In the Beginning...

The building I grew up in,  Bälliz 42, in Thun, Switzerland - X marks my bedroom

I am nearly 25 years old, still living with my parents, it's time for a change - A big change!

The building in Bern looks very impressive as we walk up the wide marble stairs to the front door. American Consulate, the brass sign next to the opening reads. 
'What time is it', my friend Ben asks? 
'We’re too early', I reply, 'it’s only nine o’clock, the auction doesn’t start until ten', I say. We enter through the massive door anyway, looking around; we see the reception next to the lift and a set of lounge chairs, obviously a waiting area.

No one takes any notice of us, the handful of people behind the reception desk, are busy with their work. We move over to the waiting area and sit down in plush leather seats facing the reception desk.

People come and go through the front door and into the lift, occasionally stopping by the reception desk. I wonder where the auction is I ask the question of Ben, there don’t seem any signs, yet the newspaper said quite clearly Auction of used Movie equipment, Friday, 10 am at the American Consulate in Bern.

I get up and move to the reception. The lady behind is in fact Swiss-German, not American at all. Strange, I think, why haven’t they got an American Receptionist? 
'Excuse me', I say, 'can you tell me where the auction is of the used movie equipment, advertised in yesterday’s paper'. '
'Oh', she answers, 'I don’t know, let me make some inquiries'. She picks up the phone and after dialing, asks in English the question I had asked her. I don’t understand her but am most impressed the way she speaks so fluently a foreign language.

'It’s in the basement', she tells us after she comes off the phone, 'starting in a few minute, so if you just like to go through the door over there and down the steps, you’ll see where the people have gathered for the auction'.

We make our way downstairs and find a few more people had already gathered in a small room filled with a few projectors of different formats, small screens and projector stands, but no cameras.

Ben and I belong to a Film Club in Thun and we’re making a documentary in the Selve, one of the metal factories producing bronze and brass alloys.

I’m in between jobs at the moment and Ben is on holidays.  That’s why our film club had asked us to go to the auction to see if we could pick up a second hand 16mm camera such as a Bolex or Ariflex for our hobby of making documentaries. But there are no cameras at this auction.

Although the auction turns out to be a wasted trip, we are very impressed with the whole building and the people in it.

'Wouldn’t it be great to go to America to live', I suggest. Ben agrees and we make our way up once more to the reception where we stop, looking at the receptionist again. 
'Can I help you', she asks. 
'Yes, my friend and I would like to go and live in America',  I say.  'Well',  she answers, 'do you have a job or a sponsor in the USA'?

'No'.

'I see',  she says, 'you need one to work there'.

'How do you get a job there'?

'It’s not easy anymore to migrate to the United States, but why don’t you try at the Canadian Consulate up the road, they are looking for people to migrate to Canada, you shouldn't have a problem there'. Ben and I look at each other and leave the American Consulate.