guten Morgen

 Last night I moved into our apartment. Michael is still not here for another two weeks, but I have time to get settled and get a bit organized.

This is  the little Frühstückstisch (breakfast table) in the kitchen, and below is the view out the window. The apartment is located in the back of the courtyard, so all our windows look over the very green courtyard and not over the street.

the checklist

Moving to Germany includes a lot of bureaucratic hassle.

My big checklist: 1. registration  2. Bank account  3. Visa

For anyone (even Germans) changing address in Germany, or for people moving to Germany, you have to register yourself in your new town within 2 weeks of arrival. It's the kind of bureaucratic mess Germany is infamous for, and involves a lot of waiting around...but someone tipped me off that you can make an appointment online. So I arrived at the Kreuzberg Bürgeramt (city hall, citizen center), where the waiting room was full, and didn't have to get a number. The number board said 39 people were currently waiting in line. I just waited for my pre-reserved number to come up and the whole thing was over in 10 mins. Got my stamped piece of paper. Easy.

Now after being registered I was able to get a bank account. You can't get an account until you have a registered address in Germany. And this is a big priority, since I will soon get monthly deposits of Euros. So I went to the bank, which turned out to be the bigger challenge of the morning. It took one and a half hours!! The woman was very thorough, explaining to me all my banking options, although I kept telling her I'm a student on a tight budget and not in the market for stocks/bonds/mortgages/loans/credit cards, etc...it was a long process, but I did get an account.

Compared to German banks, US banks seem like they are still stuck in the middle ages.

First, bank transfers are super easy in Germany and no one uses checks. They are honestly like artifacts of a far-distant past. You pay private individuals via bank transfer, as well as things like rent and utilities. Second, online banking is apparently waaay more secure. I was very confused when the banker was trying to explain how this is done here. You can't just get a login and password, but every time you want to complete a transaction, you need a unique pin number. You get this number sent via SMS (text message) to your cell phone. Let that sink in. I asked again, just to make sure, that I can't just log in online with a username/password...she was like, "what? that would be so easy for any hacker to break."  Hmmm...

But I did get some presents for dealing with 1.5 hrs of bank mumbo-jumbo: a canvas bag, a binder to organize my "financial" stuff, and 3 plastic cuba libre glasses with the bank logo printed on them. ha!

Now I just need the visa...which requires my registration at the university, and some other steps...That might not happen for a while.

Prost!

in search of a needle

Today I went on a walk in search of needle and thread…(Elisabeth borrowed a dress of mine and the flower came off in all of the wild partying, and it has remained unfixed since then.) But all I could find was a package of needles and a package of thread I will never use (for 7 Euros or something). So I kept walking and found an older woman (of foreign origins) in the Markthalle who has an Änderungsschneiderei (alterations shop). When I explained I just wanted a needle and a piece of thread, she smiled—apparently it’s just “Nadel” and not “Sticknadel” (an embroidery needle? what is that even?). She asked me, “Spanierin?” and I said, “Nein, Amerikanerin” and she smiled and gave me the needle and thread for free!  I guess there are some perks to being a foreigner in Berlin…the other foreigners have sympathy for you…

…Which reminds me of the other time someone was so randomly nice to me. In Vienna a few years ago I was buying cheese at the Naschmarkt (their big market) and only wanted a small piece, because I was flying that day. Making conversation with the guy behind the counter, I explained that I was traveling, and he asked me where I was from. He kept urging me to me more specific---US…Minnesota…Duluth… When I said “Duluth” he said “Bob Dylan!” and wouldn’t take money from me! He kept saying “Bob Dylan!” :) Very amusing...

And this brings me to one last aside: I had heard this year that there is somewhat of a “backlash” against tourists in Berlin. This year, for the first time, Berlin replaced Rome in the top European cities for tourists to visit: third after Paris and London. But the anger: Apparently tourists are driving up rent prices, not speaking German, and being a noisy nuisance, especially in “hip” neighborhoods where people hang out and party all night. On my walk I saw this sticker on a bike (right): “Berlin does not love you”, which is evidence of this phenomenon. I had heard about this, but it was strange to actually see. The whole thing is a bit crazy…As this city is crazy-poor and really needs the tourists. And it feels a bit xenophobic. On the other hand, of course, tourists need to be a bit more respectful…

Kaffee und Kuchen

Every return to Germany must be celebrated with Kaffee und Kuchen.

here: Apfelstreusel und Schokoladen- Orangen Kuchen

Mein Spaziergang - Bergmannkiez to the Kanal

 some pictures from my walk today.
Berlin is already starting to look a bit fall-like, but today was 78 and sunny, and absolutely perfect-feeling.

It starts with my new neighborhood: Bergmannkiez, then goes through Kreuzberg to the Kanal and the beautiful apartments with balconies overlooking the water. 

Berlin, once again

According to my calculations, I've spent about 2 years and 6 months in Germany...I've lived a year in Bad Bramstedt (Schleswig-Holstein), and Saarbrücken (Saarland), and traveled extensively all over the place. The last two summers I've spent in Berlin, and now I'll be back for a year.  I love Berlin for its fascinating history, and the interesting layers of this history that are visible all over the city.

So I will continue to eat more pastries than I should, walk, jog and bike all over, take pictures, and maybe take a few little trips.

For the record: as I leave the exchange rate is 1 Euro = 1.44 US Dollars. Gott sei Dank I will soon be getting paid in EUROS.

tschüß Berlin, until next time

So I have now been back in the USofA for two days...It's always strange to come back. I always gain a different set of eyes after an extended period away, even if it's only two months. For example, I couldn't believe the well-manicured, sprinkler-system green lawns (as unnatural as bleached white teeth)...or getting free ice water without asking at a restaurant (yes!!). And I am still surprised to hear the people on the street speaking English when they walk by. But mostly it does feel like coming home. And while there are always things that I miss, it is home, and I just feel privileged to know two countries so well and be able to look critically and un-sentimentally at both.

Well, I guess this is the end for now. I have uploaded a ton more pictures which I never got around to posting about...and maybe if I ever feel inspired in the meantime I will write again. Otherwise, tschüß, auf Wiedersehen!

German playgrounds

Reasons why German playgrounds are the BEST:
1. every one is different, no pre-fab plastic pieces here
2. they are super creatively designed, using more natural colors and organic shapes
3. they include really fun (dangerous) activities
4. they are everywhere

I didn't take enough pictures, because they are literally all over the place, but these are just some examples. I jogged by a plastic, run-of-the-mill playground in a park today in Providence and was reminded of these pictures I still had to post. I bet you would get sued in the US for playgrounds like these or something. Don't really know how else to explain the incredible superiority of the German Spielplatz to American playgrounds.




These pictures do not do it justice. I always walk by them and wish I had my camera. Here are a few more from the web:

Berlin Wall

I may have already posted on this, but just wanted to include more shots of where the wall used to run through the city that I had collected.

memorial to those who died in this area by trying to escape, including a few children