I decided to switch things up so I could get more steps today by taking the S-Bahn which is a further walk than the U-Bahn. The S-Bahn is always less crowded but it was super chilly this morning and I regretted some of my outfit choices! After class this morning, I stayed at the abroad center to work on a group homework with Tristan. We got everything done in about a half hour so Tal and I went to the state library after and got some work done. We both needed to get lunch so we walked to a bahn mi place nearby. I lost track of time a bit as we were eating and chatting so I had to race back to the study abroad center for class. Luckily, I was only about 4 minutes late and caught the class before they left for our field trip. We went to an EU Information center and watched a few videos there about the EU for our upcoming group project about EU institutions. After the field trip, I went back to the center for my next class and found out I am supposed to do my focus question presentation on Wednesday! In my head, the dates for these presentations are super far in the future but I guess since I'm doing the first topic on the list, mine is sooner. I was kinda stressed about that for the rest of the day so after I came back and made some dinner, I got started with some research. I think I have everything mapped out now so I can start making the presentation and practicing tomorrow. Luckily, it's only 10-12 minutes and I have plenty to talk about.
Tuesday I went to my classes at the IES center then stopped at a cafe on my way back to the apartment to get some work done. I've been wanting to try this cafe forever and the vibes were really nice! The high tables inside were a bit uncomfy for a long period of time but it was too chilly to sit outside at a lower table. I got all of the slides done on my presentation and had a yummy chai and chocolate croissant. I walked from the cafe back to my apartment then got changed and went for a run at the Volkspark near me. It's been delightfully chilly so I was a really pleasant temperature on my run and it wasn't too crowded in the park (though there were still lots of runners!). I did some more work on my presentation then made some dinner. Petra had her language forum tonight so I had the house to myself - perfect for practicing my presentation! I felt pretty good about where I was at with it so I called it a night and went to bed.
I didn't have German class in the morning on Wednesday since we got extra contact hours during the language intensive week. That means I got to sleep in a bit before meeting Willa and Tal at another cafe near me in Schöneberg. I've been wanting to try this place forever and it was really yummy! We did work for most of the morning before I had to make my way to the IES center for my afternoon classes. It was a presentation heavy day since I had a group presentation about the EU Parliament in my Germany and the EU class and my Expelled Germans presentation in my German Welfare State class. I think both presentations went pretty well! I also got back my first set of grades from the papers I wrote last week. They also went pretty well though the professor said my german was linguistically confusing at times haha. After classes I stopped by the store on the way home then made a delicious grilled cheese for dinner. I also had apples and honey since it's Erev Rosh Hashanah. L'Shana Tovah! I have some work to do this weekend but I decided to take my time with it and took the night off. I read some of my book and watched some TV before going to bed.
Thursday I had the day off for Tag der Deutschen Einheit (German Unification Day)! I slept in a bit and had a chill morning before heading out to the Brandenburger Tor. Usually there's a large festival and lots of activities there for unification day but for some reason, the main celebrations are being held in a smaller city north of Berlin this year. There were still a ton of people milling around and protesting in the square though! I walked from the Tor to the victims of the wall memorial which was quite small. On the way, I passed the very controversial memorials to soviet soldiers who died taking Berlin from the Nazis and to homosexual victims of the Nazis. In my Politics of Memory classes at Bates, we have discussed the design and implications of these memorials so it was cool to see them in person and be able to analyze them. Anyway, I took a bus to the Berlin fairgrounds to check out the Autumn Fair with Willa. It was pretty similar to a county or state fair back in the US but the food offerings were a bit more German (think Bratwurst and fries with ketchup and mayo). Willa and I got some fries and chocolate covered strawberries and did a few laps around the fairgrounds. After getting back to my apartment, I watched some Heartstopper (since the new season came out today!!) before getting ready to meet some friends at a biergarten. We got some drinks then decided to find some cheap food and ate some delicious indian food at 10:30pm. After that, we decided to check out a dancing bar and made some friends with some locals. The dancing bar was about a 15 minute walk to my apartment so I walked home and crashed out!
East Side gallery, controversial memorials, Autumn fair, and yummy late night indian food! Happy Tag der Deutschen Einheit:
I slept in a bit and had a super chill morning on Friday to recover a bit from my night out. I ended up doing a lot of stuff around the house - cleaning my room, doing laundry, and cooking some food. I went grocery shopping in the afternoon then read for a while. I did a bit of homework in the evening then watched a movie and called it a night.
Saturday was a much bigger day. I woke up and ate breakfast before going to meet Paige and Tal at the Social Hub (my home for the first week in Berlin!). We made some challah together then left the dough to rise. To kill the prove time, we went to the pumpkin festival in Schöneberg! To be honest, there was a lack of pumpkins! I was definitely expecting more pumpkin decorations and pumpkin flavoured treats but it was still a good time. I had some glühwein (mulled warm wine), Quarkbällchen (similar to funnel cake but somehow made with cheese? I'm still a bit confused about what they are), and gnocchi from a food truck. After the pumpkin festival fun, we headed back to braid the challah and let it rest for another round. Paige and I left Tal for the last prove and got ready for another night out. We met up with our friend Max to play some games at his place before heading out to a bar. The bar we wanted to go to was having a private event so we found a different bar/club and went there instead. It was boat/ocean themed which was really fun. The music was a great mix of throwback songs and we had an amazing time! Afterward, we grabbed some döner then went our separate ways home.
Sunday was another recovery day for me since I didn't get home until about 3am. I slept in and had a slow morning before heading back to the Social Hub to eat the challah and do work with Tal and Paige. Unfortunately, there were DJs recording a set in the study area so it was pretty loud. Luckily, I was still able to get a good chunk of my work done before heading out. I ate some more challah on my way home then made a big dinner for myself. I did a bit more work in the evening before calling it a night and settling down for some TV and an early night. Back to it tomorrow morning!
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