Excuse me, I live here

Schloss = castle
Neues= new
Palais= palace

For the past few days, Jack and I have had visitors! His mom Sandy and Aunt Gail have been here since Friday and we have been lucky to have them. We have been seeing many sights, including the Schloss Charlottenburg, Sanssouci, and the Neues Palais. If we had to pick a theme other than walking, we have seen lots of Palaces and Schlosses. At each place that we visited, Sandy, Gail, and I would pretend that we lived there.

Do any of you do that? Every time you visit an old home or Schloss or Palace, do you pretend that no matter what your current status, you were the royal/rich person that lived there? We chose our bedrooms in each of the Schlosses and practically named our servants. We talked about the porcelain or china that we would use when other noble or royal visitors would come and dine with us. We visualized writing at the intricately designed writing desks to our many correspondences.

My favorite was the Neues Palais. It was the palace built after the Seven Year's War as King Frederick the Great's way of saying "Hey everyone! After a war, my country still has money!" This would be my home. My room would be on the upstairs (heating and bathrooms were installed there). My servants would each have bells to ring for tea or baked goods when I want them, and every day, I have a large wardrobe to choose from. Life is good! Check out all of the Schlosses that we visited and that Sandy, Gail, and I live in. Jack chose to be a simpleton and live in a log cabin in the forest. We'll invite him to dinner.

 Schloss Charlottenburg

Neues Palais

Sanssouci and just part of the grounds

Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty, Little Ball of Fur....

If you watch The Big Bang Theory, then you know "Soft Kitty". In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon teaches Penny a song for her to sing whenever he is sick called "Soft Kitty". It's a childish song, but it makes Sheldon feel better. The words are simply "Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr."

It was this past week that I felt homesick, which to me, is a kind of sick. I miss my family and friends, I miss the brands that I love, and I miss familiarity. Don't get me wrong, I love living here in Deutschland, but I still miss home. It was yesterday that I decided that I was going to do something about this homesickness...I was going to go to KaDaWe.

KaDaWe is a HUGE department store, similar to Karstadt, another department store that I have talked about in previous posts, but on a much grander scale. It's a department store that is so glamorous, that I was surprised that they didn't kick me out just for attempting to enter. No, I wasn't going to shop (believe me...I can't afford anything there...), but they have a food hall that has been raved about by many Americans living here in Berlin. The entire 6th floor is dedicated to foods from around the world, including an "American" section. I went just to see brands that I was familiar with (Hershey's, Jif...), but I was blown away by the whole floor.

I am going to attempt to describe the wonder that was the 6th floor of KaDaWe. When you arrive on the 6th floor via the escalator, you are greeted with counters, aisles, and stands of all kinds. There are gourmet counters for every kind of food you can imagine...cheese, sausage, fish, meat, dried meat, chicken, vegetables, potatoes, wine, champagne, chocolate, cake, ice cream, coffee, tea, thai, hibachi...you name it, it's there. You can purchase the foods raw to bring home, or, at every counter, they have a menu that you can order from and they cook it in front of you, along with a glass of wine (or coffee, or tea, or soda, or water...) Several people would visit these counters for a meal, snack, or drink, and spend time with themselves or friends or colleagues.

Positioned around these counters are aisles and stands of every food imaginable. It was there that I found the "American" section. Of course, there is peanut butter and bbq sauce (actually, there was a ton of bbq sauce), but there was also the America classics like Poptarts, Crisco, and Betty Crocker Mixes. I won't attempt to list every brand that was I saw, but there are some pictures at the bottom of this post and in the "Die Fotos" section.

 The entrance to KaDeWe

 Just a few of the American Brands

Part of the fish counter

Opera Man

das Frühstück = breakfast
das Mittagessen = lunch
das Abendessen = dinner

Jack and I have been enjoying getting into our weekly routines. Every weekday morning, we wake up, eat Frühstück, and mosey around the internet. Jack then goes into his man-cave to work while I workout and complete some of my UVA homework. After, we have Mittagessen together before Jack goes back into his man-cave and I carry on with my day.

On weekdays during our Mittagessen, Jack and I have had the pleasure of listening to Opera Man. Starting around 12:00, Opera Man, the singing instructor that works in the apartment below us, gives voice lessons to a handful of people. It's not hours of constant singing. Usually, we only hear Opera Man and his students complete scales. "La la la la la la la la la." "Mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi. "Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah". Different registers are heard and different chords are accompanied on a piano. Sometimes the scales are staccato, other times, legato. While it may seem annoying, it's become part of our routine. It's comforting to hear.

Today, there was no Opera Man, and Jack and I are worried. We heard no scales, no piano, no music. Where did he go? Is he ok? Is he on vacation? When will we hear him again? He was there yesterday...why was he not here today? We have no idea what Opera Man looks like (we've never seen him), but he is already part of our day. We hope he comes back tomorrow!

Mist

der Mist = poop, crap, dung, rubbish, manure...you get the idea

CAUTION!!! I am about to write way too much information, or as my mom likes to say, "TMI!" If you don't want to read about Jack and my Mist, don't say that I didn't warn you!

We're all friends and/or family here. I'm going to level with you. The toilets here in Germany are crap (pun intended). Not because they don't work...they do, but because it's one of the most convoluted and annoying things I have experienced thus far. Picture the toilets that you are used to in America. You do your business and flush, right? It's simple. Occasionally, you may have had Mexican food the night before, and you need to use the plunger, but for the most part, you go and flush. End of story. 

Not here in Germany. Going #1 is one thing...that's all fine and dandy. The Go and Flush process stands. But #2 is different. The toilets in Germany have what Jack and I call "The Mist Ledge." Sometimes, we say "shelf" instead of "ledge," but the point stands clear. There is a shelf/ledge directly under your dropping point. When you flush, the German toilet shoots out water like a jet in a jacuzzi and supposedly pushes your mist into the small hole at the end of the ledge. Note the word supposedly in my last sentence...the jet stream usually does not push the mist. It stays there...just chillin' on the ledge. The smell stinks up the bathroom and I'm not going to lie...it's gross. 

At first, Jack and I thought that it was just us. Clearly, we're somehow not misting the right way. After 26/27 years of misting, Germany was trying to tell us that we were doing it wrong. Then we learned that we are, in fact, misting the correct way! Phew! Most German toilets have a cleaning brush that sits next to it. You're supposed to take the brush and push your mist with the stream into the hole where it flushes. You use the stream to help clean the brush There is a toilet cleaner that pours into the water when you flush, so the brush gets cleaned and rinsed. 

Gross, right? It doesn't end there...next time you mist, look at it. Does it float or sink? Lucky for you, it doesn't matter because American toilets follow the Go and Flush procedure. If you have a floater here, you have to use that same cleaning brush to push it down while the toilet is flushing. This is because there is not a strong enough water stream to push the floating mist down. So next time you have to take a mist, remember this post, and be grateful for the fact that your toilet does its job, whether it's a floater or a sinker :)

 The toilet and cleaning brush. The yellow thing is the toilet bowl cleaner

Visual on "The Mist Ledge"

die Stadt der Märkte

Die Stadt = city
*(not to be confused with Staat, meaning state, and has almost the same pronunciation)
Der Markt = market
Die Märkte = markets

Paris is the city of love (or lights...take your pick). NYC is the city that never sleeps. Berlin? It is die Stadt der Märkte. Well, I don't know if that is their actual slogan, but according to Jack and I, it is. If you ask my friend Susan, she will tell you that I love markets. I love going to Farmer's Markets, Craft fairs, artisan stands...you name it. Markets are places where samples don't count, and you find yourself "needing" that necklace that costs $10 too much, but you'll never find another one like it, so you have to buy it. However, the thing about markets is that they all happen on the weekends. Susan and I have to wait until Saturday to get the amazing pickles from the Pickleman because he is only going to be at the Falls Church market on Saturdays (or is it the Eastern Market market? I can never remember :) )

Not in Berlin...Die Märkte happen daily, though I cannot tell you when or where. Every (nice) afternoon when Jack finishes his work for the day, we enjoy going on walks. We usually go to Preußen Park (aka the Stripper Park) and walk around the big circle a few times, speaking German to one another. Yes, I know enough German now to hold an elementary conversation. Vielen Dank, dw.de! Every day, whether we walk to Preußen Park, Volkspark Wilmersdorf, or along the side streets to the Ku'Damm, there is ein markt, in some platz or park. Sometimes it is a Farmer's Market (though no samples...), sometimes it is a Thai market where all of the Thai people sell homemade Thai food, and other times it's a flea market. Every day. They pop out of no where, and are usually gone or turning in by the time we finish our walk. Where will the market be tomorrow? No idea, but since Berlin is die Stadt der Märkte, I know that we will find one.

Running Technique

I try to go running a few times a week, and I usually go to Volkspark Wilmersdorf. It is a nice, long park that has gardens, greens, and paths. While I enjoy these runs, I have noticed that people stare at me. I'm not being paranoid; I genuinely think that people are staring. At first, I thought it was because I was/am the only female runner wearing shorts and a t-shirt. While many men wear shorts while running, even on nice days, women are in jogging capris or pants with long sleeved running shirts. I was sure that this was the reason why it seemed everyone was staring at me*.

Jack and I were taking a walk in Volkspark Wilmersdorf this afternoon when I finally realized why we stood out...we were the only normal people there! Everyone else had their own unique way of running or walking. Most of the walkers, even though Berlin is flat as a board, walk with walking sticks as if they were hiking through the Alps. Some runners run with their arms down, flopping by their sides like penguins. Others run like they were a statue of Atlas, posing with each step. A few run with their legs running as if from a horrible creature, but their arms are locked into their bodies, not propelling them at all. With each runner that passed us or walker that walked by, Jack and I couldn't help but stare at the bizarre movements and giggle. Jack joked that I should develop a new running form, perhaps with my arms flailing about and my feet pigeon-toed, in order to fit in. My response? I'm proud to be an American...I'll continue to run normally.

*Footnote, I think it is, in fact, my running clothes, that make people stare...

Tempelhof Park

After visiting a museum and having lunch in an adorable square, Jack and I went to Tempelhof park. Many recommended this park for activities such as biking, roller blading, and running. Seems like your typical park, right? Wrong. This was not your ordinary park. Tempelhof park used to be an airport. Constructed in the 20s, Tempelhof was Berlin's main airport, used during the World Wars, by the American military during the Cold war, and eventually abandoned in 2008. What they have now is a huge park filled with grass and runways. I'm not going to exaggerate here, the place is big. Think of Dulles or Newark converted into a park...it's huge.

Today, unbeknownst to Jack, there was one more addition to the park...a kite festival. More than half of the airport was dedicated to food vendors, bouncy balloon jumpy thingys, music bands, and of course, kites. It took 30 minutes to walk around the airport to find the main entrance, and then down a long runway to reach the festival. Once we finally got there, we roamed the rows of Brotwurst, beer, and pretzel vendors. We watched children and their parents try to fly kites without wind. We listened a German band sing "My Girl" with German accents. While I enjoy walking around parks, this one was truly unique. Next time you're waiting for a plane somewhere, look outside. Picture it as a park, with music, weiners, and beer...

Registration at the "DMV"

When Jack told me that we had to get a Meldebestätigung ("Meld a be schtate a gung) at the Bürgeramt ("Burger amt"), my immediate response was to say "Gesundheit!" It was such a mouthful to say that I could only assume that he sneezed in the middle of saying something about the middle of a state and getting a burger. Turns out, I was wrong. The Bürgeramt is, essentially, like a DMV experience, and the Meldebestätigung is a registration paper. Basically, we had to register that we are living here. Luckily, Jack had an appointment with the Bürger-place to get the Melde-thing.

Unlike the US, you can make appointments at the Bürgeramt, and Germans are timely. We had an 8:20am appointment and we were out by 8:40. Talk about efficiency! Had we been in the US, it would have taken an hour just to get through the line to tell the people what we were there for, and then another hour waiting for the teller, followed by 30 minutes of trying to figure out what to do, only to find out that you don't have the right paperwork and had to do it all over again. We didn't have one piece of information for the "Frau" at the Bürgeramt, but were we turned away? No! Instead, we could email the information that she needed. We left with a Meldebestätigung, which allows us to open a bank account, get a cell phone, and a Visa. I also left with being able to pronounce Meldebestätigung and Bürgeramt. That was a proud moment...

Rain, rain, go away!

dw.de
The letter "w" is pronounced as the letter "v"

lieblings=favorite
zahl= number
Heute= today

It's been raining for the past few days; on and off, but enough to put a damper on my exploring plans. I wanted to go out and explore more of the city, but my dislike of rain kept me away from that. Instead, I have been cleaning, watching The Big Bang Theory (I blame Carolyn for getting me into this show) doing work for my UVA class, and discovering/completing a free self-online German class. I find it ironic that my UVA class is about how to teach second language learners as I am one myself right now...

Jack told me about dw.de, a German website that is written mostly in English. Think of it as a cnn.com-type website with lots of German aspects. It's actually a nifty site. I'd recommend checking it out! On this site, you can learn German for free, and it's actually quite informative. I've only done the first lesson (each lesson takes about 45 minutes), but it incorporates reading, speaking, and writing. It reviewed a lot of what I learned this past summer, but it was good to refresh. Ich heiße Sarah. Ich komme aus den USA. Ich wohne in Berlin. Meine lieblingszahl ist 3. Heute ist Mittwoch. I look forward to tomorrow's lesson that will teach me about the weather, my family, and colors.

On another note, when I did venture out, I discovered a "EuroShop", or a dollar store. It was quite awesome, and I look forward to buying some of Jack's anniversary gifts from there :)

Das Glockenspiel

Die Mitte = an area of Berlin, meaning "The Middle"
Glockenspiel = chimes, ring of bells

Jack and I had quite a busy weekend. Saturday was spent at a HUGE outdoor market that sold everything from food, to jewelry, to pottery, to yarn (cue Susan). This market had rows upon rows of goods that would cause Eastern Market to blush. Later that night, Jack and I walked the 3+ miles to Die Mitte for dinner with a guy Jack met at a conference and his girlfriend. We were at the restaurant for hours, not getting home until 1:00am. We took public transportation (U-Bahn) home.

Sunday was a "surprise day" for me. Jack told me sometime last week that he wanted to take me somewhere on Sunday that he enjoyed when here 2 years ago. I was told to be ready at 1:30. We were going to be walking outside for a while, and I was to be "prepared". To Jack, "prepared" means having an empty bladder, as most-all bathrooms cost money, and we're trying to save. It doesn't help that I bring a water bottle with me wherever I go...

My mind rushed with ideas, wondering where Jack was taking me. We walked to and through the Tiergarten, a 5ish km walk. We walked by the Siegessäule, along the Spree, and ended at the Carillon, a huge glockenspiel in the middle of the Tiergarten (take a look in "Die Fotos" to see!). Every Sunday at 3, there is a 45 minute glockenspiel concert at the Carillon, played on a glockenspiel-like piano somewhere in some building, but comes out of the bell tower of the Carillon. Jack brought a blanket, we sat in the grass, and listened to the concert. The weather was again, perfect, and I shut my eyes, listening to the bells. We walked home by the Bundestag (Parliament), and again took the U-Bahn home.

Ich spreche Deutsch!

"Ein kugel von Pfefferminz, bitte!"

Yes, I speak German...Ich spreche Deutsch! The above quote is what I said to an actual German person who was able to understand me. Not even a week in, and I am speaking to Germans...go me!

Let me rewind a little bit and set the scene...today was an absolutely gorgeous Friday. It almost reached 20 degrees Celsius (thats about 80 degrees Fahrenheit for everyone not participating in the metric system). There was no humidity and sunny...absolutely gorgeous. I started the day with a run around Volkspark Wilmersdorf. It is a nice park that is divided into four sections...the lake, the gardens/soccer field, the green area, and the duck pond. I enjoyed the last section, as there is a bridge that goes over the pond meant only for walkers and runners. I stopped running for a few minutes to just look over the park. Quite pretty! Later on, I went grocery shopping again, as our fridge is very small and can only hold a couple of days worth of food/ingredients at a time. Jack came with me because my "German" is not quite ready for the meat/fish counter.

After a delicious homemade halibut dinner, Jack and I decided to venture out to one of the only places that are open for ice cream past 7:00pm. And that's when I said it..."Ein kugel von Pfefferminz, bitte!" which means, "One scoop of peppermint, please!" This is a very important sentence to know, and I am sure that I will say it over and over again, depending on the flavor that I want. I learned on the walk home that I can add "en eine becher," which means "in a cup". I'm sure that I will practice that part next time!

Bow chicka wow ow...

Preußen = Prussian

park = park

danke schön = thank you, very much

Ventilator= fan

After some much needed sleep (danke schön, Ventilator!), Jack and I woke up at a relatively normal hour, and decided to do our own thing in the morning. I went on a run to explore more of our area, and Jack stayed home to do some work. It was rather nice...kinda made me think of being back home! Afterwards, Jack decided to take a break before lunch, and we around Preußenpark. It is a smallish-sized park, with a big green area, a small cafe, and paths to walk around. 

The sun was out and the weather was warm when Jack and I decided to sit down on a bench. We were enjoying the afternoon when all of a sudden, bow chicka wow ow....people were stripping down to their underwear. I saw thonged women with very white butts. I saw a man in whitey-tighties (even though they were black). I saw a woman not wearing the right sized bra. I felt like a deer in headlights...do I keep people watching? Do I look away? Do we leave? What do we do in the presence of stripping? America has trained us to hide our bodies behind layers of clothing...it's weird to be in a place where they do not feel the same. We ended up leaving a few minutes later, as it was lunchtime and our tummies were rumbling.

You are getting veeery sleeeeepy

ruhig = quiet

Since the night we arrived, Jack and I have been able to get very little sleep. Each night, I toss and turn for at least 3-4 hours, thinking about anything and everything. Jack says that he does the same. At first we attributed this tossing and turning to jetlag. That probably has something to do with it, but last night, at around 1:00am Berlin time, we figured out why we can't sleep. It's quiet...silent...you hear nothing! No trees rustling, no sirens whaling, no crickets/cicadas chirping....totally and completely ruhig. Usually, there are sounds or a fan in our room to act as background noise, but with nothing, Jack and I were going crazy without needed shut-eye. This morning, we ventured back to Karstadt, purchasing the cheapest fan possible. We don't care about the cooling aspect of the fan, we care about the noise that it makes. Cross your fingers that we are able to sleep tonight!

Quest for the Hairdryer

Haartrockner = Hairdryer

One thing that I purposely did not bring with me from America was a hairdryer. I figured that I would find a cheap one here in Berlin, one that I could keep here and bring on all of my European adventures. This sounds like a great idea, in theory, but what I did not calculate was knowing where to find a hairdryer. There are no CVSs, no Walgreens, no Rite Aids. There are pharmacies, but they are strictly for medicine. Grocery stores are strictly for food and few toiletries. Jack and I spent the better part of yesterday looking for a hairdryer. It was pouring rain, cold, and we had no idea where we were...yesterday got interesting.

That is when I learned that hairdryers are pretty much sold exclusively at department stores. Think NYC's Macy's, London's Harrod's, or Paris' Galeries Lafayette...that kind of department store. Luckily, about a 20-30 minute walk away, there was Berlin's Karstadt, a department store that doesn't necessarily rival with Macy's, Harrod's, or Galeries Lafayette, but is pretty darn close. That is how we spent our morning-early afternoon today, and it was great...for me. Jack wasn't too fond of the shopping experience, but, hey! I walked out with a 7,50euro hairdryer and a 12,50euro straightener.

The rest of the day was spent napping and a 4-show marathon of The Big Bang Theory for me. Jack did paperwork... After, we decided to go out to dinner. Jack got a Wiener Schnitzel, and I a chicken schnitzel, which I dissected (per usual). The wine was good...Jack's beer was good. I'd say we had a successful day!

Der Müll- Why can't we all just get along?

Here is your German word of the day: Der Müll= the Trash

In case you didn't know, the Germans are very particular about their trash. No, I do not mean that they separate trash from recyclables, I mean that they separate their trash into categories, as well as their recyclables. Every where you go (apartment dumpster areas and along the streets), there are separate receptacles to sort your trash. Our own apartment trash can has dividers in it! If you are found not sorting your trash, there is some kind of penalty. The categories are: Paper/Cardboard, Plastic/Containers, Glass, Food scraps, and everything else (aka "Restmüll"). Food scraps is the pain in the butt one. Already, I have peeled a carrot, took grapes off of the stalk, and cut off fat of a chicken. These seemingly easy "throw away" items must go into the special container for "bio-Tonne", or food scraps. While this trash sorting may seem simple, here are some conundrums that we have encountered over the past 24 hours:

• used paper towels
• used tissues
• plastic raw chicken container
• aluminum foil

The first two would seem easy. You might think, Of course used paper towels and tissues are for the Restmüll  That's gross! But no! They're made out of paper. Non-used ones would go into the paper trash, so why wouldn't used ones? It may not be that big of a deal, but I don't want to seem like the ignorant American, even though yes, I did put it in the Restmüll. And the plastic raw chicken container? I rinsed it and put it in the plastic/container bin. PS, you get money for some plastic and glass bottles :)

The First Day

Ok, not really the first day...we spent the first half of the day traveling from DC-Berlin, and the 2nd half of the day in Berlin. In my grumpy tiredness, I started keeping a "Europe vs. USA" list in my head. So far, the score is 2-2. Europe earned 2 points for better coffee and friendlier airline staff. USA earned 2 points for no smoking and speaking English. No, I am not looking forward to the next 10 months negatively. I am actually very excited for what is to come! I'm just tired and everyone here is speaking German. Here's to good sleep and somehow learning a language fluently in my dreams!