The Metro
Germans have a certain awareness of their individual selves as part of a larger whole. On the Metro in the States, you might find people singing the music playing in their headphones, eating burgers, or laughing loudly. Here, almost everyone sits quietly and in their own space, no one throws wrappers on the floor, and the system runs smoothly because it’s understood that for it to work for one person, everyone needs to work together. However, people will body slam you to get where they're going. There are strictly followed escalator rules, bike paths, etc. and it's rare to see deviations from these.
Bedbug Land
I just couldn't take it anymore. Yesterday, after finding a live bedbug in my room that had JUST been worked on by an exterminator, I told the FU-BEST office I needed somewhere else to stay. So, finally, I moved to a nearby hotel called the Good Morning Berlin West; it's right next to Kaufland, the most exciting supermarket I've been to. I did a little shopping, some school reading, and went back to my apartment to make dinner. The walk is slightly annoying, but at least I didn't wake up with any new bites this morning. Plus, free breakfast.
Walking Around
It is insanely hot here. It's been 90 degrees for most of the week, and they have no air conditioning anywhere. Not in public transport, not at school, not in housing. It is HOT. I've been taking multiple showers a day to keep from feeling gross all the time. On the bright side, it doesn't cool down too much at night, so you can stay out without a coat.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
First Day of Kindergarten (literally translated: children garden)
Author's Note: This is being posted 3 days late, there's no Wifi where I'm staying at the moment. More on that later.
Today I had a bright and early start on the U-Bahn at 7:45, to get to Freie Universität by 8:45 (which did not happen BTW). We ran up at 9:05, just on time for Intensive German Language A1. My professor is very kind so far, she speaks enough English that we can understand her, but she can't entirely understand us. There are 7 people, including myself, in my German class. Half of us are from California, which meant there was a lot of accidental Spanish speaking.
Being Itchy Makes Me Bitchy
We had an hour and a half lunch break between our 9-12 and 13:30-16 blocks, so I went down to the mensa and had some food. I wanted to take a nap, but it was incredibly hot and there's no indoor library to hide in, so unfortunately I didn't get to. This meant I was un-caffinated, sleepy, and (don't, forget!) itchy as hell. I have at least 80 bedbug bites now, which were for some reason extra nasty today. My next 6 hours on campus were set to be quite a time.
Art and Dictatorship & German Cinema
Honestly, I couldn't make these 6 hours seem interesting if I tried. We went over syllabi and and watched a 45 minute video on Bauhaus, which I already have 45-minutes-worth of knowledge about. It took everything in me not to fall asleep, but with a dozen people in a classroom you're bound to be caught (embarrassingly).
My cinema professor was an eccentric and snarky film geek who clearly loves what he does. He had us randomly introduce ourselves--most of the class said nothing--by our film experience, not our names. We watched a 60 minute silent film called The Oyster Princess, which was very funny and kept me mostly awake until 19:00 (PS: I'm practicing my international time all the time).
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Fresh Water!!!
Maya's First Lake Swim
Today we ventured to a lake "nearby" the apartments, which we chose without realizing that the buses weren't running today. We took the U-Bahn and walked about a mile to a forested lake, which cost 3 Euro to enter and was packed full of German people. They had little food stands, where I had my first currywurst und pommes--which was too coated in ketchup to be good. The fries were like thick potato chips, an unexpected and happy surprise.
We took a dip in the lake, but since I can barely swim and couldn't see the bottom of the lake, I stayed close to shore. It was very cold, so we had to doggy-paddle to stay warm. The fresh water felt totally different than the ocean, and I didn't feel as gross afterwards. We stayed for a few hours, laying in the sand and people-watching.
Too Sleepy To Care
Leaving later than we had intended, we walked in the heat to catch the train back to the apartments in time for a "reception" FU-BEST was putting on. I had post-beach sleepiness, and was not interested in moving quickly through public transportation. We ended up there 20 minutes late, but it didn't matter because they hadn't begun. Cheers to FU-BEST never being prepared! They had a snack buffet, and drinks that cost money, so we left early. Overall, it was a nice beach day (and free dinner!)
Author's Note: I now have 71 bedbug bites, so forgive my passive-aggressive attitude towards FU-BEST. The exterminator is coming tomorrow after 3 nights of nothing.
Author's Note: I now have 71 bedbug bites, so forgive my passive-aggressive attitude towards FU-BEST. The exterminator is coming tomorrow after 3 nights of nothing.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Adapting to City Life
Catchin' Up
Things move quickly here. Trains, coins, tours. I've seen so much of the city already, and it's been less than a week. I've adjusted easily to commuting on the Metro system, which is clean, quiet, and always on schedule.
Since I last checked in, I've visited the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe twice, gone through the museum, been to the Brandenburger Tor twice (once accidentally), given myself a tour of the Tiergarten, and done a little socializing. The school hosted a pub night, where I met a lot of my soon-to-be classmates. People are settling into groups and making travel plans together, which is an unexpected dynamic so soon.
I've made a few good friends, who live in both the apartment building I do and in homestays. We're planning on swimming in a lake tomorrow, which will be my first time ever doing so!
In Less Exciting News...
I got a cold yesterday, and spent 20 Euro on 3 doses of NyQuil (which is over-the-counter medicine here). I spent most of the day in my room, which happens to have a case of BEDBUGS. The school brought a contractor in to check for bugs in half of their apartment rooms, and he found some in my mattress covers--which I thankfully hadn't been sleeping on. I have bites, but they're bringing in an exterminator on Monday to take care of the issue. Currently, I would not recommend this program to a prospective student (there's a long list of apartment issues that I won't even mention). On the bright side, German Netflix has RuPaul's Drag Race and I've already finished a season.
Things move quickly here. Trains, coins, tours. I've seen so much of the city already, and it's been less than a week. I've adjusted easily to commuting on the Metro system, which is clean, quiet, and always on schedule.
Since I last checked in, I've visited the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe twice, gone through the museum, been to the Brandenburger Tor twice (once accidentally), given myself a tour of the Tiergarten, and done a little socializing. The school hosted a pub night, where I met a lot of my soon-to-be classmates. People are settling into groups and making travel plans together, which is an unexpected dynamic so soon.
I've made a few good friends, who live in both the apartment building I do and in homestays. We're planning on swimming in a lake tomorrow, which will be my first time ever doing so!
In Less Exciting News...
I got a cold yesterday, and spent 20 Euro on 3 doses of NyQuil (which is over-the-counter medicine here). I spent most of the day in my room, which happens to have a case of BEDBUGS. The school brought a contractor in to check for bugs in half of their apartment rooms, and he found some in my mattress covers--which I thankfully hadn't been sleeping on. I have bites, but they're bringing in an exterminator on Monday to take care of the issue. Currently, I would not recommend this program to a prospective student (there's a long list of apartment issues that I won't even mention). On the bright side, German Netflix has RuPaul's Drag Race and I've already finished a season.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
6:00 to 22:19
My first full day in Berlin! Exceeded all expectations! Wow!
After my sunrise awakening at 6AM, I joined two other students for breakfast at a cafe close by. I stumbled through "Can I have a salmon toast?" in German, which most likely sounded like "Ich muck ter salmon brot bitte???" It was delicious nonetheless. We three ventured off toward a park, ended up in some kind of a gardening community (from what we could translate), and then headed into the chaos of the supermarket.
This time we chose a Kaufland, which was a nice two-story Target equivalent. I bought all three kinds of soap I needed, plus everything else on my list! It was a much more pleasantly exciting experience than yesterday's trip.
The U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and Bus X83
To get to today's only school-related destination, a group of about 5 of us had to traverse the public transport system. Luckily, one person had already taken the trains to a bar the previous night, so he bravely led us to the Freie Universitat campus. There we went through a relatively boring orientation. Not much to say! However, the path home was not as simple as the one there. The school did not give us directions to return from campus, so figuring out which train went in which direction was an added element of surprise. We joined up with another group of students, and shared falafel sandwiches for lunch (which happened to be at 4PM).
On one of our many train rides, we decided to translate posters on the walls without using any technology to help. It was surprisingly easy, given context and the similarities between English and German. I'm feeling incredibly confident in my German; while it's only about 20 words at this point, I keep discovering new ways to use what I've learned from Duolingo and UCSC German history classes to translate regularly. It's an exciting puzzle, and having other people challenging themselves to do the same is motivating me to do my best. By starting conversations with shopkeepers and food staff in German, even just to say hello and do you speak English I get more confident in using the accent and trying new phrases.
Beirgarten and WOW
We found a rooftop beer garden above a mall, which was absolutely adorable; filled with strange art and hundreds of plants, we spent a while planning a trip to Lollapalooza Berlin and enjoying the view. On our way home, someone had the idea to stop at the Brandenburger Tor, which changed my perspective on this trip in an instant.
As we walked up the steps from the U-Bahn, the top of the statue slowly came into view and my heart literally dropped. It was breathtaking. I was IN Berlin, staring at this symbol of strength of the German people. "Dem Deutschen Volke" was then written a few hundred feet from my eyes, carved into the front of the Reichstag building. I was again, stunned. This building still stands after so much destruction, manipulation, and oppression. We sat there, and watched the sun set. I wanted to see the Jewish Memorial, but as it got dark I realized today wouldn't be the day. Meandering around the area, I noticed the memorial for Sinti and Roma lost under National Socialism. I pulled the group inside, where white stones encircled a calmly flowing fountain. Some stones had names of camps and other locations in Eastern Europe where gypsies had been murdered, and I walked and read each one. When the group began to leave, someone asked what the stones were: "Were they peoples names or?" And as I was noticeably crying, I told her. She said it gave her chills, and I was glad she had asked. I didn't plan on visiting this memorial, because it isn't on any tourism bucket list. It was nearly invisible. It deserved all of my attention, and much more.
After my sunrise awakening at 6AM, I joined two other students for breakfast at a cafe close by. I stumbled through "Can I have a salmon toast?" in German, which most likely sounded like "Ich muck ter salmon brot bitte???" It was delicious nonetheless. We three ventured off toward a park, ended up in some kind of a gardening community (from what we could translate), and then headed into the chaos of the supermarket.
This time we chose a Kaufland, which was a nice two-story Target equivalent. I bought all three kinds of soap I needed, plus everything else on my list! It was a much more pleasantly exciting experience than yesterday's trip.
The U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and Bus X83
To get to today's only school-related destination, a group of about 5 of us had to traverse the public transport system. Luckily, one person had already taken the trains to a bar the previous night, so he bravely led us to the Freie Universitat campus. There we went through a relatively boring orientation. Not much to say! However, the path home was not as simple as the one there. The school did not give us directions to return from campus, so figuring out which train went in which direction was an added element of surprise. We joined up with another group of students, and shared falafel sandwiches for lunch (which happened to be at 4PM).
On one of our many train rides, we decided to translate posters on the walls without using any technology to help. It was surprisingly easy, given context and the similarities between English and German. I'm feeling incredibly confident in my German; while it's only about 20 words at this point, I keep discovering new ways to use what I've learned from Duolingo and UCSC German history classes to translate regularly. It's an exciting puzzle, and having other people challenging themselves to do the same is motivating me to do my best. By starting conversations with shopkeepers and food staff in German, even just to say hello and do you speak English I get more confident in using the accent and trying new phrases.
Beirgarten and WOW
We found a rooftop beer garden above a mall, which was absolutely adorable; filled with strange art and hundreds of plants, we spent a while planning a trip to Lollapalooza Berlin and enjoying the view. On our way home, someone had the idea to stop at the Brandenburger Tor, which changed my perspective on this trip in an instant.
As we walked up the steps from the U-Bahn, the top of the statue slowly came into view and my heart literally dropped. It was breathtaking. I was IN Berlin, staring at this symbol of strength of the German people. "Dem Deutschen Volke" was then written a few hundred feet from my eyes, carved into the front of the Reichstag building. I was again, stunned. This building still stands after so much destruction, manipulation, and oppression. We sat there, and watched the sun set. I wanted to see the Jewish Memorial, but as it got dark I realized today wouldn't be the day. Meandering around the area, I noticed the memorial for Sinti and Roma lost under National Socialism. I pulled the group inside, where white stones encircled a calmly flowing fountain. Some stones had names of camps and other locations in Eastern Europe where gypsies had been murdered, and I walked and read each one. When the group began to leave, someone asked what the stones were: "Were they peoples names or?" And as I was noticeably crying, I told her. She said it gave her chills, and I was glad she had asked. I didn't plan on visiting this memorial, because it isn't on any tourism bucket list. It was nearly invisible. It deserved all of my attention, and much more.
Monday, August 19, 2019
First Impressions
Sprechen sie Englisch?
After an 11 hour flight spent completely awake, watching Mindhunter and A Star Is Born, and a short flight from Frankfurt, I arrived completely jet-lagged and confused in Berlin, Germany. Stepping off of my first flight, I immediately wished I had learned more German--or at least practiced what I knew. For the first time in my traveling life, people would not understand if I spoke Spanish to them. Obviously, I knew this coming in. But when my brain didn't recognize the sounds of German-speaking flight attendants and shop keepers, it tried to respond with Spanish. Luckily, most people I've met so far were able to speak English, and I have the whole day today to study up on what I've forgotten from my Duolingo lessons over the summer.
Gotthardstraße 96
My apartment building is large and industrial from the outside, but quite modern inside. There's a lounge area on the ground floor, and my studio apartment is just one floor above. At first glance, it was cute and clean, with white furniture and wood flooring. I had some trouble figuring out how to unlock my futon, and discovered the shower-head does not attach to its perch above me, but otherwise I was able to unpack and get settled easily. I put up some decorations and the place feels nicer than a dorm at home.
The Supermarket
Who knew a trip to get a few essentials could be so stressful? I set off to the market to buy toiletries a few hours after arriving, trying to stave off a nap, and found a Lidl close to my apartment. They had a great assortment of fresh produce, dry food, and tons of refrigerated/frozen items, plus some weird household things like clothes and kitchen supplies. However, I realized (once again) I could not read any of the German product labels. What was the difference between glass cleaner, dishwashing soap, and laundry soap? My foggy mind couldn't figure it out. So, still in a jet-lagged daze, I left the store with only spaghetti and pesto sauce, toilet paper, and some new reusable canvas bags. (The spaghetti will remain uncooked until I sort out the soap conundrum.)
What's Next?
After waking at 6am this morning, I felt much better than yesterday. I saw the end of the sunrise from my window, and finally figured out how to connect my phone to Wifi using an ethernet cord. I have a public transport pass, so sometime today I'll be taking the leap into the U-Bahn system to get to the university. After I complete some paperwork there, I have free rein to explore the city for the rest of the day. Hopefully I'll have a more successful trip to the supermarket, and make some friends along the way. I'm off to breakfast with some other students in a few!
After an 11 hour flight spent completely awake, watching Mindhunter and A Star Is Born, and a short flight from Frankfurt, I arrived completely jet-lagged and confused in Berlin, Germany. Stepping off of my first flight, I immediately wished I had learned more German--or at least practiced what I knew. For the first time in my traveling life, people would not understand if I spoke Spanish to them. Obviously, I knew this coming in. But when my brain didn't recognize the sounds of German-speaking flight attendants and shop keepers, it tried to respond with Spanish. Luckily, most people I've met so far were able to speak English, and I have the whole day today to study up on what I've forgotten from my Duolingo lessons over the summer.
Gotthardstraße 96
My apartment building is large and industrial from the outside, but quite modern inside. There's a lounge area on the ground floor, and my studio apartment is just one floor above. At first glance, it was cute and clean, with white furniture and wood flooring. I had some trouble figuring out how to unlock my futon, and discovered the shower-head does not attach to its perch above me, but otherwise I was able to unpack and get settled easily. I put up some decorations and the place feels nicer than a dorm at home.
The Supermarket
Who knew a trip to get a few essentials could be so stressful? I set off to the market to buy toiletries a few hours after arriving, trying to stave off a nap, and found a Lidl close to my apartment. They had a great assortment of fresh produce, dry food, and tons of refrigerated/frozen items, plus some weird household things like clothes and kitchen supplies. However, I realized (once again) I could not read any of the German product labels. What was the difference between glass cleaner, dishwashing soap, and laundry soap? My foggy mind couldn't figure it out. So, still in a jet-lagged daze, I left the store with only spaghetti and pesto sauce, toilet paper, and some new reusable canvas bags. (The spaghetti will remain uncooked until I sort out the soap conundrum.)
What's Next?
After waking at 6am this morning, I felt much better than yesterday. I saw the end of the sunrise from my window, and finally figured out how to connect my phone to Wifi using an ethernet cord. I have a public transport pass, so sometime today I'll be taking the leap into the U-Bahn system to get to the university. After I complete some paperwork there, I have free rein to explore the city for the rest of the day. Hopefully I'll have a more successful trip to the supermarket, and make some friends along the way. I'm off to breakfast with some other students in a few!
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