The title of this blog was something that I thought up months ago after a stroll through Mauerpark at the Sunday flea market. As I look around and do some major people watching, I realize how hipster Berlin really is. Every city has a certain style and identity, and there is definitely a way to pick out the locals from the tourists and Berlin is no different. Whether or not the people I see are locals or are just people that should live in Berlin, I don't know, but they certainly pull off the Berlin style.
Now what is that Berlin style you may ask. Well let me tell you. It's quite simple to imagine because really you just have to picture a hipster. Then you need to build upon that image and think about an 80s hipster. Typically, Berlin hipsters are wearing tight pants, tight shirts, Ked-like shoes, and have thick, black rimmed glasses. A hat may or may not be involved, as well as a scarf. It is also quite common for the pants to be of a bright color and the hair to be either long or with a slight Justin Bieber flare to it. Facial hair is a must, whether it be a full on beard, creeper-stash, or just a 5 o'clock shadow. The reason I mention an 80s hipster is because the hipsters in Berlin seem to look like they are still stuck in the 80s. I know that the flea markets are the places to shop, along with vintage stores, but it really isn't a crime to look somewhat like you're from this decade. I went to an 80s party the other weekend, which was fun, but I felt like the only difference between how some people were dressed was that they just put their hair in a side ponytail or put all of their 80s looking clothes on at once instead of separately. I had to look around for something to wear to the party, but I am pretty sure most of these people had the clothes already hanging in their closets.
If I had to sum up the Berlin style, the easiest way to describe it is hipster all the way.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The Truth Hurts
Well after a 3 month hiatus, I have finally returned to write a blog. I can only send my sincerest apologies to the handful of people that follow my blog and to all the people on Facebook that take a look at what I wrote whenever I mention it on my profile. I realized the other day that I have been in Germany for 7 months now, which is the longest I have ever been away from home. Like everyone always says, time flies by and boy has it ever! I can hardly believe that it's been 7 months. Soon it will be October; I will be starting my third semester and starting to figure out my Master's thesis. My life will be dark, literally, since I am so far north that the I will have to sit under lamps during the day to prevent any possible onset of SAD. I can only hope that my "winter coat" can stand up to the task of keeping me warm during a Berlin winter and that I won't gain 30 pounds as I sit in my warm apartment, eating warm food, and refusing to go run outside with Julian. Until then, I can catch you up on what I have been doing for these past three months.
Now for my reason for this three month gap: I would like to say that my hiatus was the result of living in Europe. I was too busy traveling the continent to simply sit in front of my computer and write a thing. In my mind, the greatest excuse is that I have been on vacation, traveling Europe, relaxing on warm, Mediterranean beaches while looking at sexy, Mediterranean men, and just living a stereotypical European life. I am now so German that you would hardly think I was Asian (actually, that will never be true no matter what world I live in) and I can now speak German better than English. Berlin is my new home and I know it like the back of my hand.
Here is the reality: I haven't been on vacation in over 3 months. My life during the semester was actually more relaxing than my summer has been. I don't want this to turn into a blog where I make it sound like my life sucks. No, I am having a great time in Berlin and of course it's not like the first time I was in Europe and could travel every weekend, but that's okay. This summer has been far from that. Since the German system likes to have students work on their papers over the semester break, that is what I have been doing. On top of that though, I have been working at my internship full time. So, these past two months have involved me going to work at 8:30 in the morning, getting home around 6 and then trying to work on my papers. Of course this wasn't always a successful endeavor every night and the weekends were kind of hit and miss.
As to the warm, sunny beaches, I was not at the beach. I was in the lovely city of Berlin where the summertime heat never really took hold. We had a few warm days in the 80s in May, June, and July, but since then those days have pretty much ceased to exist. While everyone in the U.S. was sweating and dealing with terrible heat and humidity, I was most likely sitting in my sweat pants or if I was at Julian's house, sitting in front of a fire. Not what I usually expect to do in early August.
Even though this summer hasn't been the summer of major relaxation and European living, I can say that I have gotten a lot out of my internship. I was lucky in the sense that it is like a real job and I have always had plenty of work to do. My German vocabulary has really gotten better, especially in the area of demography. I can design websites and I can understand German much better. The bad thing, and probably most stereotypical thing, is that I don't really like my boss. This woman is very German and pretty testy. I would say she is what I would think of when I tried to think of someone that was just being a pill.
If I ask too many questions, she gets annoyed. If I don't ask enough questions, she gets annoyed. If I forget things, she will let me know and will do me the honor of doing it even though it was my job to do, which she reminds me of as she completes the unfinished task. If I say yes or okay too soon or just when she doesn't think it is appropriate, she lets me know. She will send me an email giving me a job to do, but that it doesn't have to be done right away. The next day I will receive another email asking me if I have done the aforementioned job yet. I would say about once a week I will receive some form of compliment/pat on the back. Usually though it's just a fight to not shed a tear at work for feeling like I can do nothing right.
I think if she wasn't in the picture, I would love my job even more. What I do wonder about though, is how in the world can these people really talk about demography every single day? I mean I guess I now understand the idea behind mid-life crises and why people just go back to school when they're 40. It's crazy to think about that the guy in charge at my office has been there since the beginning, so over 10 years, talking about population change. Wow.
Even though I didn't have the stereotypical European vacation where I spend my days on a Mediterranean beach and become super tan, I am glad I had this internship. I wasn't too pumped about writing those papers and I still don't appreciate that they took away the possibility of relaxing, summer evenings and weekends. At least they're done now and in 3 weeks my internship will be over too.
There is always next summer for that dreamlike summer vacation...
Now for my reason for this three month gap: I would like to say that my hiatus was the result of living in Europe. I was too busy traveling the continent to simply sit in front of my computer and write a thing. In my mind, the greatest excuse is that I have been on vacation, traveling Europe, relaxing on warm, Mediterranean beaches while looking at sexy, Mediterranean men, and just living a stereotypical European life. I am now so German that you would hardly think I was Asian (actually, that will never be true no matter what world I live in) and I can now speak German better than English. Berlin is my new home and I know it like the back of my hand.
Here is the reality: I haven't been on vacation in over 3 months. My life during the semester was actually more relaxing than my summer has been. I don't want this to turn into a blog where I make it sound like my life sucks. No, I am having a great time in Berlin and of course it's not like the first time I was in Europe and could travel every weekend, but that's okay. This summer has been far from that. Since the German system likes to have students work on their papers over the semester break, that is what I have been doing. On top of that though, I have been working at my internship full time. So, these past two months have involved me going to work at 8:30 in the morning, getting home around 6 and then trying to work on my papers. Of course this wasn't always a successful endeavor every night and the weekends were kind of hit and miss.
As to the warm, sunny beaches, I was not at the beach. I was in the lovely city of Berlin where the summertime heat never really took hold. We had a few warm days in the 80s in May, June, and July, but since then those days have pretty much ceased to exist. While everyone in the U.S. was sweating and dealing with terrible heat and humidity, I was most likely sitting in my sweat pants or if I was at Julian's house, sitting in front of a fire. Not what I usually expect to do in early August.
Even though this summer hasn't been the summer of major relaxation and European living, I can say that I have gotten a lot out of my internship. I was lucky in the sense that it is like a real job and I have always had plenty of work to do. My German vocabulary has really gotten better, especially in the area of demography. I can design websites and I can understand German much better. The bad thing, and probably most stereotypical thing, is that I don't really like my boss. This woman is very German and pretty testy. I would say she is what I would think of when I tried to think of someone that was just being a pill.
If I ask too many questions, she gets annoyed. If I don't ask enough questions, she gets annoyed. If I forget things, she will let me know and will do me the honor of doing it even though it was my job to do, which she reminds me of as she completes the unfinished task. If I say yes or okay too soon or just when she doesn't think it is appropriate, she lets me know. She will send me an email giving me a job to do, but that it doesn't have to be done right away. The next day I will receive another email asking me if I have done the aforementioned job yet. I would say about once a week I will receive some form of compliment/pat on the back. Usually though it's just a fight to not shed a tear at work for feeling like I can do nothing right.
I think if she wasn't in the picture, I would love my job even more. What I do wonder about though, is how in the world can these people really talk about demography every single day? I mean I guess I now understand the idea behind mid-life crises and why people just go back to school when they're 40. It's crazy to think about that the guy in charge at my office has been there since the beginning, so over 10 years, talking about population change. Wow.
Even though I didn't have the stereotypical European vacation where I spend my days on a Mediterranean beach and become super tan, I am glad I had this internship. I wasn't too pumped about writing those papers and I still don't appreciate that they took away the possibility of relaxing, summer evenings and weekends. At least they're done now and in 3 weeks my internship will be over too.
There is always next summer for that dreamlike summer vacation...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
What Do You Call Home?
The concept of “home” tends to be a tricky one that creates different feelings and connotations for everyone. How would you define home? Is it the place you currently live? Is it the place you grew up? Is it where your parents are? Is it where the heart is? There is no concrete answer to this question and of course it’s up to the individual to define home for himself or herself.
Since moving to Berlin, I have continued to call Carmel, Indiana home; the place where my parents are, where I grew up, went to school, the place my friends are. Now that I have been in Berlin for about 3 and a half months now, I have begun to rethink the idea of home. Prior to leaving for Berlin, I had already begun to contemplate what was home for me and if Carmel still filled that role. As I spent a few months at “home” before leaving I realized that what I went home for was really no longer there. I am at that point where so many of my friends have created new lives for themselves, many of which are not based in Carmel. My friends have gotten married and have created new families and homes with their new spouses. Friends have graduated school; no one is on the same regulated school schedule that guarantees that your friends will be home for Christmas for three weeks and Thanksgiving. When I go home, I go home to be in the house I grew up in and to see my parents. Even this changed while I was at home for a few months and now seeing parents has become a scheduled event. I was sad to leave Carmel in February, but at the same time, I thought about how I wasn’t really leaving home, I was going to my new home.
When I was in Freiburg in 2009 for about 5 months, I began to call that home. That was where I returned after traveling, it was where my stuff was, and it was where my friends were. I knew that city, I was comfortable and I was always happy to return after a weekend away. Now I am in Berlin and I feel the same way about this city. When visiting Berlin in 2009, my friend Liz and I discussed how happy we were to not live in Berlin for our semester abroad because we had no idea how we would ever figure out the public transportation and we thought we would never know how to go somewhere without having to look it up beforehand. Now that I have been here for a few months, I have figured it out and I know where I need to be and how to get there. Of course I have to look at the map sometimes, but I do feel comfortable knowing where to go.
This past weekend Julian and I went to his home to see his parents and to spend time at their lake house. It was so peaceful and relaxing and I was thrilled to be able to leave the city. I think we probably saw the same, if not less, number of people the entire weekend as were in the Hauptbahnhof when we returned. It was great to relax and I was sad to come back, but once I was back home I knew I was home and I felt relieved to be there. It was my space and I was there with someone I care for.
Once I settled back in and checked my email, I learned that my house in Carmel would no longer be my house. My mom had made the decision to rent it to another family because she doesn’t want it sit empty. I was considerably upset about this and couldn’t begin to fathom not having my home any more. As I sat there crying with Julian there comforting me, he reminded me that I had a new home now and it was in Berlin. I don’t even have a return ticket to Carmel. I have an apartment that I am paying for, that is furnished mainly with things I bought and where most of my stuff is (of course some of my valuable shoes aren’t there, but that can be remedied), and it is where I go to relax and feel at peace.
My family is changing, my future is up in the air and I have no idea where life will take me. I am nearing that proverbial and clichéd crossroads in life and all I can do is take a deep breathe and hope for the best. My friends are all over the US and even world. It is sad that we aren’t all located in the same spot so we can easily see each other, but really it’s just another great reason to travel. Those times apart only make the times together better. There is a quote I found in Glamour magazine once about friendship and you may laugh because it was Glamour, but they were still solid advice:
"Separation and distance are natural parts of the friendship life cycle. We grow at different rates and in different directions, and sometimes we are better apart than we are together. And it's tough when your friend has a big job or a great love or a new baby and you don't. Being out of step can be excruciating, but it can also push you to evolve in ways you otherwise wouldn't. If you miss her, be brave; call her. And think of how many more stories you'll have to catch up on when you reconnect - maybe enough to fill a book."
I always think about this quote when I miss my friends and when I think about where everyone else is in their life in comparison to mine, but life isn’t a competition. These are my friends and I want only the best for them. What makes our friendship so great is how different we are and how we connect on so many different levels. When I finally see my friends, I know that it will be like we never said bye and had only been apart a day.
My current home is Berlin and right now I am at home with that special person in my life and I couldn’t be happier about it. Life will figure itself out and we will all find out “home,” whether that is in Berlin, Lincoln, Nebraska, California, Boston, or Chicago. Home is where you’re happy and where those things/people in your life that make you happy are. What was in Carmel served as my home at one point and now it is just a house, a place to stay when I do decide to return.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Neo-Nazis at a Children's Festival?
Living in Berlin has certainly been a different experience from any of the other places that I've lived. Life in Bloomington and Chapel Hill is pretty quiet and they are both peaceful college towns that thrive on the energy from the students and never really have any serious events take place minus an increase in public intoxication arrests due to events like Little 5 and Halloween. Freiburg living certainly had a German feel, but it was still a small town feel with few major events along the lines of of protests during the NATO meetings in nearby France. And of course life in Carmel, Indiana is about as calm and uneventful as it can be. I mean the big news usually centered around where the next roundabout was being put in. Unlike all of these other places I have lived, Berlin is in a league of its own.
I knew coming in that Berlin would always be buzzing and there would constantly be new things to do and see. Besides seeing all of the major tourist sites, there are museums, concerts, festivals, flea markets, parks, and plays to see. I have slowly been chipping away at all of these things and beginning to make my rounds to all of these different cultural offerings of the city. Outside of these great opportunities in such a big city, there are also some dangers to be on the look out for.
For example, where I live is on the edge of Kreuzberg, one of the major neighborhoods of Berlin. It is a great area that has really improved over the years. When I had mentioned to some before I arrived that I would be living in Kreuzberg, I usually received some sort of look from the person and a response of "Oh, Kreuzberg..." like I was making a bad decision. The area is quite a hipster, trendy area that also has a large number of Turks living there and some pretty sketch areas. It has improved in standing over the years and isn't what it used to be (what it used to be is probably the reason I received those responses). A few subway stops down from where I live is Kottbusser Tor, which is known to be one of the biggest drug dealing areas in Berlin. Like any big city, there are parts of Berlin that aren't as savory as say Unter den Linden. But, again, like any big city, you know where these places are and you pay attention to where you are, what's around you, who's around you and what time it is. Obviously I know that I shouldn't be out late at night on my own and that is definitely not something that happens often, if ever. Street smarts are important and I have figured out where to go and where not to go.
But even when you know where to avoid, things will still pop up, even in your own neck of the woods. This past weekend I went to go buy some bread for lunch and walked to the Bio Grocery store that is located right on the corner across my street. I noticed there was a large amount of traffic out, especially on the street I was trying to cross. That was when I saw the police cars/vans blocking the main street by my house and redirecting the traffic down the street I was trying to cross. I thought I heard some noise and what sounded like a protest going on, but I didn't think too much of it and just went about my business. I was a bit curious as to what was going on, but I knew Julian was waiting for me to get back home so we could have lunch. When I arrived back home I told Julian what I had seen and we didn't think much of it. Later he looked online at one of the Berlin newspapers and discovered what had transpired.
Directly around the corner from where I was was a Neo-Nazi demonstration going on that was being met by a counter demonstration by the Leftists. Apparently the Neo-Nazis registered the demonstration for Hermannplatz, which was a little ways away from where they ended up. They had plans to have the police at Hermannplatz and then move to Mehringdamm, which is where I was. At Hermannplatz that day was also a nice children's festival going on and there were plenty of families out and about in the area. I'm sure they really appreciated seeing the Neo-Nazis around that afternoon.
The demonstration moved over to my area and the Leftists came up through the subway station at Mehringdamm. The Neo-Nazis were yelling about foreigners and wanting them out of the country and they were even yelling at people walking by. One example given in the paper was the attack on a black man who was walking by at the time. People were attacked and the police ended up spraying the crowd with pepper spray. Many fled through the subway and others went to the next subway station and began to smash things with the fire extinguishers in the station.
I honestly didn't think much about how close I was to that when I first heard what had happened. The more I thought about it, the more I freaked out a bit. I know that being attacked in the street is not something that should be my first concern when I walk out the door and these demonstrations do not occur every single day. Like many, it's the "what if" that got me. What if I had turned that corner to see what was going on? What if they had moved and come around the corner when I was at the store? What if they had seen me and decided to yell something at me? It was a fairly close call and I am very glad that I just focused on getting bread and going back home (I guess being hungry helps with that). I was a bit more shaken up when we were walking around in that area the next day and I just thought about what if there were still some of those guys out, just waiting to harass someone else.
I know that I don't fit in with the Germans, I don't look German, I don't sound German. This isn't going to become something that makes me afraid to go out and explore Berlin that's for sure. But it definitely has heightened my level of alertness and I've started to be even more observant of who and what is around me. The last thing I want is to get caught up in some demonstration that I want nothing to do with or be surrounded by people that don't really want me around. People like those demonstrators are everywhere, in all big cities, and I would still argue that Berlin is very safe. Germans work hard to make sure Neo-Nazis do not have the last word and that there are more people protesting against them when they are protesting. Dealing with events like these are just part of Berlin city living and something new to add to this experience I'm having known as Grad School.
I knew coming in that Berlin would always be buzzing and there would constantly be new things to do and see. Besides seeing all of the major tourist sites, there are museums, concerts, festivals, flea markets, parks, and plays to see. I have slowly been chipping away at all of these things and beginning to make my rounds to all of these different cultural offerings of the city. Outside of these great opportunities in such a big city, there are also some dangers to be on the look out for.
For example, where I live is on the edge of Kreuzberg, one of the major neighborhoods of Berlin. It is a great area that has really improved over the years. When I had mentioned to some before I arrived that I would be living in Kreuzberg, I usually received some sort of look from the person and a response of "Oh, Kreuzberg..." like I was making a bad decision. The area is quite a hipster, trendy area that also has a large number of Turks living there and some pretty sketch areas. It has improved in standing over the years and isn't what it used to be (what it used to be is probably the reason I received those responses). A few subway stops down from where I live is Kottbusser Tor, which is known to be one of the biggest drug dealing areas in Berlin. Like any big city, there are parts of Berlin that aren't as savory as say Unter den Linden. But, again, like any big city, you know where these places are and you pay attention to where you are, what's around you, who's around you and what time it is. Obviously I know that I shouldn't be out late at night on my own and that is definitely not something that happens often, if ever. Street smarts are important and I have figured out where to go and where not to go.
But even when you know where to avoid, things will still pop up, even in your own neck of the woods. This past weekend I went to go buy some bread for lunch and walked to the Bio Grocery store that is located right on the corner across my street. I noticed there was a large amount of traffic out, especially on the street I was trying to cross. That was when I saw the police cars/vans blocking the main street by my house and redirecting the traffic down the street I was trying to cross. I thought I heard some noise and what sounded like a protest going on, but I didn't think too much of it and just went about my business. I was a bit curious as to what was going on, but I knew Julian was waiting for me to get back home so we could have lunch. When I arrived back home I told Julian what I had seen and we didn't think much of it. Later he looked online at one of the Berlin newspapers and discovered what had transpired.
Directly around the corner from where I was was a Neo-Nazi demonstration going on that was being met by a counter demonstration by the Leftists. Apparently the Neo-Nazis registered the demonstration for Hermannplatz, which was a little ways away from where they ended up. They had plans to have the police at Hermannplatz and then move to Mehringdamm, which is where I was. At Hermannplatz that day was also a nice children's festival going on and there were plenty of families out and about in the area. I'm sure they really appreciated seeing the Neo-Nazis around that afternoon.
The demonstration moved over to my area and the Leftists came up through the subway station at Mehringdamm. The Neo-Nazis were yelling about foreigners and wanting them out of the country and they were even yelling at people walking by. One example given in the paper was the attack on a black man who was walking by at the time. People were attacked and the police ended up spraying the crowd with pepper spray. Many fled through the subway and others went to the next subway station and began to smash things with the fire extinguishers in the station.
I honestly didn't think much about how close I was to that when I first heard what had happened. The more I thought about it, the more I freaked out a bit. I know that being attacked in the street is not something that should be my first concern when I walk out the door and these demonstrations do not occur every single day. Like many, it's the "what if" that got me. What if I had turned that corner to see what was going on? What if they had moved and come around the corner when I was at the store? What if they had seen me and decided to yell something at me? It was a fairly close call and I am very glad that I just focused on getting bread and going back home (I guess being hungry helps with that). I was a bit more shaken up when we were walking around in that area the next day and I just thought about what if there were still some of those guys out, just waiting to harass someone else.
I know that I don't fit in with the Germans, I don't look German, I don't sound German. This isn't going to become something that makes me afraid to go out and explore Berlin that's for sure. But it definitely has heightened my level of alertness and I've started to be even more observant of who and what is around me. The last thing I want is to get caught up in some demonstration that I want nothing to do with or be surrounded by people that don't really want me around. People like those demonstrators are everywhere, in all big cities, and I would still argue that Berlin is very safe. Germans work hard to make sure Neo-Nazis do not have the last word and that there are more people protesting against them when they are protesting. Dealing with events like these are just part of Berlin city living and something new to add to this experience I'm having known as Grad School.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
"Why would you trust a hairstylist in a country where half the kids are running around with mullets?" - Liz
Much has transpired since my last blog entry. The semester is well on its way, Easter has passed, spring has sprung, I now have a German visa, and my hair has survived a long journey. We are in week 3 of classes and thanks to Easter, I only have one class this week, which means I also had a 6-day weekend. I don't think in terms of my schedule I can really complain. I had applied for an internship that would be during the semester for about 10-12 hours a week because I thought I would need something to do besides sit around my apartment and read. Unfortunately I didn't get it, but I think it's still for the best because even though I don't spend all day reading, I do need more time to read and make sure I understand all of the German texts. It's definitely a roller coaster while I read them though because I can tell when my attention is going in and out. There are points where I realize how much I am understanding and following along and then there are moments where I finish a few sentences and think to myself how I have no clue what was just said. It's pretty much like when I read any text for class and at least with the German texts I can attribute the lack of understanding to the language barrier. With English there is no excuse except I was just not paying attention any more.
The weather here in Berlin has been amazing and I really can't complain. We had our first thunderstorm last night and luckily I didn't have to go anywhere yesterday. I know that back home people are just swimming in all of the rain and I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. For Easter, Nick and I went to Julian's house and spent time with his family at their lake house. Every day was a perfect warm sunny day with no clouds in the sky. We all sat outside to eat, played some basketball and sat around and read. We even got to go sailing with his dad and I thought it was great. The only thing that freaked me out was when the boat would lean really far on one side and you felt like you were about to tip over into the water. That water wasn't warm enough for swimming, but I know that when we go back in the summer it will be great.
Easter was a fun day though because I got to experience a traditional German Easter. Like most Easter celebrations a big meal is had and there is plenty of chocolate to go around. Unlike any Easter I had ever had, the family started the morning by going on an Easter hunt and not just for Easter eggs. Everyone that was there hid gifts for each other in the yard and everyone had to search for them. Julian's uncle's mom was there and she was near 90 and even she hid things! At one point, Julian's aunt had to climb up part of the tree to reach one of her gifts. It was a lot of fun and something very different from what I was used to. When I was a kid all I ever looked for were colored eggs and I was really good at finding all of the different colored eggs in the yard. I needed some assistance in finding the few gifts that were there for me though and Julian had to turn it into a game of hot and cold to help me find them.
It was a wonderful weekend though where we got to leave the city and go back to the quite countryside. I didn't realize just how quiet it was there until we came back to Berlin and I heard all of the police sirens again (I didn't miss those at all). I love living in Berlin, but there is definitely something to be said for having a place outside of the city where you can go to escape for a weekend. It's a nice break and I feel much more relaxed now.
In other recent and wonderful news, I have my visa. It was quite an uphill battle with trying to figure out all of the insurance issues and making sure I had the right letters to prove I was receiving financial aid and that I was enrolled at the university here. When we went, my appointment was at 8am, which meant we had to leave our apartment around 7:20 to get there on time. There was a long line as people waited for the doors to open because I think most of those people didn't have appointments. My number was already on the board when we walked in and of course I got to see my favorite fat German guy behind the desk again. This time he liked everything I had and we were probably done in about 15 minutes. That includes the time it took to give him all of my documents, wait for him to print out the visa, pay and then get my passport. I was so relieved to have all of that done and it was the day before we left for Easter break too, so that helped make the break even better!
The other big event that happened a few weeks back was my haircut. I had found a great deal on Groupon for a 20 Euro haircut (originally 44 Euros) and so I finally decided to use my coupon. I had some serious issues trying to find the place and ended up running around Alexanderplatz because I was afraid they would skip my appointment if I was late. Luckily I got there and they weren't ready for me at all, so I ended up sitting there for a bit. When the hairstylist finally came over she explained how at this salon they are all about trying to figure out what they think would be the best cut for your type of hair based on your face shape and all that jazz. She ran her fingers through my hair for a good five minutes and kept picking it up and letting it fall to see how it would fall. By the time she had figured things out, my hair was in my face and pretty poofy. The actual hair cutting part was fine and even though it seemed like she was taking way too much off and doing way too much texturizing, I was okay. Then they suggested we try some highlights just in the bangs (bangs=Pony auf Deutsch) and around my face. I figured that it couldn't be that bad and I am always wanting to try new things so I agreed. When she came at me with the color, I originally thought it looked very orange, but I figured it probably wouldn't be so bright because my hair is so dark. After they washed the coloring out and sat me back down in front of a mirror I had to really make sure I didn't gasp from how bright the color was. To me, it looked quite orange and more like an orange red when I would have rather had something more red or red orange (that color distinction may seem ridiculous, but there is a distinction, look at some crayons). Amazingly all of that only cost 20 euros, but I was definitely not a happy camper. When I got home I put on a hat until Julian made me take it off. I was reassured by a few that it didn't look as bad as I thought it did and it definitely wasn't orange. I waited a few days hoping it would get better, but finally I realized that I didn't like it and I never would. Only 3 days after the cut, I went to another hair salon that was right around the corner and I had them fix it. They were able to dye it and make it darker and I can definitely live with it now. I really don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to let those women color my hair and I have definitely learned my lesson there. That will never be happening again. So unfortunately for me, my original 20 Euro haircut turned into a 60 Euro expense once you add in the second haircut. Lesson learned.
The weather here in Berlin has been amazing and I really can't complain. We had our first thunderstorm last night and luckily I didn't have to go anywhere yesterday. I know that back home people are just swimming in all of the rain and I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. For Easter, Nick and I went to Julian's house and spent time with his family at their lake house. Every day was a perfect warm sunny day with no clouds in the sky. We all sat outside to eat, played some basketball and sat around and read. We even got to go sailing with his dad and I thought it was great. The only thing that freaked me out was when the boat would lean really far on one side and you felt like you were about to tip over into the water. That water wasn't warm enough for swimming, but I know that when we go back in the summer it will be great.
Easter was a fun day though because I got to experience a traditional German Easter. Like most Easter celebrations a big meal is had and there is plenty of chocolate to go around. Unlike any Easter I had ever had, the family started the morning by going on an Easter hunt and not just for Easter eggs. Everyone that was there hid gifts for each other in the yard and everyone had to search for them. Julian's uncle's mom was there and she was near 90 and even she hid things! At one point, Julian's aunt had to climb up part of the tree to reach one of her gifts. It was a lot of fun and something very different from what I was used to. When I was a kid all I ever looked for were colored eggs and I was really good at finding all of the different colored eggs in the yard. I needed some assistance in finding the few gifts that were there for me though and Julian had to turn it into a game of hot and cold to help me find them.
It was a wonderful weekend though where we got to leave the city and go back to the quite countryside. I didn't realize just how quiet it was there until we came back to Berlin and I heard all of the police sirens again (I didn't miss those at all). I love living in Berlin, but there is definitely something to be said for having a place outside of the city where you can go to escape for a weekend. It's a nice break and I feel much more relaxed now.
In other recent and wonderful news, I have my visa. It was quite an uphill battle with trying to figure out all of the insurance issues and making sure I had the right letters to prove I was receiving financial aid and that I was enrolled at the university here. When we went, my appointment was at 8am, which meant we had to leave our apartment around 7:20 to get there on time. There was a long line as people waited for the doors to open because I think most of those people didn't have appointments. My number was already on the board when we walked in and of course I got to see my favorite fat German guy behind the desk again. This time he liked everything I had and we were probably done in about 15 minutes. That includes the time it took to give him all of my documents, wait for him to print out the visa, pay and then get my passport. I was so relieved to have all of that done and it was the day before we left for Easter break too, so that helped make the break even better!
The other big event that happened a few weeks back was my haircut. I had found a great deal on Groupon for a 20 Euro haircut (originally 44 Euros) and so I finally decided to use my coupon. I had some serious issues trying to find the place and ended up running around Alexanderplatz because I was afraid they would skip my appointment if I was late. Luckily I got there and they weren't ready for me at all, so I ended up sitting there for a bit. When the hairstylist finally came over she explained how at this salon they are all about trying to figure out what they think would be the best cut for your type of hair based on your face shape and all that jazz. She ran her fingers through my hair for a good five minutes and kept picking it up and letting it fall to see how it would fall. By the time she had figured things out, my hair was in my face and pretty poofy. The actual hair cutting part was fine and even though it seemed like she was taking way too much off and doing way too much texturizing, I was okay. Then they suggested we try some highlights just in the bangs (bangs=Pony auf Deutsch) and around my face. I figured that it couldn't be that bad and I am always wanting to try new things so I agreed. When she came at me with the color, I originally thought it looked very orange, but I figured it probably wouldn't be so bright because my hair is so dark. After they washed the coloring out and sat me back down in front of a mirror I had to really make sure I didn't gasp from how bright the color was. To me, it looked quite orange and more like an orange red when I would have rather had something more red or red orange (that color distinction may seem ridiculous, but there is a distinction, look at some crayons). Amazingly all of that only cost 20 euros, but I was definitely not a happy camper. When I got home I put on a hat until Julian made me take it off. I was reassured by a few that it didn't look as bad as I thought it did and it definitely wasn't orange. I waited a few days hoping it would get better, but finally I realized that I didn't like it and I never would. Only 3 days after the cut, I went to another hair salon that was right around the corner and I had them fix it. They were able to dye it and make it darker and I can definitely live with it now. I really don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to let those women color my hair and I have definitely learned my lesson there. That will never be happening again. So unfortunately for me, my original 20 Euro haircut turned into a 60 Euro expense once you add in the second haircut. Lesson learned.
Monday, April 11, 2011
And They're Off!
Today was finally the first day of the summer semester. We only had one class today that didn't even last over an hour and a half. This particular class is about variances in governance and the decision-making process in Europe. It seems like it will be an interesting class, the only major hesitation I have is with our professor, which I will go more into in a bit. Tomorrow I am going to check out an elective course on immigration and citizenship. It's at 10 in the morning until 12, but what that really means in German speak is 10:15 until 11:45. Then on Wednesday I will check out yet another elective that's at 8:30 until 12 (every other week) and is about Islam in Europe. After that class I will have our second required course from 2-4 on the external relations of the EU. With any luck these will all be solid classes and I will be quite happy in them. But if it's like any other semester then I will just be super excited for about a week about classes and then quickly realize they aren't as great as they seemed and I don't truly like any of them.
Even though the semester is beginning today, let me assure you that I haven't been a complete bum these past few weeks. Two weeks ago, we started our mini-module course and had orientation. Orientation turned out to be pretty quick and simple and we just introduced ourselves and learned about the university. When I say we learned about the university, I mean we really learned about everything, including the history of the building orientation was being held in (they didn't have a lot of material to work with). The actual course wasn't too terrible, but I definitely wasn't a huge fan. We had three different professors and I only really liked the guy from France. He was very well organized, had things for us to do, and clearly explained what he expected of us and had planned for his three classes. Our first professor, who is now our professor for the class we have on Mondays, wasn't too bad, but she didn't seem overly organized and I couldn't read her handwriting to save my life. She showed up to class with a laptop she borrowed from the university, but she didn't know the password to log in. Then she didn't have a cell phone so that she could call to ask what the password was. Instead, Julian let her borrow his computer and Nick lent her his cell phone so that she could call someone. It was a bit ridiculous. As for her handwriting, it literally is just scribbles. I know that most of what she writes corresponds to what she says, but even if I listen, I still don't know what she writes on the board. I'm not trying to nit pick because any professor/teacher that has terrible hand writing should work on it if they plan on writing on the board, but I just get super frustrated when I have no idea what she's writing. Thankfully though the mini-module is over and we are now doing the real stuff.
Unfortunately for me that means getting back into the swing of doing serious work after pretty much a 4 month vacation. Currently I'm writing this blog in order to put off reading for class (the reading is in German which is even more of a turn off because that requires even more thinking). Once I get settled into my schedule I think I can handle this, but we'll see. It'll be an uphill battle for at least the first two weeks.
One thing that I have noticed, which I was warned about, is this "us" versus "them" feeling in our group. Our group is composed of the TAM kids (Nick, Julian and I) and then the 20 kids from the Euromasters program. They all seem nice and like great people, but they all already know each other. Unlike last semester when TAM began, the urgency and the need to make friends isn't as pressing. We all have people we know and we're not completely alone in the city. There has been some mingling, but nothing too extreme and I can only hope this changes as the semester moves on. I can't blame them either and I know that we say that if new people came into TAM we would welcome them with open arms, but that's really easy to say when we're making assumptions. If we were in this situation I would like to think the best of TAM and that we would make sure to welcome everyone, but you never know. It's not easy making friends though and I almost feel like the new kid that moved to a new elementary school. We all just look at each other, but no one wants to make a move. We just want to be accepted and not look stupid, but fear of rejection and embarrassment are standing in our way from extending the branch of friendship first.
We shall have to wait and see how the semester progresses. I will definitely have more stories to share as time goes on and if this procrastination continues at all, then there will be plenty of blogs to read!
Even though the semester is beginning today, let me assure you that I haven't been a complete bum these past few weeks. Two weeks ago, we started our mini-module course and had orientation. Orientation turned out to be pretty quick and simple and we just introduced ourselves and learned about the university. When I say we learned about the university, I mean we really learned about everything, including the history of the building orientation was being held in (they didn't have a lot of material to work with). The actual course wasn't too terrible, but I definitely wasn't a huge fan. We had three different professors and I only really liked the guy from France. He was very well organized, had things for us to do, and clearly explained what he expected of us and had planned for his three classes. Our first professor, who is now our professor for the class we have on Mondays, wasn't too bad, but she didn't seem overly organized and I couldn't read her handwriting to save my life. She showed up to class with a laptop she borrowed from the university, but she didn't know the password to log in. Then she didn't have a cell phone so that she could call to ask what the password was. Instead, Julian let her borrow his computer and Nick lent her his cell phone so that she could call someone. It was a bit ridiculous. As for her handwriting, it literally is just scribbles. I know that most of what she writes corresponds to what she says, but even if I listen, I still don't know what she writes on the board. I'm not trying to nit pick because any professor/teacher that has terrible hand writing should work on it if they plan on writing on the board, but I just get super frustrated when I have no idea what she's writing. Thankfully though the mini-module is over and we are now doing the real stuff.
Unfortunately for me that means getting back into the swing of doing serious work after pretty much a 4 month vacation. Currently I'm writing this blog in order to put off reading for class (the reading is in German which is even more of a turn off because that requires even more thinking). Once I get settled into my schedule I think I can handle this, but we'll see. It'll be an uphill battle for at least the first two weeks.
One thing that I have noticed, which I was warned about, is this "us" versus "them" feeling in our group. Our group is composed of the TAM kids (Nick, Julian and I) and then the 20 kids from the Euromasters program. They all seem nice and like great people, but they all already know each other. Unlike last semester when TAM began, the urgency and the need to make friends isn't as pressing. We all have people we know and we're not completely alone in the city. There has been some mingling, but nothing too extreme and I can only hope this changes as the semester moves on. I can't blame them either and I know that we say that if new people came into TAM we would welcome them with open arms, but that's really easy to say when we're making assumptions. If we were in this situation I would like to think the best of TAM and that we would make sure to welcome everyone, but you never know. It's not easy making friends though and I almost feel like the new kid that moved to a new elementary school. We all just look at each other, but no one wants to make a move. We just want to be accepted and not look stupid, but fear of rejection and embarrassment are standing in our way from extending the branch of friendship first.
We shall have to wait and see how the semester progresses. I will definitely have more stories to share as time goes on and if this procrastination continues at all, then there will be plenty of blogs to read!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
My Berlin Apartment
For those of you that didn't see the video tour of my apartment, here it is again:
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