Latin has poisoned my fagile little mind
Hi, my name is Will
(Hi Will)
and it's been 3 weeks since I last played video games.
(clap clap clap)
Eh, this is definitely a good thing. I'm having a lot more fun actually spending time with like, people, and it's been a good week or so as a result.
1. Meeting English-ers and Dancing with Fast Food
2. The Hammurabi's Wall
3. Du, du hasst, du hass die Berliner Philharmoniker!
4. Favorite foods
5. Rambling Incoherrant Thoughts of a Spaceout in Berlin
1. I actually met/made friends with several English speakes over the weekend. I was stranded on a train station at 1 AM because the trains had stopped running and asked these two guys, who I thought were German and were sticking around for a reason, if there was another train coming. Turns out they were Irish, though it took me a little while to figure out that they were speaking English. They were in town for a soccer game and didn't know about the trains either, so we split a cab. Irish soccer hooligans are the nicest people! I got out on the way and they told me not to worry about the fare. No, the whole thing was not a stupid decision.
Then I found out that the girl giving out fliers everyday on our corner is actually from NY. I started talking to her, but I think she has been in Germany too long, as the whole "mind your own bussiness" mindset seemed to have set in. Or maybe that's the NY attitude instead.
My program is situated above another American abroad program and we can see into their lounge area. It feels a lot like we are watching animals in a zoo, so we put signs up on our windows with "Der Zoo: Don't Feed the Animals" written backwards on it so that they would read the backwards text and know that they were the ones in the cage. This turned out to be not so much a story about meeting people as angering people.
Then on Saturday we met an American girl in a winery. She was actually from the IES Vienna program visiting Berlin. She was very friendly, but long story short, in making a reference to a Futurama episode, she 'heiled' in the middle of the winery. Cea was quick to yank the girl's arm down, but we left very shortly therafter.
Saturday was also Cea's birthday celebration and, after the heiling incident, it was pretty sweet. I went to my first German dance club called "Fast Food (something else)," which was a slightly American club in the only Chinese restaraunt allowed in the DDR. I had all the lights and smoke and bass you'd expect, but with very few trashed people, which was nice. They mostly played American music and I don't think I've ever danced so hard.
It was much more fun than we seem to be having.
2. Franka, my host, gave me tickets to go see the Babylon exhibit at a museum here. I searched "Staatliche-Museen" on google, and I was all set to get there for my 11 o'clock tour. Upon arrival, however, the museum was completely closed and in the middle of remodeling. As it turns out, "Staatliche-Museen" just means "State Museum," of which there are many. Woops. So I was left with nothing else to do in the Checkpoint Charlie area of Berlin except take pictures of the wall and other historical tourist traps, seen here: (sorry, lazy, uploading soon)
3. I had my first real introduction to Ramstein in my Drug, Sex, Rock 'n Roll, and Soccer class, taught by the most hilariously awkward 60 year old man ever, Wolfgang. The band is every bit as crazy as everyone thinks, except for the lead singer. He is a fairly unintimidating, flabby, dopey looking guy who barely moves on stage, though has a thoroughly haunting voice. I dont suggest these two videos though:
This one is funny and makes fun of America:
This one is kinda cool and shows off their well hidden nerdy side:
In other musical news, I tried to go see the Berliner Philharmoniker on Sunday at a musicfestivl at Templehoff Airport, Hanger 2, but my group was the first to not get tickets. I'll have to try to see them on their home turf instead.
4. Favorite Foods Thus Far
-Doner: Like a gyro, but with more veggies and sauces, delicious. Equivalant to burger in terms of availability.
-Bouletten: basically a burger with no bun and made with lots of spices and onions on a skillet.
-Schawarma: not sure how it differs from a Doner, but it's even better.
-Borrito: Not German, but god damn delicious.
-Eggs: Hadn't really liked them before this summer, but here they are better than in the college house. Sorry Joe.
-Burger King: It's better here. Shut up.
-MSG: All Chinese places have it here
-Salami/Margharita (not like the drink) Pizza: Delicious, but I will not eat it with fork and knife, that's one of 2 things I will not yeld to the Germans over.
5.
-Berlin at 6 am on Saturday is just like 28 Days Later. I kept expecting hungover zombies 'enraged' by headaches to chase me down and throwup all over me, thereby making me start to throw up and get pissed off.
-Boulette. I already mentioned it, but now I really want it.
-Speaking of video games, it's also not bad that I'm missing out because by the time I get back, all the games I can waste my money on will be older and thus cheaper!
-Escaltors make me look stupid. They look out of order, but they're really just off and waiting for you to get on so they can pounce when it's too late to get your footing! Other times, they're reverse direction if you walk into an opposite moving one. However, this is NOT, NOT always the case. I haven't yet figured out what gives away these predatorial pathways.
2 Kommentare:
I knew you would love doner! Have another one for me...
I forget, do the escalators in Berlin move ridiculously, ridiculously fast? That seems to be the case in all of the formerly communist states I've been to. They're like scary communist Disney rides, where death is 100% guaranteed. I don't remember Berlin's though.
Aaaaaanyway glad you're having fun and we'll miss you at Grammy's!
Kommentar veröffentlichen