Weekend Events

Hello, all!  Happy Monday (as if there is such a thing).  I should be in class right now, but I had a panic attack (no, I don't know why) so I'm writing this at home instead.  I am venturing out later to skype with Mom and Jasper, though, so I won't be a complete hermit.

On a cheerier note, I had a lovely weekend.  Friday I went to bed super early and got lots of sleep, which was of course awesome.  I also had epic dreams; in one of them, I had a tiny pet bunny who was so small that she got blown into the pool with a gust of wind (this took place at Nana and Papa's old house, for some reason).  Lots of sleep + bunny dreams = a good night.  Saturday Ric and Peter and I went to O2 to get me a German SIM card, which would be awesome except that my stupid AT&T phone won't accept it, contrary to all the information I was given before I left home.  I am not super pleased about that, so I'm hoping that there's some way to make AT&T unlock my phone or something, though it's possible I can find a very cheap cell phone here.  If it's not one thing, it's another!  Sheesh.  [EDIT: The SIM card works in Peter's phone, so he's going to buy it off me.  Then I can hopefully go to O2 again and get a prepaid phone, not just the SIM card.]  Ric had to go to work at 6 so Peter and I went to a park and hung out there for a little while.  There was a guy there who was either extremely crazy, or tripping on something, because he talked to himself non-stop for the half hour or so we were there.  It was not ideal.  Then we went back to the apartment to take a little nap (which ended up becoming a big nap for me, surprise surprise) before going out to Ric's bar.  It's about half an hour away when the subways are running frequently, but yesterday they were not, so it took us 45 minutes or an hour to get there.  The bar is named El Paíz and serves Mexican food and sushi (completely random combination, I know).  I had a couple of strawberry daquiris and a shot of grenadine and a teeny bit of vodka, and only had to pay for a daquiri!  There are definite benefits to knowing the bartender.  However, we had to pretend that we'd just met him, because we wanted to act like very satisfied customers so that he would officially get the job (mission accomplished, btw).  I was extremely excited that he spoke English, and Monica was just as excited that he spoke Spanish.  I imagine his coworkers think something is up, since we've gone and visited him every day he's worked and left only shortly before the end of his shift, but hopefully they don't care.  We got back really late Saturday, and stopped by McDonald's on the way to get a couple of cheeseburgers (1€ each!).  By the time we got home, the sun was well above the horizon.  

We slept 'til early Sunday afternoon, and then Ric headed back to the bar, because Germany was playing England in the World Cup and literally everyone in Berlin finds a TV to watch the match, usually in a bar or restaurant so that there's endless beer to celebrate with (or to ease the pain of losing, if that's the case).  I ordered some Nachos con Pollo because I've been wanting Mexican food so badly, and they were really tasty and salty and delicious.  The game was also truly epic.  Germany won, 4-1, and every time they scored, there were big fireworks and honking and screaming and high-fiving all around.  The mass of people wearing German flags, either literally or in a painted-on fashion, was truly impressive.  Here's hoping that Germany goes all the way!  Otherwise, I've had to put up with the raucous noise for nothing.  While soccer is big in all of Europe, it's especially popular in Germany.  After the war, most Germans didn't have much pride in their country (go figure, right?), but then Germany won the 1952 World Cup, giving Germans a reason to fly their flag and feel that they had regained a place in the world.  Given how secular most Germans are, like most Europeans, soccer is something that connects people of all ages, genders, cultures, and credes.  I believe it was on Jezebel that I read that every religion has its High Holidays--Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur for Judaism, Christmas for Christians, Ramadan for Muslims, and the FIFA World Cup for every country in the world except the US.  Being here, it really does seem like that's an accurate assessment!

The number of luxury cars here is mind-boggling.  There are so many Mercedes and BMWs that I have completely lost any sense of excitement I might once have had.  In the last 3 days, I've seen a Maserati, a Ferrari, an Astin Martin, and a Lamborghini.  That's more than I've seen in the rest of my life combined!  I think a lot of people here spend money on expensive cars rather than expensive houses.  And with universal health care and unbelievably cheap universities (something like ~200€ a semester at the public unis, and ~600€ a semester at private ones), not to mention absurdly cheap food, most Germans have a lot of disposable income.  Not that most of them could afford a Ferrari, but still! 

Saturday I wanted to bake something, but I couldn't find any baking soda in the grocery store (this may be because I don't actually know the word for baking soda [just looked it up, it's Backpulver, but according to my dictionary, that's also the word for baking powder, so I'm not really sure what's up with that).  I did, however, find a pancake mix for 70 cents.  Pancakes here are not like American pancakes; they're actually crepes.  I got the mix, some créme fraîche because Nah und Gut (the closest grocery store; the name means "near and good") didn't have any sour cream, and a pound of strawberries, which altogether cost me 3€.  Ric doesn't eat refined sugar (yeah, it's a bummer), so Peter and I had to eat it all ourselves.  I made the crepes, spread some créme fraîche in the middle, laid some sliced strawberries on top, and rolled it into an adorable little burrito.  It was truly fantastic--only way it could have been better would be with Oregon strawberries, like Mom makes at home, but I guess I have to take what I can get!  I still have half the créme fraîche left, so I'm thinking I'll have to make them again…oh, what a burden!  My life is so hard.

The weather this week is supposed to be stiflingly hot again, ranging from low 80s to low 90s.  Yuck.  So I'm going to go to museums on the hottest days!  I need to research which ones have air conditioning, but I imagine many of the art museums and antiquity museums should be climate controlled.  Yay for that!

I think that's all I have to report for now.  Bis bald!

Fehler and Progress

I am happy to report that my German is definitely improving!  I went to Schloßstraße yesterday to look for Birkenstocks (finally found some, goodness gracious) and, over the course of the afternoon, managed to interact with several salespeople and communicate my needs and desires, mostly in German!  I went to Saturn, which is a big electronics store in Germany (think Best Buy), to look for smaller headphones with a microphone that I could use for Skyping, and when I was there I ran across prepaid cell phones.  It took a fair amount of time to figure out what I wanted, but a helpful salesperson who spoke some English offered her advice, but unfortunately I needed to have proof of residency to register my phone before I could buy it, and I didn't have that with me.  But Rick said if he's not working tomorrow we can go then and register the phone under his name.  I ended up just buying a headset, which I discovered does not fit into my headphone jack--I guess it's just for cell phones.  I'm not sure I'm really up for trying to take it back, but maybe in a week I'll feel more confident.  But it was oh so exciting to be able to interact with real live German people!  And have them respond in German!  One shoe store I went in to had the kind I wanted, but not in the size I needed, but the saleslady and I had a nice little conversation (about shoes, but whatever) completely in German.  It was thrilling!  Class yesterday and today was really good, too; the more comfortable I feel, the more willing I am to make mistakes (Fehler, pronounced like "failer", which is a nice bit of cognate-hood!), which means I can then be corrected and learn more.  So all good on that front!


I can't believe I've been here almost 3 weeks.  I'm glad I've still got 5 1/2 weeks left, because there's so much more I want to do!  Now that I feel a little more confident with my German, I'll be able to get more out of the museums, which I'm looking forward to.  Still not sure when I'm going to go where, but I have a very detailed Google map that I can work off of.


Ric has a job!  As a bartender in Friedrichshain, which is in East Berlin and 35 minutes or so away by subway.  He started yesterday and said it was super fun and that everyone was very nice.  Everyone went to visit him last night, but I was too sleepy.  However, I took a nap today to make sure I'm awake for it!  We're heading over at 10 or so.  He said they have wireless, though he couldn't get it to work on his iPod so I'm wary, but if it works, I will officially have a new living room!  Wifi and free drinks (eventually; for now we should probably pay--but they have a coffee machine so I can drink decaf cappuccinos and help Ric practice his coffee-making skills) and a flatscreen TV would definitely trump the tiny table in the kitchen that's my current "living room".  He said the drinks are pretty cheap but the food is more expensive; we'll see how much out of my price range it is!  

I'm going to go to the grocery store and get some baking supplies; we have no cake pan, but we do have a cookie sheet, so until I can find a cheap pan, I will stick to cookies and scones.  But yaaaaay!  Baked goods!  Yummmmm.


I'm using the internet in Ric's room to post this; if you sit in the right spot on his bed, you can get one bar of free wifi.  It's unbelievably slow, but will hopefully suffice for my immediate needs!  

Gay Pride and Other Musings

Plans for this weekend fell through again, unfortunately; I think Rick and Peter are often too drunk to follow through on anything.  But it's okay!  I went to Idee, a craft store, to get something to make for Jasper's family as a thank you for Sweden.  I'm crocheting a table cloth--classy, classic, and pretty easy.  It may end up being more of a table runner than a complete tablecloth, given how expensive a big one would be (the thread was 7 Euro for 50 g!), and how time-consuming, but I'm going to make it large enough to not be awkward on their dining room table.  The gay pride parade was along the same street as Idee, which I had not realized, so I stayed and watched some of it.  It was so surreal to have these huge floats with flamboyantly dressed and sexually provocative people, sponsored by everyone from "stop aids" to sex shops to the liberal political party.  The same street is where Gedächtniskirche is, the war-bombed church, which made it even more crazy, to see this relic of a war of intolerance behind all these floats of gay pride.  There were all kinds of people there, including grandmothers and little kids (who were all wearing ear plugs, wisely).  It made me fall a little more in love with Berlin.  Especially since there were no anti-gay protestors!  


I got to know my russian roommate a little more yesterday.  I think she misses her family a lot, because when she found out how old (/young) I am, she was like, "Oh, my daughters are a little older than you!  So young!" and then she gave me a hug, and I was a little weirded out but I rolled with it.  And then a friend of hers, a man from Kyrgystan, came over and did some translating between us because he speaks very good German and he said that she would like to go out to coffee with me or something and I was like, okay, sure, why not.  So that will probably happen at some point.  And I was working on my tablecloth last night and she came in and saw, and told me what crochet was in Russian (starts with a t, don't remember the rest) and that her daughters crochet also.  It was a great bonding moment.


Rick and Peter have spent the weekend at a friend's house, Jose.  I haven't met him, but it was kinda nice to have the apartment relatively to myself.  On Friday, Bernat, the Spaniard who's in my class, had a going-away party, which I managed to weasel out of through sleepiness and not calling.  I feel a little guilty about it, but he gives me an uncomfortable feeling in my belly, so I don't feel too terrible.  Geoffrey's going-away party is Tuesday, which I'll definitely be going to.  it's going to be a dinner with traditional Le Reunion food (a French island off the coast of Madagascar), and we're supposed to dress in a tropical theme.  Rick said he's going to wear a speedo (oh dear), and I'll probably wear a swimsuit and my sarong.  i'm sad Geoffrey's leaving; he's incredibly nice and friendly and it's fun to practice German with him because we're at a similar level.  But who knows, perhaps I will go to Le Reunion sometime!  That's totally not out of the way.


I woke up at 10 today because I'd set my alarm for then (I have no idea why I thought waking up so early was necessary), but then I pretty much just laid in bed and read my Berlin tourist book and planned out where all I want to go before I leave until 1:30, when I took my shower and finally got my butt out the door.  The McDonald's near my apartment is open on Sundays, and has internet (though not completely free, sadly), so I'm making use of that and drinking a not-bad cappuccino.  I also had a chocolate muffin, which was not as good as I had hoped, not that that stopped me from eating it all.


I'm loving Berlin, though I do wish I knew more people.  I'm excited to start exploring some of the more cultural things here; there's, like, 15 museums that I want to go to.  I need to talk to the school and get a student card from them so I can get discounted (usually half-price) admission to museums!  I'll let Rick and Peter know where/when I'm going in case they want to come, and Peter has been saying he wants to go to a gallery on Potsdamer Platz that's having a Dalí/Frida Kahlo exhibit, which would be fun to go to.  There are several awesome handcraft museums around the city, which I am of course looking forward to going to!  And berlin has a lot of ancient Egyptian and Byzantine art and sculpture, so there are a few really nice museums with that.  After the war, the Russians looted a lot of stuff, including Priam's Gold which was found in Turkey and originally thought to be from Troy (it's actually much older than that), and after they finally put it on display in the early 90s, Germany ordered them to give it back, but Russia claims that it's payment for the "war of aggression".  I think it's funny that Germany is angry that Russia stole the gold, when it was, of course, initially stolen by Germany from Turkey.  


It's supposed to be really beautiful here the next few days, partly sunny and highs in the high 60s/low-mid 70s.  Most of the museums are closed tomorrow, so I think I'll head down to Rathaus Steglitz and continue my search for shoes, because my German professor Miriam said that there are a lot of shoe stores along Schloß Strasse up to the Rathaus.  Fingers crossed!


EDIT: I woke up majorly fatigued this morning (Monday), so I didn't go to class and am definitely not feeling well enough to go to Steglitz, tragically.  I think instead I'll head back to the apartment soon and take a nap, probably after eating a Döner (so yummy).  I made it to Starbucks to use the internet only because of the promise of hot chocolate that was awaiting me.  I need to go by Netto and get some stuff, including laundry detergent, but fortunately it's on the way.  Blergh.  (End EDIT)

I hope everyone's had a fun and relaxing weekend.  And if I haven't Skyped with you, I would still really like to!  Berlin is 9 hours ahead of the West Coast and 6 ahead of the East Coast, so I'm pretty much available anytime between 1 and 8 pm Berlin time, or 7 am to 2 pm East Coast time, though I could do later than that too (it's just a matter of finding someplace that's open!).  So let me know here or via email when/if you're available!  

Kreuzberg, finally!

Yesterday, I went into Kreuzberg with Geoffrey and we had dinner at Knofi, a Mediterranean place.  Kreuzberg is much younger than Wilmersdorf/Charlottenburg, and also much poorer, which means there's a ton of delicious, cheap places to eat and fun places to shop.  I'll post more about it after this weekend, but here's stuff from the adventures yesterday!  The food was SO good, oh my goodness.  I ate way, way more than I should have.  For 6.50E, I got hummus, black olive spread, and baba ghanoush; artichoke and olive salad, mushroom and carrot salad; three grape leaves, and gobs of bread.

After we ate, we bought a couple beers and walked over to a bridge where all the locals congregate.  It was sunny and warm and there was a guy playing guitar, and we sat and drank our beers while watching the swans in the river and talking about politics and gay rights and tropical fruits.  


Today I went to Kant Straße and wandered around there.  I found a fantastic place called Back-Factory, which is a bakery with super cheap and delicious bakery-type items and sandwiches.  I got a croissant, which I think must have been brushed with salt water or something because it tasted exactly like a pretzel, a Pfannkuchen (known everywhere else as a Berliner, hence the hilarity than ensued when JFK included the article "ein" in his statement "Ich bin ein Berliner", lending the meaning "I am a jelly donut") which wasn't actually that tasty, but was decorated to look like a soccer ball in keeping with soccer fever, a weird sausage-pastry thing, and a fantastic Nutella-esque croissant which, of course, I ate first.

I also made a startling discovery: TJ Maxx is in Berlin!  The weirdest part: It's called TK Maxx.  What the what?!  I have no idea why the name is different.  I went in to see if they had any sandals I liked, but sadly, they did not.  My search continues!


Class is going well, though I find my lack of vocabulary frustrating.  I have 3 pages of vocab words to learn (mostly for my own benefit), but my brain seems to think that since I'm not at Swat, it doesn't actually have to retain any information.  WRONG, brain.  Get it together.


I think that's all for now!  You can look forward to further pictures of Kreuzberg and tales from the weekend in my next post.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Status Update

So, no adventures in Kreuzberg to report.  By the time I got back to the apartment on Friday, everybody had already left, without leaving me a note or anythng.  I didn't see or hear from them until 5 or so on Sunday; they said they hadn't thought I was coming with them.  Oh wells…needless to say, I had a rather boring and lonely weekend.  But!  Monica finishes exams on Friday (7-hour exams, isn't that terrible?!), so we're going to celebrate this weekend, and they definitely know that I want to come with!


We have a new roommate.  She's Russian, 50 years old, and speaks no English and very little German.  It's a slightly unfortunate situation, to say the least.  I'm not really sure what's going to happen with that, but hopefully she'll learn German fast!  Or move out soon.  


This week, the weather is what I was expecting originally: high 60s/low 70s, chilly at night, and occasionally quite windy.  Today it's beautiful and sunny without being too warm, which is awesome.  Here's hoping it lasts!


Class seems to be in a general upward swing, though that is probably due in part to me getting used to being clueless and/or wrong.  Still, I feel like I'm making progress, though I'm really glad I have 2 months here and not just the 1 I had originally planned.  I may actually be mildly competent by the end!


I'm currently in a different glamorous McDonald's; this one is near Alexanderplatz, in Mitte. I came out here to look at the Birkenstock store, which sadly did not have the style I wanted in the size I need.  I shall continue my search though!  I'm meeting Geoffrey for dinner tonight; he lives near Nollendorfplatz (U-bahn station) so we'll meet there and then take the train to Kreuzberg and eat in a Mediterranean restaurant there!  I'll take lots of pictures, never fear.


Until tomorrow!

One week down!

Hello, my pretties.  Happy Friday!  I hope you're excited for the weekend.  The World Cup starts tonight, for those of you who don't know, which is a huuuuuge deal here.  Mexico and South Africa are playing tomorrow (everyone in my household [by which I mean Rick, Peter, honorary members Sofia and Monica, and me by default since I don't care at all] is rooting for South Africa), and then Germany is playing Sunday.  I have no investment in the games, though I guess if the US or Germany do well I'll be happy, but I imagine I'll end up watching at least part of every one.  We're spending at least part of the weekend at Sofia's apartment, which is apparently huge and gorgeous and is in Kreuzberg, part of East Berlin (about 45 minutes away from my apartment).  We're going to watch the games, make dinner, and then go out Saturday night to experience Berlin nightlife, which, while not my cup of tea, the others say is very fun.  Bonus: Sofia's apartment has internet!  She agrees that living without it is well-nigh impossible.  And sometime next week we're going to go to the Rathaus (City Hall) to get the paperwork for a SIM card worked out, since Peter needs one too.  It'll be free for me when you call, though regular international rate will apply for you.  I'm hoping it's not too expensive!


I Skyped with Mom and Jasper yesterday, which was hugely fun.  It was lovely being able to see and hear them (though Jasper's microphone was acting up, so all I heard was a faint "hi" at the beginning of the conversation).  I'm pretty sure all the people in Starbucks thought I was completely insane.  I'd managed to find a somewhat quiet corner, though, so I hope I didn't disturb anyone too much.  The Starbucks is the same afore-mentioned one near the school, and it is most definitely air conditioned.  I spent a couple hours there after class yesterday because it was 30 degrees (Celsius, ~88 F) and super humid, and decided to return there when it was time to Skype, in spite of it being rather inconveniently far located, just so that I could take advantage of the climate control.  The same barista was there as when I had come earlier, and she gave me a weird look, not that I can blame her.  Mom joked that I might have to start paying rent, but I always buy something when I go, which is trés expensive and should count as rent!


Class yesterday was harder again.  We talked about modal adjectives and what effect they have on the sense of the sentence, and it took a while for me to even realize what we were talking about because I didn't know the vocabulary.  It's really complicated and one of those things where it can't fully be explained and you have to just get used to how it's used, but Miriam (the teacher) tried to give us a rough idea of a few, which ended up just making me super confused.  And since I hadn't understood the vocabulary, I hadn't done the exercise right (though I did manage to fake my way through most of it).  And by the end I had a better idea of how to recognize the implied meaning, etc., but I doubt I could accurately use them in my own speech or writing.  This is very frustrating!  I feel like it's futile to be studying something that I will never have a real grasp of, and the more I learn, the less I feel I know.  And I'm still terrible at actually speaking German with Germans; today some teenagers asked me where the nearest McDonald's was and I very slowly, with poor grammar and incorrect word order, told them it was a few blocks away.  And then they asked if I there was anything closer, and I tried to say "I don't know of any" but I had no idea how to so I just awkwardly shrugged and looked pained and said "not the I know".  It was embarrassing, to say the least, and I wouldn't be surprised if they went on to ask someone else a little more competent.  I need to practice speaking German more, but I feel so awkward and nervous when I try, which makes me not want to interact, which means I wouldn't get any better…so I continue to try, in spite of the burning discomfort I get from failure.  I'm working up to going into a store and buying new Birkenstocks, since the only real summer footwear I have is flip-flops that are getting mighty dirty (I brought two pairs of tennis shoes, but it's been too hot to wear anything that enclosed!), but I want to feel like I'm a little more on top of things before I attempt that.  I went into Karstadt, a department store, today to look for Birks, and was pleased to see that they have all their shoes out in boxes so you can try on the size you want instead of having to interact with a salesperson, but they didn't have the kind I wanted.  So I am still sandal-less, but I will try again soon!  My goal by the end of my two months here is to feel confident enough to interact with strangers in German without feeling anxious bile in my belly, and hopefully with that will come the (moderate) fluency I know I can achieve with more vocabulary and some relaxation.  


Class today was much better.  We did some work with zu + Infinitive sentences, which we'd done at Swat, but we went into more depth and I have a better understanding of some (though by no means all) of the complexities.  And then we reviewed the irregular past tenses, and I knew almost all the correct forms (with the exception of the verbs I hadn't encountered before), thanks to my obsessive repetition last semester.  So I got to feel super on top of things!  And then Sofia and I talked in German instead of English, which I think will help get me more comfortable speaking the language, since I know her and we're at a similar level; she's much better at speaking, though, since she's been living here for 2 years.  It's really warm again today, though I think it's cooler than yesterday was, and there's a nice breeze.  I'm still sitting in a/c in Starbucks, though!  I went into a bakery on Ku'damm and got German cheesecake (drier than American) and a chocolate croissant, which was cheap and delicious.  I could post pictures, but I don't have my camera, and you'll get the same effect if you go to a bakery and look at their croissants and cheesecake.  Which you should then order and eat and think of me.  


I'm excited to spend some time in Kreuzberg this weekend and explore around there.  There's supposedly a lot of cheap delicious food, which I will undoubtedly indulge in.  And hopefully Sofia and Monica and I can go shopping, since I think it's cheaper there than in Charlottenburg/Wilmersdorf.


I'm planning on doing some museum exploring next week.  Most museums are closed on Monday, but many are free on Wednesday and the last few open hours on Thursday.  Now I just have to convince Rick to come with!  Geoffrey promised to take me to a good, cheap Mediterranean restaurant next week, so I'll definitely post about that.  


So, that's all for now.  I'll post again after this weekend with pictures and tales of Kreuzberg!  I hope you all have wonderful weekends and get to eat delicious food and enjoy some sunshine!

Tiergarten and Gedächtniskirche

I'm happy to report that German class has been better the past two days!  I feel much more on top of things, and am learning a lot.  I'm getting much more used to hearing German spoken and using it myself, though I still feel a little awkward with it.  I'm sitting in the Starbucks along Kurfürstendamm, home to most of the luxury stores in Berlin, which is big and spacious with comfy chairs and what feels like air conditioning upstairs!  This is very exciting, because most places in Berlin don't have air conditioning, in spite of the heat and humidity that comes in the summertime.  I'm quite happy to have found someplace that is pretty easily accessible and cool!  I ordered in German, but the menu items are in pseudo-Italian and English (I got a caramel frappuccino and a piece of New York cheesecake, which ended up coming out as "Könnte ich haben ein tall caramel frappuccino und ein Stück cheesecake, bitte?"), so the cashier could obviously tell I was American and so responded in English.  But I spoke back only in German!  The cashier yesterday was much more game to use German, in spite of my confusion about what Sahne was (it's whipped cream, and once she translated, I very excitedly exclaimed "ja, bitte!").  I appreciate it when Germans have some patience with me, even though their English is far better than my German will ever be.

Yesterday, I went to the park with Rick and Peter.  Tiergarten (Tier = animal, so it's literally "animal garden") used to be the hunting grounds for the royal family.  Now it's a huge public park in western Berlin, about 10 minutes away from my apartment if I take the subway.  It's over 600 acres, so not as big as Central Park, but still very spacious!  We sat by one of the many rivers that meander through the park and read our respective books and enjoyed the sunshine.

The cottontrees are completely out of control, though.  There was so much fluff, I'm pretty sure I swallowed/inhaled a pound just from sitting there and breathing.  That part was not awesome.  But all the animals we saw were!  Tier is an apt title for the park.  There were a bunch of geese pecking away at the grass and fluff; Rick went over to try and become friends but they ignored him in favor of the dirt.

Walking away after being rejected by the geese.  His interaction went much better than it could have: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/01/dinosaur.html


Later some dogs came and chased the geese around, which stirred up all the cotton fluff on the ground and made it seems like we were in some kind of demented snow globe.  Then even later there was an epic showdown between an invading goose and the geese already there, with the interloper being chased off in a fierce show of birdly intimidation.


There were also a bunch of ducks in the river:

Those are baby ducklings in the bottom half of the frame, with mommyduck above.


And swans!

See all the white stuff on the surface?  Yeah, that's all fluff.  It was everywhere.

And then we also saw a baby bunny, but the picture's really small so I won't post it, but it was super cute.  On our way back we walked by Gedächtniskirche, a gorgeous church that was bombed out at the end of the war.  It's one of the few remaining pieces of pre-war architecture that wasn't remodeled or torn down during the separation of Germany (a lot of old buildings and palaces in East Berlin were demolished by the DDR as symbols of a hated imperial past).  It's very striking to see it surrounded by the modern high rises, including the Mercedes headquarters.

And that's all for today, folks!  I must now depart to buy some Kleenex and coffee (isn't it strange, the things you find you need?).  Tschüss!


EDIT: One last thing--one of the warnings they have on cigarette cartons here is RAUCHER STERBEN FRÜHER, which translates to "Smokers die earlier."  No beating around the bush there, eh?  Gotta love Germany!

Class

Had my first day of classes today!  I have class from 9:15 to 11:00, then we get a break, and resume from 11:15 to 12:30.  Rick and Peter, who's currently living in our apartment until our new flatmate arrives (on the 13th, I think), offered to walk with me to the school since I didn't know how to get there.  They usually arrive very late, but I made them promise to get up in time because I didn't want to be late my first day.  We were a rather bleary group as we trundled along Lietzengburger Straße in the drizzle, but we all made it to class on time!  Apparently their teacher was quite shocked, since they are literally never less than fifteen minutes late (and often don't come until after the break).  The school put me in level B2, which is where I was expecting to be.  My teacher, Patrick, is only going to be here for a couple more classes; he normally teaches Mondays and Tuesdays, but he's gone tomorrow and then after next week he's going to India, so I can't get too used to him!  He was very nice and friendly, though, which gives me hope for my other teachers.  We did some basic grammatical stuff, including adjective endings (thank you, Herr Werlen, for beating that into our heads).  It went pretty well, though my vocabulary is seriously lacking.  About a quarter of the time, I wasn't really sure what was going on.  I do not like that feeling.  At all.  I hate feeling behind the curve, but I think it's something I'm going to have to get used to.  Whereas German class was a very gradual slope, being here in Berlin is kind of like stepping off the continental shelf.  Though hopefully there's no terrifying animals to eat my toes (Zehen, one of the many words I learned at Swat and forgot before coming here, darn).  Like this guy:

Jesus, that's terrifying.  No matter what, nothing I face here will be so frightening, which is somewhat comforting.

I'm writing this post in the classiest McDonald's I have ever seen.  It's got leather seats and couches circling around tables with bouquets, and some art-deco stools and tall tables.  It's surreal.  But a very nice place to sit and blog!  Plus, it's so busy downstairs where you order that I could sneak up here without having to buy anything.  The first story is where the normal McDonald's is, and the second floor, where I am, is a McCafé, which is actually something different, I guess.  There's a coffee bar, with actual café-type drinks.  I don't know how good the coffee is, though.  I need to find some way to have coffee in the morning, because I was super sleepy in class today.  When it doesn't get dark until 10:45, it's hard to convince your body that it's bedtime!

Okay, I should probably go soon so I can stop by the office supply store and get some paper.  I have to write a "letter to the editor" about whether mountain climbers should have to pay for helicopters to follow them, or if the state should pick up the tab.  Yeah, random.  Hope everyone's having a good day!

First days in Berlin

I am in Berlin!  It's very exciting, though a little (or a lot) overwhelming.  So much to report!

NOTE: I could only get one picture to load at the current time.  I shall retry tomorrow, but until then, you can just enjoy the unbroken blocks of text.  You're welcome.

Apartment: I have a very large room, complete with desk, bed, closet, bookshelves, sheets, towels, and lamps.  It's awesome.

Desk!  (Pathetic that this is the only picture that would load.  Boo.)

I also have a big window looking out on the back of Bistro Contandino, the Turkish place on the corner.  I went there for lunch yesterday, since I hadn't really eaten anything for a day (though I did sleep 14 hours!), and I got an enormous döner (gyro) for 3€, and then actually managed to eat almost all of it.
The "bread" was sorta like pita, only yummier--a little crunchy on the outside, due in part to the poppy and sesame seeds that were baked in.  I got it with chile sauce, in part because it was the only one I could pronounce (more on language problems shortly).  My roommate seems nice; his name is Rick and he's American (and Salvadorean) and has been living here for a couple of months.  He's an intern at the school, though he says he's only level A2 or so in German (I'm ~B2) but he's fluent in Spanish, since he spent 8 years there, and went to a British school.  The kitchen is very wee and tiny, and contains a sink, dishwasher, oven/stove, two small refrigerators, and the washing machine.  I'm not sure there's a dryer, as I didn't see one next to the washer.  There's no real living space, though there is a small table with a couple of chairs next to the kitchen.

When we were approaching Berlin, I was glad I had a window seat.  I noticed that it was much flatter than I am used to, and greener than I was expecting.  There's lots of fields around the city, but unilke in the US, they're not squares or circles, but rather form a mismatched patchwork across the landscape.  And have I mentioned the trees?  There's so many!  Even I, as a Eugenian, am impressed.  And pleased.

After I landed in Berlin, I had to figure out how to take the bus from the airport to a station with a subway (U-bahn).  I could not for the life of me figure out how to purchase a ticket, because for some reason they decided the instructions should only be in German (at an international airport…just seems a little peculiar, given that the ATMs in the rest of the city all have at least French and English options, as well as often Italian and Turkish), so I just stared in consternation.  Though one of the staffers attempted to direct me in the correct direction, I was too overwhelmed to keep track of what she was saying so I ended up just as confused as before.  Fortunately, a very nice group of Germans who were headed into the airport gave me their group ticket, good for 5 people through 3 o'clock in the morning.  I effusively thanked them, though I couldn't remember how to say "you are my new best friend", which probably would have just freaked them out.  I managed to find my way to the right bus, after butchering "I received the ticket from someone else" when the man helping me expressed confusion at my having a ticket good for 4 others, and then made it on and off the subway without issue.  I had very helpful instructions from the Akademie for how to get to my apartment, but being me, managed to go about a mile past where I should have turned before I realized that I was an idiot and turned around.  Keep note, I was lugging my computer bag and 2 suitcases.  I got a lot of pitying looks.  On the upside, the part I walked through was really gorgeous, with lots of beautiful apartments and trees.  I'm in West Berlin, which, while "staid" (as my Nat'l Geographic guidebook put it), is quite lovely.  West Berlin is wealthier than East Berlin and generally both the buildings and their residents are older.  There's a lot of really nice restaurants, which are unfortunately out of my price range.  The traffic is quiet and well-behaved, and almost all the cars are what we Americans would call "luxury", which makes sense as they're made in the country.  I even saw a Lamborghini earlier!  In spite of the higher taxes and lower quality, I have seen a couple of Fords and Chryslers, including a long white limo down the street from my apartment.

After eating my delicious döner kebab, I attempted to get back in to my apartment, but found the lock entirely perplexing and was unable to open it.  So instead I went down to the market down the block, where I purchased two yogurts and some cookies (runde Butterkeks, round butter cookies) for $1.50, and made a glorious discovery: they have off-brand Nutella!  You get a huge amount for about $2.  It made me extremely happy, but Rick said the store a couple of blocks away (Netto) is much cheaper, so I decided to hold off on buying it just yet.  Then I wandered around for a long time looking at the pretty streets and searching for an internet café.  The guidebooks are all like "they're everywhere!  You can't go five feet without tripping over them!".  This was not my experience.  I finally wandered into a Hotel (for Russians, apparently, since all the signs were in German and Russian) and very stiltedly asked if they knew where an internet café nearby was.  They showed me where one probably was ("probably" because, while it did exist a month ago, they come and go very often and so may not still be around).  I didn't find it, though I'm not sure if that's due to it having closed or my cluelessness.  I did, however, find KaDeWe.  Kaufhaus des Westens (Department store of the West) is Europe's biggest department store.  It has 7 stories, including clothes, books, home accoutrements, and, my favorite, food.  The 6th floor comprises nothing but food and drink, spread out in different "shops".  There were, like, 8 stores devoted just to chocolate.  Cheeses galore, including green Wasabi Gouda.  Huge displays of beer, wine, and hard alcohol, with bars scattered around where you could drink some before buying.  DESSERTS!  Beautiful, beautiful cakes and pies and mousse.  A huge bread section, mirrored by a huge meat section.  One section just for jelly beans, which made me giggle.  It was glorious.  I will definitely be going back, especially since it's only 15 or 20 minutes away.  After I was done there, I took the subway to Potsdamer Platz, hoping to go to the Sony Center and take advantage of the free wireless there.  Unfortunately, there was a big outdoor festival or something, with music and nice restaurants and cafes, and I couldn't figure out how to get inside the building (in fact, I'm still not even sure I'm allowed inside the building, but HOW ELSE CAN I GET WIFI?!).  So I bought an overpriced iced chai from a rather grumpy lady before meandering along in search of internet.  I found some at a Dunkin' Donuts, 2€ for an hour and fifteen minutes, but I had to use their computers, which were slow and not equipped for Dvorak typing.  I used my time to check my email, though I didn't get to respond to anyone, and change my facebook status, and then I researched options for wi-fi subscriptions.  It looks like T-Mobile hotspots are my best bet, since they're all over the city, and unlimited costs $35/month.  I may do that, given the apparent dearth of options around my apartment.  The school has internet, though, so I'll see what the deal is with that on Monday.

As for the language…well, I'm finding that a month of not really speaking German has depleted my skills, which were lacking to begin with.  It's hard to understand people when they talk at normal speed in their weird Berlin accents, and find myself having to think really slowly about what to say back.  It's challenging, especially for me given my perfectionism and shyness, but even just a day has made me feel a little more comfortable.  I think starting school will be really helpful, and the more time I spend here, the more I'll get used to the language.  I can understand most things I read, though more detailed signs and placards take some time.  I definitely appreciate it when they provide the English translation!  Hopefully I'll stop needing that.  I feel like I've dropped myself into the deep end wearing those little floaty armbands--I'm not drowning, but it's certainly proving a struggle.  I'm way outside my comfort zone, but I think (hope?) I'm up for it.  Still need to find a German SIM card (something else that's supposedly easy to find but I'm having problems with) so that I can talk on the phone for cheap, since I won't have so much access to Skype, etc.
EDIT: One of my new friends, Sofia, has offered to take me to get a German cell phone.  I just have to get proof of residency from the school, and then it's 9€ for a prepaid cell phone.  Score!

A lot of people smoke here, way more than in the States, which is surprising given how unhealthy it is.  I guess Germany hasn't had the same public campaign that the US has.  I'll just have to smelling smoke, I suppose.  At least the trees are beautiful :-)  Germany is a lot further north than the US, so Berlin gets crazy sunlight in the summer.  It didn't get dark til after 10 last night!  It makes it a very nice place to be for the summer months.  The weather Friday and yesterday was beautiful--mid seventies to low eighties, light breeze, low humidity.  It's apparently not always so nice, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts!  Tthe cottonwoods are blooming like crazy; near Potsdamer Platz, I could barely breathe for fear of inhaling a bunch of cotton.  It was weird.  There's one lone bit floating around my room right now; I guess the wind blew it in through my window.  Be free, little tree!  BE FREE!

Last night I hung out with Rick and some of his friends.  Sofia and Monica are Salvadorean and have been living in Germany for a couple of years; they're fluent in Spanish, English, and very competent in German.  They're both going to university here; Monica is at TU (Technical University) and Sofia is at a smaller uni, whose name I cannot remember.  Peter is Rick's best friend from college and Monica's boyfriend.  He's Canadian/Italian, and lives in Italy.  He's planning on studying German here and then applying to go to the university.  Geoffrey is French and at a similar level of German as me.  Last night Patrick, who's German and studying at FU (Free University), was also there as Rick's date.  Conversations were an interesting mix of Spanish (between Monica, Sofia, and Rick), English, and German, with frequent translations needed for those of us not completely fluent in a language.  It's fun hearing Spanish again; some of it's coming back, but I still couldn't produce it myself, and I can't understand a lot of what they say.  I feel so language-inadequate!  It's amazing to meet so many people from so many places.  I'm looking forward to school tomorrow, though not without some trepidation.  I asked how much homework they assign, and everyone said it's between 10 minutes and an hour, which seems so little, but I guess that leaves me more time to explore!

One last thing: groceries here are ridiculously cheap.  Not so much for fruits and veggies, but for the staple items, it's amazing how much you can get for a couple of bucks.  So I would say I won't need as much money for food as I had allotted!

Phewf.  Sorry to write so much, and thank you for reading if you've reached this point!  I'm thinking of everyone and missing home, but very glad I get this opportunity.  I hope everything is going well in the States!