8/10 is Observation Day.

Black-rimmed square glasses and short dirty blonde hair. Out of his plump lips comes an English accent. His nose is simple but his brow seems to be constantly furrowed. He wears a blue button-up collared shirt with white squares outlines like a checkerboard. It’s tucked into his dark blue jeans, which end at tie-up brown shoes. These are rounded, but he is most definitely square.

Today is absolutely glasses day. It is also sitting down day, which makes my misshapen feet and their scattered blisters entirely content. It is brown tables constructed in a rectangle with a table-shaped hole in the center day. It is swirly and tilty chairs that kids would have fun in day. It is free water day, with gas. Blue shirts day. Listening and learning day. Kelsi facing the window day. Doodle day.

Welcome to Monday.

I feel slightly horrible going to all these government buildings. I feel that anyone from Berlin would love to be here and see all of this but this experience is completely lost on my uneducated brain. But I’m learning. And I am learning much more about the building I am in as I’m in it, which makes the entire event more profound.

“History makes things complicated.” I’m sitting listening to Oliver talk about political extremism and I’m thinking about how his accent to me has an accent. “EX-trem-ism.” He’s German. “ReguLAIRly.” And he speaks English. “Pro-cess.” But his English is British. “Umm…right.” His German accent while speaking English has a British accent. This is excellent.

Political extremism, as Oliver tells us, aims to end the German constitution’s reign. His powerpoint lists what it stands for, showing words we’re familiar as Americans, such as human rights. “S eparation of powers,” it lists. I think this is exponentially dandy. The goal of political extremism is to overthrow the current system, which sounds to be fantastic and a lot like our political system at home, for a much freedom of opinion as possible within some lines. Outside of those lines, freedom of opinion is not tolerated. This sounds weird: why would this extremely outdated way of governing be so attractive now in this day in age? Well, it makes sense in Germany because it promotes prevention of groups such as Nazis and other established homogenous through. It’s smart however questionable.

The word Budapest just entered my mind and is repeating itself over and over. It is cut by my realization of my immense enjoyment of graphs which is then cut by my amusement at the visual irony of the phrase “western right-winged parties.”

I’m thinking now about the concept of countries. Who has the authority on the outer limits? If a country chooses to have the right to do something, then that’s what they suddenly do, right? There’s no bigger section to say no. There aren’t continent governments, are there? This may be a silly and ignorant question section, but it’s a legitimate wondering I have. When these borders meet, what happens? That’s when things get jumbled.

“I don’t think America doesn’t much care about you leaving the country.”

Sally is Danish blonde on the tips of her hair. Hey Sally, you’ve got some Danish in your hair.

The art in the immigration office has a Budapest postcard on it. I’m laughing to myself. This day has come full circle.