Interrail Diary: Day One

In YIP we have finally reached our Initiative Week. This is a week open for interpretation basically. We don't have anything decided on the schedule that we must attend to and can if we wish, devote this time completely for our project. Half of YIP decided to use this time to in one way or another, go to the Goetheanum. Most the YIP'ies are hitchiking to get there, but a group of girls, including myself, Inga from Norway, Emmi from Finland and Emma from Germany decided to interrail there, which is to buy a global interrail pass which allows you to go almost anywhere in the world with a train, and you don't have to pay anything extra, just jump onto any train you wish. I've been trying to keep a traveling diary, but I'm really behind on my writing so bear with me!

Here is the first entry, more will follow.

Day 1: Friday the 21st of November

The YIP commune was pretty much in complete chaos during the afternoon. Most YIP’ies were leaving for the Initiative Week, and most had not packed their things yet nor sorted out how to get to their respective airports, train stations, etcetera etcetera.

Through the turmoil I could sense a great deal of emotional distress, that including myself too, but I figured that the general calamity of things was only worsened by the emotionally heavy week that we had all endured.

Through the stress of things to do, realising I was supposed to clean the kitchen upstairs and the stairs on the left side of Tallevana I barely managed to bid my farewells to my fellow YIP’ies and any sort of conversation in the afternoon was wholly impossible due to the chaos.

During supper my despondency began to lift however as I managed to arrange a ride for myself and Inga to the train station at Södertälje Syd. Henning, the utter stereotype of the Swedish man (though he is actually german) agreed to driving us there.

The train from would arrive at Södertälje Syd at 11:30 p.m. and bring us to Copenhagen at around 8:00 in the morning.

Following supper we still had a few hours to go before leaving to Södertälje, thus I decided to alleviate my troubled mind that I indulge myself to some creative work.

Several pots of tea later and two pieces of toast with peanut butter and raspberry jam Henning arrived and Inga and I scurried to get our bags. The lingering YIP’ies carried our bags to the car and we parted with many a hugs and with huge snowflakes singling softly to the ground we disappeared from the Seminar in a flurry of white snow. Henning, announcing that he was feeling as he said, “a bit retarded” proceeded to sliding and swerving consciously with the car on the icy motorway.

I closed my eyes and contemplated my choices in life and what the devil I had willingly gotten myself into.

At 11:30 p.m., still alive Inga and I hurried towards the train, spotting a fervently waving Emmi from inside one of the wagons.

 Emma greeted us and helped us with our backpacks and within a few seconds the train was moving and our journey began.

Emmi and Emma had gone to Stockholm after a hasty decision made during the hectic afternoon. They had caught the train from the city centre at 11:00 p.m. and had already made themselves at home in a secluded part of the seating section in the train.

An elderly arabian looking man sat opposite to me and in a corner there was a pasty looking Swede.

The arabian man avoided our presence throughout most of the journey, and I had a sneaking suspicion that found us remarkably obnoxious, if not downright odious. The Swede however seemed to find our company rather enjoyable up until the point around 1:00 a.m. when we shallowly started discussing the looks of some of the boy’s, or men, in YIP.

Hugo (he presented himself after a few hours, I don’t recall myself doing the same) was doing his military service and drank coca-cola. I made a mental note to disapprove. The night passed on without any particularly interesting discussions, mostly brainless comments of the week and our expectations for the oncoming days. Initiative Week was a well needed break in the habit and stress of things.

We fell asleep at some point after 1:30 a.m. lulled to sleep by the violent rocking and moving of the train. Emma and Inga unpacked their sleeping bags and slept on the floor whilst Emmi and I squatted on the empty seats. At four in the morning I found myself staggering out of the compartment before collapsing on a whole row of empty seats. The entire wagon was pretty much abandoned.

Two hours later I awoke with a hefty cramp in my neck and, waking the girls with my commotion as I entered the compartment again, we readied ourselves to change trains.