Visitor

Herr Dr. Khalid N. visited Berlin recently. He attended a conference and we agreed to spend yesterday together, before I escorted him to the airport for the flight home.

Dr. Khalid and I met many years ago at Sussex University. We talked about happy times as undergraduates and what had happened since graduation. Lots of water has flown under the bridge – what an interesting phrase – since we packed out first degrees in our bags and hit the road.

Khalid’s road took him to many countries, and peoples, before settling in the north of the UK. When not travelling for conferences, or on research projects, he teaches economics. His wife is also a lecturer and they share the work of bringing up two happy, smiley children.

It was wonderful to share memories and catch up on news. Khalid was in Berlin in the late 80’s and early 90’s and can still speak some German. I wasn’t here then so I learnt a lot from him about life in the city during a period of unprecedented change.

We did a sight-seeing tour of all the usual and famous places in Berlin, with stops for coffee and lunch, before we took the train to the airport. I have been reflecting all day about news of people I hadn’t heard about for years. A truly memorable day. Looking forward to the next. Thanks Khalid!