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.
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!
That was a pretty epic post!
ReplyDeleteKeep them coming, My Pretty. I was needing an "Amy Fix" and loved reading some of the details of your life in Germany. You' Mama
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