Berlin Was an Indescribable Trip I Can’t Get Over
On German soil history was tangible to me. In Berlin it I could taste it.
On German soil history was tangible to me. In Berlin it I could taste it.
On multiple occasions I’ve seen couples (of all ages) cycling next to one another, holding hands. 1. I would never see this in Canada. Then again, people there rarely ride bicycles let alone in Prince George. Could you imagine if one of them went to swerve a pothole? 1.5 A more pressing question is, is this remotely possible in Amsterdam? (Reference my last post.) I can just see it now: ‘Couples Dies in Tragic Death-By-Tram Accident.’ 2. These couples must be head-over-heels, this is hardly a casual act. I’m imagining that classic scene where the a couple sits in a movie theatre and He yawn/stretches and whoops! His arm is around his lady friend. There’s no whoops-I-swerved-in-close-enough-and-caught-your-hand, gotcha! No sir, this is a mutually executed display of affection. 3. Do they get extra points for going further distances? Nonetheless, very sweet I suppose.
I was too exhausted to even try to order food in German and just sat at a table and tried to stay awake long enough for my food to arrive. Best doener of my life. I probably ended up spilling ¼ of it and made a terrible mess, rather fitting for the hot mess I had become. I know, I know, I know! I’ve been totally AWOL in the last little while. For about a week and a half I sincerely did not have much to write about or was just lacking inspiration. Plus, the weather was grey and depressing, sigh. And then things got a little busy and then well…this weekend “happened.” Quotations are denoting the magnitude of my ‘night’ in HanGover. Good lord. I’ve run into quite the posse of fantastic people in Hanover. Networking through facebook, ex-patriot social sites, friends of friends, we have created quite the conglomerate of international young adults. Most of us girls are au pairs, with the exception being Lorna, now an ex-au-pair but dating a great German guy and …
If I told you that I had intended on an hour long Wog (Jog with intermittent walking) I would be lying.
There isn’t a lot to report on at the moment.
…I mean packaging…portions. Within the first few days of commencing my au pair duties here in Germany, I went grocery shopping with HostdDad. My primary observation was the packaging of foodstuff. Had I eaten a slice of Dutch Space cake that had caused me to grow, and subsequently my environment to shrink? [http://www.amsterdamlogue.com/space-cakes-a-5-hour-mental-party.html] Rice in 500 gram packages…Muesli, 1/4 the size of a generic Canadian box of cereal, milk sold (only) by the litre. Why? Was there literally less shelf space in European grocery stores? Had Ikea placed a quota on the size of refrigerators? Or is this a relic of a world war- a former strategy for rationing food? With an arsenal of unanswered questions, I was later confronted with some very conflicting observations. A couple days later HostDad served me an Erdinger Weissbier dinner. What a legitimate beer. “Okay, the rice is sold in 500 gram packages and this bottle of beer is at least twice the size of a Canadian beer. Passing judgement, I can conclude that at least Germans have their …
Contrary to popular opinion, I had a delightful evening, yet uneventful, evening working on my coursework.
Alright, quick update. This week has largely been uneventful and the weather quite grey (but at least not wet). I’m feeling slightly deceived by the summer weather that graced my first weekend here. HostDad left on Sunday morning for Texas and so it’s just been HostMom and I, and Matti of course! I expected this would be a hectic week full of dirty diapers, dropping Matti off, retrieving him, etc. It just so happens though, that today (Thursday) is a national holiday. Given that the holiday falls on a Thursday, many business just say to hell with it on the Friday and call it a “bridge weekend.” Loves it. Yesterday was my first trip into Hanover. Hanover is the capital of Lower Saxony (the “province” if you will) that Celle lies in. It is about a 25 minute train ride and will cost you 18 Euro round trip if you don’t have a discount card (which I don’t). HostMom needed to meet with a lawyer for a couple hours so I took the opportunity to head into …
It’s beyond my understanding as to why the house I’m living in, here in Germany, does not have exterior door knobs. They are simply handles, but they don’t turn. It probes one to ask why it is even there, given that it isn’t functional…The greatest consequence of this characteristic is, that a person must carry keys with her if she is going outside and intends to close the door behind her. I’m surprised that there isn’t a population of residents wandering the streets, accidently locked out of their houses… Thoughts?
When every lock has a skeleton key. Classic scenario: You’ve been drinking and you get stuck in the bathroom. You fiddle with it, all the while hoping that no one on the outside can hear your struggle or smell your panic. The toilet is smarter than your phone. You use the toilet and you flush, if you’re from North America it’s a one shot deal. I’m sorry to say though, the dignified European toilet involves a slight learning curve. Scenerio: you make your business, turn and tap the lever to flush. Whooosh. Hey wait, that didn’t work. Tap lever again. Whoosh. Go to wash hands. Oh fuck, goooo away! Tap lever again. Whoosh! Ohmyfrickinggodalready! Flush goddam it! Hold down the lever for an entire 10 seconds to ensure that waste entirely disposed of. “Finally! Gosh, the whole house is going to think I demolished the bathroom and all I did was blow my nose and toss the tissue in the bowl!” Note to self: hold the lever down, tap not. All cell phones have a trinket …