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!