The Diary
of
Anne Ku

24 February 2001 Saturday

COMFORT OF OLD FRIENDS

It is said that friendship is strengthened by hardship or adversity. Bonding occurs from helping each other in times of great need.

Since the opportunity to visit old friends is so rare these days, I will make time to do so, even if it means a detour or a six hour train ride. And I don't regret coming to see Sasha and Dieter one bit. With them, it's like coming home again.

There was so much to tell and share. We had met in London - all equally homeless and undirected. Now we're home owners and home free. Six years ago we walked hand in hand through a small German village. We couldn't stop talking then, or a few years earlier when they were leaving London. We can't stop talking even now.

We shared stories of England, Germany, and Africa. We described different working practices and the rationale for the way people acted. We are all humans and flawed beings. One thread held the stories Dieter told: the fight for justice and righteousness. How can we stop feeling like we're victims? How can we empower ourselves? What can we do about the world we live in?

Tonight at the Potato Cellar (Kartofeln Keller), we enjoyed our last supper. There Sasha recalled that I had once said, "Can you imagine everyone naked on the train?" Since then, everytime she boarded a train, she would think of me.

Next time I see my friends, I'm sure we will revisit old memories just like the first time.

Yesterday

Tomorrow