Status Report
Day #5 in Berlin and I am happy to report that I am starting to settle in and am getting used to the city:On the down side:
1. There is graffiti and dog poo EVERYWHERE! It is unbelievable! The dogs can’t help it, but I swear I will chase after any hoodlum I see spray-painting around the city!
2. I have not yet found an apartment. I had my first appointment to see an apartment yesterday. It was okay, but not what I was hoping for. The search continues… Will I be an Ossi or a Wessi?
On the positive side: (no worries, this list is longer)
1. Berlin has a great vibe and I am thoroughly enjoying the street musicians. It was great to hear the Chattanooga Choo-choo and the Charleston being played in the Potsdamer Platz subway station this afternoon. It also did my heart good to hear non-Americans singing along!
2. I remembered to bring my own shopping bags to the store today! For those who don’t know, you have to pay per shopping bag in Germany. I don’t even want to count the amount of money I have spent buying Tuete (shopping bags) in the last two weeks. It is an interesting exercise in realizing how much packaging Americans throw away. Germans also pack their groceries into their shopping bags much faster than Americans. I still don’t understand how this is done, but I am working on it!
3. I discovered GIGANTIC teeter-tauters at the Potsdamer Platz today. This is a most exciting discovery. There are four and each one is the length of a large flagpole. Now all I need as visitors come and “play” with me!
4. I have successfully applied for a received my visa and have registered with the city. Everything worked like (German) clockwork and I didn’t even have to cry or pretend to not speak German to get my way☺
5. There is a driving range RIGHT DOWN TOWN—1/2 mile from the Brandenburg Gate! Seeing the range out the window of the subway train was like having a religious experience!
6. I am getting the hang of the subway system (at least a better grasp than I have on the German train system.)
posted by Erin @ 8:25 AM
4 Comments:
As I recall (I'll have to check my notes) there are some REALLY FAST merry-go-rounds there in Potsdamer (spelling?) as well - a couple of teens in them working the wheel in the middle could get us to vomit-inducing speed within seconds. Fun!
Glad to hear you are in Berlin. I loved it there.
Niki and I watched Eurotrip last night in honor of your year-long German Odyssey.
Do the German newspapers contain coverage of American College football at all? Or is the internet the only source of information on the college football season?
How are the Germans reacting to the Katrina disaster? Spectacularly unbelieveable, from my perspective - a major American city basically wiped out.
CJS
Ahh. Your Berlin observations bring back such memories. The dog poo and graffiti especially. After getting over my initial disgust at the graffiti, I actually got used to it and started reading some of it. Unlike most of the meaningless or "amateur" scrawl I see in the US, graffiti in Germany often seems to have some thought behind it. Never got over my disgust for the dog poo, though. Step carefully!
Erin,
Berlin is such an amazing city: dog poo and all. Glad to hear that you're settling in and going through the trails of whether to be an "ossie" or "wessie." Most important things to remember when choosing housing though: proximity to public transportation and proximity to a good doner/falafel stand. ;)
Jennie
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