Staatsballett Berlin

This evening, I went to see the Staatsballett Berlin's performance of OZ - The Wonderful Wizard.


I have been to the ballet many times but always to see classical performances. I enjoy ballet and also figured this would be much better for viewing than something like a play that would be in German. Like nearly everything in Berlin, this was not your standard pink tu-tu. 


I absolutely loved it. The performers both acted and danced and the costumes and set brought the story together. I loved the choreography because although it wasn't the precise and technical pointe that people are used to at the ballet, this did the job of telling the story. There were laugh out loud moments. Both the Lion and the Tin Man broke it down at one point and the costumes of the Bad Witch and her Monkeys reminded me of a Lady Gaga video. 


My favorite was the scarecrow. His moves were similar to Dee's P. Diddy Boat Dance (Check here if you're not familiar, thanks Jessica for finding it since it's restricted in D-land).

There was one scene at the Wizard's place that involved a floor full of balloons. At the end of the performance, the dancers jumped into a pit of the balloons (that had been swept off the stage) and pushed them into the audience. It was like beach balls at a rock concert, the balloons bounced around with grown-ups and kids batting at them.

The only weird thing was that the dancers bowed about 22 times. I started counting too late but I still got 7. And I'm talking full on, close the curtain and then raise it up again. 


The house at the Komische Oper is small and I think even the cheap seats would be good. I had such a great time at the show this evening I will undoubtedly be going back. I realized tonight that in all my years of dancing, I short-cut my spotting which was why I couldn't do more than 4 rotations. It all comes together...


The top two photos are from the Staatsballett website where you can see more, if you fancy.

It's Friday!

As I am sharing every aspect of my German life on this blog, it's critical that I share this video. Antje and I are OBSESSED  with it. Julia thinks it's an addiction but I could stop at anytime, I just don't want to. We have limited ourselves to only watching it periodically since it's so consuming. Unfortunately, at some point in the last few hours it got pulled from German access! Hopefully at least the Americans can see this link...

Happy St P's!

Thursday was St Patrick's day. Like most Americans, I am not Irish but I never let a SPD go by without wearing green. Here are some examples of SPD's of yore:


I wanted to bring green cookies to the office to share my spirit with the gang. For the past week, I've been looking for frosting so I could dye it green. Couldn't find it. So then i thought I could make some from scratch, but also had issues there. Stumped but not discouraged, I came up with a solution. Who loves SPD more than the good people of Massachusetts. And what's more Massachusetts than Dunkin Donuts? I also had a hope that they would have green donuts becuase I've seen pink ones with heart sprinkles in this town so why celebrate one fake holiday and not the other? 

I stopped by DD before work and I was shocked that the only green donuts they had were neon and green apple flavored. I imagined neon goo inside but green is green so I ordered them all (4) and finished off the dozen with an assortment. It's the thought that counts, right?


To my surprise, Antje had got me some special St Patrick's Day treats! It was so thoughtful and functional (one was for the day and one for the night) AND she sent me a funny e-card. Stefan wore green too! 


Every morning, the whole office receives a "good morning parade" email from Esteban, with a happy greeting to start the day. On Thursday he sent the message about SPD so that everyone could remember what day it was.

This German dude did NOT go to Mich State

I met up with Renee and other Bosch folks at an Irish Pub. As expected, the place was packed! Just how it should be. The primary language was English and every English speaking country was represented with a Guinness or Kilkenny in tow. After a fun time at the pub, Rebecca's sweet German skills made us friends with our neighbors who invited us to join them at a nearby club. I went out for a little bit but because I'm a responsible adult I went home shortly after so I could be a functioning employee on Friday. 

Ich komme mit Fahrad

Today was a special day, I rode my bike to work! It’s been warm this week so I was thinking about it but the kicker was that I was already planning to wear a sweatshirt and sneakers which is much better for biking than a dress and heels. Unfortunately, when I got outside it was not so warm. Also unfortunately, I brought my coffee in a travel mug but the roads were so bumpy it was bouncing all over and I had to hold it in my hand.

Tonight, I will ride it home in the dark. I have a light and a neon green helmet but it is still not as safe as during the day. Since I didn’t have a light on either of my New York bikes it’s probably been 10 years since my last night-time bike ride.

As of the past few days, I’ve been listening to German musik. No, not Rammstein. There was this one song that used to be over-played on VIVA, Berlin City Girl by Culcha Candela (sorry, I can't post a US accessible video). I couldn’t stand it at first because the video was really douchey but then I started to like it because they sing in Deutsche. Most of the music here is the same as we have in America plus some Take That and Robbie Williams. Antje was repulsed by my confession that I wanted to download Berlin City Girl and she recommended a ton of better music for me to try out. Even our IT guy Rico is going to pitch in! It’s fun to listen to music in German because I sort of get the words and where I don’t it doesn’t matter because it’s still a good tune.

You may notice something different about the blog. I've made the switch to Verdana. I prefer Calabri but Verdana is the closest option within blogger.

Ich Bin Krank!

Last week was pretty relaxed, no late nights at the office or out with the gals. Somehow I managed to get sick, which I guess is better now than a busy time. On Thursday, I dipped out of work at 4 to rest up and get better. It was so interesting seeing my neighborhood during the day! There was a store on my street that I had no idea even existed (the store front is covered when they are closed). I couldn’t believe all the people out and about. All I had on the mind was getting home but I stopped at the store for some vitamin C by way of juice and fruit with hopes of exotic healing powers (I insist a mangosteen once saved me from the flu). I watched a movie about Dungeons and Dragons and went to bed super duper early.

Luckily I have a sweet stash of Target cough drops and Dayquil so I was back in the Buro on Friday. My desk neighbor Antje recommended I check out this store KaDeWe for fruit. I was starting to feel yucky after work but I made a quick stop. They had a fruit counter with things I have never even seen before! And also the fruit I found in Valencia but didn't get because it was moldy. The fruit counter was similar to a deli where there was a man working there to get your items and answer questions. That might be my dream job. There was a line at the time so I figured I’d circle back around for my haul. As I was exploring the rest of the giant department store, my Dayquil started to wear off. I needed to get home before I turned into a pumpkin so I didn’t even get the fruit.

Saturday, I wanted to check out a Kreuzberg Farmer’s Market that I had read about. I was still feeling terrible but I took some ‘quil and went out. Unfortunately, the market was basically three stands with celery roots and leeks.

Next on the agenda, buy a bike! I had researched a store in Friedrichshain that had a lot of good reviews and I took the long way to enjoy the day. Along the way, I encountered a number of bike stores, some with used and some with new bikes. I didn’t want to spend a lot because I’ll only have this bike for a few months so I was leaning towards used. 

When I finally got to the bike store they sure had lots of bikes but they were also pretty haggard. People have recommended that I go to the flea market at Mauer Park for a bike but POS bikes were exactly what I wanted to avoid. I don’t know how to tell if one is a lemon and how to fix it if it is. I tried out a couple options and they all seemed a little defunct. This scared me so I went back to the closest new bike store and picked one up off the lot. This is also why when I drove, it was a Honda. I would rather not have to worry about something going wrong then have the stress of a break-down. 

Here she is! What a beaut. It’s a single speeder with a hand brake for the front wheel and pedal backwards for the back. It came with a bell and I had the basket installed. I rode her home and it was glorious. The ride was so smooth! My last bike was a foldy so I could carry it up four flights of stairs and sometimes when I would ride it would fold up on me. My bike before that, the Eurotour, was a certified piece of garbage. It was removed from the street for a poorly labeled Obama motorcade so it never got a chance to break down on me. 

The other bikers were much scarier than the cars, weaving around me and each other. I’m sure I will get used to it and with my trusty lime-green helmet I’m safer than most.

Today was one of the few Sundays where some stores were open. I wanted to ride my bike back to KaDeWe but I could barely move. I only have one dose of the quil left and I might need it for work tomorrow. I just had a gallon of soup and hopefully I’ll be better in the morgen!

Valencia

Naman and a couple of his pals snagged a great deal on a flight to Barcelona for a weekend. From Barcelona, they decided to travel to Valencia, and I decided to meet them! Melissa, Randi, and Anna all met up in Amsterdam and although I'm sad to miss the fun and a visit from a New York friend I am glad I went somewhere new. The trip was so much fun! Saturday was my favorite day ever.

Leaving Berlin and arriving in Spain, my passport wasn't touched. I understand that they don’t need to do the full stamp ordeal but doesn’t someone need to verify my identity?

I love cities where there is easy and fast public transportation to and from the airport. Valencia’s metro was so easy I was in town and all checked in within and hour of landing.

First order of business, Paella! We went with Paella Valencia since this is the birthplace of this dish we wanted the classic. Thinking we were going to get something with all kinds of shellfish heads and eyeballs we were surprised when Paella Valencia was just chicken and snap peas. Maybe we didn’t go to the best place because I think I’ve had better paella in New York.

My spanish was struggling. Naman knows spanish too so he was helping me out with the simple words I kept forgetting. All I could think was german words! Or a weird mixture of the two kept coming out of my mouth making no sense at all.

After lunch, I made us stop at a grocery store so I could look for exotic fruits. I thought there would be some new finds but the only exotic thing we saw was the Cherimoya and lots of them. Cherimoyas are native to Spain and I’m glad I tried them before I went on this trip.

Our other friends arrived shortly after and we kicked off the sight seeing. We climped to the top of this church and took some pictures. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the local beverages. Somewhere along the line we acquired some silly sunglasses which were a huge hit! We went to a club where there was a stage so I obviously got on the stage and danced with a guy who I named Meatloaf, for obvious reasons. Meatloaf and his friends had these red hats and we shared our sunglasses and they shared their hats.
Saturday, my favorite day ever, started with McDonalds. Next, we went to a bike store and rented bikes for the day. I broke my rule of never ever biking without a helmet but I was extra extra careful when we were on the streets. The city of Valencia had some big problems with flooding in 1957 and had to fill in their river. The river bed runs through the city and is now a park! Biking through this park was so much fun. There were so many people out and about and there were orange trees and flowers and sun and warm. 

The best part about the park is that it ends at la ciudad de artes y ciencias. This was a complex of unique looking buildings full of interesting stuff. We were pretty sure that’s what the future looks like. But there was a dinosaur so I guess there will be dinosaurs in the future. The science museum was having an exhibit on Star Trek! This trip was meant to be. The gang wanted to go to the Aquarium and I like those too and didn’t want to make everyone nerd out with me so we decided to go there. Luckily it was unreasonably priced so we all went to the science museum instead! The museum had all the exhibits that we’re used to from a science musuem and more. I’ve always said that most science museums are nearly the same except for the ones that aren’t good at all. This one really proved me wrong, and I could have spent a week in there. 

The best part of the museum, obviously, was the Star Trek exhibit. For those of you who don’t know, I am not a trekkie. I like Star Trek. The movies from the original series and the Next Gen tv series. None of the other stuff. I also dressed up for the last movie and that was a lot of fun. for further information, please visit my first blogging adventure: sogetthisblog.blogspot.com. We weren’t supposed to take pictures in the exhibit but I felt like a couple woudln’t hurt. they had a real replica of the bridge from Next Gen! they also had all the costumes from the most recent movie and it was great to see my muse in person. They were taking pictures of people and photoshopping them into Star Trek related posters so I snagged one of those. 

After the museum, we biked down to the beach. It was some sort of holiday and there were fireworks over the beach for about 20 minutes. We watched them as we biked to the beach. When we got there, people had cleared out enough that we were able to ride our bikes along the shore. It was a little weird and kind of tricky but it was also quite fun. there were random oranges that had washed ashore, I guess that’s what happens when you have a lot of orange trees.

We went back to town to return our bikes. After such a fun day I was sad to turn in my new pal! I gave it a big hug goodbye and vowed to get a bike in Berlin ASAP!

Here was another cool thing about Valencia, the stores were open until 10PM! I’ve become so accustomed to everything closing early I didn’t even think it was possible. We stopped in a department store and I located an exotic fruit however all of the specimens were moldy so unfortunately I had to pass.

The guys all left early on Sunday and my flight wasn’t until 1:30. I took a slow walk through the city and back to the park. It was such a relaxing day and such warm weather I didn’t want to get on the plane to come back to cold, stressful Berlin (but I did because after sleeping in a hostel, I actually missed Gneisenaustr). By Sunday, my Spanish was back to normal. I was having short conversations and asking questions with no problem. It was really fun to speak and understand something, hopefully my German gets there soon.

Getting back to Berlin I ran into a little bit of a passport problem. As I was leaving the gate, a security person asked to see my passport. This was a shocker. He paged through it looking for when I entered the EU, since all he could find was from January, he asked me to explain what was going on and how I got to Spain. He wanted to know if I was a resident why I didn't have a Visa. ha. You and me both, brother. This was not going well. I tried to explain the whole story, including Frau Layouni who promised to email me. I visibly saw his head spin with confusion and he just waved me through so I would stop talking. Welcome home!


P.S. Naman took way more and better pictures than I did. Check out his picasa album here

Zwei in Elf

OK Folks, I passed the two month mark and things are getting real. I do not intend to be negative but I must be honest and that means less positive than the past. Here's a quick update on some of last month's Q&A's:

Q: How is it going so far?

A: Overall: good. Although I have been here for over two months I don’t feel like I’m that much more familiar with Berlin. February was a crazy busy month and it wore me out plus it's just now getting warm enough to enjoy random wandering. 

I prefer local coffee to Starbucks but never more than the past month have I wanted a giant, american style, coffee-drink so much. Not that I’m a laid-back person but I have generally had a positive outlook. When faced with confrontation, I am 70% likely to avoid/pretend there is no confrontation and 30% likely to cry. I’m not sure if it’s due to the lack of sun-light, repeated and excessive HR frustrations, or scarcity of dark green lettuce that has done this but instead of the old avoid/cry ratio, I have “rage”. Not exactly Hulk-like rage but people are finally hearing that I am not pleased (the first german school, the lady at the gym who brought a man into the women’s locker room, etc). For those that aren't, I’m internalizing it and becoming a little teapot. I've only cried twice and both times were because the internet didn't work in my apartment (which is a crime).

Q: How is work?

A: Still tough. I have about half a clue, which helps. I'm just going to keep my head down and power through. or maybe go in head first, like Pete Rose?

Q: How do you like your apartment?

A: Let’s be honest I wouldn’t live here if I had a choice. Yes, on glance it’s cute but in real life there are those glaring issues that would be identified in the first walkthrough. Although as much as it’s skeevy, it is large and that’s great. It would be great if the internet worked regularly (because it doesn't and that's a crime).

Q: How is the beer?

A: Tasty. I also had a really great beer in Valencia last weekend called Tyris. It was so good I’ve been dreaming about it! I bet it will be impossible to find here but I will look.

Q: Do you plan on staying longer than 10 months?

A: See January. I still don't have my residence permit so it's more likely to be three months...

Q: What do you miss the most?

A: Giant, american style, coffee-drink. I just ordered a coffee maker so you can start sending care packages with Irving Farms and Caribou. I miss a responsive internet phone (but I did I inquire with IT about purchasing my own Android).

Q: What do you miss the least?

A: See January. TV but get back to me when True Blood starts up again.

Cherimoya

It is clear that I have a passion for exotic fruits, as well as non-exotic fruits and let's face it, vegetables and legumes too. I love sharing my fruit passion with the Exotic Fruit Club of MTV Networks but they aren't here so man must venture alone.

The first exotic fruit I found here was the Cherimoya. For some reason I didn't buy it on that trip, I wasn't ready to fruit alone. I recently came across it again when at the store with Melissa. These were much smaller than those I saw the first time but I couldn't miss another opportunity.

This is one of those fruits you don't refrigerate, like a banana or an avocado. Many sites recommended freezing it after it ripens and eating it like ice cream. Since Dr. Theresa Mueller ruined my ability to enjoy cold foods I will eat this at room temperature.

Many fruits are pleasantly fragrant. The pineapple made my whole apartment smell like a tropical vacation! This one has no smell. Once I cut it open, it smelled a little like manufactured fruit cocktail. Not much of a smell but mostly like syrupy-sugar.

According to Wikipedia, Mark Twain called this the most delicious fruit known to man. Having been to Mark Twain's house on a road trip to Missouri with Max Page I feel like like I should trust this opinion, but it's so egregious that impossible.

I tried it. Not the most delicious fruit ever. Not even sure if i like it. another bite. it's like a pear but with a smooth texture. I'm eating it out of the half like a little bowl. The closer I get to the skin, the more the texture is like a pear. In the center there is a stem that just falls out and the rest of the fruit come apart in chunks that remind me of salmon. Doesn't taste or look like salmon, just the chunks remind me of it. Sometimes I get hints of bleu cheese in the flavor.

 

Wikipedia also stated that "The seeds are poisonous if crushed open". I like the seeds, they big and heavy as opposed to most seeds which feel (and are) hollow. I would like to open one up to see if it is also hollow but I won't (see above). 

Some bites are bland, some are complex, never overpowering. Sometimes I get a waft of the uneaten fruit and it smells like something that's been on the counter all day. I need to eat more of these to decide if it's special or if it's just a glorified pear.

Seeds

Reise nach New York

Recently, I went back to New York for a weekend. I meant to write about it sooner but things are always busy here so this is what you get. I hope I don't leave out anything good, if I do, please put it in the comments so it can be documented in the internet history. 


I was planning to go back to the US sometime in the first two or three months and fortunately my pal Jess was having a Geburstag party in February. Not only was it a great reason but I knew that Jess was going to throw the kind of party that would make me miserable to hear about 2nd hand. I took a Thursday and a Friday off work and booked myself a weekend in New York that included a party bus to Atlantic City.


Before I left, I was worried that the trip would make me sad and miss New York and my pals. I am very happy in Berlin but there's something about home that you can't help miss.


When I landed, the weather in New York was amazing. Rage: gone. 


One of my NYC favorites is Brooklyn Brewery. and even more so I love how a handful of restaurants in the boroughs (just two, though) have their own Brooklyn blend. When I arrived, Naman and I went to Blue Smoke and had pulled pork and Brooklyn Blue Smoke Ale. Next, we went to my favorite coffee place, Irving Farm. To my surprise, I accidently spoke German to the cashier THREE SEPARATE TIMES. The first time it was funny, the second time, a little more funny, the third time it was was annoying and seemed intentional (but it wasn't!). Man, that coffee was sooo good. and so normal sized, not itty bitty. and the milk had come from a refrigerator.


Naman and I went to play real-life scrabble since we play together on the phone all of the time. He beat me but he usually beats me on the phone so it was no surprise. Next, we met up with some of the Homemade Snuggies for fish tacos, at Mercadito.

Alex and Meghan brought me this little guy from a claw machine at the laundromat across the street from Mercadito. Claw machine prizes are very special since they are nearly impossible to win. I was extremely sleepy from the time difference and also since I never sleep enough so after a few domestics at 7B I went back to the Wise-Youtsos residence for some schlafen.


Friday was a packed day with the MTV gang. First, I met the Michelin club at Oceana. Terr-bear couldn't make it so I took over her role of food photographer. here's what we ate:
                                              
The appetizers, sides, and desserts at Oceana were fantastic (I've never met a Meyer Lemon I didn't like) but the main courses were disappointing. As a seafood restaurant they are limited and at lunch time it's risky to be creative but I found my entree to not by Michelin worthy. But it was a lovely time anyway.


Next, I went back to the office to see the gang. My desk had been ravaged but I was able to get back my calculator and pick up a new stapler from the supply room since I don't have either. I would have liked more time to catch up with everyone but it is a place of business and those folks on 31 always have their nose to the grindstone... So we went to PONY to socialize! It was my first return since the All-American achievement but don't worry, they still remembered both me and Bsap. what special treatment! I was so sleepy and I even had a coffee from the bodega across the street. It didn't take and I was falling asleep so I just gave in. 

                      
Saturday was the party and if I fell asleep on the bus they'd leave me on the turnpike so I had to rest up.


There is so much to tell about Saturday night. I use the term epic extremely carefully because I think in addition to being an overused term, it also borders the word "wicked" (SF'ers use "epic" and Mass-folk use "wicked"). Saturday night was epic. Jess wrote a thorough and detailed email that I will share with you (in italics) to recap the night, with some ellipses and a few interjections of my own. I apologize if the format is difficult to understand. Pretend it's like someone telling a story and someone else interrupting (obviously, the interrupter is me):

You know how at the end of The Hangover, they find the camera and look at the pictures to find out what they did the night before? Well that is exactly what I felt like on Sunday when I took my camera out of my bag after finally getting home. WHAT a shitshow. I know it takes considerable time and money to commit to something like the party bus, and even more patience and perseverance to SURVIVE...so I wanted to thank you all for coming from the bottom of my heart. This was truly a birthday I will never forget - in more ways than one. I also wanted to apologize for the events that occurred and any physical or mental anguish that you endured. Things definitely went awry but I'm hoping that since we did not die on the trip it will only be a matter of time before everything that was mindblowingly insane becomes insanely funny. Also, I am working on getting our money back from the bus company (or should I say the sham company) so I'll have an update soon. And with that, I bring you a recap of...

The Time We Went to AC on a Party Bus and Ended Up Stranded In a Burger King Rest Stop 

Wayne, our driver, pulls up with the party bus. Before I even introduce myself, he seems confused. Not a good sign. We board the bus. Fourlokos, RonRon Juice and PBR 40's are circulating within a one block radius of departure. I brought multiple hyper-caffeinated beverages to counteract the sleepiness. It isn't long before we realize the sound system won't play our iPods. Tober and Roy play MacGyver and try to rig something up (all we need is a grapefruit, a tennis racket and piece of string…). Doesn't work because the necessary cord is missing. Next stop: Jersey City Best Buy. I think some people also went to Popeyes for some fried chicken. The MN/WI girls in the back of the bus brought snacks because we come prepared like that and I also had a sandwich in my purse so we skipped Popeyes. We get back on the bus. The heat is apparently not working so everyone is wearing winter jackets. We ask Wayne to please turn up the heat. He looks at us like we're speaking Portuguese. Later, Wayne explains that the heat doens't work while the bus is moving. Although this makes no sense, neither do Wayne's repeated and pointless stops although there's heat when we're pulled over in the shoulder so I'm not complaining. Gina grinds down the stripper poles. Raj makes a speech. We drink excessively to warm up and by excessively I mean mostly Akil because by the time we pull into AC, he is out cold. We try to revive him. No dice. Wayne kicks us off the bus because he needed to smoke his crack pipe. Raj takes Akil to the hospital. Some people go to the club, which is actually in a mall. Brandi can't get in because she forgot her ID. Whitney can't get in because he is wearing sneakers. Lana and Yoav magically show up from DC and I practically make out with both of them because I am so happy. Nina, Katie Y, both Lauras, Kieley, Shannon, Gorlin, Renee, Kate P, Becky and I take DOWN the club. We dance on stage. We dance with strangers. I dance with a guy mopping the floor, and then just the mop itself. Raj and Sweta show up and dance with us. Brandi and Becky end up at Hooters. Gina, Gunz, Cate, Roy, Scoobs and Wang eat at a diner. Tommy code red's me to come out of the club because there is a situation with Whitney and his sneakers. Tommy and I try to sneak Tommy's shoes out to Whitney so he can get in. Doesn't work. Whitney sneaks in, but gets caught, because his sneakers are bright white. He tries to sneak in again, and ends up on the roof.

We party for what feels like 17 hours. We close in on the 1:30am mark which is when Wayne promised to come back with the bus. We start to gather in the lobby in the bus terminal. Akil is wandering around the bus terminal. WAIT, AKIL IS WANDERING AROUND THE BUS TERMINAL. He's fine, like nothing happened and he didn't just spend the last 3 hours in the AC ER...There is nothing I want more in the world than Wendy's. I somehow missed the people that were getting food which I far prefer to any club but now it's too late. It is now 2:15am and Wayne decides to finally show up with the bus. Everyone gets on, except Whitney because we lost him. We can't call because the only person who has his number is Tommy and Tommy gave Whitney his phone earlier in the night. This is a vicious cycle. No one knows what to do so we tell Wayne to hit the road. Tommy advises us that Whitney is skilled in this sort of thing and will make it back to Philly somehow. We all get on the bus, pile on top of each other and go to sleep immediately. I do so out of hunger but not tiredness since I have had three Starbucks Doubleshots.

On the highway, the bus is going less than 15 mph, and has no working lights or heat. It is pitch black on the bus. Everyone's yelling at the bus driver, who won't acknowledge that there is a problem. Or us, for that matter. We call 911 and the State Patrol. The State Patrol gets on the bus but says there is nothing they can do. The bus company promises to send another bus in an hour. We get off, and hang out at a Burger King rest stop. This is the greatest thing that has happened all night!! Someone gives me a cupcake. Which the MN gals brought along with brownies. they were pretty spectacular. Kieley finds hummus and carrots in her bag. It's my favorite kind of hummus. While on the phone with the bus company some carrots spurt out of my mouth which makes me laugh so now instead of yelling at the bus company, I am laughing. To cover my tracks I say "It may sound like I'm laughing but really it's because I'm so upset and really I'm crying." Tommy tries to get a milkshake but the machine won't work. He asks if he can try to fix it. They say no. Everyone takes turns with the enormous championship belt (which was brought on the bus to signify the Packers winning the Super Bowl).  I am loving this situation and have no concerns about getting home because in a group this large there is always someone else to figure it out. I'm just cracking up and eating fries. Then Jess's sister takes executive action and calls a limo that will fit 10 people. I see my chance off the Titanic and sign-up.

A new bus shows up, except it's the same broken bus. I call the bus company. They say our only option at this point is to board the broken bus, take it back to AC and get on public transportation to NYC. Raj and Gunz go ballistic. Everyone screams. We take more pictures with the championship belt. Only 5 people get back on the bus (me, Tommy, Becky, Brandi and Kieley). Let the record show that Kieley was signed up for the limo but she went on the bus to get Jess but she was there it drove away and then that was that. Everyone else calls/waits for cars or limos to take them back to NYC. The broken bus (still only going 10 miles an hour, with no lights or heat), takes the five of us back to AC, to take the Greyhound. 

...
When we get to the AC bus terminal it is basically a homeless shelter. We buy tickets for the 5:45am Greyhound, but are told that it's first come first serve because it picks up at all the casinos first. We wait outside in negative 15 degree temps for 25 minutes with hardly any clothes on. The bus never comes. Which I guess means it was full. We figure we'll get the next bus since they come every 15 minutes. We wait for about 40 minutes. No bus ever comes. We do not get a refund.

We then buy tickets for the NJ transit bus at 7am, to NYC. This is the happiest moment of my life. Right around this time, our limo drops us off on Houston. After a warm and cozy ride I am wide awake and start my day! Two and a half hours later, we pull into Port Authority and stumble off the bus. The daylight hurts my eyes, my contacts feel like sand paper and I am confused why so many people are out and about. Then I realize it's almost 10am. Hail cabs home. Crash in bed. Wake up a few hours later convinced the entire thing was a dream and did not really happen.

But it did. And it's one hell of a story.
                                   

It was a great weekend. I was sad it was over but I wasn't sad to come back to Berlin. I'll be back in August for the Fourth Annual Minnesota State Fair Day!

...part drei

... so I ended up falling asleep instead of studying like a good girl. I was so tired and I figured it was better for me to get sleep to wane down my rage. As an afterthought, it was the right choice.


Yesterday, I went to the school over lunch to take the placement test. It was hard! but not as hard as the test at Prolog, the other school I went to. I thought I did OK. They told me I could take an hour but I needed to get back to the Büro so I only took 30 (and I've always been a fast test taker, I don't believe in checking my answers). They called me shortly after to give me the results.


Here's an interjection of Berlin life: One of the more complicated things is dialing a phone number. For example, my number is 0160 3611 757 but if you're calling from outside Berlin or a landline, you should dial 30 16 03 61 17 57 or maybe, if you're calling from the US it's 00 49 30 160 3611 757. or maybe it's none of these because I am still not sure about how it works. In conclusion, e-mail me.


So the school called me but I missed it and my coworker tried to tell me how to use the phone and just when I thought I had it figured out it didn't work. Yes, I could have used redial but where's the learning opportunity with that? Eventually, the school called back. The lady on the phone wanted to talk to me in German. I had a nice little conversation with her about my life in Berlin. At the end of the conversation, she told me I couldn't take the more advanced class. That means I did not pass the test. The other problem is that the more advanced class is full. I think they would have been more generous with letting me sit in that class and be a dunce if there was an open seat. She suggested I go back to beginner for one more evening and if I really can't stand it maybe we can work something out. 


I went back to class tonight. We learned the numbers from 11-100. I poked my eye with a pencil. Next up: Write the school an email and get the heck out of there!

Sprachenshule Part Zwei

I started my second German class today. After some busy weeks at work and a weekend in New York I lost my Deutsch momentum. I signed up at a well known school in an evening class so that my life wouldn't be miserable while I was pursuing something that I enjoyed. I needed to take a placement test at the school to prove I knew my stuff. Well, day after day went by and I didn't make it out of work in time for one reason or another. I beat myself up, stressed myself out, and finally decided that even though I had tested out of the first level and aced the second, I would just see where they put me for my first class.


Tonight I learned to count to ten. It made me very sad. It was no one's fault but my own that I did not make it to the school to take the exam and this was the consequence. During our break, I approached the teacher who agreed that I needed to leave the class. The administration said I could come tomorrow and take the test, yay! No matter what I will get myself to that school.


But then I was nervous, I talked a big hype to these people about how good I was at German. What if I do poorly on the test and then not only am I a dummy but I caused such a headache to this nice school? I decided to pick up some dinner and review my old notes tonight in preparation. After a full-on German conversation with my falafel man (he wants to move to Michigan) I gained some confidence and a tasty platter with extra hummus.


To be continued...