Berlin: Friday

This is going to be a really long post and I’m tempted to break it up and post it as different posts for different days. There’s just a lot to cover.

Friday I started out and successfully made it via three trains and a bus to my hostel, the Three Little Pigs Hostel (found via hostelbookers.com – a good website). It was my first time staying in a hostel and this one was very nice. It used to be a convent or monastery and the private room I stayed it looked exactly like the St. Joseph Heights, where the Sister of Notre Dame live at home.

After dumping my stuff I asked the guy at the reception desk to pint me in the direction of something interesting. He pointed me in the direction of the Brandenburg Gate and I started walking. Along the way I found the Potsdamer Platz, an exhibition on the Berlin Wall, the memorial to gays and lesbians killed by the Nazis, and the memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Then I reached the Brandenburg gate which was pretty incredible to see something in person that I’ve seen in pictures, TV, and on stickers. It was a “wow” moment. I went into a souvenir shop by the Brandenburg Gate and found a brochure on the Kennedy Museum that looked pretty cool. I went outside and there the Kennedy Museum was so I went through it. And it was cool – lots of Kennedy family photographs, memorabilia, artifacts, and magazine covers.

From the Kennedy Museum I decided I needed a snack and got a “Berliner küchen” which is apple-y, icing-y, and not as good as you would expect. A bit of a let down actually.

Then it was time to march on – this time to Checkpoint Charlie with a side trip to a bookstore that sells English books. (I had finished the book I brought with me on the train ride to Berlin.). Checkpoint Charlie was pretty darn cool. There were displays explaining about the Berlin Wall, attempted escapes, etc.

Right now a Festival of Lights is going on in Berlin. Many famous or important buildings are lit up during the nights. I decided to go on a bus tour of these which was pretty darn cool. I saw lots of landmarks including the Reichstag, Alexanderplatz, the TV tower, Brandenburg Gate, and other fun sites.

After this I was exhausted, so I headed back the Three Little Pigs and crashed for the night.









The Brandenburg Gate



















Checkpoint Charlie

The Memorial to Jews who were killed by the Nazis





























An exhibition of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz.

The Wall is covered with graffitti.




























My nun-like room at the Three Little Pigs Hostel

Good housewives, IKEA, and an 80s party all rolled into one

Hey Everybody!

I’m sorry I haven’t updated sooner – things have been kind of quiet here.

Two weekends ago I visited some of my German cousins including Irmgard and Alois, Christian and his daughter, Sophie, and Marcos and his wife, Melanie. Günther and Annmarie were also there. We had coffee and cake at Irmgard and Alois’s. Everyone says that Irmgard is a good housewife and by that I thought they meant her house was clean, etc. I was mistaken. What they meant is that Irmgard served apfelkuchen that she had made from scratch with apples she picked from her garden. There was also a homemade mocha torte thing that was to die for and homemade bread with supper. She even made the lace that was sewn on the tablecloth. My socks were blown off I was so impressed.

Last week during the week I was pretty homesick, but I don’t think anyone wants to hear about the hard stuff. The homesickness was combated with Skype calls to my family and Lanie. If any of you have Skype and want to contact me that would be wonderful. I really do miss hearing about what’s going on.

I did discover the Paper Studio last week. It’s this little place on campus that is only open for a couple of hours a week where students can do art for free. There’s all these one of a kind rubber stamps, paints, stencils. There is also Norah Jones music (one of my favorites) and tea. It’s warm, inviting, and relaxing. I can’t wait for it to be open again!

This past week had a lot of shopping going on. I found an electronics store and was able to get a better power cord for my laptop so I don’t have to worry about it sparking anymore. I am not a computer person, but I was pretty sure sparking was bad for everything involved. I also got a battery charger for my camera and a second converter. Small things, but things that make life so much easier!

Friday I made another trip to IKEA. This time it was Maria and Lyazzat. I got a duvet cover for my blanket, pillowcases, and a couple of kitchen-y type things. I am still loving IKEA. It’s a wonderful, magical place.

Friday night was a birthday party for my friend Kate. The party had an 80s theme to it, so a few people (myself included) dressed for the occasion. Outrageous make and large hair were all the rage Friday night. There was 80s music, Tom & Jerry cartoons in Japanese (which was sort of baffling), and lots of people. It was a fun night.

The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet, but I am planning a trip to Berlin for this upcoming weekend. I’ve planned my trains and booked a bed in a youth hostel. I’m really looking forward to it and will be sure to post when I get back!

Love,
Elizabeth







Günther, Alois, me, Irmgard













All the 80s people! There were lots more people there, but these are the costumed people. I'm sporting a fashionable Punky Brewster look!

Saskia (from Costa Rica), me, and Maria having a blast at Kate's party!

International Food

Hey Everyone,

I think I’m finally settling into a routine here which is nice. My life revolves around classes and spending time with friends. I had a presentation on Thursday on contemporary Turkish children’s literature that went surprisingly well considering I didn’t know anything about the topic till two days before the presentation. I think the fact the presentation was on 5 – 10 minutes had something to do with it’s success.

This coming Tuesday I have a presentation on American media – something I know about (at least a little anyway). This presentation is an hour and fifteen minutes long though.

This week has sort of been a week for international food, so I thought I would tell you a little bit about the food I’m encountering since I don’t have any cool trips to talk about.

I usually eat yogurt with müsli for breakfast. Sometimes I vary it with bread and cheese or a peanut butter and honey sandwich. It’s not that different from my American breakfasts.

Lunch I try to eat something “good” (which usually means hot). There is a café on campus called “Die Friseur” and my friends and I usually eat there. I’ve tried gulasch with pork there and really liked it a lot. I also tried kartoffelgulash which is like vegetable soup only with better spices. It is so good! If the special isn’t something I like I usually get pasta – it’s a safe fall back.

Dinner is a something different every night. If I’m not in the mood to go out or do anything it’s bread and cheese. I love döners which are good for lunch or supper. Pizza is also cheap and good here. There is a place up the road that makes it when you order it and bakes it in a fire oven – it’s cool.

Last night, Saturday, Maria cooked us Trinidadian (Trini) food which was AMAZING. Stewed chicken, homemade potato salad, macaroni pie (baked mac’n’cheese with carrots),“peas” (veggie mix), and salad. It was really, really incredible. I’m going to have to get the recipes from her.

Tonight, for the first time, I tried blinis which are little Russian pancakes. We put different toppings on them (ham, cheese, onions, sour cream, etc.) and ate them for dinner and then put sweet toppings (honey, nutella, fruit, jam, etc.) on them and ate it for dessert. It was pretty amazing.

I also snack on a lot of fruit and have discovered spekulatius, a kind of ginger Christmas cookie. I love them. I also like kasastanger – crispy cheese sticks, but I don’t buy those as often – they disappear to quick. I've also had the opportunity to eat crepes twice - once filled with bananas and nutella - what a treat!

My friend Maria’s host parents have invited me to tea twice (and I actually drank the tea) and they had really good homemade pastries. I can’t figure out why the pastries here are so much better than the ones in the States. There has to be some trick to it.

I’ll keep you update on my gastronomical experiences and the other more exciting ones as well.

Love, Elizabeth





Donnerstag (Thursday) is Doner-Tag!
My favorite doner place sells doners for cheap on Thursdays




















Embracing local culture with pretzels and beer at GSA Oktoberfest













Trini food night at the Blue House
From Left: Lyazzat, Maria, Ben, Kate
and whole lot of good food!












A plate of good Trini food!









Maria, me, Lyazzat, Ben