Ordnung muß sein?

upon arrival in berlin, i met a trickster, the one you are warned about on the side of ticket vending machines in U train stations. he wanted to sell me a ticket. i caught his eye and his accent and asked him if he was romanian which indeed he was. as we started speaking the mother tongue, he didnt want to sell me the ticket anymore, but instead was very helpful with my purchase, giving me directions and generally being very nice. then, on the train, this romanian trumpet duo came in the cart i was in and started playing. we chatted a bit and i thought: berlin is really the place to be romanian. :>

this festival is so big, it's scary. people with accreditation queue from 6 am in front of the festival center to pick up tickets, and it opens at 8.30. i got a tattoo on my hand that will be my mantra for these 10 days, take it as it comes. also because there are so many movies and so many people that it's easiest to just be relaxed about it and open to whatever comes my way. and in postdamer platz, everything comes your way. including trains. which is the only thing you must avoid direct collision with.

to illustrate: yesterday, on festival day -1, going to pick up my accreditation and getting lost on the way, i saw a man with a red berlinale bag and asked him for help. he was going my way so we walked and talked together. he showed me the movie he produced and told me to check it out. we said goodbye and i knew i was ready for anything to happen. 

then i thought, berlin is really the place to be

(for me, now).

and there's a funny coincidence: the travel pass for the period i am here costs as much as the festival pass, and it is only right because the train is a sort of film apparatus and every time i've been on it i've seen scenes of amazing natural beauty with oh so interesting characters.