Hello Pin, Goodbye Hase

You're sick of reading about Deutsche Bank and I'm sick of writing about it so let's wrap this one up...

The card situation was out of hand. There is one branch open until 8 on Thursdays and it's not so far from school so I left class early to stop in tonight. I told my story to the lady at the front desk and spread the five cards out on the table. I was told my pin was mailed yesterday (heard that one before) but a teller and could give me some cash. I took out as much as they would let me because who knows how long it will have to last. As she brandished dozens of 20's and 50's for all to see and plot their muggings, I realized no form of ID had been requested. I thought about making a comment but since I didn't have an ID either this was an opportune oversight. I couldn't fit it all in my wallet so I had to cram bills in the various pockets of my bag like the classy lady I am. 

My pin was in the mailbox when I got home from the bank. Obviously.

The chocolate bunny, represented the headaches of the past weeks. In addition to the card misery, it was Frank's latest excuse for stopping in my apartment uninvited. When I confronted him (via email) he explained that the store next door was holding it for a whole week so he had to put it inside. There are so many things wrong with that excuse and I don't want to hear one anyway. I didn't want to be ambiguous about my wishes so I sent another stern but fair email and moved on. The bunny needed to feel some pain too. We scheduled an execution and prepared the guillotine. With a deft slash of the office cake knife, the bunny was no more. 

 This has been another extremely busy week. I would say I was working extra to prepare for Jessica's visit tomorrow but there aren't any extra hours available in the day so I'm just working "normal". Jessica's visit is going to be so awesome. We could have fun in a refrigerator box. Plus she has German living experience so we can share stories of some of the wacky stuff that goes on. Melissa is going to be in New York for a week and a half so I will be missing her face but I have the best distraction to keep me occupied

Florence Day 1: I Ate Cat Food

My feelings toward Italy are no secret. It's not that I don't like it, it's that I think almost every other place for visiting is better. Please pick your jaw up off the floor. In a quick sentence, I don't get excited over Italian food, I prefer French wine and countrysides, and the sound of the language is to me what German is to my peers. The five or so days that I spent in Italy as well as the year and I half I spent living next to Mulberry Street aren't the only things that have formed my opinion. Nevertheless, when Melissa and Randi were planning a trip for Easter Holiday I would have even gone to Ohio (not really) so Florence it was! The trip was about the people I was with and I was looking forward to it.

Melissa and I flew into Bologna and drove to stay in the city of Firenze while Randi and Ali were staying in the Tuscan hills (a 10 minute cab away).

First order of business in Bologna - pick up the car. The guy behind the desk knew he was delivering good news when he told us we had a Fiat Panda. This is a pretty common European car. I've seen plenty myself and whenever someone comes back they usually bring me a picture of a Panda (I love it and please keep it up!). This is the first time I would be behind the wheel of my namesake. Also, this would be the first time I would be behind the wheel of a car in another land! I was the designated and only driver as the only one with manual driving skills. I prefer a manual as the few times I've had to drive an automatic in recent past I forget which one is the gas and brake since there are only two pedals (I know this is a problem). So you understand why I was nervous when we fastened our seatbelts, spit on the TomTom, and I couldn't find the clutch or the stick. Did we somehow get the only automatic in this place? Now I was nervous but if 15 and 90 year olds can drive an auto, I can too. Turned the key…and the car jerked in a way only a manual does. I pulled my seat up another foot, discovered the stick on the dash and we were ready. This trip was off to a hilarious start. Melissa and I were already cracking up and we hadn't pulled out of the lot yet.

The drive down was beautiful and uneventful. I was warned about Italian drivers but I found them to be harmless. Yes, I nearly got clipped anytime a car switched lanes, and no, signals are not used but no big deal. It took a few tries to get comfortable with traffic circles but I never got stuck in one. Some of the drive reminded me of driving through Montana and Idaho with Kat this summer, we were high atop hills with rolling green in all directions. In absence of abandoned coal mines, there were villas and vineyards.

By the time we got to the hotel, we were starving. We checked in and set out for lunch. Quick tangent regarding our hotel: After spending quite some time shopping for one, we picked the NH Firenze because it was a brand we knew and it seemed reliable instead of some of the non-chain iffies. I don't think I've ever encountered a more rude hotel employee than the one at the front desk of the NH Firenze. After yelling at us for using the wrong door (to our knowledge there was no other door) she yelled at us for parking on a side street and said we were only permitted to park at a meter. Now to me, when a hotel advertises "Parking available for an additional fee" I don't think Bring quarters to feed the meter. But that's just me. 

So we checked into our hotel and set out for lunch. We were frail and weak due to hours without snacks. We searched for an open restaurant and finally found one where the cook had just left but the waiter told us that there were a couple of menu items that were available and out of desperation, we both selected the chicken with spinach. We were speechless when it came. It would be one of those meals that I could eat without getting sick but then later get sick thinking about how I ate it. I stuck with the spinach. Also, we had a big dinner coming up…

Melissa had found us a place out in Tuscany where they offered an Italian cooking class, wine, and the ambiance of a villa in one. We had no idea what to expect. When we set out for the location we first had to call because the villa didn't have an address, only a street. After some confused conversation with who we later learned to be the chef, we decided to wing it and hope Tom would get us there. An hour and a half later, we pulled up to the villa to discover it was just us who would be learning tonight! We felt bad for being late but could have used an amateur sketch the your location.

The chef walked us through the menu. We were making gnocchi, something that I thought was bruschetta-like (Crostini Toscani), something else I hadn't heard of (Saltimbocca alla romana), and tiramisu. Our chef lady was so cute, she explain to us what to do and also why. We peeled tomatoes and made a fresh sauce. We mashed the potatoes and made gnocchi (which turns out is super easy). We tooth-picked some prosciutto to veal and tossed it in a pan. Next, the final dish to prepare and also our appetizer.

I'm down to try anything but she lost me when she asked me to debone the sardine. Couldn't do it; I wanted to do everything but it was impossible. I looked away as she deboned the salty fish and held a forced smile as she asked Melissa to blend them together with the liver we had just cooked. I have never seen or smelled anything more like cat food. Once it was all piled up in a bowl I got a second wind. As the chef was showing us to sample things so we would know if it needed salt or seasoning, I decided to give it a try. According to Melissa, it was clear that I was trying to hide my disgust but it was in no way hidden. Next, they had us spread the dish on a nice baguette. I put as little as possible but not so little that she would ask me to revisit. Once we were done, we were given the go-ahead to take to our setting on the balcony and start with dinner.

We sat on their lovely patio overlooking the hills. I pushed the cat food from two of the baguette slices onto the other two so that it would look like I had eaten half. The ladies were so nice and I couldn't bear to have them think I didn't like it (not only didn't I like it but I was AFRAID of it. Minnesota Nice much?) I would have hid it somewhere but there were no good spots and I thought it might draw animals to their patio.

The rest of the dinner was delicious. If I got it at a restaurant I would have thought it was boring but since it came from us it was tasty. They even gave us a cute little Italian cookbook that had little exercises to learn the language along with the recipes. The cooking class was a great trip activity and to anyone who likes Italian food it would be an amazing way to get the fun of cooking+eating+wine all in one stop. The ladies that we worked with were very sweet and patient, even when Melissa threw out the egg instead of putting it in the tiramisu batter. If you're ever in Tuscany check out http://itcooking.com/. I am pretty sure they also taught Tony Danza as can by evidenced by their webpage banner. I would absolutely do something like this again and hopefully next time I can be more adventurous with the sardines.
This concludes our first night in Italy. Much more excitement to come...

Surprises! But Not the Good Kind

Thursday there were only six people in German class. This was fun because we all got so much attention but as we get into more grammatical things it becomes evident how far behind I am. I had to miss school on Tuesday because I was drowning in work so that didn't help. My goal was to do some extra review in the book to make up for it but like other personal goals such as getting these chest pains looked at by a doctor and getting a new mouthgaurd because I've completely worn through mine, work took priority. After class we all went out for drinks with our teacher. It was interesting sharing stories with my classmates because of the seven of us, none were from the same country. Sounds like my peers are in a lot more situations where they have no choice but to use German, I'm jealous.

I'm normally pretty responsible but I get increasingly more irresponsible with each passing year. For example: of the three overhead lights in my apartments all of the bulbs were out in two of them. I have been functiong by moving a lamp with me from room to room. I didn't want Jessica to see what a mess I have become so I emailed Frank to ask for a ladder, requesting a date that I could come home over lunch to meet him. He didn't respond for a day but when he did, he said "I hope you don't mind but I just went in and changed them. Don't worry I didn't look around. you owe me 13€."

Let's talk about this: 1. I am absolutely not comfortable with this man going into my "home". 2. The day he was there, apt was probably the dirtiest ever as it was the morning after PartyPeople. 3. How did the lightbulbs possibly cost 13€? ok whatever. I didn't have time to run home anyway. so I responded thanks but next time please don't go in the apartment without me.

When I got home Thursday night I was really really hoping for that ATM pin. When I checked the mail, it still wasn't there. I opened my door and what did I find inside my apartment? a package! How did it get INSIDE my apartment? It appears Frank is popping in on the regular.

I cut open the package that was marked "Vorsicht Glas!". I still haven't picked up a package that was delivered to a nearby shop over a week and a half ago so maybe this was it? Nope! It was a two foot chocolate Easter bunny. There was a letter from Deutsche Bank saying that this gift was for my troubles with the ATM card... really? Can you just send the pin instead.

Melissa and I were flying to Italy early in the morning so I planned to pull another all-nighter to listen to the Twins, pack etc. not sure how it happened but next thing I knew I woke up next to a half eaten mango with Melissa was at my front door! I threw some underwear and my Twins hat in a suitcase and was off to Firenze!

Whoops

I had a snafoo last night and you use google reader you saw this today:

Awesome post regarding how we became PartyPeople and what it entailed to follow...

We are PartyPeople

Melissa and I signed up to be PartyPeople. Last Thursday, there was an email asking for a few folks that wanted to be a part of the MTV World Stage Party on Monday and we submitted ourselves and our photos as an application. We were really excited about it even though we didn't know what that was. Sebastian teased us for signing up and we didn't understand why and how come no one else was doing it. Anyway, we didn't hear back. We were perplexed as to how it was possible we weren't chosen but we moved on. Monday mid-day we received an email informing us that we were in fact PartyPeople! Problem was, I had sooo much work to do and with class on Tuesday and Thursday it would have been irresponsible for me to leave early to go to this event, especially not even knowing what it was. I told Melissa I would try but it was doubtful. I ended up staying back. Sad to miss the party but Berlin isn't all fun and games.

The PartyPeople, including Melissa, met at a hotel in Mitte for instructions. Melissa messaged me an hour and a half after the designated meeting time and said if I hustled I could still come. I figured What the hey and I dropped what I was doing and I rushed over. The group was at the hotel bar. Apparently, they had been briefed for a couple of minutes and were being served free drinks for the rest of the time. Melissa recapped the instructions that we were supposed to stay together as a group and act like we were having an awesome time (probably the reason for all the drinks).

We were ushered to the venue and I noticed we were among Berlin City Girls. Jorts with black tights underneath. Hair that was clean but was supposed to look dirty. These gals did not come straight from work in their target jeans a short sleeved sweater. The MTV World Stage is a series of concerts in worldwide locations. It's a branded event with VW and the concert in New York was Black Eyed Peas, some group I hadn't heard of in Shanghai, and two Belgian DJs called 2ManyDJs in Berlin. The new Beetle was the big promotion and they had a few of them around. As we checked in, a kid who had his ride pimped was being interviewed with his new car next to the coat check. The Berlin City Girls checked their bags and reapplied their red lipstick. It was not our usual scene.

When we got inside, there was an open bar and passed hors d'œuvres. I had some risotto with an arugula foam and we hung out for another hour enjoying the beverages. As the time for the 2manyDJs got closer, our chapperone found us and told us that we needed to go to the dance floor. Melissa, myself, and 10 or so BCGs hit the floor. All of the rest of the attendees watched from outside the fishbowl as the 12 of us girls "had an awesome time". And despite feeling goofy at first, it was an awesome time! Since there were spectators I tried not to do my typical dance moves of pushing it down and pushing it away (usually performed to this song) and the schumbuckle. There were as many PartyPeople as there were cameras. The paps were out and the BCG were working it. Melissa and I kept to ourselves but we were surely captured on film.

During one dance break I chatted to the opening DJ and he said that the PartyPeople thing is a standard practice for these corporate events or else the suits will never get out on the floor. He also tipped me off to the lady passing around currywurst. I found a pretzel too. I talked to a kid who was was the best VW Salesman in all of Hamburg and he was sent here as a prize. I think he was trying to win my affections with this fact but I was not impressed. There was this tiny man in a great suit tearing up the floor and one of the bartenders informed me that he was the guy that designed the car.

Knowing I had another packed day at work on Tuesday, I behaved like an adult and went home around 2:00… Would have been awesome to stay there all night but those widgets can't count themselves.

Meine Pin kommt

Just called DB. After getting transferred four times and hung up on twice I decided to quit with the English and go with Deutsch. I translated our discussion as such: The lady who told me I didn't need a new pin was a dirty liar and I would get a new one in a week. 


This was a more involved conversation than I had with the FedEx man where we yelled 1:30 back and forth. I explained the situation. She asked me questions. She suggested I go to the bank. I told her the bank has bad hours. The same thing I would have said in English! This is not great news but feels good to have accomplished something productive with my skills. I did in fact do the Home Alone "Yes!" in my kitchen (image not available).

My Stupid ATM Card Problems

A couple of weeks ago, my Deutsche Bank ATM card stopped working. According to Renee, this happens all the time, as she has gone through 10. This is a cash only town so being without an ATM card is like being without money. I called DB right away to explain that it stopped working and request a new one. Since I usually bring my lunch I didn't need much cash other than to get to the airport for my MN trip. I tapped into my US ATM card with no other option. When i returned from my trip, a new card had arrived. A new CREDIT card - a duplicate of the useless piece of plastic I already had. Since I discovered this past 9PM, I knew I wasn't going to be able to get an English person on the 24-hour help line so I waited until the next day. I called in the morning to explain that I still needed a new card. Of the five or so pin numbers I had been assigned I did not have the correct one and so even though the person understood my problem she was not authorized to order me a new card even if I told her my passport number, blood type, and maternal grandmother's shoe size. So now it's Wednesday and I call again with my stack of pins on hand and order a new card. I am informed that the new card will take a week! Lady, you gotta put the gas on this, I am running out of groceries. Knowing well it would make no difference, I switched from sweet to salty and asked the lady how I'm supposed to access my funds they are holding hostage if all their branches are open for 6 hours a day and I can't get a new card. She told me there was one branch, in the airport or something, that is open on Saturdays. At this rate, that actually is my best bet. 

Before hanging up I asked if I would be assigned a new set of pins with my new card. I was told all pins would remain the same. I was skeptical. When I call Chase customer service, I speak to someone in India with a midwestern accent. When I call DB customer service, I get someone in Deutschland. Even as I try to explain my issues slowly and clearly I usually get passed to three people before someone answers. I was sure the pin question was misunderstood, but without the help of a call center in Bangalore I would have to wait and find out the hard way.

I made it through the week without even trying to conserve Euros. Melissa offered some cash but by Friday I was sure I could make it. Problem was, Friday night we went to this CD party for Frida Gold (some of the German Musik I like) at Puro and Melissa and I got split up. As I had no money for a cab, I took the train. Had I been abducted while taking the train home at 2AM (in no condition for such an activity), I would have blamed DB. Since phones work on the train Max kept me company and I got home safely and ate an entire box of imported Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Saturday, probably by magic, the card came! I spent the day vegetating so I didn't go out to use it. 

Sunday, I packed up the last of my snacks for a day out and about. There is a park between my apartment and the gym that I have passed 100 times, Volkspark Hasenheide. I tried walking through there in the winter months but the paths were solid ice. Today I took a cruise through on my bike and discovered it was huge! First awesome thing, there is a petting zoo. It was closed but I saw a peacock. Next, there was this awesome kid's park. It had a pirate ship, and a camel and all kinds of other fun stuff to climb on top of; kids in Berlin have it good. I didn't want to be creepy and go inside to take a picture so instead I was creepy and biked around the perimeter trying to get a good angle. I cruised the park for a while then left through the back exit. Thinking I knew how to get home, I cut through an alley between a cemetery and some vacant looking buildings. Proving that there is always something unexpected, when I turned the corner the next street was lined with license plate huts?

All day as I ate my boring snacks I thought about what I would have for dinner…Thai? Mexican? Spaetzle? The sky's the limit! I popped over the to ATM to load up my wallet even though I was still undecided. I was leaning towards getting both Indian and sushi. 

My pin didn't work. The pin that didn't change had changed. I tried again and again. Not caring that the ATM woud eat my card because the stupid card wasn't going to give me money anyway. And in a dramatic conclusion, I had pasta for dinner. Also, I will be riding my bike tomorrow because I can't afford the train ticket.

As long as I'm complaining: I got a DHL package slip on Thursday. I am not complaining about this, in fact I am excited about this mystery package. I can't wait to see what it is and who it's from! Unfortunately, DHL left my package with a store on my street that is open M-F 11:00-16:00. Maybe tomorrow when I bike home to get my package over lunch I will go to the bank too.

I Fell Off My Bike

I always wear a helmet, always. When I was in high school, helmets didn’t become popular but they became more widely used. Around that time, my dad told us that we had to wear them. Instead, I stopped biking. When I started up again in NYC, I did it with head gear. 

While I was home last weekend I approached my father on his view of not wearing a helmet all of the time. I don’t need his permission (I’m sure I do plenty of things he wouldn’t approve of) and even with permission it doesn’t make it safer but at least I would feel less guilty. When I would bike to work on 95 degree days with a breeze on my arms but terrible sweaty head I had this guilt in mind.

Anyway, I explained to him how it was much safer to bike in Berlin and people watch out for bikes and there are wide paths away from the street and I don’t go very fast. He responded with a story of someone he knew out for a casual ride with the fam was paralyzed while pulling into his own driveway.

It’s been raining this week. Tuesday it was like The Wizard of Oz and I would pedal so hard but I didn’t get anywhere then a tailwind would come and push me through the traffic light. Today, not so windy but cold and raining. Problem was, if I didn’t bike I have to leave work 25 minutes earlier to get to school and still brave the same elements in the long walk. I choose bike. Next problem was, while packing into the storm cellar on Monday I left my helmet outside. Wet helmet + bangs + short hair? You do the math. So I brought it with but didn’t wear it (because in a car accident you always remember to buckle your seatbelt before getting hit) and pedaled out the door carefully.

The whole ride I was more cautious than ever. Letting others go instead of rushing ahead, not cutting through lights when no cars were around, etc. On the bridge where I cross the Spree the narrow bike path is on the street and is the closest I get to vehicles. There is also a sidewalk so I decided to take that instead. As I was coming off of the bike path and onto the sidewalk, I caught the curb and went down. I watched my hands catch the ground in the minutes it took me to fall and thought “If I get hurt how will I explain this to Dad” and “I hope my sandwich doesn’t get smushed” and “thank god this didn’t happen on the other end of the bridge that smells like a bathroom because most people use it as one”. I hit the ground with an oof.

I picked myself and bike up off the bike lane and assessed the damage. My basket was bent. Somehow my watch had fallen off ?? My jeans were dirty and my knees were bruised. No blood, no wrist sprain (which I deserved for catching myself the way I did). Sandwich destroyed. I thought about walking my bike the rest of the way but I was almost to the office. Then I thought that with the irony that’s already taken place this morning, I would be sure to get in another accident if I kept biking. But I’m not so smart so I hopped on for the home stretch.

I was learning life lessons all over the place… listen to my father, wear a helmet, put sandwich in protective plastic case, don't keep banana in pocket (because I sometimes). I can’t wait for sweaty head this summer because that’s what I’m going to have.

Pictures of Toilet Seat Covers

Better late than never. For the record, I wrote this on in a timely manner but never got around to posting it.

I'm here to work and whatnot but my main motivation of this study abroad is to exchange cultural experiences. I shared St. Patrick's Day and Melissa and I made plans to share April Fools Day. We weren't sure if they celebrated it here but had we asked someone it would have given away our plans so we had to take a jump. We both got to the office early with a couple tricks in mind. For our German friends, we rearranged the keys on their keyboards. I know, it's not like vaseline on the doorknob but we were playing it safe. For the North kids, we tried to switch Anja and Hille's phone lines but for some reason it didn't work! Melissa pulled out the old tape-under-the-mouse trick on Hille who was so concerned that it was broken she called IT before Melissa spilled the beans. The 3rd floor gang was not as amused as we thought they would be so I was glad we didn't put vodka in anyone's water bottle or change all their phone extensions to silly prank numbers. To Melissa's surprise the North gals got her back! She's a huge soda drinker so when she took a swig of her daily Coca-Cola Classic she was greeted with pepper and I don't mean the Doctor. She was bummed because it was her only Coke but what a great trick, good job girls!

Melissa moved to her new apartment last week (two weeks ago). I'm really excited for her to have this place because much more than me, I think she values having a comfortable home. After living in Elliot Park and the mouse-house on 79th St I know how to rough it. 

Melissa got to pick out her own apartment and found one not far from the office that's a brand new renovation. She's got a real kitchen and a great balcony. I'm sad that she won't be at Gneisenaustr anymore and I loved our time together in the dorms. On the bright side, being spread out we will spend more time in other neighborhoods, or at least not so much in Mitte. Yesterday (last Sunday), we went to the German Home Depot called Bauhaus and she picked out some patio furniture and a grill. Can't wait to spend the summer sitting on her deck with corn on the cob! Also at the German Home Depot, was an elaborate collection of toilet seat covers. It's hard to see the holograms in this photo but believe me, they're there.

Aufenthaltstitel

We all know I have a problem keeping up with posts. Here's something I should have updated about three weeks ago... it may be a little stale but it still happened!


I was starting to get pretty nervous having not heard back from the residence permit/visa place with a little over a week left to stay in town. Sebastian suggested I contact the embassy to see if they could help and they responded the same day! Their comforting words told me to sit tight and they'd help out when things got closer. America is so great. Turns out I didn't need their help because finally I received an email inviting me back for another meeting! Surprise!

Melissa had an appointment for the next day but she came with me anyway hoping that they would see her as my +1. The place is on the other side of the universe so it was great to have some company for the hour commute. I brought a snack and a book and saddled up for a long wait. When my Frau called me in, she asked for my passport and told me to go downstairs and pay. When I returned, she gave me back my passport with my Aufenthaltstitel. Easy as pie?

As Melissa was already in another room, I "hunted her up" (a term I picked up from Fern) to see if she needed any help. She did. Her Frau spoke no English and Melissa speaks no Deutsch. When I entered the room the lady was yelling at her and Melissa was saying, "do you speak english?" repeatedly. With the few broken words I know I was able to explain to the lady why Melissa was here outside of her appointment time and that she already had a temporary visa. The lady was still a grouch but much friendlier now that she understood. After some rummaging through files the lady finally gave Melissa her aufenthaltstitel too! What a successful day plus I felt pretty good about helping out with my language skills (I'm sure she would have gotten it anyway but I'd like to think I saved the day)

This photo is blurry on purpose

The aufenthaltstitel photo has specific requirements - no smiling, hair has to be down, blah blah. I had my hair up all day and had to take it down for the photo. No smiling and washed out from the horrible flash my photo looks just like a celebrity mug shot on Perez. My hair is so flat that when I showed it to Antje she thought it looked like a burka. And this photo is permanently affixed in my passport.

So happily ever after! I can legally stay here through October 31, which is a Monday. I'm looking forward to not getting shaken down at the airport anymore but maybe the mug shot will cause a new set of problems...

Nach HAUSE

The night before my trip to MN, I stayed up all night. Primarily, I I wanted to take care of the ever-mounting to-do list that keeps my teeth grinding. Then there was the Twins game that was on at 1AM. and last, the possibility that if i stayed up all night it would help my Jet lag so I wouldn't waste precious time in MN being sleepy like i did in New York. I was so busy following the Twins game that when it got really good in the 8th I realized I needed to go to the airport very soon and I hadn't even packed or showered! Since I only get internet in one corner of the apartment, I spent the next 20 minutes running from one end to the other getting ready while never taking my eye off the ESPN gamecast and ear off the At Bat radiocast. By the end of the game I was late to the airport and standing in my internet corner with my coat on waiting for the final out… and the Twins beat the Yankees! What a great note to start my vacation with.

I got amazing sleep on the plane only interrupted by conversation with a Russian wedding singer on his way to Iowa at the Amsterdam airport. Since he only knew Russian and German I had fun chatting with him until he got creepy and I ditched him when he got stuck in security.

Wednesday I met some peeps at Famous Dave's, a Minnesota based BBQ restaurant. It's not my favorite place to eat while in MN but after the Blue Smoke with Naman i can't get pulled pork off the brain! I wanted to stay out but I was sooo tired, even after having a coffee. Driving home I thought about stopping at the Page place in order to avoid sleeping at an off-ramp like a truck driver but luckily I made it all the way to White Bear Lake.

Thursday I went to the gym with my mother. She has lost almost 25lbs since Thanksgiving, she looks really great and I'm proud of all of her hard work! After the gym I got in some Kat time and then had a tasty dinner with my parents in St Paul. I met up with my Ernst & Young Peer Advisor and all around fun guy Chad at a White Bear Lake townie bar (and I mean that in the most endearing way). I continued my tradition of getting pull-tabs for my coworkers. Here's what I do: I buy a pull-tab for every one of my work friends and before I pull them off I write a name on each one. If it's a winner, the person whose name is on it gets the prize. for the first time ever in my pull-tab history, someone won. Congratulations Annette on your prize of two American dollars!

Friday was the big day! On Thursday night we were antsy like kids on Christmas Eve. I started the day with a haircut so I could look good for the Twins. I've been seeing the same hair gal for about nine years and so I had total faith when I asked for something "fun" and let her do her thing. She went short with bangs. Great job Missy! Next, I met the Page family for a veggie burger and locally brewed beverage at the Bulldog before heading to the field. I was so excited to spend the second year in a row with the baby Pages and this time even Mama Page came! 

Don't mind the rockette leg, I cropped most of it out

Max did a great job on our seats and they were exactly where I wanted them, along the 3rd base line (for sun purposes) and only a few rows back.The weather was amazing because when you cheer for a good team, good things happen to you. My mom snagged a ticket at the last minute and hung out with us at our awesome seats. The Twinkies ended up winning and after the game we went to my favorite karaoke bar from college, which is nowhere near as fun as I remember. 

My favorite part is the kid behind us

Saturday Max and I had dinner with the Gaalswyks before going in for another round of Twins, this time with a less happy ending. Continuing my streak of karaoke we met the Simmons' at the uptown VFW (making it my 3rd VWF appearance behind Mitchell, SD with Jen's mom and Boston with Jessica's Nana). Rebecca and I performed as back-up dancers and received an immense amount of compliments on our unrehearsed yet synced dance moves. Even though I have been thousands of miles away for years, we are still basically the same person. While we were at the VFW, USA beat the World.

and that's how Sunday snuck up on me! In between everything I was running around trying to get errands done and it was not as successful as I had hoped. Sunday, I had to buckle down to take care of business so Max hung out with me while I did my taxes which made them less painful. 

I had a really fantastic time in MN and was sad to leave. Although busier than NYC, I felt more relaxed in MN and got to eat my mom's delicious food (she even made us Chex Mix on Sunday!) When I was finally alone in the security line I was sad because I won't be back in MN for many months. As much as I love New York and love Berlin my bi-monthly midwestern visits are a hard habit to break.

Returning to Berlin I still bummed until I hopped on my bike to go grilling at Melissa's. As soon as I was bumping down the path smelling the lilacs and ringing my bell I was happy to be back. Melissa made an awesome welcome home dinner and we caught up having not seen each other in a whopping five days.

My next USA trip is a long way off but I have a fun month coming up with two of my favorite people coming to visit!

Offnen die tür!

I haven't been here long enough to despise the public transit system like some people do. In fact, I think it's fairly good. Yeah, you have to go out of your way most of the time but it's a lot easier for a narrow island like Manhattan to get you there without having to backtrack (thanks for pointing that out, Randi). The U-bahn is pretty decent: The clocks are almost always accurate, there's not excessive litter and newspapers from careless passengers, and phones get reception! To ask for a train platform that doesn't smell like a homeless person and/or fecal matter is just unrealistic. 

The times I've taken the train lately, it's almost like the BVG took notes from the MTA on how to muck up all the lines. Last week instead of a 30 minute commute it was over an hour. Tonight, I ended up on a packed shuttle bus. I have an exciting new toy so I wasn't bothered by the detour however I was concerned with missing my stop since I couldn't take my eyes off the sexy new HTC Desire in my hand.

When it came time for my stop, I wasn't able to pull the cord because I was holding a new baby in one hand and my giant suitcase that Melissa had borrowed in the other. Instead, I approached the back door and pushed my elbow into the button in all sorts of angles. I couldn't tell if the "STOP REQUESTED" light existed or was illuminated. 

When my intersection came, the bus stopped but the door did not open. Did the driver not know I needed to get off? button push, button push, button push…eeepp i'm going to miss the stop and I have this suitcase and it's raining. So I used a little trick I learned on the 125th Street cross-town bus. I started yelling. "Back tür! Back tür" (Back is not german, tür means door) "offenen die back tür!" Everyone was staring at me because of the angle i was pushing the button with my elbow, the fact that i was yelling, and last but not least of all my olive colored pencil skirt with heels. A nice english speaking man came to my rescue, "we're at a stop light, the bus stop is up there." 

At least when I yelled "tut mir leid" (I'm sorry!), the folks on the bus laughed.

Drei in Elf

March just flew by. I am really loving Berlin so I have a feeling that the next seven months will pass in the same way. It helps that this has been a beautiful weekend and every person in this city is sitting at a park or a cafe somewhere. Every single person has told me that summer is the best time in Berlin and I will love it then. But spring is really great so I can't even imagine summer. I can't wait! 

Q: How is it going so far?

A: Loving it. Spending more time outside and doing things in the city has helped me to feel more at home. During the cold months being stuck indoors didn't help me to appreciate the city around me. I looove riding my bike around. The city has is smaller when I'm not waiting on the U-bahn platform. It's actually possible to run errands in the evenings because it takes half as much time to get anywhere. Riding to work cuts my commute time in half and it's my favorite start to the day.

Q: How is work?

A: Still tough. I still have ambitious hopes but still have not enough hours in the day. I thought I would get back into the groove of working with minutia but it's not natural to me anymore. Just like Michael Bolton, I always mess up some mundane detail.

Q: How do you like your apartment?

A: Still not wild about it but spending less time there

Q: How is the beer?

A: OK, it's time to come clean. The beer here is not impressive. It's all pilsner! or maybe a hefeweizen. I need some variety in my life and by variety I don't mean 17 different pilsner options. Really missing American beverage diversity.

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

A: Would I want to live here for longer than 10 months? Yes. Do I think I will? Doubtful. I'm still more interested in the work I could be doing in New York. What a lame adult thing to say.

Q: How's your German?

A: I am speaking in German on the regular. I think it probably sounds terrible and my grammar is all wrong but I am saying words that people understand. Just yesterday while conversing with our taxi driver I found out that his wife was from Minneapolis! If I wasn't speaking Deutsch, I would have missed out on that fun fact. I want to make some German friends so I can speak it more outside of work because Melissa and Randi are not interested in sprachen mit mir.

Here's a quick list of things I love about Berlin. The list gets longer every day...

Görlitzer Park, former site of Görlitzer Bahnhof

Bikes. Whole families riding around together for transport and recreation

The looks I get from my bike helmet

Speaking german

Not just recycling but reducing

Cheap food, cheap everything

Random parks from old airports and train stations

My awesome coworkers on the 3rd floor!!

Being surrounded by and meeting people from all over Europe and the world, not just the NY tri-state

German music

Dogs, unleashed and everywhere

Berlin city girls (the real thing AND the song)

Chatting with crazy Andrea at Bella B

Traveling with Naman

But I do miss some things about the US, including but not limited to...

The Homemade Snuggies

Fancy food

Fast Internet

Magic Hat, Brooklyn Brewery, Goose Island, Ithica, Sierra Nevada...

Huge coffees

The ability to do anything on Sunday other than sit around

Good hair days