But it is not all cake and ice cream there. "Just put in the file orders, and what comes back from the collection is always a surprise," the staffer tells me. Also, I am enemies with this model-like woman who once told me to blow my nose because my sniffling was distracting her. There used to be a large guy who wore clothes that didn't fit and sat by the door typing out of what looked like medieval manuscripts. I decided that he was my friend (I needed a friend to balance out nose-police woman).
The guy in the German-version-of-Hawaiian shirt who gives you your locker key I guess has a very heavy Bavarian accent and uses all kinds of Bavarian colloquiums (or maybe he's a Sorb? Who can tell?) because I never have a clue what he's telling me, though he's very nice and apparently likes me in particular. He often hands me a piece of candy along with my locker key as he wishes me in some flowerley and incomprehensible German much success, happy greetings and a lovely day etc.. Except for when there was a hurricane and the city declared a state of emergency and nevertheless I biked to the secret archive (not having watched TV and therefore not knowing that it was a hurricane; CC also biked to the library) and he seemed rather upset and went on and on about how it was dangerous to bike in the rain. But at that point I didn't know the German word for "hurricane." So I thought he was overreacting. Then after that he didn't hand me any candy for a while.
They have the best cappuccino machine. But now they are doing construction and they moved us all into a little room in the other building, and the old break room is off limits. No more cappuccino.
Today this woman who I guess is a big deal staffer (because I have never seen her before) came to the reading room. She was looking for one of the "immorality" files. But I did not have it. I gave it back last week. She went to look for it in the file room. I guess someone else ordered it and now it's no where to be found. Some hours passed. Then I looked up and the staffer woman was hovering by my desk looking intently at my half dictionary; actually, she had her head craned down so she had a close view of all the old paper sticking out of my half dictionary. I was like, 'uh--?' And she was like, 'oh, if I could just check this slip--' There was an old, crumpled file order slip hanging out of my dictionary. A pink slip, same as the slip of the missing file. But the file slip hanging out of my dictionary was from the Bundesarchiv (ha! I thought). This was pretty exciting because it's about the most interaction I've ever had with anyone at the secret archive.
3 comments:
I am consistently amazed that the German archives provide break rooms and cappuccino machines. The best I have come to finding such wonders in the States is either a friendly person at the sign-in desk who will direct me to the cheapest coffee shop within walking distance, or provide me with a list of local eateries. Normally, however, I just try to locate the nearest DD as I get lost finding the archive.
And what's up with the Secret German Archive being decidedly not-so-secret? Do they not realize that carving the letters into the front of the building kinda gives it away?
There's only one explanation for the disappearance of the "immoral" file. It's secret-ness has increased! So now it is so secret, even the Secret Archivists can't find it.
Providing a consistent archive experience is a vital part of this competition. Since this archive once had a cappuccino machine but has taken it away, I feel they should be penalized. If they want full-score, they should bring the cappuccino machine into the temporary area.
I feel really lucky about the break rooms and cappuccino machines, even if sometimes they're off limits. I had no idea how spoiled we are.
I'm worried that the secretness will increase even more and the whole archive will disappear. Good thing I'm almost done.
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