“Those days”

When you live abroad, sometimes you have “those days”: those moments when something is missing. Precisely you do not know what: you have a good life, good friends and everything is quite alright. But “those days” will eventually come. When you wake up during one of “those days”, you feel like doing something meaningful, whatever could fill what is missing. What is missing cannot be easily translated into one word, indeed it is not simply your country, but it represents something more than that. As well as it is not about material things. Most likely, it is a combination of abstract elements, for instance a smell, some gestures, or the stability of recognizable behaviors. Even the most adventurous people might have those moments.

Everyone would try to fix this emptiness in a different way according to his/her personality, context and resources.

My personal way is to find a place where I feel good, relaxed, where I can organize my thoughts and clear my mind. Usually, my emptiness reveals itself with feelings of anxiety and pressure to act. And the place which would calm me down the most is a bookstore. In Berlin there are several ones, you can find huge and amazing bookstores everywhere. They look like the paradise of books lovers! The luckiest ones of this category are German speakers (the English section is quite small compared to the endless German one). Even though huge book stores are quite appealing, I am more attracted by the old style small book shops, run by a family maybe.

And in Berlin I had the chance to find one! On a very central street in Mitte, you see this small book shop which sells Italian and Portuguese books. When I entered, I had a feeling of intimacy, which recalls home memories. I had a nice chat with the very kind lady who works there. She suggested me a very interesting book and unexpectedly she gave me what I was looking for. That day I was feeling frustrated and confused after a German class. I was thinking that all my efforts to understand the language were not enough to fulfill the goal. I needed something more. And I found it here. The book is about an explanation of the German mindset, which leads you to better understand the complexity and peculiarity of the language.

The nice lady suggested me also to take a look at some paper boxes filled with a big choice of second-hand books. Well, when I left, I somehow felt that my personal gap was filled.

I recommend a visit to this lovely Portuguese/Italian book shop called “Mondo Libro” (Torstraße 159, Mitte)” for all the “small and unique shops” lovers, against the “big shopping stores” types. I believe that they will be very satisfied!books