Unter den Linden

Guten Tag Alle!

Berlin has continued to get better and better. I really can not believe I am here most of the time. I have to constantly remember that I am in Germany and that it is real. The thing that makes me the happiest is to think that I have 5 more weeks here! The first one definitely flew by as I know the others will but I hope to make the most of the next five weeks. We made a list of all the things we want to do, foods we want to try, and places we want to go today. I think this will be helpful in accomplishing everything we hope to do before we go.

School is going really well. Anna is in my class but unfortunately Kathleen is in another one. We still go to lunch together though since were in the same building. I met a boy from Rome and one from Barcelona. There are a few kids from London as well and other countries. It is so cool to meet people from all around the world! I don't know how I would have been able to otherwise. Like always, they speak English too because almost all Europeans know at least another language besides their own. It makes me jealous that they are working on their third or fourth while I am trying so hard for a second.

Its been raining here a lot but it's supposed to get nicer next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I definitely didn't sufficiently pack for this kind of weather.




We got stuck in the rain on the way to lunch. It came out of no where


A building on the corner of the street of my school. I think its beautiful.


Last night we went out in search of a restaurant and to get drinks as well. We ended up in Oranienburg Strasse and ate at a great Indian Restaurant. I know I know I'm in GERMANY so why would we eat at and Indian restaurant? Because the place was that cool. It was all outside but made you feel like you were inside. It has been really cold her this week so they had heaters set up everywhere. It was extremely colorful and had really good drinks. We all ordered a shot together to toast to our trip in Berlin.

This is what the restaurant looked like



Me and Perot, the boy I met the first day when I was lost


Anna and Kathleen

After the restaurant, we stopped at a bar with a DJ. It was small inside but we got a table and ordered more drinks. It was about 3AM before we finally got home. We decided next time to drink before we go out so we don't have to spend so much money on it when we are out. Everything was normally priced but when you compare it to the dollar it feels like you spent wayyy too much. Kathleen and Anna slept in my apartment and we didn't wake up until about 1 pm.

After we finally rolled ourselves out of bed, we went in search of a cafe to get a sandwich and coffee. Somehow that turned into us taking the SBahn one stop to Unter den Linden Strasse and spending the day sightseeing.


Some pretty wild flowers on a side street near my apartment


We stopped at a pizza place for lunch had the worlds worst pizza. Not only was it really bland tasting but we thought it would be a good idea to add some crushed red pepper to it. Normally I can stand a small amount so I figured this would be the same situation. Nope. The guy warned us that their red pepper was really hot but it didn't prepare us for the ridiculous truth of that statement. It was one of the hottest things I have ever eaten. I had to run up and order another drink. While I was waiting in line, I thought my lips were going to melt off and I had to inhale and exhale real slow. The girl in front of me kept looking at me weird and I was sweating by the time I got my drink.


After our torturous meal, we went over to a famous palace by the Opera to have dessert and coffee. The palace is a hotel/restaurant/cafe and is famous for the cakes and pastries it has. We each got a slice of cake (it took us like 3o minutes to choose) and shared them. They were unbelievable. It made up for our disastrous meal by far.


After that we ventured across the street where they were having a second hand book sale. I got a two German books to read. One is about the level of a fifth grader and the other is middle school level. I am really excited to read them because it will really help my German. I hope to be to be able to read much harder books by the time I leave. My host mother gave me like ten more books to read as well.

We also saw many very famous buildings like the Dom and Germany History Museum. We plan to go back tomorrow so we can go into all the buildings and really spend time learning about all the history. We also found this huge hidden library that we are going to buy a month pass for. It is beautiful! We plan on going there to do homework and study. Why not? It is hundreds of years old and I dont know when I will ever have the opportunity to study in somewhere like it again. Im really excited about it.
The library we love.


I ate dinner with my family when I got home and played card games with Charlotte and my host mother. They spoke only in German and I had to ask them only once in a while to explain in English. This is a good sign! I am slowly getting there...

I hope everyone is doing well back in the US. I miss you all and wish you could be here with me!

Wir gehen in die Tiergarten und BIERGARTEN!

Guten Tag jedenmann!

I have officially fallen in love with Berlin. I love the people, the architecture, the food, most importantly the beer and the family I am living with. I may never come back. Just kidding. There is plenty I miss about America but there is just so many wonderful things here.

My host sister, Charlotte, wants to bring me in for show-and-tell... I think I'm flattered? Either that or I may really be something odd to look at. I am supposed to go into her english class and talk to the kids about the USA. I'll let you know how awkward that ends up being when I go in a few weeks.

I began my German class and there are only about 8 of us in the class which is nice. My teacher told us she doesn't speak any english (which I think she lied about in order to force us to try harder) but the class itself seems pretty easy. We have only had one class so far so maybe that is all but I had no problems understanding her. Alles war sehr klar.

We didn't have class today so Kathleen, Anna, and I went exploring. We naturally found a mall first which was fun but not as amazing as the bakeries we stopped at. OH WOW. I can't even justly describe the things that were in these Backeri's. Not only delicious smelling bread but pastries and incredible coffee. We first got a chocolate Cressant and it was to die for. Melt in your mouth amazing. I got an Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) and that was so good too.

Next we ventured to the Tiergarten, literally translated means Animal Garden. I navigated us there (considering I am a pro Berliner now :) ) and it was a beautiful part of the city near the Brandenburger Tor. It was a huge park that went for miles filled with flowers and yes, of course, animals. They had a section with exotic birds and other animals. We kept hearing this one strange roar from an animal we never found and Anna was certain they were keeping a dinosaur locked up somewhere. I agreed.

We made our way to a Biergarten and ordered out first authentic German bier. It was amazing and a lot more effective than American Beer. I know I don't drink often but I immediately felt this.























We shared a pizza and got the bright idea to get in one of the rowboats near the Biergarten. It was a lot of fun and took a lot of balancing on our parts to not completely tip it over. There were a few close calls though don't worry.



Me and Anna Trying to row out of the bushes



Me and Kathleen!!


Tomorrow I have class from 9-3 but Thursday we are going to see a German movie with everyone in the program and then start on our first night out. It is very convenient that I have an apartment so we can all come back to the same place and no one has to travel home by themselves at night.

Sometimes I think I have "American" literally written on my forehead. Germans stare at me a lot and I'm thinking I must wear or do obviously American things. Like wear flip-flops. Today for the first time I finally saw someone wearing sandals. I usually get confused looks at my feet. I mean I don't have the prettiest feet either but it's not like I have six toes. Maybe they stare because I stare at them sometimes, but other times, I think its just me. Oh well who knows. I am excited to meet new people here. We already drag that poor kid I met the first day when I was lost everywhere we go. I feel bad because he is such a quiet kid and the three of us just gab about the dumbest things all day. He has to hate it but he hangs out with us still so maybe not? I think I will become good friends with the other 7 people in my class so that will be good.

Anyways, I will write more some other time when something exciting happens. Kathleen showed me how to add pictures so I will post some and add the ones of my flat below. Talk to you all soon!

Ich fliege nach Berlin...und alle sind schone

So, after an excruciatingly long flight, I arrived in Berlin! I left on Friday at 6pm and arrive Saturday at 11:30am. I could not sleep for more than 20 minutes on the plane and I really paid for it later on. Luckily, all of my luggage arrived and I found my host family when I walked out of the gate.

The mother Kristin and the 11 year-old Charlotte met me at the airport. They immediately pointed out the amount of luggage I had ( I thought I had packed very well considering I was coming for two months) but after spending only two days here I now know why. EVERYTHING HERE IS MINI-SIZED. We’re talking food, toilettes, towels, ovens, washing machines… you name it, they have it, 10x’s smaller. And I thought I knew how environmentally conscious they were when I came here 4 years ago but WOW. They have a container for plastic, glass, paper, and organic food. Not only in their homes but lining every street. Yup, I have to put scraps of fruit, vegetables, and other organic products in a specific container. And yes, you guessed it, their garbage cans are the size of small bathroom garbage cans you might see at home.

But anyways, I came back to their apartment to find the best surprise of all…I have my own apartment!!!! I live across from them in a little flat with a kitchen, two beds, and sitting area with a couch and a bathroom. I will put pictures up if I learn how. I have a key to their apartment too and I go over there for meals and to hang out with them.

They all speak four languages, one being English, but for my benefit they hardly speak English to me. When they speak slow, I basically understand what they are saying, but there are times they ramble off and they lose me. I think I have a strong chance of becoming fluent by the end of this. If not…that’s embarrassing.

I live in what once was East Berlin. I am lucky because I am in the very heart of Berlin where all the museums, monuments, clubs/bars, and good restaurants are. The first day I arrived here, Kristin and Charlotte took me on a small tour around the area. (Charlotte rode on a Uni-cycle the whole time, which I found extremely interesting but was nothing beyond normal to them). We went to look at a piece of the Berlin wall which is basically in my backyard and she pointed out other sites along the way. We went to a supermarket and again, everything was small. They bought only what they needed which was apparently more than they usually buy because I was visiting but you never would have guessed. The meat was extremely fresh too. The Metzger (butcher) was really friendly and you could tell all of the meat was non-processed and straight from farms.

By the time I got back, I was so exhausted I had to almost physically keep my eyes open while I watched Charlotte and Felix (their 13 year-old son) play Wii. I am the fourth girl they have hosted here but they keep talking about this one girl Ashley. They have pictures of her framed around the apartment and the little girl charlotte is in love with her. So, I have some competition apparently. We will have to see if I can live up to Ashley’s standards.

We had crepes for dinner with Nutella (my favorite, you know Rach) and strawberries. You could also make one with mushrooms and cheese which I tried and liked as well. The husband came home that night (Peter) and talked all about Obama’s visit to Germany. I live with some serious Obama lovers and that seems to be the main opinion in Germany. The man is making some intense peace in Europe. I learned more about the politics in America from Peter than our own newspapers.

When I finally went to bed, I passed out the minute I laid on the bed. I woke up at 4 am which was really like 10pm our time and read until I fell asleep again at 5:30. I slept about 13 hours in total.

After breakfast, and explaining the controversy between John and Kate plus Eight who had decided to grace the German newspapers, though the Germans have never heard of them, I looked up how to get to my university. Apparently, there is more than one Freie University in Berlin. I did not realize this though, and took the map from google I printed and ran to catch the S-bahn.

As I am on the train, I decided to ask someone if I was on the right track. Nope. According to the map I had printed, I was going the wrong direction. A boy got off the train with me to help get me on the next one. He was really nice and had a backpack full of boxes of different cologne…it was strange. So he helped me get onto another train where I asked another couple on the train if I was correct. That is when they made the discovery that I was headed towards the wrong University. Phenominal. So, they gave me directions to a bus stop from the train station we stopped at next. Once I found the buses, I asked someone else to help me find out which one and after getting on the wrong bus TWICE, an American boy came up to me and asked if I was a part of Fubis. I swear, the clouds parted and angels sang. I was so happy to find an English speaking American looking for the same place as me. Together we found the university and we were only 15 minutes late.

I met Kathleen and Anna there, two girls from James Madison, and we went to each other’s houses after the orientation. They live about 10 minutes from the university. I live about 30 if I do it correctly. After navigating to their houses and everywhere else, I am now extremely efficient at understanding S-bahn, U-bahn, and bus schedules. I’m proud.

I have had the bread and wurst here (sausages) but other than that I have not really had a chance to taste some great German food. (Andrew, this is where I need my partner in crime). I am sure that will happen soon though. And I MUST find some Milka, my favorite German chocolate. Tomorrow I will be interviewed at the university and they will tell me which class I am in. I hope Anna, Kathleen, and I all get into the same class. But we will have to wait and see. I plan to go to a cell phone store as soon as I get out so I can contact people here. I can call from Skype at my school so I will also be on there tomorrow.

All in all it has been very busy but very exciting so far. I still can not believe I am here and I feel like I am going to wake up at any moment back in my bed in Sparta. I was slightly homesick the first night when I had no means to contact anyone. They didn’t have the pass code for me to use their internet so I felt slightly isolated from being able to contact anyone, including Kathleen and Anna. But though today was hectic, I really got a chance to learn how to navigate all over the city. Even after two days, I am beginning to pick up German more and more. How can you not? Everyone is speaking it wherever you go and every sign is in German. I think slowly, I will begin to get it without even realizing it.

Anyways, I miss you all and I will continue to let you know more about what happens while I am here. I know there will be some interesting stories. I hope everyone is well and I will write more later. Tschus!

Pre - Germany

Hey Everyone!

So I decided the easiest way for everyone to see what I am doing for the next two months, I would keep a blog while I am in Berlin. I will try to keep up with it as much as possible and add photos when I figure out how.

I am leaving for Germany in 5 days and I can hardly believe it. I have always wanted to study abroad and I can not fathom that I am actually going to do it. I will be living with a family in the center of Berlin. They have an 11 year old girl and a 13 year old boy. Hopefully, they will be able to show me the city and finally help me cross the language bridge of fluency.

I am both nervous an excited. I have no idea what my experience will be like but I hope it is incredible. I will arrive in Germany on Saturday at 11:30 am (their time). I will be six hours ahead of US time while I am there.

Anyways, check here for anything new and probably awkward stories I will accumlate while I am there. See you all again in August! :)