Welcome back to another week of Shenny in Berlin! Monday was a super exciting day because I started my German intensive class AND moved in with my lovely homestay host (Gastgeberin, in German), Petra! To start the morning, I traveled to the study abroad center and found out I was placed in the second-highest German class. This was definitely some intimidating news but I was also proud of myself for testing well on the placement test. The class is taught completely in German which is great for working on my proficiency! However, it is challenging and can feel frustrating at times. We did some review of vocabulary and question words then jumped straight into some getting-to-know-you activities in German. We had class for 3 hours with a 30 minute break, then I went on a community walk to learn more about the area surrounding the study abroad center and find some good lunch spots. I grabbed lunch to go then went back to my housing to pack up the rest of my stuff. I took an Uber to Petra's apartment (Wohnung) so I didn't have to manhandle my bags on the U-Bahn. Once I arrived and met Petra, she gave me a tour of the (large) apartment and the neighborhood. We live in Schöneberg which is in the former American sector and a very beautiful area (hence the name - schön is beautiful in German). After our walk, I was able to unpack, relax, and work on some homework. Petra made me dinner which consisted of Maultaschen, which Wikipedia describes as "a kind of large, meat-filled dumpling," and Kartoffelsalat (potato salad). Dessert was strawberries and whipped cream and it was all delicious! Petra doesn't speak much English so I have a really great opportunity to work on my German at home as well! So far, she mostly talks at me and I try to answer her questions as best I can (though, my grammar needs work and my vocab is severely lacking). Hopefully, by the end of the semester we can have actual conversations that extend further than me saying "ja, genau, natürlich" (yes, exactly, naturally).
Tuesday, I woke up a bit earlier than usual because Petra offered to make me breakfast. We had a traditional German breakfast which is very similar to a charcuterie board. There were toasted rolls (Brötchen), butter, yogurt spread, cream cheese, Wurst, cheese (Käse), veggies, and crackers. I had a poppy seed roll and tried all the spreads with various combinations. I also took a roll with sausage and cheese to-go for lunch. Petra told me the best way to get to the study abroad center and sent me on my way for another 3-hour German session. Tuesday's class was more of the same, we had some short speaking presentations, did a pronunciation mini-lesson, and learned a ton of new vocabulary. After class, I had a homestay orientation which was basically just a chance for all the homestay students to meet and talk about their experiences so far. I didn't have a ton to contribute since I just moved in the day before, but it was nice to meet other people and learn more about their homestay situations. I took the S-Bahn back to Petra's, then went grocery shopping for a few essential items. I'm still not 100% sure if Petra will cook for me most nights/mornings or if I'm supposed to make my own food so I'm playing it by ear for the next couple of days until we figure out a routine. She told me last night that this will be an experiment for both of us since it's her first time hosting a student and my first time living with a host! She went out to meet some friends so I cooked up some pasta and had a relaxing rest of my night.
By Wednesday, I felt like I was finally starting to feel comfortable in Berlin! I made my own breakfast, took the U-Bahn to class and back, made some lunch, and spent the afternoon trying not to melt from this heat wave. In classic German/European fashion, there is no AC in my apartment so I have been relying solely on cool drinks and a slight breeze from the open windows (Lüften*) to cool down. I had a super chill afternoon and made myself a quick dinner then headed out to a Biergarten with some friends. It was really fun and I feel like I have some friends in the program now! We left the Biergarten and got some snacks at a corner store, then sat along the river and enjoyed this beautiful view of the Fernsehturm. I definitely shouldn't have stayed out so late when I had a 9am class the next day, but it was worth it to get to know my friends better and feel more comfortable in my social life.
*Learn more about Lüften on the terms page!
Thursday was still super hot despite the dream I had where it was cold outside. I was super tired and tried to wake up as late as possible. However, I didn't realize Petra had made some breakfast so I had a super quick breakfast with her before heading out to class. I actually took the correct exit and walked the right way out of the U-Bahn station which made me feel pretty good about myself haha! For German class, we watched a documentary about the Humbolt brothers then took a field trip to the Humbolt Forum and got to walk through a museum about Berlin. To be honest, I was pretty tired and not super in the mood to read a ton of placards at a Museum so I went through relatively quickly. Afterward, I walked with my friend Avery back to the IES center and got some lunch. I had to see a doctor to get my epi-pen prescription (long story) which was a super interesting experience. I also had to go to the Apotheke to pick up my epi-pens. This was a great test of my German language proficiency! I helped Petra make dinner and held a little bit of conversation with her. I told her a bit about my day and answered some follow up questions! We were both tired from the heat and our days so we called it an early night.
Friday we had some more orientation programming about finding our identity while abroad with both orientation groups. I got a drink and a snack at the cafe right below the center during one of our breaks and got to see some of my friends who are in the other orientation group. Then, the program treated us to lunch at a nearby restaurant. I had schnitzel, sausages with sauerkraut, spinach knödel, part of a soft pretzel, and potato salad. It was yummy and tasted even better because it was free! After that, I walked around a park with some friends before heading back to my apartment. I went out to do some light shopping for toiletries and a cool drink to beat the heat. I sat and read a little then Petra came back with her son and grandson! I was a bit nervous to meet them since my German is a bit choppy but they were both very nice and it was great to meet them. They were mostly playing in the living room so I read a bit more and made dinner. Afterwards, I headed out to Holzmarkt to meet some friends. Holzmarkt is a super cool biergarten/riverside park with lots of food vendors. It was a really neat area and a great place to hang out with some friends on a Friday evening! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures so you'll just have to take my word that it was a cool spot and that I have friends :)
Saturday I did a lot of sleeping in and chilling in the morning, then headed to Pöltzensee to meet my friend Tal. Pöltzensee is a lake in Berlin north of Charlottenburg and it was pretty crowded. We still managed to find a spot on the sand in the shade and go for a ncie long swim. We both agree it's the first time we've actually felt cool in Berlin. Hopefully next week brings some much needed relief form the heat. After I got back from the lake, Petra was out so I had some leftovers for dinner and had a chill rest of the evening.
On Sunday, I slept in again and had a laid back breakfast. I did some more reading and a bit of homework in the afternoon while waiting for the clouds to come before I took a walk. I walked around the neighborhood and to the Harry Potter park that is near our apartment. It was so cool and so much bigger than I thought it would be! I walked just over 3 miles through the entire park, then meandered back to the apartment and cooked up some dinner. Petra was out on a boat with some friends so we chatted a bit when she got back. In the evening, I got my stuff sorted out for the first day of classes tomorrow then watched some Criminal Minds before bed. It was a really chill weekend but I got some much needed rest after all the orientation activities. It's hard to believe I've only been in Berlin for about a week and a half!
Some pictures from my walk through the park and the Harry Potter playground from afar!
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