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!