The Aquatic Archaeology Tour That Wasn't

I think the idea of volunteering for two days per week so that I stop obsessing about 'not doing anything' and 'not being good enough to be hired[/admitted to a university'] has turned out to be good.

It's always been an impediment in small parts of my life that I'm not especially street-smart but am incredibly sheltered. But people in the charity where I've now volunteered for about ten hours seem pretty forgiving of that.

It feels like I can't escape clothing: I've been folding, sorting, draping, and tidying it, as well as refilling shoes into a cupboard. But I am also sweeping the floor and picking up bits and pieces that fall on it (tape, torn cardboard, blanket filling feathers, dust bunnies, ...), checking that the bathrooms have enough hand-drying towels and enough room in the wastepaper baskets, .... Which is unlike my previous job and volunteer experience. And bringing oversized tote bags; and answering questions of people who have come for the clothing, bed and table linens, shoes, and household utensils. I learn a lot, and it gives me blessed peace from my thoughts.

But I will admit that I had a pretty stout confidence in my knowledge of languages ... before I started volunteering this week. English, German, French; enough Spanish and Portuguese reading comprehension to read entire books; and modern Greek; and a little ancient Greek and Latin, seem like enough for anyone. Plus the smattering of languages I'm picking up in Duolingo.

Now that I am volunteering: one parade of linguistic failures after another. Mówisz po polsku? a lady asked me (I think). 'Nein.' ... Ukrainian? Russian? Despite my having learned a few basic phrases, I haven't got a clue. This morning I said 'ша́пка' ('hat') when I meant to say 'су́мка' (bag). .. Turkish? Not enough to talk with Turkish-speaking fellow volunteers. ... Arabic or Farsi? I can understand Alemanya, arba'a, Türkiye, and wallah. ... It's easier to communicate with gestures, or bits and pieces of German or English if the people speaking to me know them. But I've also started asking fellow volunteers what this or that person wanted to say, because they are great at filling in the blanks, and teaching me what to understand and do the next time.

It's not just linguistic mistakes. I also brought a bundle of the smallest size of baby diapers to a woman and child who was well into toddling age — the mother laughed kindly, and let me know which size was actually needed.

***

Anyway, today I was also supposed to be receiving the tour around an archaeological site in Berlin, so I did half a volunteer shift and then cycled off during lunch.

It rained fiercely by the time I began cycling, however. It was slightly horrible commuting weather. Car tires throwing water from the asphalt on Spandauer Straße onto the bicycle path, and a vast muddy brown 'river' at the corner facing Brandenburger Tor. And my pale cotton trousers were so soaked that they clung to my legs and knees, and were coloured pink by my skin visible through the fabric.

I arrived at the meeting place. The archaeologist (?) who'd be giving the tour came up through the construction driveway to me and a waiting mother plus two children ... and told us that the tour was cancelled. The site wasn't secure enough for us to walk in, due to the weather. Deep puddles, mud, etc. made it too unstable.

So I ended up going home early, feeling a little guiltier for cutting short the volunteer work.