In the New Testament, Jesus taught his followers to love thy neighbor. When somebody asked him who our neighbors are supposed to be, Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
So here I am in Tubingen, Germany at a conference on the concept of the neighbor and neighborliness in history and literature. Getting here was a nightmare . . . flight delays in Burlington, being rerouted through Heathrow, then, when I finally arrived in Germany, the trains were delayed. I did not get to Tubingen until 10:30pm, after nearly 24 hours of traveling. The taxi took me to the university guesthouse where we were supposed to stay, and when I got there, it was all locked up for the night. Nobody was there to let me in. It was pouring down rain, I was totally exhausted, I was somewhere in the suburbs of Tubingen Germany without a map or a phone. So I went next door to what turned out to be a residence for international graduate students and buzzed the door. Luckily, three students were still up. One lent me his cell phone to call the conference director (who was no help) while another went to try to get into the guesthouse where I was supposed to stay. They directed me to a hotel that happened to be down the street, then, when the hotel had no rooms, they collected some bedding and towels and put me in an empty room in their residence to sleep.
I do not know the names of my three Good Samaritans but I am so grateful for their kindness! This adventure has taught me more about neighborliness than I could ever get out of a conference.
Everything has gone smoothly since then . . . I checked into the guesthouse this morning, rested and showered with a newly acquired good attitude. The conference has been great. Tubingen is a gorgeous old university town. I was also happy to discover some drawings in my notebook by Lucy and some scribbles by Gavin, as well as one of Gavins pacifiers in my suitcase. It makes me feel like I am not so far away from my family. After this, I am off to Augsburg for ten days, then back home again.
