Day 42 & 43: Back in Berlin

Hallo everyone! It is late here in Berlin, but I thought it best to write all of this down before I head to bed. Wow, it's been a real whirlwind few days. Last time I write, we were in the hostel in the suburbs of London and I was on my quest for Fish and Chips. Well, I found it all right. The authentic stuff and everything. What I also found was a couple of interested stares at my accent and a stomach ache after eating that fried fish! Well, I guess it was worth it though. I mean, one is obligated to try the British delicacy once in a lifetime! So, after our trip out to find some food, Andrea and I decided to retire back to our quarters. It wasn't a very restful sleep (these hostels seemed to be generally loud places), but at least I wasn't dreaming about cockroaches like I was the night before!

So, we woke up the next more and had a pretty good breakfast. Free food is key at these places! We then headed back to Buckingham Palace to see the "Changing of the Guards." This basically is a very elaborate military ceremony held every day in order to bring in tourists while the Queen's Guards change shifts. It was a really neat thing and we had prime viewing places. Unfortunately, there was a point in which people realized we had a nice view and they started crowding around us and pushing. I didn't like that too much, but it was pretty short-lived so we managed. In this ceremony, two bands march in playing pretty patriotic music while the guards to some neat footwork and marching. Then the band pulled out their stands and played some more contemporary favorites. But these we're just your typical British royalty marches. Nope, instead we heard songs ranging from "The Theme from Austin Powers" to "Copacabana" to "Harry Potter." Pretty neat stuff and very surprising too!

Since Andrea and I were pretty much in to seeing the free, yet interesting points in the city, we headed to the British Museum next. And we are very glad that we went because we got to the Rosetta Stone, mummies, and lots more! Then, we went to a mediotheque where we got to view free British shows and movies for a while. Pretty cool stuff! We ventured into a cheap restaurant and then made our way to the Piccadilly Circus Tube stop. By the way, their subway system (the "Undergound" or "Tube") dates back to 1911 and is incredibly far underground! But anyway, we walked into the lobby of the "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" exhibits and ended up talking to one of the people who worked there for a long time. He was a young guy and very outgoing. The cool thing is that we got to talk to him about anything--he wasn't there to try to force us into the museum thing (by the way, it would have cost the equivalent of over $30 each to go inside!), he just was supposed to talk to interesting people and tell them a little bit about the exhibit along the way. It was a pretty neat experience to chat a bit with a random British guy...and I even asked him about our accents, whether they were noticeable or strong or whatever. He said that they weren't really strange or anything because we are from the east coast and because he'd grown up watching the show "Friends." It was just a cool experience overall and made me interested in just talking to more people in a laid back setting in general. The interesting thing is that whenever I am in this sort of random situation in a foreign country, talking to a stranger, they always comment on how much I laugh. I think that I must laugh as a means of dispelling my nervousness or something. I guess he complimented me though because he mentioned the fact that children laugh over 200 times daily, while adults rarely crack a smile over 20 times. I'll have to check those statistics. Just thought that it was interesting that so many people notice that about me and mention it, while I am not aware of it myself!

But anyway, we headed back to catch the airport bus at around 10:20. I knew that we were not in the right space and it was driving me a bit crazy. Luckily, the bus was spotted in time and we didn't have to wait another hour on the streets of London for the next one. So, we headed to the airport and basically spent the night there. I can't say that I really have gotten much sleep over the past few days...I really shouldn't be up now. But for some reason I am doing okay. We camped out with groups of other teenagers in the waiting areas of the small airport until it was time to check in at 5:30 a.m. Surprising, although I didn't really sleep, time went by pretty quickly. And I had some good books to pass the time, too.

So, the days have really sort of melded into each other. I dozed a bit on the plane ride back to the land of the Euro and the Danke. But I haven't slept a wink since! So, I came back to the apartment and got ready for classes. What a day of fun: My host mother was a bit worried because she thought that I was supposed to come back on Sunday night. But everything was okay. So, as I was getting ready for class, I kept hearing what sounded like a baby crying. It turned out to be a little kitty cat! This cat came jumped off of a neighboring fence as I left the apartment enclosure and came up to rub himself on my arm. He was the cutest little thing and even almost tried to follow me as I left. He just kept on crying! I hope that he has a home.

Somehow, I made it through class. I really think that we are all in lower levels than we should be and class is really not very engaging. But at least I am not seen as a quiet and shy person anymore! So, after class, I went with Paula and Anna to a cafe for dinner. We talked for the most part in German with the waiter, but at the end when I was paying he sort of tried to trick me into giving him a very high tip. It bothered me a bit, he just sort of took my money and said that he didn't have any change and made it seem that it was okay with me to give him so much extra. I guess we figured it out, but it just unfortunately seemed like he was trying to take advantage of us. I don't know, it just got me a bit unnerved because sometimes it's hard to communicate through the language barrier in situations like that. But it really doesn't matter; I just thought it was an interesting experience. So, tonight I had the opportunity to relax and catch up a bit, but I would like to get some more work done tomorrow morning so that I can get ahead and enjoy the last three weeks here. No plans really until Wednesday, but I guess we'll see what life brings. I better head to bed and catch up on sleep. Hope that everyone is doing well and that you all had a nice weekend! Looking forward to being back on American soil soon, but still enjoying the last bits of Europe. 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 40 & 41: London!

Hallo everyone! And greetings from London, England! And what a jolly good day it is! Well, I have some downtime, so I thought that I would catch up on me blog! We are currently at a hostel in the second ring of London. But let me first recap yesterday. We had meetings with Professor Nelson and then our Goethe classes. I was counting down the minutes until I could get out of there, so that I could get ready to leave for London!

I spent the early evening at the Mueller's apartment and then made my way to one of Berlin's small airports. Although I had given myself plenty of time to get to there, I kept having to wait for the next train and I started to get worried that I was going to miss my flight! I ran from the train station to the airport because I was worried that I would be sending Andrea off by herself to the UK, it all ended up working out. I breezed through security (it's a tiny airport!) and still had plenty of time before the plane boarded. I am glad that I kept calm and that it all worked out! I definitely would recommend taking the subway and the bus over the train in the future!

But anyway, we boarded our RyanAir flight nach London!! It was a very humorous hour and a half, actually. The whole flight, we were barraged by advertisements and service announcements. And the stewardesses were basically putting on an act the whole time. It was very funny! So, we arrived in London, got some British Pounds and bought our bus tickets. We had to wait a little bit, but eventually got on a bus to central London. It ended up that the Tube was closed and we didn't have exact change so we couldn't by a bus pass. Instead, we made the trek by foot. It wouldn't have been too bad except that I hurt my foot earlier in the week and it hasn't properly healed. But we were fine, the night was nice, and we were in a safe area of town. We found the hostel reception, but it took a bit to find our actual lodgings. Once we did, the first thing we saw as we walked into the room was a certain type of bug (a coach roach) you really would prefer not to see. So, I was a bit worried that the room would suddenly be invade by a family of these brown insects, but it all turned out alright. We were disturbed by a bunch of loud roommates at 5 am (who slept like bears and wouldn't turn off their never-ending alarms). It really wasn't a horrible night, but rather more of a story to tell and a new experience.

After a breakfast of cereal at the hostel, Andrea and I have been touring London all day. We've seen Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, etc., etc., etc. Certainly a day of "touristry," but also a lot of fun. Currently, we are staying at an AWESOME hostel outside of the city-center. It is absolutely amazing; free breakfast, free internet, everything! We don't have plans for tonight or tomorrow other than my mission to eat some Fish and Chips for Zach and our hopes of seeing the changing of the guards tomorrow at the palace. It's definitely been different to travel on our own and figure out plans for ourselves. And I am very glad for the experience! But right about now, I am definitely missing the comforts of home. I am looking forward to a good shower and the opportunity to wash my clothes properly...But these last three weeks I plan to enjoy and get the most out of! I am not sure if I will have the chance to write tomorrow, so ahead of time I will say: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 39: Long Day

Hallo all! What a day, what a day!! What a very long day! I woke this morning fairly early and headed to another section of the city to a small cafe where Professor Nelson held our class. The journey took about 40 minutes and involved two subway lines, a street car, and some good ol' fashion walking. Not too bad at all, but definitely a lot different than traveling in the small city Freiburg!

The class went well, but it was a dreary day here in Berlin, so everyone was not in the best of moods. It was just so darn cold this morning! One of my classmates did not show up for class today, so I hope that everything is okay with her...After a.m. class, we basically headed right to the Goethe Institute for another 5 hours of fun, fun, fun. We stopped at a used English bookstore along the way. Professor Nelson had spotted some Kurt Vonnegut books along the way and knew I'd be interested, thanks to my friend Zach, I have now found my new favorite author!. Classes at Goethe went fine, although they were pretty long. And I was the only one present from Union in my specific class, which was a bit frustrating.

After class, I sat in on a 1.5 hour lecture on Weimar Germany just because I had nothing better to do...and I thought it would be a good use of my time, too! I really didn't want to go back to the house and just sit there all night long, so I hung out with Paula and Anna for the evening. We planned to go back to their apartment, make some dinner, and watch a movie, but it got too late, so we're moving movie night to tomorrow evening before I leave for London. Speaking of London, all is set for our trip! We are flying via RyanAir tomorrow night and coming back early Monday morning. We also got some nice rooms in cheap hostels, so the initial cost of the trip will be under 100 Euro! Pretty sweet! Thanks, Union Stipend! It's nice to budget one's money well and have some saved up! So, that's about it for now. 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 38: Tour

Hallo everyone! Wie geht's? Hope all is well! It was a beautiful day here in Berlin, absolutely the perfect temperature! Today, we had a three hour tour of the city before class. Let's just say that my feet were still tired from yesterday, but it was enjoyable anyway!

So, I left the house with about 40 minutes before the tour, plenty of time. But then it ended up that there wasn't a train going to the exact stop that I was looking for! I tried to walk there, but ended up going in the opposite direction accidentally! Oh well. It all worked out in the end. I was a little over 15 minutes late for our meeting time, but I was only the third person there out of six, so it was fine. Unfortunately, Anna and Paula thought we were meeting at a different Starbucks, so they didn't go with us on the tour. But even though we were worried about them, it was still a very fun walk around the city and history lesson, anyway!

We saw so much: from the Brandenburger Tor to the Reichstag, from the site of Hitler's Bunker to Checkpoint Charlie. Sehr toll! Our tour guide was a really neat guy. He's from Maine, but he's been living in Berlin for three years. It was neat to have another perspective on everything and since he is so young, he definitely knew what kind of attractions would appeal to students our age. I thought that it was very interesting to see the different ways that history is skewed. Although there are some very correct representations of reality, Checkpoint Charlie itself has just become a tourist trap for foreigners seeking Stazi hats. Our tour guide really knows his history, in some ways it made me interested in living abroad and seeing the past first-hand. But I still enjoy living in the States, too! I guess we will see what the future brings!

Another interesting but sad thing about Berlin is that 1 in every 7 buildings is abandoned. It's been really striking to see a city that is built bigger than the size of its population. They definitely have rebuilt Berlin from the time of WWII and also since the twenty years of reunification, but there is still a ways to go. Unfortunately, renovation costs money and no one seems to have much of that these days! There is also a very interesting Holocaust remembrance site which is basically a city-block full of concrete blocks serving as a reminder to all who pass by. But its meaning is also "open to interpretation," which was very interesting.

So, after the three hour tour and much sight seeing, we made our way to the Goethe Institut. Classes were tiring, but I am happy that I am making a good first impression in this new one! I hope my teacher picks up the pace a bit, though! So, I called it a day right after class and made it home in time to prepare a dinner at a normal time. It was nice to have the apartment to myself and I enjoyed cooking a decent meal. This morning, I left the get well card and the tea I bought for my host mother on the kitchen table (I hadn't seen her directly this morning). When I came home, I had received a very sweet hand-written noting thanking me for the well-wishes. I guess a little bit of kindness goes a long way after all! I am glad that now I might be a bit more on my host's good side and hopefully I brightened her day a bit!

So, I've just been hanging out for the evening and catching up on things. It was nice to have some time to relax after a long day. Everyone is pretty exhausted, but hopefully the weekend will be a lot of fun! It looks like the new volcano ash won't be disrupting our travel plans, which is a good thing! Well, that's about it for now. Hope all is well! Gute Nacht! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 37: Exploring

Hallo all! It is Day 2 here in Berlin and what a busy day it was! But first, I will recap last night. We went to the Three Penny Opera and it was quite a show. I made it to the theater fine, it looks like I am able to figure out the subway system after all! I feel very comfortable using it after only being here since yesterday! So, the show itself was very well done. It reminded me a bit of the way Hitchcock's The 39 Steps was put on as a modern show in that both productions sort of made fun of the we ways plays are dramatized. The singing was wonderful and the body language of the actors was just so awesome to watch. They really exaggerated every move and made the whole thing interesting even to us who are not fluent in German. I followed the play pretty well, but it probably helped that we read up on the overview ahead of time. It was interesting how the plot came together on a critique of money and greediness and how so much was what was said echoes in today's world. I thoroughly enjoyed the opera, but I was definitely quite tired by the end of the whole thing, as was the rest of the group. So, afterward I made my way back to the apartment alone. Unfortunately, it turns out that no one is at the exact same subway stop as I am, although there are other Union students in my section of the city. I ended up taking the way back to the house that I was familiar with, but I have since found a better way. I had to walk down a dark and deserted street which made me a bit nervous. But there's definitely a better sense of safety here than what I have experienced in my short visits to other big cities, which is a good thing. Alles ist gut!

Well, now onto today, then! I woke up fairly early (although not as early as I was planned, I forgot to hit the "on" button for my alarm!) in order to explore the city a little bit. I first went grocery shopping and found that there are so many more stores in the area than I originally thought! When I came back to the house, my arms were full of groceries. So, I sort of swung the door shut with my foot and it shut pretty loudly. I thought I was alone in the apartment since there was evidence that my host mother had already been up that morning and I assumed that she had gone to work. Well, she came out of her room and asked me to close the door more quietly next time. Although she wasn't trying to be mean about it, of course I was mortified! I would have shut the door more carefully if I knew she was still in bed. I just don't want to "get off on the wrong foot" with her. I talked a bit with my fellow Union students and they think that she was just trying to "lay down the law" (so many cliqués!) because she may have had some not so great tenants in the past. I definitely think that this might be the reason why she may have acted this way because she kept mentioning yesterday how the last tenant broke the window, broke the toaster, etc. I just feel badly because if she's home on recovery this week, I didn't mean to disturb her! I bought her a get well card and some tee. Maybe that will brighten her day and let her know that I won't be too much of a trouble maker!

So, after that incident, I fled the scene of the crime! Just kidding. But was out of the house all day long, from about 10 am to 10 pm! I ended up explore Kreuzberg (my section of the city) and finding some neat things. I was trying to walk down to Viktoria Park to see if it was suitable for running, but I instead walked the other way and made it to an even bigger park. From there, I took the metro to Viktoria and came across a beautiful waterfall. The park is situated on a hill and I literally had to hike to the top to see the church squire (no church, just a squire) and in front of it was the waterfall. Kind of a neat thing to see in the middle of a city! It was a little bit strange, while I was up there a man was loitering and it made me a little nervous. He approached me and I think he asked me if I had any change, but I couldn't quite tell because he spoke very quickly even after I asked him to repeat what he said. I just said no and walked away, although I always feel badly about doing that. I walked around a bit at the top and headed back down the other side of the park in what I thought was another way to the metro station. And it was! By then, my feet were pretty darn tired, so it was nice to have a break as I waited for the train to reach Friedrichstrasse. I then took the S-Bahn (another form of public train transportation) to a stop closer to the Goethe Institut. I first had trouble finding the building (the street name wasn't on my map) and was going to ask for directions, but I came across it after all!

Then, classes started and we all made it there safely! It was interesting being in such a different environment than Frieburg. But I like my class and my teacher is very energetic. I am trying to be very interactive and outgoing so the teacher does not get another impression of me right away. Our classes are later here in Berlin, but I think I like having the mornings free. Although it's sometimes difficult to sit through so much class, I generally do my best work in the afternoon anyway! So, after classes, Andrea and I booked our cheap plane tickets to London! We're headed there this weekend to see the sights and eat some Fish and Chips for Zach (yes, it's true!). I am very much looking forward to going there, we're planning on staying in a youth hostel and just touring the city a bit. RyanAir/EasyJet has awesome prices, so I would definitely recommend either of them to anyone planning on traveling within Europe!

After class, Andrea and I headed to Alexanderplatz in hopes of finding a new shopping center called "Alexa." There, we walked around a bit and ended up running into Anna and Paula, our fellow Unionites!! What are the chances of that?! So, we hung out with them for a bit (and I ate my second Doener Kabap of Berlin, a Turkish delicacy that comes from a huge rotating chunk of meat). And they joined me on the subway ride home. I walked back on a much more heavily trafficked and well-lit street tonight, so I felt a lot more comfortable.

So, that's about it! Tomorrow, we are waking up fairly early in order to go on a three hour tour (luckily, it's not the five hour one that was previously planned!). I am looking forward to seeing more of Berlin and having the opportunity to hear more its history. Even though I am not the best museum-goer around, there is so much history here and I can't wait to see it all first-hand! Well, I must get some more work done and head to bed soon. I hope that all is well with everyone back home! I have only 25 more days until I take that flight back to New York! Wow! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 35 & 36: From Dresden to Berlin

Hallo! And greetings from the capital of Germany: Berlin! I have safely made it to my host mother's apartment and am currently sitting in my very own room! Wahoo! I finally have some peace and quiet!

So, let me first give a bit of an overview of the past couple of days so you can get a feel for our travels. Well, yesterday we drove from Prague to Dresden. Dresden or "Dre's Den," was absolutely amazing! I loved the city's character, it's architecture, and the spring festival that was going on (across the street from the anarchist's rally, of course). To give a little background on Dresden, it was (basically) completely destroyed by the Allies at the very end of WWII. The bombing of Dresden is viewed by many as completely unnecessary because it was evident that a Nazi loss was preeminent and it appeared as if the Allies just wanted to get rid of the last of their weapons supplies/seek revenge on Germany. So, since the 1945, Dresden has seen a complete transformation. It is now a modern city with historical personality. It was sad, yet interesting to see how the main church in the city was rebuilt and how it's weathered foundations serve as a reminder of the past. I very much enjoyed our own little "Springfest," although the weather was a bit more overcast in Dresden than in Schenectady!

After visiting the festival, we made our way to a currywurst stand. Currywurst is a type of sausage that is very popular in Germany, the sauce it is dipped in is favored with the spice, curry! So, this currywurst stand is very well known for its extremely spicy sausages. And so, a contest ensued amongst our group. Almost all of us decided to try the hottest possible wurst (it burned like no other food I have had in my life!). But since our van driver was paying, we could not refuse to finish the wurst. So, it ended up that it became a contest between Paula and Professor Nelson to see who could eat the most currywust. They both had 5 pieces (not 5 full wursts!) and tied. After our explorations of the city, we headed back to the hotel to rest up a bit before dinner. We then walked along the other side of the river and found an interesting "Tex-Mex" restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the conversation! After dinner, some of the group headed out to other adventures, while the rest of us rested up at the hotel. And that was that!

So, this morning we woke up pretty early and got ready for our journey to Berlin. WE drove for a bit and came to the capital of Germany: Berlin! It was sad to say goodbye to our driver, Andy, but it was nice also to finally be here in the city. We toured the Goethe Institut and they contacted my host mother, so I was able to go to her apartment. And that is where I am now! I actually have reliable internet for once! And it's nice! So, tonight we are headed to the "Three Penny Opera" to see a supposedly interesting musical number. Hopefully, I will be able to make my way there on the subway without any problems! Well, I hope that all is well at home! 'Til next time...Tschuess!

Day 33 & 34: Prague

Hallo everyone! And greetings from Prague/Praha! Hopefully, I will be able to post this blog, our internet has only been working off and on for the past few days. So, since the last post, we have seen Munich and Prague! And what a busy couple of days it has been. Yesterday (and today), we began our day with an amazing German breakfast complete with every possible bakery item (yes, pretzels, pretzel rolls, and pretzel sticks!), so many different types of fruit, etc. It was amazing! So, in Munich, we headed to Marienplatz and had a little bit of time to walk around before our bicycle tour of the city! The tour itself was very neat. We saw a lot of Munich that I hadn't seen on our trip to Germany five years ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet up with the family we have here because the day was so busy. But it was really neat to ride through Munich and to hear the tour in German. We were all able to pick up on the basics of what was being said, which is a good thing! One neat thing in Muenchen's Central Park (other than the gorgeous landscape) were the surfers at the foot of a tunnel. Very cool!

So, after the bike tour, we drove to Dachau, past the outskirts of Munich. Dachau was the first concentration camp to be established by the Nazis, so the experience was very poingnant and heart-wrenching. Two days ago marked the 65th anniversary of the camp's liberation, so it was definitely a very important time to commemorate the event. It was difficult and emotional to see all of the history textbooks and films come to life. In some ways, I see myself as calloused to the pictures of the atrocities since I have spent so much time studying the Second World War. But as soon as I stepped foot on the premises I knew that no amount of reading could have prepared me for witnessing the where it all happened first-hand. I know that the other people in my group were influenced by the trip, also. I am very glad (although also saddened) that we were given the opportunity to visit Dachau.

Afterward, we headed back into Munich. Andrea and I decided that all we wanted was to grab a bite to eat, so we parted ways with the rest of the company. We stumbled upon a neat little Vietnamese restaurant and just in time. As soon as we sat down, it started pouring outside! It was a nice dinner and quite an interesting way to end an interesting day.

So, this morning, we headed to Prague! And it sure is a good thing that we ended up getting to come here because our other plans could have been a bit more worrisome. We almost went to Leipzig and not Prague because the Czech Republic has recently passed some travel insurance requirements that complicated the matter a bit. But it all worked out and we ended up here anyway. The scary thing is that today in Leipzig, two pipe bombs went off. Today is the "Tag der Arbeit" or the "Day of Work/Labor Day/Day of Struggle" in Germany. This day can be both a peaceful commemoration, but it also can serve as a means of violent demonstration. I guess Leipzig has often been a popular meeting ground for rioters and the likes, so we are happy that we made it to Prague and were not present for the bombs in Leipzig today.

It was a nice and peaceful day here in the Czech Republic (as far as I know at least). We took a walking tour of the city and saw some very beautiful sights. I did a little bit of practical shopping for clothing, so I was glad to have some new walking shoes, etc. Tonight, I definitely did not want to go out anywhere and stay out until 3 am. So, it ended up that Andrea, Professor Nelson, and I hopped the nearest streetcar and headed to a random restaurant somewhere in Prague. It was an interesting experience to see an area less populated by tourists and to have to figure out the car schedules in a country whose language none of us knew. It ended up that the people of Prague are actually very knowledgeable when it comes to English! Who knew?!

The dinner and conversations were very nice. It has been a neat experience to get to know a professor on a more personal level. Wow, it has been a busy couple of days! We have just one more stop along the way before Berlin: Dresden (or Dre's Den, Andrea's nickname, as I like to call it). I am definitely looking forward to Berlin, although I still haven't heard back from my host family about arrival times! Hopefully tomorrow...Well, enjoy the afternoon. Hope to write again soon! 'Til next time...Tschuess!