I suck at this whole blogging thing

I keep on saying that I want to post more - but I always forget. It's so hard to post something when Internet isn't something I get in stable amounts and when there's so much to do in Berlin. All the time I spend sitting online, I feel like I'm wasting. Like right now, I'm sitting in this cafe reading for my history class and writing this post, and I feel like I should be doing something. Granted, it's 18:00 and there really isn't anything open for me to do. I don't know, I feel so lazy when I'm online.

Lithuania and Latvia were great. Pictures are going on Facebook soon. I loved Riga and Vilnius - Riga way more. There was more to do and it was actually sunny there, even though it was -20 Celsius. We spent a lot of time sleeping, checking out the nightlife of each city, and doing coffee shops because it was so cold. Though I've learned I can handle cold weather, I prefer the 4+ Celsius weather that is in Berlin. I feel like I might die when I head back to California (figuratively) from the heat.

I can't really say much about the vacation other than it was a perfect vacation. There was no rushing around, no stress. Just what I wanted from a break. I feel like when I go home to NorCal for Spring Break -- I am always running around like a headless chicken, trying to see everyone. And while I love doing that, it's nice just to... sleep. A lot.

Hmmmmmm.... what else. Academically, I need to write a term paper and work on a few reports within the next few weeks. I am not excited about it, but I guess I am in Berlin to study --- so not surprised. Just a hassle.... :/

Randomly, I am going to try to see how long I can go without wearing jeans. I brought a lot of tights and leggings with me, so we'll see how long those last me. Fashion here is more centered around boots and tights - less jeans. I kinda love that. Mostly because my jeans are all now too big for me (and washing them in the sink is such a pain in the butt!!!)

BACK TO READING :) <3

was machst du gern?

I feel like I haven't done anything in the last couple of weeks, but a lot has happened. I visited Hamburg with a couple of friends (we took the train using a five-person schönes Wochenende pass) and have been getting ready for Midterms.

Hamburg was amazing, though rainy. We got there on Saturday morning and it was already pouring. Walked around, went to the museum of Arts and Crafts and .. went out during the night. Nightlife in Hamburg is different than Berlin - I feel like it was done earlier. We also didn't make it to the Red Light District, which is a must in Hamburg. How sad.

What's interesting is that I found myself really homesick for Berlin when we were in Hamburg. Berlin is now "home." I have a feeling that Spring Break will be a similar experience. I'll really enjoy it, but I'll be ready for Berlin when it is all over.

Speaking of Spring Break, I am going to Lithuania and Latvia! I can't wait to see Riga and explore whatever is in the area. No particular plans are set (which is bad, considering we fly out the 18th) but I think either way it will be really fun. I can't wait for it!

Ich finde Berlin schön.

I really do find Berlin beautiful. Strangely so. I think the history and how much there is to do here everyday is amazing. Coming from Orange County and having grown up in Sunnyvale - I'm so glad to have so much to do in one place. Sunnyvale is a great place to live but it's not a city. And after a month in Berlin, I realize that I want to live in a city for a large chunk of my life. I love that there's always something to do - even if I'm not always going out to do it.

Midterms are around the corner! I can't believe that I'm already almost half-way done with the program. It feels too short. Two more weeks and we have exams, then Spring Break. After that it's a few more weeks until the excursion to Munich/Vienna. And then Zhenya is coming! I can't explain how excited I am for her to be here so we can tear up Berlin. It's gonna be amazing.

This weekend I am going to Hamburg. While I am excited to go, I am weary of spending any time in Hostels. Partly because of the movie, "Hostel." ... We'll see how it goes :)

East Berlin and Such

Yesterday, I took a train to East Berlin because I wanted to see what the difference between the eastern city and where I live in Lichterfelde is. It's really a much bigger difference than I expected there to be. There are a lot of Soviet style buildings, which remind me of the Soviet Union and Russia, and warehouses everywhere. On the S-Bahn there were a lot of Russian speaking people and I saw a few signs for Sauna (Баня) and such. It was really nice. Aside from that Russian neighborhood, I found a Russian grocery store and hairdresser in the Western part of the city - the prospect of a haircut soon seems good.

Let's see, other than that I've been to the Holocaust memorial near Brandenburger Tor. It's basically a square block of different leveled pillars on different level ground. The point is that while walking through it, you feel lost in the sea of pillars - overwhelmed. It was a grey day and I was annoyed because a lot of the tourists in the memorial were playing hide-and-seek. I think I'll go back next time on a weekday and alone.

The Russian War Memorial was next. It's strange to stand over a mass-grave and to read the plaques that are dedicated to the soliders that died during the Battle of Berlin. I did find one name that was my family's last name on the memorial. I don't think we are related to the soldier that's remembered there but I might do some research. We'll see.

Also, I went to the Neues Museum and saw the Bust of Nefertiti. The little kid in me that was obsessed with being an Egyptologist (still a secret goal, btw) was extremely happy.

I feel like I use this blog mostly to write down what I did and what I feel about tourist attractions. I need to start writing more about how I'm feeling...

So far, I'm not really feeling homesick. I do miss my family and my sorority but I'm having fun here and enjoying everything I do. Aside from the fact that it's really boring in my apartment at night (lack of good Internet and not being able to understand what's on TV does that), I am usually always doing something. I go out to the Mitte or around the city. There's always some one that's willing to come out and explore with me. Sometimes I go alone - it's fine. Maybe in a while it will change, but so far I haven't really felt any homesickness. Not that I'm complaining at all. At this point, I don't want to leave Berlin. Ever.


One thing that is overwhelming, though there isn't really a culture shock, is the feeling of being really foreign. In the sense of being "the Foreigner." I am always confused, holding up lines, or asking people to repeat themselves when they ask me something in the store. I would always hate those people what in the States and now I am one of them. It's frustrating to not be able to respond! I can usually understand the gist of what people are saying, but I can never for a sentence quickly enough.

When I get home I'll be far more understanding of those traveling through Palo Alto or SF.

Nothing else on my mind so far. Maybe I'll think of something else to update about soon. Checkpoint Charlie tomorrow and maybe the zoo this weekend. I want to see Knut!

Berliner Mauer

Went to the Berliner Mauer today. Well, the part of the Berlin Wall that's at the East Side Gallery. There are parts of it at Postdamer Platz but I wanted to see the larger stretch of the wall. It's roughly ~30 minutes away from where I live in Berlin, so not so bad at all. 

It was really strange to walk along the Wall. Not because it didn't live up to my expectations (It really did go beyond) but because I never thought I'd actually see it. I've always wanted to travel around the world and see really famous historical places, ones that played a huge role in World history - not just American. I never thought I'd have the chance to walk along the Berlin and know that I have a few months to come back and see it again. 

It's covered in graffiti promoting peace and freedom. As well as memorials to the 136 individuals who died trying to get from the East to the West over/under the wall. Seeing it is a lot more powerful than reading the stories and watching documentaries (DUH!)… I might go back on a day when it's not snowing and I'm not with a group of people and just walk along it slowly. That and see the other parts of the wall that are left around the city. 

It was really interesting to see the difference between East and West Berlin as well. Lichterfelde, the part of Steglitz which I live in, is in the most South-Western part of Berlin. It's really modern and filled with residential areas and little stores. It's ~20 minutes from Mitte. In East Berlin, particularly around Ostbahnhof, it's more industrial and the buildings are much older. It's grayer. Partly because it was extremely cloudy today, but partly because of the atmosphere. 

I'll give it a day and write more. Pictures will go up on Facebook soon. 

i need to update this more often

Week 2 in Berlin has been me trying to get used to my schedule and the nightlife in Berlin. This entry is going to basically be what I think about my classes and what I did in the last week or so. Nothing too exciting but I am sure I'll really appreciate having written this down - though right now I always feel too lazy to sit down and write a blog for a few hours.

Last week, I had my first classes: German Beginner 2, Modern Germany History, and European Business Cultures.

Beginner 2 German: I am in the class that's too advanced to be Beginner 1 but not quite up to par with what Beginner 2 should be. Which is fine for me. I like that the class is review and that I am also learning a lot of new things. I am sure that by the end of the semester I'll be able to get around confidently.

Modern German History: The Prof. seems really nice. It's a fun class - learning about German history from a German perspective is exactly what I want to do. I'm excited to learn about unification and things beyond WWII and the Fall of the Berlin Wall. We'll see how it goes.

Business Cultures: So far, this class is brutal. It's hard to stay awake but I've managed. It's about the interactions between Europe and the United States and the challenges of doing business. So, we discuss the negative aspects of stereotyping a lot. The cool part will be the field trip to the Coca Cola factory. Super excited.

Obviously, my classes aren't exactly all that interesting considering I've only had two of each so far. They're once a week and have a lot of reading. But it's nothing that I can't handle if I get it done throughout the week. Which is what I plan to do. So I can relax and enjoy my weekends.

As far as sightseeing - I've done quite a bit. Aside from the Brandenburger Tor and seeing Alexander Platz, I've been to a few museums.

Last Thursday, Allison, Genevieve, and I went to see the Hitler and Germany exhibit at the German Historical Museum. It showed the German perspective on Hitler's rise to power. They displayed a lot of original propaganda posters, uniforms of the SS, and even items of people who had been in the concentration camps.  There was also a lot of Anti-Nazi propaganda from the Soviet Union - which is nice since that was the easiest part of the exhibit for me to understand. Generally, when it comes down to it - I don't understand anything beyond basic German and train instructions. So it was nice to know what was going on for a bit.

I've also been to the "Welt Wissen" exhibit at the Martin-Gropius-Bau. It was a display of "World Science" since ... well, since science has been recorded. Pretty cool to see, though I didn't understand what most things in the exhibit were.

Tomorrow, we might go to the Zoo after a class field trip. I want to see Knut :)!

Um, other than that. Last weekend was amazing. Berlin's nightlife starts at 2/3am and it's very common to stay out until the morning. I don't plan to do it often - but it was definitely a fun experience.

More to come tomorrow after the zoo and before we go out to Stammtisch!

one week in

Well, I've been in Germany one week and I have to say that I love it.  I'm going to try to update semi-regularly. Maybe once every day or once every two or three days, we'll see how well things work out. Things are really hectic right now - a lot of getting used to classes and trying to settle into life in Berlin. I've finally sorted out Internet at home, phone, comfortable pillows/sheets (horror stories later), and food. Which means I'll be able to study, go out, and then tell you all about it.

Allison and I arrived here last Tuesday night and went to our hotel. We passed out in about an hour, which was fine because we'd just had a 12 hour commute which was FAR from comfortable. I had an aisle seat on the way to Zurich and then a middle seat from Zurich to Berlin. Let me tell you, not comfortable at all. The hotel was really nice. The best part was that it was owned by Russian people and the next day they helped us call a taxi to get to the University to check in. We were rushing to make it there before 9am but then found out that we just needed to check in before 2pm -- no rush needed. It was also a free day so we could have been more relaxed. But oh well, all is good.

We got to the apartments after getting pictures taken for our visa. We live in different buildings but the buildings are joined, so we can visit each other without going outside. I live on the top floor of my building - so the view is amazing. I posted pictures on Facebook but might start adding them here.

The next day we had an 8 hour orientation. That was all paperwork. That day it was the coldest day here and we had a case of "blitzeis." The ground froze over really quickly so everyone in the program was slipping and falling as we walked along.

Next days were filled with field trips to underground bunkers for WW2 and the Cold War and around the center of Berlin.  I liked seeing the Brandenburg Gate and all the historical museums and sites along the way. Will have to go back. I really want to see the Russian War Memorial again before I go. There is plenty of time for that though. Tomorrow, going to to see the Hitler and Germany exhibit at one of the state museums that we get in for free. Yay student passes.

I have more to say but I can't think of it at the moment. I'll be more detailed in posts to come. But here are a few things that I really like about Germany:

1) The transportation system is amazing. We need something like that in America - or I need to live in a place where I can get somewhere by public transport within half an hour. It doesn't happen in Sunnyvale or Irvine. As students we get to ride all the busses for free and the A-B-C lines of the S-bahn and U-bahn.

2) Beer is cheaper than water and happy hour is amazing. I love when you can get cocktails for super cheap.

3) Doenner Kabob is amazing and so is Curry Wurst. But in general, I really like the food here. It's very similar to Russian food so I don't feel all the homesick. I love that I can buy food that tastes a lot fresher than what's back at home. Though, I am kind of worried since I have had allergic reactions to produce in Europe before. Will see how that goes.

That's all I can think of right now. I need to do some homework for my German class and read for other classes. There's so much to do and it's so early in the night. But once I get it done I can relax and go out tomorrow night :)

Toodles!