I'm going to Poland tomorrow. As long as I can remember both my camera and my passport I think I'll be ok.



I can just borrow everything else.





I'll try and start posting longer entries, but I haven't really had a narrative blog in a long time. It will be difficult for me to remember every detail but I will do my best. I realize that this blog is not for me, but for you my non-Berliner audience.


Also I hope people going to Poland with me realize that the time change happens tonight. I guess the german word for that is Frühlingzeitswende?



While I'm thinking about it I should start with a recap of my friday night. So yesterday marked the culmination of our Intensiv Kurs in German with a test testing our basic comprehension skills. I'd taken three practice tests prior to the test and did about the same each time, even after extended periods of study. Naturally this led me to the conclusion that the three weeks of intensive German were worthless, especially when we have to register for a separate German class during the regular semester anyway.



Anyway the plan after the test was to immediately begin drinking and making sushi. However before that could begin, some Bekannters and I needed to get our ISIC cards. This lead to a series of events that had me travelling deep into the western half of the city (I've been here a month and I'm already dividing the city up) for lunch at William's (not the one from Houston) host family's apartment. The lunch was simple, boiled potatoes with a beet/onion salad that was actually pretty good. From there we made our way over to my place where I failed to introduce William to my host and utterly failed at manners in general.


From there we made our way directly to Alexanderplatz, by way of the Turkish Market in Kreuzberg. If you're ever in the city on a Tuesday or a Friday be sure to stop by Kreuzberg for the Turkish Market. Open air markets are a rarity in the US and they're really something that need to be experienced whenever you leave America. The sights and sounds are intoxicating and the deals can't be beat. Walking up and down the market has you hearing at least three different languages (English, German and of course Turkish) all saying the same thing.


Bitte Schön Bitte Schön Bitte Schön Bitte SCHOEEEEEN!

Alles muss raußen! Alles muss raußen!

Eat up! Eat up Eat up! EAT UP!

*something in turkish*


We ended up with some delightful turkish pastries called Shamiat that the girls didn't like at all but William and I found quite tasty. It's basically a khoko paste wrapped in a thin crust then garnished with sesame seeds. It's a little dry but is probably meant to be eaten with coffee or tea. Regardless I got 1000g of the stuff for 5 euro which is a pretty good deal for hand made pastries.


Finally after a slightly irritated phone call William and I made our way up to Alexanderplatz to catch a tram to Rose's (another friend of mine) host's apartment. Rose lives in the former East Berlin so the surrounding area is pretty much nothing but Soviet style block apartments. It's a really different scene but it's really charming in its own right. Also it goes without saying that East Berlin's Ampelmännchen are far superior to the crossing signals in the west.

Funny thing while we were in Alexanderplatz. Alexanderplatz is a gigantic square with plenty of empty space. As a result many people use it as a performance space. On a given day there can be a drum circle, a bunch of punks sitting around failing to play guitar, and in this case young German teenagers breakdancing. The group was either just warming up, or they weren't very good to begin with, but as the leader dude was getting ready to bust a movie a middle aged turkish woman just ran through the group screaming and waving her arms. It was really surreal and it completely ruined the momentum of the dancers. I thought it was pretty funny.

From there the drinking and sushi making began. Because my parents and some of my mom's friends read this let's just say a good time was had by all and the film Heisser Sommer is pretty entertaining after all the alcohol we had. Also homemade sushi is difficult to make but rewarding. Not that I was able to actually roll any of the stuff.



Yep.


Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Tiger & Dragon) is just as boring in German as it is in English

Dudes the bomb squad were totally outside my apartment last night. They brought in the robot and everything. It was so cool!


I was in no real danger, the suspected bomb (it turned out to be nothing) was in the S-Bahn station across the street from me.

This is where my pictures from Berlin will most likely end up. I say most likely because I am really lazy and have taken a bunch of pictures. Eventually I will sort the wheat from the chaff.

Exciting German progress report:



Last night I went (by myself) to go see Watchmen and rather than see it at Sony Center like I originally intended I ended up in a completely different theater a couple of blocks away. I figured it would be the same thing so I just walked in because it was an earlier showing and I had no desire to wait. Turns out this theater doesn't play it's big American hits in English.


Anyway it turned out not to be a problem.





Schmeet.

My Friday night might be boring, but at least I am eating well.


That is a Berliner Kindl Helles Bock. It is very high in alcohol at 7,8% abv however unlike it's dunkel (not an actual dunkel) counterpart it is light and refreshing rather than overbearing. Though it should be noted that I've only ever had the dunkel warm and only after it exploded on me.


I plan on seeing Watchmen tonight at Sony Center. I do not want to stay out too late as I am touring the Reichstag for free tomorrow at 8:45 in the morning. I am excited and as soon as I have the time to sift through all of my pictures I will upload some nice ones here, as well as other places yet to be determined.


Today I tried, and failed, to find the Turkish Markt in Kreuzburg. I was only going to sightsee/buy cheap socks. I never ended up finding the market because the streets around Kottbusser Tor are not all labeled but I did end up buying four pairs of women's socks for 2 Euro. I did not realize when I bought them that they were lady's socks, however they are comfortable and my feet have always been open about their cross dressing. At the very least I can stop wearing a pair of socks after 2 days instead of four or however long it has been since I changed the last pair.


I do not reccomend the German National History Museum. It is too new and too American to really be very interesting. I do reccomend going to the Pergamon however, it is too spectacular for words. The Altnationalgalerie is very meh but is at least worth the trip for the architecture and some of the sculptures.




I am slowly but surely making friends. There is a girl here named Rose who shares many similar traits and is brazen enough to adress me by name in public. I think the two of us will get along well. She plans on coming with me to see the Polkaholix. I am also hanging out with a fellow Grinnellian named Imran as well as a small group of other people I see regularly. My opinions about my fellow students at IES have improved considerably as I have gotten to know them and for the first time in weeks I am genuinely happy to be in Berlin.



Tschüs!

I got the internet now guys, you can start reading again.





I'll post pictures later.





I got loads

At my mother's insistence I have begun to pack, this is as far as I have gotten at the moment.