Falling Face First into Fall

We went to school this week?
This week has been a blur. After getting home from Poland I had quite a few assignments due, so I've basically been working anytime I'm not in class or sleeping. We are enjoying the first days of rain here in Berlin, and every time I've been caught ill-equipped. I had to buy a child's umbrella at a 1 Euro store to keep from drowning in the rain yesterday. But! No more! I am now ready for Fall and the cold and the rain and whatever it may bring!

Other notable moments from the school week:
- A few friends and I made teriyaki tofu bowls in a real kitchen!
- I watched Brokeback Mountain, Annihilation, and American Psycho, all very good and very disorienting.
- I wrote my first essay in German about my family and am presenting in German about my hometown next week.
- I attended another Stammtisch, which is a weekly event organized by the program where students basically just meet at a bar and hang out on a Thursday.

Friday Oktoberfest
We decided to check out Berlin Oktoberfest Friday afternoon, after the rain cleared up for the day. It was an eerily empty fairground with rides, games, and food--but no people. As we walked around the grounds, we realized where all the people were: in the beer tent. 15 Euro later, we were inside the large beer tent with beers the size of my head. The tent was about half full of very drunk older Germans, dressed in their lederhosen and dirndls, singing loudly and standing on their table benches. We stayed for a beer and pretzel each, and then went off for evening activities (which consisted of drinks and karaoke).

Tevye the Milkman
Our local cinema, Babylon Berlin, hosts free movie festivals--this week was the Jiddische Glikn. I still do not speak German (nor do I speak Yiddish) but assuming it was Jewish films, a friend and I decided to check it out. We saw a German version of Tevye the Milkman from 1929, which was funny and emotional and very Yiddish. I'm really happy to have this theater here, because they only show free movies that you wouldn't normally watch at home! I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone (a little--I did already know the story of Tevye and Shalom Aleichem and this specific shtetl BUT STILL).

Future Plans
We have a short week because of Unity Day, but our research paper preparation is starting for each class. I'll be writing two 15 pagers--one on the Jewish Film League during the Third Reich, and one on memorialization of mass graves in WWII Soviet zones. I also have a German test, and midterms are next week! So, most likely there will not be much fun this weekend. On Tuesday however, I'm going to see La Traviata.

Our deadline for extension is coming up, so staying for the whole year is on everyone's minds. I know staying for the year would help my German so much, but I'm not actually getting subject education like I do in Santa Cruz.

I also cemented my week break plans--I'm spending 8 days in Paris, France! I'll be staying a short train ride away from the city center, so I can do all the tourist stuff. I'm also going to try to take a patisserie class, and I bought a ticket to see King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard on Monday night.