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!

Vacations

Last Wednesday, Mom and I went up to Portland for a little vacation.  We had lunch at Andina, a Peruvian place in Northwest Portland.   We got beef hearts with a tasty salsa, scallops baked with parmesan and lime, and seafood ceviche, and it was all fantastic.

 I apologize if the pictures are completely out of whack; I can't figure out how to get them to behave.

Then we went to Papa Haydn, an oasis of desserts.  They're not cheap by any means, but they're oh so pretty and delicious.  We got a meringue layer cake with whipped cream, fruit, and chocolate.  It was enormous and I ended up finishing it off the next day:

Oh, the deliciousness!  One dessert that I found beautiful that we didn't get was the Scharffenberger Bombe, which, as far as I could tell, was a chocolate dome with mousse inside and a macaroon on top.  I'm hopeful all the food I eat in Germany will be as delicious.

This past weekend the whole family went to Belknap hot springs and stayed in a house there.  It's up the McKenzie in a beautiful wooded setting.  Everything's so green and lovely.  We went for walks, when we weren't sleeping and eating and floating in the gigantic hot tubs.

 Uncomfortably third-wheeling a bestial relationship between McKenna and the bear, post-hot springs.

 Beautiful forest in beautiful Oregon.

 Mom and me on a bridge along the path.

 Me inside a burnt-out, but still living, tree.  

We all got together to celebrate Kevin's graduation from high school, and my 21st birthday, since I'll be in Israel on the actual day.  It was also the only chance we'll all get to be together this summer, which is sad for me.  Everyone else gets to go to Steelhead for cheese fries after Kev's graduation, but I'll be fast asleep in Germany.  Le sigh.

Mom got me an awesome flashing birthday tiara (too small for my head, as it was evidently designed for a 7-year-old), which I wore with great pride:

 The strawberry-blueberry pie with a cream cheese-whipped cream base had to be made with California strawberries since Oregon strawberries aren't in season yet, as they are at the end of July.  In spite of this shortcoming, the Nana-made pie was delicious.

Kevin's headed off to OSU (Oregon State) this fall for college, and McKenna's going in to her sophomore year at Linfield, so we all wore our college paraphernalia for a picture:

So this was a completely self-indulgent post.  Hopefully everyone found something redeeming in it, but don't fear, after tomorrow, I will have more travel-related tales to tell.  Until then, keep f***ing those chickens.

Doughnuts

A few days ago Kevin and I went to Voodoo Doughnuts.  They used to just be in Portland (and are the #1 restaurant on Urbanspoon for Portland), but now there's one in Eugene!  They haven't had their grand opening yet, so they have very limited hours, but Kev and I went there at 5:30 the other night and, while they were out of two of the most popular ones (the Voodoo donut, shaped like a voodoo doll, and the Maple Bacon Bar), we managed to get quite a haul of other donuts.  I generally dislike donuts, but I must say that Voodoo has won me over.  Admittedly, I got a fritter (the Memphis Mafia, to be precise), not a regular donut, but I am willing to branch out and try others, as this was no ordinary fritter.

For one thing, it was enormous.  For another, it had a ridiculous assortment of mix-ins and toppings: "Fried dough with banana chunks and cinnamon sugar covered in a glaze with chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips on top!"
Yes, it is truly a work of art.  I went back a couple days later, in the morning, only to find out they don't open until 2, but I am hopeful I'll be able to return before I must leave!


Tomorrow Mom and I are going for a little vacation up to Portland, because she has an appointment there on Thursday.  We'll go to Powell's (screw the Strand, this is the true master bookstore) to find some cheap awesome books, and to Andina (a popular Peruvian restaurant) for lunch.  There's a Voodoo Doughnuts not too far from Powell's, so maybe we can stop by there, too...though we'll be having dessert at Papa Haydn, where there is a fantastic meringue cake with fruit and chocolate.  Mom and Aunt Karen apparently used to eat there all the time when Aunt Karen lived nearby, and the cake comes highly recommended by both.  I'm rather offended I didn't learn of its existence until recently, but I'll try not to hold it against them too much.


This post focused so much on food, I feel it really belongs on http://nomnomfooood.blogspot.com/ instead.  But Yngvildr is getting irritable, and I'm hoping this soothes her ego.  Side note: those of you who know me will be shocked to hear that I went 9 DAYS before my first visit to Sweet Life.  That's more than a WEEK.  And no, I have no idea why it took me so long.  I went tonight with Sarah, and ate an entire eclair.  Kill me now (by making me eat more?).  Thus ends the side note.  Tschüss! 

Home, rain, and an otter

Back home :-)  I love Oregon, in spite of (or perhaps due to) never being here.  It is raining, of course, and cold.  Winter weather, frankly.  Pouring right now.  Good old Oregon, living up to its reputation...maybe this will keep outsiders from invading!  Damn Californians with their terrible driving (and terrible deficit, because I can never let an easy shot like that slide by).  But I love the rain, when I get to be all warm and cozy in my house!  Getting to sleep in as late as I want is fantastic, and waking up in my big bed with the sound of rain outside and the promise of coffee and waffles downstairs is what every vacation should be about.  I'm drinking hot chocolate right now and looking out the window at the downpour, and am happy as a clam.


Been busy getting everything ready for my trip; going to the bank later today to deposit some checks and transfer some funds.  I will soon have an apartment in Berlin!  I still haven't heard back from Haifa about whether I've been accepted into the summer program, and I emailed them a few days ago, with no response (though Jasper says he got a reply that they're out of the office until the 24th).  Serious Fail (capitalization intended) on their part.  I'm just operating under the assumption that they'll accept me, and I'll deal with figuring out what to do if they don't when/if the time comes.


I'm considering getting a twitter account, just to follow the Dalai Lama, Allie Brosh (of Hyperbole and a Half), and the guy who writes shitmydadsays.  But the idea of twitter annoys the hell out of me, regardless of the fact that it was co-founded by a Swattie.  Not cool, dude.  Although I suppose that it's an outlet for narcissism that is clearly labeled as such, and thus easy to avoid.  I do realize the irony of condemning narcissism on a blog, don't worry, but I'm choosing to breeze past it.


That's all the nattering I'll inflict for now.  As a reward for reading this far, here's a goofy picture of an otter, courtesy of dailyotter.org:

BAHAHAHA

First post!

In honor of finishing finals, I have decided to write my first blog post!  Please, feel free to not read it.  I just feel sad having a blog with no posts...I think it must feel sad, too.  Hopefully now it will be less sad.  But it still needs a name.  "The hungry linguist" refers to me, and really, my blog should have its own name.  I dub thee--hold on, let me exhaustively research names.  Or visit the random name generator, whatevs.
"Yngvildr"!  Old Norse, a combination of a god's name and the word for "battle."  So legit.
Okay, my blog is officially christened Yngvildr Abigail (in case I ever need a more pronounceable alternative).
Write blog post: DONE.
Are you happy now, Yngvildr?