Otto the Exchange Student

The Adventures of Albert the Librarian - Part 5

Inspired by true events

Otto was a student on exchange

With a sleeping pattern totally deranged

He had slept through all these past events

He was soon to comprehend

The past hours had flown by

In the first moment he had wondered why

The past months they seemed like a race

Who would study more and party, and sleep less

He was not sure where he was in all of that

A lot of energy he had, despite the lack of sleep, in fact

A chance unique he had no doubt

To be away from parents, relatives, the stifling crowd

The studies, they were also cool

It was indeed a bit cruel

When he announced that he would pursue that

Mother was about to get a heart attack

Partying was now important too

He met so many people, cool

Genuinely friendly, interested

Though he tried not to be so terribly invested

The girls were many, countless

All he could be was dauntless

He was taking his sweet time, though tempted

By the local cuisine at his disposal rendered

He would carefully choose, make up his mind

A bachelor he would be for a while

No need to hurry, not at all

Now we`re here to have fun and we would know!

Attending every party that he could

It was the time, he felt he should

Good boy, he didn't want to be

It was time to be invincible and free!

Shagging every girl was here the goal

As many as he could, although

He was clueless as to where to start from

It was time to gain experience in this department

A pocket full of condoms, he was ready

The boys were adding to their numbers, which left his confidence a little shredded

Efforts didn`t much pay off

It happened once or twice, quite off the cuff

All he did felt so automatic

But was it right? He wanted depth, but sometimes it was problematic

Something new to brag about was needed

When he met the boys next time around, he would be so impeded

They definitely outdid him quite a lot

They got laid more often than not

He knew he soon deserved a shot

“It`s been a while”, he thought

Last night it was a about to happen, he had hoped

There was a chance to close the deal, but it flopped

The charms were switched on, but to no avail

She turned around, he had failed

Maybe he was coming on too strong

He forced, and it felt a little wrong

Unattractive, yes, it was the explanation

So not to dampen the initial elation

The awkwardness didn't dissipate at once

A drink or two would help it, maybe dance?

He did converse with random people, tried

He did his best to join the fun, no doubt

The booze he brought was way too strong

The idea was to share it, but he did - alone

There would be repercussions to endure

Of this fact he was more than sure

He did not mind additional experience

Nor did he bother much about his own appearance

A bunch of strangers equally drunk, well, some were stoned

That last part, he just wanted to postpone

So he stuck only to his own booze

Not that there was much else from which to choose

A need for something in it to infuse

The shops were closed too, no use

The custom here it was so

Whatever you brought, you drank it alone

Despite the fact it needed sharing so

Nobody would offer, even if you asked politely though

Hospitality was so non-existent - strange!

He learnt the hard way, he swore there would be no revenge!

You were supposed to show up at their door with food

And feed them well, in case they visited, you should!

He didn't do this often though

Last night`s party by the locals thrown

Hence he ended up like that

He usually shared his booze, without regret

A habit that he brought from home

From now on he would heed advice, it should be known!

You are to learn new things when on exchange

Despite the toll it took on your health and it was strange

At any other party it was fine

Last night it was so strange, maybe it was a sign

The locals were unfriendly, weird, were they teasing?

He wasn`t there to get married to a visa!

He tried to slow down, a sip or two

Boredom took over, so uncool

Huge bottle, he gave away some shots

To some other dudes excluded from the lot

In the end he knocked himself out completely

It went so quickly

How he got back to his place

Intrinsic software brought him home, was not erased!

Struggling with inserting key into the lock

That`s when he got a little sober, and slightly shocked

Of the chance of sleeping in the cold hallway

Could he manage it? Well, maybe some other day

A fellow neighbour opened the heavy door

It was the usual chore

It didn't matter if they knew you

Just knocking got you through it

She was going out, sweet perfume - a cloud

There was someone else, wrapping up their night out

Then they sat there, talked and drank some more

By 9 am he was in bed, he should have done that long before

Waking up from a sound of cracking

An earthquake maybe, should he start packing?

Bloodshot eyes as if he had cried for days

No one here to notice anyways

He seemed to have missed a few classes

They weren't so important, he was sure he`d pass it

A hole day of studying was gone

No problem of catching up alone

It was dark, 7 or 8 pm, he put some pants on

Time for dinner came, it seemed something in the kitchen had been going on

He went around the hallway, knocked on doors

Nobody answered these, of course

In his head so many horses running

He would water down some yoghurt, nip it in the bud this headache cunning

The pc and the phone - attempt to be switched on

Nothing came up and he felt abandoned, all alone

Silence for a noisy dorm so uncharacteristic

The neighbour downstairs used to always be artistic

There was singing, screaming at all times of day

The rules unnecessary to obey

The walls were thin as paper, you could hear them talking

You could hear them whisper, make love, walking

He was a bit self-conscious 

And sometimes he was cautious

As he didn't want them to get a bad impression

Especially during his bathroom session

Also when memorising the curriculum before exams

He would hate for anyone to find out about his “hidden arms“

Why do we need thick walls in dorms?

An architect`s decision! Why would it be even warm?

Quarrels, sickness - things like that were guaranteed

But then the students had to pay the price and all the fees

The sole point of living there

Being of your neighbours all the time aware

Endure sleepless nights, unbearable noise

Fail your exams, what was your choice?

It kept the students busy with such petty stuff

They couldn`t lift their gaze off of the above

But student problems they were solved

Staff were hired to be in these involved

Studying had never even seemed to be considered

Noise was present all the time unhindered

He had gone downstairs complaining

Of the annoying girl a few times when this guitar was playing

At all times of night and day

He didn't mind that though it sounded false as hell

He was noisy himself too

He had to admit the crime true

But the night before exam he had to say

Sleep was needed quite a lot, ok!

She didn't bother, never mind

But when he met her she was always kind

She always said “no problem! Sure!”

Poor boyfriend had this clamour to endure

Though she was cute, maybe in some other aspects she delivered…

Probably he would expect death as a result of fever

Anyways where was she now? Silence piercing through walls

“Had all of them evaporated? Where did they go?”

A bowl on the kitchen table half-way eaten

A steak on the counter lying lonely, beaten

Something also roasting in the oven, oh, it smelled so good

Probably the neighbour, who was an exceptionally good cook

Who pursued a degree in Sociology

A waste - the Universe required an apology

He switched the oven off

The heat hit his face, he had to cough

Bubbles of the juice it was bathing in

It wasn't done, but nobody around to watch the thing

He left it off, so let them later be complaining

As fire wasn't necessary, though he feared a little blaming

There was rosemary, and garlic, and some other spices

It would be so tasty, “what a vice!”

Though vegetarian, he made those mental notes and observations

When meat was cooking nearby. He gave it up because it was outrageous

It maybe scared off the girls at every party

He ended up explaining himself, regarded as a martyr

He tried to chase the thought away

And left the kitchen in the same state

Went to check again the rooms around, 

Some doors were open, but there was no life, no sound

Some of them were empty, while others locked

A scary thought he tried to block

Was there any information of this given in the dorms

Was everyone evacuated from their homes?

No leaflet or announcement he could find

Neither on the floor or downstairs in the hall, of any kind

No recollection that would surface in his mind

Was he also to leave here, was this a sign?

“The balcony - I didn't check there”

Two weeks ago - a kitchen meeting, sounded fair

They had agreed to clean it up so they would use it

Drink beer, party, air laundry, you choose it

Lift a finger - nobody did

On the day in question, the kitchenmates they hid 

Alone he could not do a lot

Numerous excuses - too warm, too hot

Take advantage - what it means to share a kitchen

With a bunch of strangers irresponsible, ready to ditch him

Though it was meant for the collective good, welfare

It would have been an example, fair

He was a friendly laid back dude

He never wanted to be rude

Nagging never made a difference

It would only burn the bridges, and bring more indifference

He cleaned his cupboard, and the surfaces he used

In this health hazard of a kitchen, sometimes he had to be excused

He changed a few during the past year

Nothing better to encounter, only what he feared

He could not afford a whole apartment

It was close to uni, it was cheap, it was the standard

It was too much to father random people and it never worked

So he focused on his studies, though health problems lurked

Focus on the bright side, this is a chance unique!

Of all the people he was picked

Dream studies now in his lap

Around nobody`s finger he would be wrapped! 

Though people he encountered here

They had never seen a vacuum cleaner

They were so spoiled, he felt sorry for their mothers

Incapable of living among others

A recent fire in the kitchen 

Though he felt so tempted to pitch in

He chose to mind his business in his room

Smoke was sneaking through the cracks, strange fumes

A pure miracle - no lives were lost

Learning how to function on their own, they were forced

To survive alone through trial and error

They should have brought along the au-pair!

In the city he would look for lodgings 

Diseases all the time he was here dodging

Despite the fact that this crippled life a little

His attitude remained positive towards most people

Shapes standing on the street adjacent to the park

He went down the stairs, the elevators stuck

Three floors down, it did not take long time

There was something there, oh, “a pretty weird light”

Bicycles were spread around

Books and bags, on the ground were found

From behind the bushes he was peeping

In the darkness, pieces of light were seeping

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