I love oatmeal. I love oatmeal so much that I brought a suitcase full of oatmeal back from New York. But isn't Musli basically oatmeal? That's what I thought. But something about it isn't quite the same. So I loaded up on Quaker and flew some fiber 4,000 miles.
I have yet to describe the kitchen situation in my apartment. As you have seen in the photos, it is huge. Larger than the bedroom, larger than 253 Elizabeth, and rivaled only by my awkwardly large bathroom. I've mentioned the toaster, which was really exciting since I haven't had one of those in a while. I don't have a microwave, which I don't need but I do have an electric teapot (like the one in the office but I put brita water in it so there are no chunkies). The one thing I'm not so comfortable with is the stove/oven. It must be manually lit. I guess this is safer than a normal gas stove because the fire isn't always running and I guess it uses less gas because of the same reason. But I'm not crazy about it and I picture my eyebrows getting burned off. Although my eyebrows are not my favorite, they are all I have. There is nothing resembling a thermometer inside of the oven so lets say I do manage to light it, it's anybody's guess what the temp is, in C or F.
So back to the oatmeal. I was so excited Saturday morning, finally the weekend and time to make myself a big bowl of oats. I like to put berries in my oatmeal and I keep in stock the frozen variety (also great in yogurt!). But it's frozen, and it will make my oatmeal cold. No problem. I fashioned a double boiler using hot water from my electric teapot and two bowls. Then guess what? The oats I bought weren't instant and the quaker man laughed in my face. I need my oatmeal!
Time to get over the fear. It's like living alone and finding a huge bug, you gotta just kill it because if you let the bug live it's going to crawl on your face when you are sleeping or worse, when you are awake.
I lit the stove and made the oatmeal and it wasn't a big deal at all. Yum. Next up, spaghetti.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
I am the Crazy Microwave Water Lady
On the 31st floor of 1515 Broadway, once resided the crazy microwave water lady. Like myself, she did not prefer the freezing cold water from the soda fountain. Unlike myself, she had a little jug of water that should would fill one cup at a time. Each non-microwavable paper cup of water was microwaved for 5-10 minutes until 1/3 of the contents evaporated and then was poured into the jug. They crazy microwave water lady made me bonkers. Why are you microwaving water, it comes out of the coffee machine piping hot? And why for so long? And why in the paper cup that is not microwave safe? BONKERS. I do this but with more hair in my hands:
After my multiple failed confrontations, Salease (our designated office confronter) took care of business. She explained to crazy microwave water lady that what she was doing was irrational and the water from the coffee machine won’t “run out”.
But now I am the crazy microwave water lady. The water here is full of minerals or as they call it, Kalk. Even though people mainly drink bottled water (which I obviously don’t like but still do) they still make their coffee and tea from tap water. The teapot that is used for hot water is full of chunky floaties and they linger around inside your beverage. Against both my better judgment and environmental sympathies, I pour bottled water into a mug and I microwave it. Not for 10 minutes but I’m still a crazy microwave water lady. I’m making MYSELF bonkers.
In regards to my water microwaving plight, Cate Konzet offered some words of wisdom that I will share with you, “I had a crazy microwave lady phase - it starts with one water bottle filled with boiling water and the next thing you know you’re boiling everything and going BONKERRRRSS! Stay strong Nina!” Thanks Cate, but I think I am already too far down that river.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Flughafen
I always like to get to the airport at the last minute and I though I
could really push it this time since Tegel has about five gates.
Randi said she comes an hour before takeoff so I figured I could do a
cool 45 and roll in as the plane is boarding.
could really push it this time since Tegel has about five gates.
Randi said she comes an hour before takeoff so I figured I could do a
cool 45 and roll in as the plane is boarding.
The only other time I've been here was when I arrived in Berlin and I
was in such a daze about not getting let in I made no note of the
security situation. Primarily, does it exist? I found the check-in
counter for my flight but I didn't see any signs for the actual gate.
Since I wasn't checking a bag I milled around the line to find someone
to ask. I found a lady and asked her in German. She looked at me like
I was a idiot but a least answered in German. I was standing right in
front of the gate. Apparently, the gate, check-in, and security are
all one. The folks in the security line are looking at me like "who's
this idiot, I bet she brought full sized liquids". I couldn't appear
more American: Homemade Snuggies jacket, bootcut jeans, and sneakers
not really helping my cause.
I approached the "gate" and asked die Tursteherin (door lady) if I was
in the right spot. "Yes, but you need to go over there (the other side
of the desk) and get a sticker on your boarding pass and come back."
So I went over there and asked a group flight staff folks about how to
get into the gate. A nice man responded "over there" and pointed back
at the lady I just spoken with - who was watching us, btw. I asked him
if he could give me a sticker which I realized made me sound like an 8
year old. All the people in line who had just seen me confused about
where the door was were now watching the latest advancement. The guy
laughed and gave me TWO stickers! I went back to the tursteherin and
showed her my stickers. She was upset. This "security" process was not
up to her standards. She told me to go back and have him ask me
questions. So I went back and asked to be questioned. Mind you, we are
about 15 feet away from the lady. He asks the standard: What were you
doing in Berlin? But then digresses to: Do you like it here? What
neighborhood do you live in...etc. It was quite a pleasant chat! After
a minute or two I went back to the lady who was now even more annoyed.
She let me through but I think that dude got in trouble becase after I
was gone she yelled at him Deutsch. After the pat down I'm now in the
waiting area for my flight, right on time.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Passion Fruit and Granadilla: Compare and Contrast
The Exotic Fruit Club of MTV Networks New York tried a passion fruit. It was amazing. I recall us sitting around the table in Mark Smith's office trying to describe how amazing the flavor was in this wrinkly little guy. Here in Berlin, passion fruits are everywhere. They are available in even the smallest grocery stores and at a much more reasonable price. I eat one almost everyday. Yes, I am living the dream.
But my enthusiasm for fruits exotic has not waned with the increased availability, if anything I find myself tranced in the produce aisle examining if this is a new kind of plum or one I've seen before. My hummus quest of last weekend brought me to a large grocery store in the basement of the Karstadt Department Store. That was a jackpot of exotica, it was like when I discovered the corner of Baxter and Walker in Chinatown. As to not be greedy, I only acquired a Star Fruit and a Granadilla, leaving the Guava and the Tamarillo for another day.
I have tried star fruit before but never had the whole one myself like I did on Monday, check it out:
A granadilla is to passion fruit, as rambutan is to lychee. So I decided to eat them together for my analysis
The granadilla's skin was a little more papery than the passion fruit. When cutting, it was dryer and a little spongier (like the inside of the pomelo). When I went in for it, the first thing I noticed as that the meat all came out with one scoop!
All the seeds were viscously interconnected. Now the taste: extremely mild with pineapple hints but very subtle. Reminded me of a mangosteen. Similar texture to other fruits where one eats the seeds but drier than a horned melon and slimier than the fruit of passion. When cleaned, the seeds are nearly identical to watermelon seeds (not the weenie white ones but the big black ones) and crunchy like watermelon seeds as well. I ate them in the first half but cleaned and spit them out like concord grape seeds in the second.
Side by side: the passion fruit is much more tart and it's flavor is anything but subtle. Compared to the juicy granadilla, the passion fruit has a little chalky aftertaste (but not bad). For my last bite of each I stirred them together and created a crazy concoction of fruit mush. Instead of blowing my mind, it tasted kind of like a mango.
The granadilla is enjoyable and refreshing but the seeds really take away from the flavor as it is so easily overpowered. Removing the seeds is an arduous task for such little meat. I am sure some people would also have issues with the granadilla's sliminess. Would I see myself picking up a granadilla at the store for a Tuesday evening treat? Probably not. Passion fruit? Yes, please! Passion fruit 1, Granadilla 0.
But my enthusiasm for fruits exotic has not waned with the increased availability, if anything I find myself tranced in the produce aisle examining if this is a new kind of plum or one I've seen before. My hummus quest of last weekend brought me to a large grocery store in the basement of the Karstadt Department Store. That was a jackpot of exotica, it was like when I discovered the corner of Baxter and Walker in Chinatown. As to not be greedy, I only acquired a Star Fruit and a Granadilla, leaving the Guava and the Tamarillo for another day.
A granadilla is to passion fruit, as rambutan is to lychee. So I decided to eat them together for my analysis
The granadilla's skin was a little more papery than the passion fruit. When cutting, it was dryer and a little spongier (like the inside of the pomelo). When I went in for it, the first thing I noticed as that the meat all came out with one scoop!
All the seeds were viscously interconnected. Now the taste: extremely mild with pineapple hints but very subtle. Reminded me of a mangosteen. Similar texture to other fruits where one eats the seeds but drier than a horned melon and slimier than the fruit of passion. When cleaned, the seeds are nearly identical to watermelon seeds (not the weenie white ones but the big black ones) and crunchy like watermelon seeds as well. I ate them in the first half but cleaned and spit them out like concord grape seeds in the second.
Side by side: the passion fruit is much more tart and it's flavor is anything but subtle. Compared to the juicy granadilla, the passion fruit has a little chalky aftertaste (but not bad). For my last bite of each I stirred them together and created a crazy concoction of fruit mush. Instead of blowing my mind, it tasted kind of like a mango.
The granadilla is enjoyable and refreshing but the seeds really take away from the flavor as it is so easily overpowered. Removing the seeds is an arduous task for such little meat. I am sure some people would also have issues with the granadilla's sliminess. Would I see myself picking up a granadilla at the store for a Tuesday evening treat? Probably not. Passion fruit? Yes, please! Passion fruit 1, Granadilla 0.
Monday, February 14, 2011
L'assaggino
Last Friday, Melissa and I finally tried the cute Italian restaurant L'assaggino that is near our apartment building. It's a little intimidating since there are usually no other customers but she was just returning from a Belgium and we didn't want to go too far. The place only seats maybe 10 people and I can't imagine how they would handle it if all 10 seats were filled at once.
The place was amazing, we fell in love with it. The restaurant is operated by this Italian couple who literally are the hosts, servers, cooks, and dishwashers. When the menu was told to us, each dish was described in the way "I do this with the gnocci..." or "I put this inside of the pasta". Eat item was crafted just for us! The food was delicious and after we finished off dessert we enjoyed a drink of Limoncello. Normally I would go into detail of everything we ate and post pictures of the food but the atmosphere was so laid back that I ate without documentation
We want to take everyone there. Come visit Gneisenaustr and you get to eat at L'assaggino.
We took Renee there this weekend and she enjoyed it, obv! The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful. I caught up on sleep and gym and reviewed my German notes. We went to a birthday party on Saturday night where my sprachen skillz saved us in a sticky situation, it felt pretty awesome.
The place was amazing, we fell in love with it. The restaurant is operated by this Italian couple who literally are the hosts, servers, cooks, and dishwashers. When the menu was told to us, each dish was described in the way "I do this with the gnocci..." or "I put this inside of the pasta". Eat item was crafted just for us! The food was delicious and after we finished off dessert we enjoyed a drink of Limoncello. Normally I would go into detail of everything we ate and post pictures of the food but the atmosphere was so laid back that I ate without documentation
We want to take everyone there. Come visit Gneisenaustr and you get to eat at L'assaggino.
We took Renee there this weekend and she enjoyed it, obv! The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful. I caught up on sleep and gym and reviewed my German notes. We went to a birthday party on Saturday night where my sprachen skillz saved us in a sticky situation, it felt pretty awesome.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Funniest Thing in der Welt
Last night I went to this restaurant CHIPPS 2 with Randi and her pals. They have an awesome logo:
The food was a little confusing. There were some standard menu items or you could make your own dish using a number of ingrediants. I wasn’t sure if it was like a stir-fry or a salad or what but what came out was more like soup. But it was delicious! Very random and the chip was like a big ole hash brown so I stirred everything around and ate it like an omlet at Perkins.
The only way I made it through last week was with 75 cups of coffee a day. For my first cup of the day, I would go to a bäckerie on my street. The guy who worked there, Zaza, remembered me after my first visit and we enjoyed nice little chats in a combination of english and german. I LOVED having a place where someone knew me. It took me four years and 100 beers at PONY to get that and I’ve already got my Cheers in Berlin. But then Zaza ruined it. He makes me shake his hand every day and it's slimy but I can deal with that. But on Thursday, he asked me on a date in Germglish which just destroys our friendly coffee relationship. And just to show me what a good date he would be, Zaza hooked it up by only charging me a Euro instead of €1.20! Right now I would really like to have a cup of coffee and a croissant but the next closest bäckerei is a full block away.
Thursday, I hit die Mauer. My stupid brain wasn’t working the way I know it can and it was really frustrating me. Plus I really really wanted to spend hours studying on Thursday night but I had too much other stuff to do. And that’s when it happened. Sebastian was helping me with something and we got on the topic of teletext. I have never heard of teletext. I thought it was something like when there is a ticker at the bottom of the screen and people text in their comments. No, it’s not, it’s sooo much better... On the German remote control, there is a button that takes you to a scene from an 80’s hacker movie. Here you can get the news, the weather, and also this:
I laughed so hard I think I cried. Next time you’re having a rough day, do a google image search for teletext.
Sprachenshule
I made it to Saturday! Unfortunately, the weekend will be busy too because I have a lot to catch up on from ignorning my life all week. But first, I’d like to talk about sprachenschule.
I selected my school based on internet reviews. I have never been a huge fan of this method for restaurants but what else am I going to go on? I had issues with this place from the beginning but when I went back to the drawing board I felt as if I was just as likely to encounter the same or worse issues elsewhere.
My first priority in my German lessons was to skip level 1. I don't have time to spend a week learning “Guten tag, wie gehts?”. I have picked up some words from my coworkers and iPhone apps but no grammar, which is what makes German so special. Last weekend, I devoted myself to learning about it. The internet taught me about maskulin, feminin or neutrum as well as nominativ, akkusativ, dativ, and genetiv. I took the placement exam for my class on Sunday night and it was scary... it was like I knew nothing! The exam was a set of paragraphs where you had to fill in the blanks. But some of the paragraphs were all blanks! I dont know if you want a noun or a verb or much less what to do with it. So I thought I bombed it. oh well.
Monday, I was obviously sooo excited for my first day of schule! Here is a video of me at the u-bahn stop waiting for the train
So first thing when I get to the school, the dude in the office tells me that my private lesson is at a different time than I signed up for. Why? Because that’s just what they do on the first day. Was there a way I would have known before showing up here? No. uggghhh. It’s 8 and my group lesson starts at 10. But I can’t go home because there is an orientation at 9. I wandered around and returned at 9 for a 10 minute meeting about what U-Bahn stop is closest to school. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What a horrible waste of my morning. And obviously we know what stop to get off at because we are all here. uggghhh again. I went for a walk before my lesson started so I wouldn’t throw a table at someone. I encountered few other conflicts with the administration throughout the week and explicitly told them that how they were operating was unprofessional. I got the standard “meh” that I have now received a couple of times in Deutschland. At the end of the week I wrote a detailed QYPE review and they immediately responded with much more than a meh. Too bad.
Thankfully, the actual lessons all turned out to be great and they did place me in the second level. For the first few days my small group teacher was Deiter. He allowed no English (or Italian, which was more prevalent in our class). If you said one word he would cover his ears and act like you were dragging your nails across a chalk board. I loved it. For the second half of the week our small group teacher was Caroline. She didn’t mind that I sidetracked the class with my jokes in German that only she and one other kid could understand. I was totally the smartest kid in the class! My peers are all in Germany just to learn German. They go to class in the morning and hang out in the city for the rest of the day. That would be fun but if that was me, I would spend some of my 20 free hours in the day to do my homework (at least?) or maybe study so the next day I’m not confused over the same thing. These folks are here for 2-6 months just to learn the language but at this pace I don’t have too much hope for the two monthers. My private teacher was Zara or maybe Sara, I’m not sure. She was really sweet and patient but resorted to English quickly. I learned a ton from her and she even gave me some extra work with the answer keys to take home on Friday! She really made me focus on pronunciation which made me realize just how bad mine is. I took a final test at the end of the week and ACED it. This one’s going on the fridge.
After school every day I would go to work with so much enthusiasm and excitement to speak with my coworkers and also plans to study hard in the evening. But once I got to work I was reminded that my 9:00 was actually 14:00 and I didn’t have time for the fun stuff :(
The week was long and my brain still hurts but it was definitely worth it. I plan to take one more session of German class but this time at a different school and in the evenings.
I selected my school based on internet reviews. I have never been a huge fan of this method for restaurants but what else am I going to go on? I had issues with this place from the beginning but when I went back to the drawing board I felt as if I was just as likely to encounter the same or worse issues elsewhere.
My first priority in my German lessons was to skip level 1. I don't have time to spend a week learning “Guten tag, wie gehts?”. I have picked up some words from my coworkers and iPhone apps but no grammar, which is what makes German so special. Last weekend, I devoted myself to learning about it. The internet taught me about maskulin, feminin or neutrum as well as nominativ, akkusativ, dativ, and genetiv. I took the placement exam for my class on Sunday night and it was scary... it was like I knew nothing! The exam was a set of paragraphs where you had to fill in the blanks. But some of the paragraphs were all blanks! I dont know if you want a noun or a verb or much less what to do with it. So I thought I bombed it. oh well.
Monday, I was obviously sooo excited for my first day of schule! Here is a video of me at the u-bahn stop waiting for the train
So first thing when I get to the school, the dude in the office tells me that my private lesson is at a different time than I signed up for. Why? Because that’s just what they do on the first day. Was there a way I would have known before showing up here? No. uggghhh. It’s 8 and my group lesson starts at 10. But I can’t go home because there is an orientation at 9. I wandered around and returned at 9 for a 10 minute meeting about what U-Bahn stop is closest to school. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What a horrible waste of my morning. And obviously we know what stop to get off at because we are all here. uggghhh again. I went for a walk before my lesson started so I wouldn’t throw a table at someone. I encountered few other conflicts with the administration throughout the week and explicitly told them that how they were operating was unprofessional. I got the standard “meh” that I have now received a couple of times in Deutschland. At the end of the week I wrote a detailed QYPE review and they immediately responded with much more than a meh. Too bad.
Thankfully, the actual lessons all turned out to be great and they did place me in the second level. For the first few days my small group teacher was Deiter. He allowed no English (or Italian, which was more prevalent in our class). If you said one word he would cover his ears and act like you were dragging your nails across a chalk board. I loved it. For the second half of the week our small group teacher was Caroline. She didn’t mind that I sidetracked the class with my jokes in German that only she and one other kid could understand. I was totally the smartest kid in the class! My peers are all in Germany just to learn German. They go to class in the morning and hang out in the city for the rest of the day. That would be fun but if that was me, I would spend some of my 20 free hours in the day to do my homework (at least?) or maybe study so the next day I’m not confused over the same thing. These folks are here for 2-6 months just to learn the language but at this pace I don’t have too much hope for the two monthers. My private teacher was Zara or maybe Sara, I’m not sure. She was really sweet and patient but resorted to English quickly. I learned a ton from her and she even gave me some extra work with the answer keys to take home on Friday! She really made me focus on pronunciation which made me realize just how bad mine is. I took a final test at the end of the week and ACED it. This one’s going on the fridge.
After school every day I would go to work with so much enthusiasm and excitement to speak with my coworkers and also plans to study hard in the evening. But once I got to work I was reminded that my 9:00 was actually 14:00 and I didn’t have time for the fun stuff :(
The week was long and my brain still hurts but it was definitely worth it. I plan to take one more session of German class but this time at a different school and in the evenings.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
I am the Sasquatch Burger
This week is taking me down like it's Adam Richman and I'm a ten pound pizza.
I have Deutschkurs in the morning all week then I get to work at 2PM and try to pretend that I have been there all day. I love German class and it is really helping a lot. I stayed in all last weekend to study so that I could do well on the placement test and skip beginner. It paid off and I am very glad that I took that time. Also, I am sooo glad that I started Monday with a sleep surplus because I think I hit the red on Tuesday.
The only problem with school is that I'm going directly to work and then doing that until I go bananas. With this schedule there isn't much time to practice and study. I'm taking the classes for myself and I don't think it's ok to let down any of my other obligations due to my personal activities. Ideally I would study my face off every night and get bumped up a level every day until Friday when they asked me to teach at the school. I am really interested in making this language MY five pound cheesesteak
I'm planning a different strategy for Deutschkurs round two so I can get ever more out of it. Deutsche will be my Sasquatch Hamburger!
Note: The red skittles here are not what I've grown up with. First of all, the skittles flavor seems to be sourced from fruit?! This is a good thing. Melissa pointed out that the red tasted quite different and on the box I saw it was made from johannisbeere. How exotic. It's also known as cassis which is the flavor of the really gross gum I bought because it was pink and I thought it was for bubbles. Cassis is still exotic! But then I googled it and found out that it's just currents. Which are nice but not as exciting as the mystery johannisbeere.
Speaking of gum, I keep it at work because even though it tastes bad it gets rid of goat cheese breath. Whenever I share it with others I warn them that it's gross and tastes like medicine. Today I realized that people think I'm just saying it's big... groß means large in German and I don't think the slang term for yucky is that common here.
The only problem with school is that I'm going directly to work and then doing that until I go bananas. With this schedule there isn't much time to practice and study. I'm taking the classes for myself and I don't think it's ok to let down any of my other obligations due to my personal activities. Ideally I would study my face off every night and get bumped up a level every day until Friday when they asked me to teach at the school. I am really interested in making this language MY five pound cheesesteak
I'm planning a different strategy for Deutschkurs round two so I can get ever more out of it. Deutsche will be my Sasquatch Hamburger!
Speaking of gum, I keep it at work because even though it tastes bad it gets rid of goat cheese breath. Whenever I share it with others I warn them that it's gross and tastes like medicine. Today I realized that people think I'm just saying it's big... groß means large in German and I don't think the slang term for yucky is that common here.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Pictures are Fixed
Here's a baby pineapple on a pedestal of passion fruits to celebrate
Some background on the baby pine for those of you exotic fruit clubbers: South Africa is noted for these baby pineapples, also known as Queen Victoria Pineapples, which thrive in the hot and humid climate. These sweet, tart baby pineapples have a bold, rich flavor. They have a fragrant, golden skin and brilliantly colored yellow flesh. South African baby pineapples are entirely edible, with no need to remove the core. The size of an average fruit is about 4.5 inches high (not including leaves) and about 3.5 inches in diameter, making it a perfect individual serving. source
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Mustard Eggs
So thiiiissss is the German food that I was warned about. Today at the food stand they are serving mustard eggs with potatoes (Senfeier mit Kartoffeln ).
I am not making this post as to say “grooosss, I can’t believe they eat that” so please don’t mistake this as an insult to Germans or their food. I just wanted to note that I have finally encountered the first thing that I am not willing to eat. We’re going to the place next door for a colorful vegetable casserole topped with cheese (Bunter Gemüseauflauf mit Käse gratiniert
). In other news, the existence of baby carrots was just confirmed so now I don't need to buy a vegetable peeler for the bugs bunny carrots.
). In other news, the existence of baby carrots was just confirmed so now I don't need to buy a vegetable peeler for the bugs bunny carrots.Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Pi
Last night, Renee and I went out to dinner and a movie. We had really fantastic Vietnamese food at a place called Monsieur Vuong. Next, we went to see Pi at .HBC (Where Randi, Melissa, and I went to that weird fashion party) with the addition of "the addition of live sound manipulation". Basically, someone artfully set the entire movie to new background music. It was so well done that I could have thought the movie was scored by a Berlin clubber. I haven't seen the movie since Mr. Manka's geometry class so I didn't remember what happened. But I DID remember how Black Swan freaked me out and I was afraid this would be the same. The movie didn't give me nightmares and was a great way to spend € 3 and a Tuesday night.
I've never been one to complain too much about the cold. Being from Minnesota and complaining about the cold off limits. I am so over the weather here. I just want to get out and walk around and do everything in Berlin but it doesn't want me to because it's blistering my face off. We have positive C's in store this weekend, hopefully I can use the nice weather to make a trip out to the airport to get my credit card application notarized by a Lufthansa employee.
Rewind... I need a EUR credit card. Even though my Capital One doesn't charge foreign transaction fees I just dont want to be spending USD when I could be using EUR. Since even Deutsche Bank charges for a simple Visa, Randi suggested getting an airline card. The entire application was in German, obv, and there was even a disclaimer that all communications would also be in German. Fine, not that it's going to stop me now. So I completed the application and at the end got to a page where I was instructed to print my application and have it signed by a Lufthansa representative at a German airport after he/she checks my credentials. So I thought, forget this, I'm going with Deutsche. Well, I still have to go to Deutsche in person and at least the airport is open on the weekends. So, this weekend I'm just going to pop by Tegel International Flughafen for a quick Unterschrift
I've never been one to complain too much about the cold. Being from Minnesota and complaining about the cold off limits. I am so over the weather here. I just want to get out and walk around and do everything in Berlin but it doesn't want me to because it's blistering my face off. We have positive C's in store this weekend, hopefully I can use the nice weather to make a trip out to the airport to get my credit card application notarized by a Lufthansa employee.
Rewind... I need a EUR credit card. Even though my Capital One doesn't charge foreign transaction fees I just dont want to be spending USD when I could be using EUR. Since even Deutsche Bank charges for a simple Visa, Randi suggested getting an airline card. The entire application was in German, obv, and there was even a disclaimer that all communications would also be in German. Fine, not that it's going to stop me now. So I completed the application and at the end got to a page where I was instructed to print my application and have it signed by a Lufthansa representative at a German airport after he/she checks my credentials. So I thought, forget this, I'm going with Deutsche. Well, I still have to go to Deutsche in person and at least the airport is open on the weekends. So, this weekend I'm just going to pop by Tegel International Flughafen for a quick Unterschrift
Eins in Elf
So I've officially been in Berlin for one month, 1/10th, or 10% of my stay. In honor of this anniversary, here's a compilation of answers to questions that I have received.
Q: How is it going so far?
A: Awesome! I am having a great time. I still feel like there is so much of Berlin to see, much less Europe. Renee and friends, my coworkers, and the NY gals have all been so great to have around that I haven't felt lonely out here (since the internet mishap, that is).
Q: How is work?
A: Pretty tough so far. There is a lot to learn about how they do things and I also feel a degree of expectation/pressure to leave this place better than I found it. Don't get me wrong, that is my goal always but the team is very bright and hard-working so it's not like they're screwing things up. There is less "low-hanging fruit" than I expected. So far I'm having a hard enough time to get a grasp on what the heck is going on to start making suggestions for improvement. Obviously, I know I will get the hang of things but with my short time span here I want to start making a difference now! Also, Khalix the financial reporting system at MTV, used to be my best friend but it's so slow my Khalix love is gone.
Q: How do you like your apartment?
A: It gets the job done. I'm not wild about the location and I don't really need anything fancier but it's something I would have picked out for myself. I like living alone and with how busy I've been I can't imagine having a roommate because then I'd have to pick up after myself. By the way, here are some pictures of my apartment! I should have taken them a month ago when it was cleaner but I just shuffled the mess out of camera range.
Q: Is life in Berlin how you expected?
A: The dreariness is a bummer that I didn't expect. I was warned of the cold but not the constant grey and dark Since food is my main expense, the fact that it is so much cheaper than I expected has been a pleasant surprise. And also has put more pressure on my gym visits.
Q: How about those Germans?
A: Well my coworkers are awesome, I heart them all very much. As for the rest of them... You've read about some encounters, and there have definitely been more where I ran into the German stereotype of following the rules without question. I kind of think that's funny. I love rules but sometimes it's ok to bend them (e.g. jaywalking). Also, the boys are NOT cute.
Q: How is the beer?
A: Tasty
Q: Do you plan on staying longer than 10 months?
A: (This is the question that I get the most frequently) probably not... there are a couple of factors: I don't exactly have something to stay FOR. Unless I start applying for jobs on the internet, I'd be here as one of the 14% of the population that is unemployed. Additionally, I am pretty excited about the things happening at work in New York with the implementation of our new financial system. Nerdy, I know, but it's not like you thought I was cool anyway. Job factors aside... maybe I could see myself staying longer but right now that's not really an option so I don't have to think about it!
Q: What do you miss the most?
A: Luckily, not my pals. I know that sounds terrible but thanks to the internet I've been able to talk and see people regularly. Unfortunately, I've been super busy so that has made it hard to stay in touch but it would be the same problem if I were in New York. I miss errands on Sundays. I want to buy groceries and go to the bank and the library. Napster streaming music. Android phone. People in a rush (and not standing two-abreast on the escalator, come on). Customer service.
Q: What do you miss the least?
A: Unreliable public transportation, dryers, getting cat-called no matter the time or my appearance (so far Germans are too polite to sexually harass strangers)
Q: Do you have any goals for the next few months?
A: LEARN GERMAN! I start class next week. Travel my face off. Figure out what's going on at work at and make a difference.
Q: How is it going so far?
A: Awesome! I am having a great time. I still feel like there is so much of Berlin to see, much less Europe. Renee and friends, my coworkers, and the NY gals have all been so great to have around that I haven't felt lonely out here (since the internet mishap, that is).
Q: How is work?
A: Pretty tough so far. There is a lot to learn about how they do things and I also feel a degree of expectation/pressure to leave this place better than I found it. Don't get me wrong, that is my goal always but the team is very bright and hard-working so it's not like they're screwing things up. There is less "low-hanging fruit" than I expected. So far I'm having a hard enough time to get a grasp on what the heck is going on to start making suggestions for improvement. Obviously, I know I will get the hang of things but with my short time span here I want to start making a difference now! Also, Khalix the financial reporting system at MTV, used to be my best friend but it's so slow my Khalix love is gone.
Q: How do you like your apartment?
A: It gets the job done. I'm not wild about the location and I don't really need anything fancier but it's something I would have picked out for myself. I like living alone and with how busy I've been I can't imagine having a roommate because then I'd have to pick up after myself. By the way, here are some pictures of my apartment! I should have taken them a month ago when it was cleaner but I just shuffled the mess out of camera range.
Q: Is life in Berlin how you expected?
A: The dreariness is a bummer that I didn't expect. I was warned of the cold but not the constant grey and dark Since food is my main expense, the fact that it is so much cheaper than I expected has been a pleasant surprise. And also has put more pressure on my gym visits.
Q: How about those Germans?
A: Well my coworkers are awesome, I heart them all very much. As for the rest of them... You've read about some encounters, and there have definitely been more where I ran into the German stereotype of following the rules without question. I kind of think that's funny. I love rules but sometimes it's ok to bend them (e.g. jaywalking). Also, the boys are NOT cute.
Q: How is the beer?
A: Tasty
Q: Do you plan on staying longer than 10 months?
A: (This is the question that I get the most frequently) probably not... there are a couple of factors: I don't exactly have something to stay FOR. Unless I start applying for jobs on the internet, I'd be here as one of the 14% of the population that is unemployed. Additionally, I am pretty excited about the things happening at work in New York with the implementation of our new financial system. Nerdy, I know, but it's not like you thought I was cool anyway. Job factors aside... maybe I could see myself staying longer but right now that's not really an option so I don't have to think about it!
Q: What do you miss the most?
A: Luckily, not my pals. I know that sounds terrible but thanks to the internet I've been able to talk and see people regularly. Unfortunately, I've been super busy so that has made it hard to stay in touch but it would be the same problem if I were in New York. I miss errands on Sundays. I want to buy groceries and go to the bank and the library. Napster streaming music. Android phone. People in a rush (and not standing two-abreast on the escalator, come on). Customer service.
Q: What do you miss the least?
A: Unreliable public transportation, dryers, getting cat-called no matter the time or my appearance (so far Germans are too polite to sexually harass strangers)
Q: Do you have any goals for the next few months?
A: LEARN GERMAN! I start class next week. Travel my face off. Figure out what's going on at work at and make a difference.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Disaster!
As if I don't have a hard enough time with pictures in blogger, I somehow un-synced everything off of the web so the blog lost all it's pictures. I will have to re-direct all the links to the newly uploaded photos. booo
Berlin Burrito Bowl
Tonight, Randi showed me a mission burrito place by Alexanderplatz called Dolores. It was exactly what I've been waiting for! Soo good. Better than Chipotle but also less corporate so it's not a fair comparison. I tried to simulate my standard bowl as closely as possible for my first taste: The chipotle chicken isn't as juicy but it does have a little bit more flavor. Chipotle is the winner with their cilantro-lime rice, hands down. Both corn salsas offer different benefits - Dolores' is more roasted which Chipotle's is sweeter. Black beans are fresher at Dolores and they make Chipotle's seam like they are from a can. Ancillary condiments such as lettuce, cheese, and sour cream don't really count but if they did, Chipotle wins. The chips... this was a tough one. Chipotle's have a lime hint while Dolores' chips are more authentic than those at La Casita, the family owned mexican restaurant I briefly worked at (but not my family). To pick one over the other would be wrong. Dolores has much more variety to offer than Chipotle so where they lose in content, they make up in selection. I picked up something that I'm sure is laundry detergent because it was confirmed that of the three things I was using before, none were intended for cleaning.
I also realized I forgot two other fun-facts about the Brussels trip:
1. I picked up a pair of jeans that I will refer to from hence forth as my Jordaches. Although they aren't the real thing, the zippered ankles and stonewash are a good knock-off. I'm sure I will be referring to them in the future so I wanted to introduce them into the story line
2. At the Brussels International Airport, I went through security and onto the plane and back out of the Berlin Schoenefeld International Airport with nary a request to see my passport and only a quick wave of the boarding pass (which was folded at the time so it could have also been mapquest directions, an amateur sketch, or a transcribed episode of Arrested Development). They don't even want to pretend to check me out? It was less inconvenient but also fairly weird.
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