Walking Adventure

We tried to go to church Sunday. Notice "tried." We were looking for the Village Church but the people that knew where it was didn't come with us. So we wandered around.

This alley got a lot of attention. Church still wasn't on it. But we were. A lot. Here is a house we passed (these pictures are cheap substitutes--it was really a lovely street).

Then we saw this statue (on the right--look closely). These are my friends Gracie (left), Lukas, and Ari. Two Germans and an American (Gracie). Lukas explained this statue of Wilhelm the First who freed bohemians (from Bohemia---WHAT?!?! That's a place? Not just a thing in that movie with Ewan McGregor?). They gave him a statue. There is bird poop on it. Bohemians...Psh....

After looking for church for half an hour it was too late even if we did find it. So we decided to look for a secret garden park that they had heard of. Unrivaled beauty, supposedly. We didn't find it. But we found this:

And there was a nice enough garden here with well-behaved dogs and a small evergreen. After we couldn't find the secret garden we decided to go to the Tempelhofer Park. It used to be an airport and now it's a park!!!! You can walk/jog/rollerblade/bike on the runway! It's beautiful. Lots of kites. Lots of kids. Lots of hipsters. Lots of fun. So we just walked. Here is a picture of Ari and Gracie (on the runway!).

And this is our last glance before a bakery run and goodbyes to Ari (back to Stuttgart). She invited us to come visit her and stay in her flat. So nice. This was my best German-speaking day so... it's a small victory. Great Sunday (even though it didn't go as planned).

Frozen

Today I woke up at 6:30. I got out of bed at 6:40 and no one in the U.S. gets to judge today because this is how cold it was:

I had work this morning. What that looks like is research. Coffee research. We needed some numbers in the neighborhood where we are opening a cafe. How many people in this area are taking to-go cups with them on their commute? I got to do this. Outside. For an hour and a half. I knew the job would fall on me anyway so I volunteered. I think my bosses are PREEEEETTY impressed.

This is a pair of exercise pants under jeans, socks, boots, a shirt, a pullover, an exercise jacket, a ski jacket, my warmest scarf (thanks Meg-pie), a hat, gloves, and two mugs of tea (jasmine green and peppermint). Yes, for now I have to take pictures of myself because I have very few friends (and NONE that would have been up that early, let alone go OUT!) I stood on a corner and counted. Numbers weren't great--17 to go cups. But I see that as a good sign. Looks like this are is REALLY desperate for a cool coffee shop (optimist). I stood listening to music and people watched the whole time. I got my first surge of real love for Berlin during this watch. It was while I was still relatively warm and my tea was still hot (it got way worse later). I saw a man walking down the street. He was old and had trouble walking. And I just wanted healing for a broken city. I usually see people and have pity, compassion, and a plethora of cheap feelings desiring comfort, friendship, belonging, etc. But when I saw this man today, I just wanted this broken and fallen world to be righted. I didn't want him to be loved and accepted as much as I wanted him to be Loved and Accepted by the God of the universe that offers that in abundance and perfection. So, I cried a few tears for a broken world and city, and grew a bit closer to having Berlin and it's people permanently etched on my heart. I've been wondering where that was.

Later, when it warmed up to a beautiful 45, I put a proper face on and a different scarf that my friend Jenny made me for this trip. Yes I took this of myself. I was just going to send it to her but then I thought I'd give a shout out publicly so everyone can know how great she is.

Yeah...they were adults.

Tonight on the train some people were speaking in German. One of the guys was wearing a shirt with the periodic table on it and they discussed it in length...saying different numbers and properties. It took everything in me not to shout "NERDS!"

Burritos and Quark

Let's start with another picture from my balcony...because it's fall and it's kind of amazing that I have my own balcony!

If you don't know me very well, this may come as a surprise, but I LOVE food. I LOVE it! So today I share my experience with you via pictures of food. There are only a couple. So first, I come from California. This offers me some benefits in Berlin as well as some challenges. The benefits come from living in an area where many nations and cultures are represented. It is a blessing because living in a big city, I'm surrounded by many different people from all over the world, and it's not a surprise to me. It actually provides some comfort. It feels like home. My neighborhood has lots of people from Turkey and it's been fun to walk around and smile at the ladies wearing traditional clothing or the babies with (often) massive amounts of hair on top of their heads sleeping under piles of blankets fast asleep in a bustling train. It feels like home. The challenge of coming from California is that I LOVE spicy food and I REALLY LOVE (all caps shows how much I mean it) Mexican food. I knew there wouldn't be Mexican food here and I could try to make my own but it may be a cheap substitute. Well, SURPRISE! I got Mexican food yesterday. And it was BOMB! And it was SPICY! And I was happy. Here is a picture of my second day leftovers. (The place was sort of like Chipotle. So good. Bonus: it's right next to my German Language school so...they'll be seeing a lot of me. )

This story is an old one. Here is a picture of my breakfast. German breakfast is great because it's not all sugar and syrup. It's hearty. You can have bread, cheese, pretzels, and coffee. It's wonderful and savory and so perfect for my taste. This is my favorite bread here so far (besides pretzels which I also love). It's dark and dense and has pumpkin seeds all over and in it. On the left is a piece with Quark (kvark). It has dill and green onions in it. It's such an interesting dip and I really enjoy it. Drizzled on top is really wonderfully thick and sweet balsamic vinegar. MMM. On the right is quark (plain) that tastes like plain Greek yoghurt. On top of it is strawberry jam. This is a traditional German thing (the bread and the quark). I really enjoyed it and I liked it a double dose because in my German class in high school, whenever we signed up to bring something for our Oktoberfest/Christmas/endofschool parties, our teacher would always ask us who was bringing the quark? We always poo pooed her but now I see she was right (about so many things). What a wise lady. What other pearls of wisdom did I miss from Frau Koeller?

Best Day

Today has been my best day in Berlin so far. It started slowly. This morning I just wanted to get out. I don't always feel like going out because it can be tiring. I don't feel confident speaking German and I know if there is a problem, I probably can't fix it. If I get lost I may not find my way back and I don't have a way to call anyone yet. But today I wanted to go. It was lovely and sunny today. A warm 66 degrees. I went to go pay for school and stumbled upon a farmer's market. This was by far the most at home in Berlin I've felt the whole time. There were venders selling fruits, vegetables, cheese, honey, meat...It was wonderful. I loved it.

Here is what I bought (well...I actually bought three apples but I ate one on the UBahn):

After this I found a lovely park below the UBahn station I switch trains in. So I hopped off and walked over to it. I love that I get fall!

This park was paradise today. I felt like I was in the forest which is just where I wanted to be for a bit. You could easily forget that you are in the middle of Berlin here were it not for the occasional plane above, the graffiti on ALL benches, and the rumble of the earth as a train passes beneath where you stand. It was so nice. I think I'll go back there. When I was walking from my train to my house I saw a record store. It is a tiny shop with hundreds of record all along the wall. I went in and quickly made a friend (Willy) who played a dozen songs on different records for me. He told me all about the shows he has been to and the best club in the world (besten Club im ganzem Weld) where the beatles and the who played. He was so nice and was the first person to really speak slowly for me. We spoke mostly in German and he helped me a lot. I think I'll buy a record player for myself so I can get some good music from him. At every moment today I felt like "this is my favorite part of today" but now I can't tell. I really loved each part and am so grateful for these experiences that make me feel at home here. (sorry I don't have a picture of Willy or his store. It's a gem. I'll have to get some next time.

Food

I've had a few great food adventures. Here are some: My first full day I was taken to get German food. It was ok. It looks like this:

It tasted good but German food is not my favorite. Not a lot of flavor. Luckily, almost no one eats German food here so that's nice for me. There also is a lot of Turkish food here and they sell Doner which is like Gyros. It's delicious and cheap. They put sauces and cabbage and onions and tomatoes and whatever you want. So good!

Yesterday I had Thai food. Mine was good but my friend Gracie's coconut green curry was WAY better! I'll get that next time. On my pad Thai (because I was unsure what German Thai food might taste like--better safe than sorry) there was cilantro and it was just like home!!!! Explanation: In CA cilantro tastes delicious. There is nothing like it. On the east coast they have no idea what I'm talking about because theirs tastes like nothing. I'm assuming they add it to things for color only. I anticipated IF they had cilantro here, that it would be bland and only for color. Well IT'S NOT!!! It is so good and I can't wait to buy some at the store and make my own salsa! What a victory.

ps-this is one of my many new awesome possessions. I love this mug. It's my favorite.

The Grocery Adventures

The grocery store? It's crazy. It's wildly overwhelming and I get a panic attack anytime I have to talk to anyone in German...but it's fun! ish. The first time I went to the grocery store I went alone. On my Second day in Berlin. So that was smart. It started easily...I like produce. Then I found the pasta...but where is the pasta sauce? Or even just tomatoes I could make pasta sauce out of. Or just a can of anything? Broccolli soup? Olives? Nope...nowhere to be found. A man came up and tried to talk to me. I panicked and his accent was so different and no matter how many times he repeated it, he NEVER SLOWED DOWN!!! Why? Who knows. And of course the one thing drilled into us in German class "bitte langsam, ich bin Auslander und spreche nicht gut Deutsch" just went out the window! (That means: Please slow down. I am a foreigner and I don't speak German well.) He finally gave up on me and walked away. I think now he was trying to help me find something but he kept pointing at the grapes in his cart and I didn't understand! Also, In Berlin, they have you weigh your own fruit sometimes and then get a sticker that they can then scan. Well...I muddled my way through that and panicked when I was told the amount (EURO + Deutsch = panic). Finally, I was done checking out and then...no bags. You don't get bags? They don't give you a paper or plastic bag! And you can buy them but it was too late! I loaded my arms full and walked home on the verge of tears even though I was fine. I think because I love grocery shopping so much I was disappointed that it went so badly. I went again another day (to a different one) and it went much better. I did panic when I went up to the register. What if they get mad at me cause I don't understand? They didn't. And it was fine. I did load my bags right there at the end of the aisle which turns out is NOT how you do it in Germany. You're supposed to go over to a counter and put all your items in your bags away from the other people trying to check out. Woops. Who knew? Next time. (ps-I did forget a bag AGAIN! and had to buy a plastic one from the grocer. Sometimes it takes me a few times to actually remember. Maybe I'll keep one in my purse all the time for spontaneous grocer visits.)

Airports...Who needs em?

I do, turns out. My adventure from Los Angeles to Berlin was a whirlwind of fun. It actually wasn’t that bad and I’m so thankful to my uncle for helping me out. He is a pilot and he is wonderful and he helped navigate me through Miami, which is saying A LOT! I left LAX at 6am. Which means arriving at 5. Which means waking up (late) at 4. I was bumped to business class where I received THIS mimosa.

I spent many hours in Miami once I arrived. We had a six hour delay. The WHOLE time they said “15 more minutes!” False. It wasn’t too bad…I had already been there for several hours before boarding the 6 hour death trap but I didn’t really have a lot to be mad about. Others, on the other hand, were outraged. I always feel bad for flight attendants when these things happen. They get yelled at and they obviously didn’t break the light in the cockpit, so why are we yelling at them? We boarded a new plane with a new crew and all was well. I arrived in Paris, boarded a bus to the other paris airport (with two GIANT bags) to catch a small flight with EasyJet (sounds safe) to Berlin. While navigating the two airports, I have to say I felt very American. So much luggage and no French at all. I need a man to help me shove my big suitcase through a couple of bars to get onto an escalator. Yeah. American. Turns out Easy Jet is located in the BASEMENT of Orly South. In case you were wondering. It took me a couple hours to find it and nothing in paris is in English because I should know enough French to get to Berlin. I was ill prepared. It’s ok because I finally found the orange signs directing me to EasyJet and paid the MANY Euro it took to change my flight (because I missed my original flight yucking it up in Miami for 6 BONUS hours. Will Smith was seriously playing in my head the WHOLE time). I was going to explore Paris for a few hours but after all that, I paid the 6 Euro to get an hour and a half of internet and just sat trying to stop sweating. When I arrived in Berlin, I had two people that I’ve emailed with and skyped waiting for me. They helped me through the UBahn and we arrived at my new apartment. Here it is:

I guess in Berlin the “rooms” are more like studio apartments and everyone has one, they just share the bathroom and kitchen. So that’s my table and bed and couch. AND!!!! That’s my balcony. Yeah. I have my own balcony. It’s not a big deal…but it’s an honour. So that’s where I live and how I got here. What an adventure. I’m all grown up now.

alike/different (because I used to worked in schools)

So I'm in Berlin now. There are a million things that are different here and some things that are the same. Here is a short list of some of these things: Different: dogs. There are wandering dogs sometimes but they aren't gross--they are normal, even sometimes very attractive dogs that obviously belong to someone just wandering the streets. I've asked several people about it. They all just shrug and say "I never noticed." Euros, and Kilograms. It is infinitely harder to grocery shop when you are not only translating the language (or trying to) but also the measurements and cost. IS this cheese a good price?! Who knows?! (turns out it was--mozzarella for about 51 cents? yes please!) accents. Turns out all Germans sound different. They all have different accents and inflection and they cut off the ends of words sometimes. Everyone goes a mile a minute so if they cut off the end of the subject or the main verb (often there are 3 or 4 in a sentence...hence the MAIN verb) then I am completely lost. I'm sort of lost anyway but if I'm trying to keep up with someone from the south, forget it. I sometimes will just think about eating more pretzels for breakfast tomorrow instead of trying to join in. The only word that I hear ALL the time and recognize is "genau" which people say a million times in every situation and the only thing I can come up with is that it is an agreeing word like "yeah." speaking of pretzels...Breakfast. Breakfast is so different here. yes, sometimes people just eat cereal and that's all well and good but if you get a really German breakfast, you get bread with pumpkin seeds on it, pretzels, three different kinds of cheese, various deli meats (though I didn't get that...vegetarians. psh!), and jam. Along with this you get a cup of coffee which is quite nice for the jet lagged traveler. The same: Multiculturalism. I feel at home in my neighborhood because there are so many different cultures and restaurants and smells to enjoy. It's predominately Turkish but there is a chinese shop I'll try soon and just down the street you can find a million other Thai, Indian, Lebanese, or Italian places to go. It is strange to hear a Korean man speak German, though. H&M. At stores we have SOME similar products. Same prices and clothes at H&M. Same shampoo (Dove, Garnier, etc) at the drug store. Same pasta packaging (though it is a different name...I know Bertoli when I see it). Some of these familiar things have made it feel like home. CILANTRO!!! Ok, maybe this sounds crazy but their cilantro (I hope in more places than just the one) tastes just like CA cilantro! It's not even east coast, no taste cilantro! I couldn't have been more thrilled. I'll for sure go back to that Thai restaurant! (5 bucks for a huge lunch with leftovers? Ok!) I'll add as more comes up. Tschuss!