gate of the restroom. Since it was the first time that I used a pay restroom, I was a little bit excited going into in. The facilities were very clean and it smelled of vanilla in there. I could not stop looking at everything in the restroom in admiration; I was just marveled at the good manner of culturally advanced society, which was reflected in a station’s restroom. I used the restroom with great satisfaction. I went back and take a seat in the waiting room. After a few minutes, I was frightened. I found myself without my wallet. I tried to calm down and think where I misplaced it. I couldn’t easily remember it, so I went back to the spots where I had visited in the station. There were only twenty minutes left before the departure of my train. When I passed by the restroom, I could remember where I had put my wallet: in the restroom. However I couldn’t go into it, because I didn’t have five euros to go through the gate. I found a clerk and told him about my situation. Fortunately, and likely to any other Germans I met, he understood English, and told me that a lost wallet which had been found by a citizen is kept in the office near the restroom. I went to the office with him, showed my passport to prove that was mine, and got my wallet back. Surprisingly, the one hundred euro bill was still in my wallet. I couldn’t stop thanking the clerk and an unknown German citizen that found my wallet and gave it to the office. It was the most frightening experience so far in my travel history, but, on the other hand, this experience confirmed my belief that Germany is an advanced society.