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Before the flight

I found the Braintec leaflet between my husband's things - I still have to ask him how or where he got it. Mostly something like this is heading straight for the waste bin in this household, but my gaze caught the word "Portland". I know some people who live in a town near Portland (actually, they are distant relatives), and I decided to read on. My first reaction was: "What nonsense!", but the idea of digitalizing and recalling/reliving memories kept lingering. I emailed my acquaintances in the US to check out this company, to see if they are legit, and they confirmed this. There has been an article in the Portland Chronicles when the Braintec building was built, and it seems to be a serious research institute.

I signed up in an impulse. Fact is, there is something wrong with my memories. There are a lot of things I can't recall from my childhood, you could say that whole pieces of time are missing. Of course, in the years I have tried to recall them (since missing time usually is considered a sign of traumatic childhood events), and entered a counseling group (in the Netherlands), but much to my regret it didn't work out the way I had hoped for. Also, this kind of therapy is mostly centered on the solution of a psychological problem, which, in my case, isn't appropriate at all.

I already have the plane tickets. I am a little bit nervous now. "Typically you," said my husband, "everything upside down again." He is an MP, and distrusts every kind of "psychological burglary" as he calls it. Still, I want to go through with it. Who knows how it might benefit me. The operations, I'm not looking forward to them, and I will insist on a long talk with the surgeon. I am curious about the other subjects though, and their motives. I still have to buy a set of suitcases - I am not the traveling kind. Not being able to smoke for such a long time is also something I'm not looking forward to. And can I bring a cigarette lighter aboard with me? Suppose they think I am a terrorist that wants to set fire to the plane...