As the Dust Settles

Back to the Nashville airport.

With my mom.

With Elizabeth, Matthew's sister.

Well...I'm back to Nashville, all right. I regret (sort of) that it's already been nine days, and I'm just now getting around to posting. But really, I'm in the midst of an intense existential crisis right now, so it doesn't bother me too much, to be honest. I'm beyond grateful for all of the support I've received before, during, and even now after my Great European Adventure 2012--first and foremost, from Vanderbilt University, from Peabody College and the Germanic & Slavic Languages Department of the College of Arts & Sciences in particular; and of course from family and friends. I am grateful to know that my blog has been visited by many over the past eight weeks, and I am grateful to have been able to maintain such a blog of my journey. I know that, with the passing of time, I will become ever more grateful to have an almost day-by-day account of my experiences from this summer.

You know, adjusting to the culture and pace of life as a student in Berlin was really not bad. After one day of sleeping in late and after my first visit to Kaufland for groceries, I felt essentially oriented. But coming back to the States has been, honestly, a disappointment. It's good to see familiar faces and to sleep in my own room again--with my sweet puppy, of course--but between family situations, my complete loss of independence (no car + small, ineffective public transportation system in Nashville + nowhere to go anyway = cabin fever), and extreme differences in the American lifestyle and mentality, I can only describe the past nine days this way: REVERSE. CULTURE. SHOCK (read: depressing).
In spite of my aforementioned expressions of gratitude, this may make me sound rather ungrateful. But to anyone who's spent time abroad and really adjusted to and fallen in love with the culture, and then returned to their hometown...you understand. It's not an issue of gratitude at all--just an issue of incompatible realities and idealized expectations.

On a practical note, re-adjusting to Central Time has been rough, too. In my mind, although it's almost 6 AM here, it should actually be almost 1 PM. Hence, I've been up almost twenty-four hours...although part of that can be blamed on general insomnia and catchy YouTube videos...
After keeping this blog for so many weeks while abroad, I really did hesitate (as you can see) to make this final post. I don't know quite what I'm saying or what I should say, and it feels so wrong to be at "home" again making a post. To me, this return to the US feels temporary, like it's just a matter of time until I'll be back HOME in my little studio apartment in the beautiful suburb of Lichterfelde, riding the S-Bahn into Mitte, and chowing down on my favorite Currywurst in Dahlem-Dorf.

But before I start tearing up, I'll say it one last time and try to make it as quick and painless as possible:
 
To all my friends, family, teachers, professors, sponsors, and fans (just kidding)...from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for the most unforgettable and life-changing trip, and THANK YOU for your support and for taking time out of your day or night to follow me along my journey. Vielen Dank.
Alles Liebe

-Monika

"Ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin..."

These words of Marlene Dietrich's--"I have another suitcase in Berlin"--express my sentiments beautifully. Today in class, we presented our creative projects, but before doing so, Hyoun-A shared this Dietrich song with us. Click here to hear the song; it's beautiful, perfect, and filled with a sense of nostalgia and longing for this indescribable place called Berlin.

For my creative project, I wrote a poem, but two guys in my class, Mike and Joey, wrote and performed an amaaaazing song, called "Taboo," which describes our fun times as a class, playing the game Taboo. They wrote a verse for each member of our class, so that was a lot of fun to hear, and it was a nice surprise for all of us in the "audience." Unfortunately, the video I got of the song is too big a file to upload here, but just take my word that it was great.
The whole morning was spent presenting creative projects and feasting. Literally. SO much food, lots of singing to songs auf Deutsch--Beatles songs included--lots of pictures, and lots of fun! It was a really nice way to end the yea term. It seems like we've been together as a class for so long. It really will be strange not seeing these guys every day again. But at least Junyi and I will be able to see each other again in the fall.

You can't see all the food, but by the time Mike and Birch (not pictured) arrived, the table was literally overflowing with food, from carrots to licorice and everything in-between.

Speaking of Junyi, she and I headed out at about 12:00, since we had to be back at the apartments at 12:30 in order to let the Hausmeister in our rooms for the pre-departure inspection. All was well, and thankfully the wretched bugs seem to have been scared off, too. Der Hausmeister was very nice and wished me safe travels. He also asked me to give his regards to my homeland, which I thought was a really nice cultural gesture. So, Homeland, and People thereof, Grüße von ihm!
Following the inspection, Junyi, Matthew, and I had to turn right back around and go to the main Freie Uni building for the 14:00 Abschlussparty (end-of-term party). There, we did a lot of clapping and a lot of thanking the people who made our FUBiS experience possible, then watched a montage of photos from the past weeks, before getting turned loose to the buffet.

My last German food picture for a while. Bread with butter, eggs, pepper, and tomato, along with some delicious berry dessert. All the food here is SO GOOD!
It was hard to say good-bye to everyone. Classmates, fellow Vandy group members, Hyoun-A, and Peggy. But lots of photos were taken, and I know I'll return home, and the memories will come flooding back.

With my lovely and enthusiastic Lehrerin Hyoun-A!

 
Class picture time! From left to right: Hyoun-A, Birch, laughing Megan, Joey, me, Mike, Andreas, Junyi, and Rami. Love you guys, and I'll miss you! Weekdays just won't feel the same anymore.

Me, Qiongru, Gaby, Patrick, and Matthew. This was "the gang" with whom I spent 90% of my time here in Berlin! Love you guys, and see you in August!

Ah, and Peggy! "Danke" times a million for all you have done for me and for us. You have truly helped make this the trip of a lifetime.
After many hugs and many more pictures, Junyi, Matthew, and I finally left the Freie Universität. We decided to visit Alexanderplatz and Hackescher Markt one more time, just to bid these places farewell for the time being. It was wonderful being back in these places again, just freely walking around, window-shopping, and stopping to listen to street musicians.

And speaking of street musicians...I present to you the amazing Jukebox Johnny (that's really his name), a native Berliner, who sounds totally American! Ah! We thought it was the coolest thing ever! He also had an enormous crowd, which is what initially drew us over to him, underneath the Alexanderplatz S-Bahn tracks. Here, too, the video is too large a file to upload, but...Johnny Jukebox forever!
We were really astounded by this man's marvellous English and musical talent, but when we finally walked away, we came across something else interesting: a Frauencafe, or a women-only cafe'! Not sure what the story is there, but I thought that was actually kind of a cool idea. Sometimes women just need their space...

This cafe' was along our way to Hackescher Markt. When we got to Hackescher, we went into the original Ampelmann store, which celebrates the little cartoon-like figures (Ampelmänner) present on traffic lights here in Berlin. Originally, they were only found in East Berlin, but since the fall of the Wall, former West Berlin has also adopted them. We had fun in this shop, as they had EVERYTHING Ampelmann-related. Cool shop, and as I said, the original; these stores can now be found all over the place, as they provide perfect tourist-fodder.

When we were done in this shop, Junyi--inspired by the Ampelmänner--went off in search of some international traffic lights museum collection, while Matthew and I went in search of something I've wanted to visit ever since I found out about it: the Anne Frank Zentrum! You see, Hackescher Markt was, before the War, a bustling center of Jewish life in Berlin. So, the Anne Frank Center is located there, along with another museum to a famous rescuer and hider of local Jews during the Nazi era. I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but since I was younger, I've always gotten comments about how I look like Anne Frank, and in fifth grade my teacher called me his "little Anne Frank." Then, in high school, during our freshman year, we had to memorize a monologue taken from Anne Frank's diary. I loved it because I finally had the opportunity to dress up like her. But while all the other girls put on make-up and stuff, I simply pulled my hair back, threw an accent, and bam! Instant Anne Frank! :) Furthermore, on Alternative Spring Break to South Bend, Indiana, during my junior year, on our last night at the Catholic Worker center, we prepared and served the month's dinner night for the local underprivileged and homeless population. After dinner, there was a talent show, so for the talent show I re-learned the monologue in its entirety, borrowed some clothes from the racks, and once again got to be Anne Frank for a night. Because she's my Doppelgänger, I feel this special connection to her, and I've always of course found her story, her intelligence, her insightfulness, her thoughtfulness, and her courage outstanding. (Side note: While here, I was able to find a copy of her Diary auf Deutsch, which I can't wait to start reading!)

Aaanyway, so, Matthew and I didn't actually go into the exhibits (it wasn't very expensive, but we're just saving money before travelling back tomorrow), but we did walk inside the foyer of the museum, just to check it out. I was so excited to finally "find her," and I felt like I had fulfilled an obligation, like I was indebted to her, to "visit" her, even if I couldn't really spend much time there. So, Anne and I got our picture together. :)

Once this obligation was fulfilled, Matthew and I took our last S-Bahn ride back to the apartments, got dinner from the little Asian Imbiss on the corner, and ate in my apartment. It's funny--every night for dinner, we ate in his room, except for our first night in Berlin and tonight, our last night in Berlin. We had a great dinner and conversation, and I also had the pleasure of introducing him to my favorite performer/singer/everything, the late, great Bobby Darin. We spent the evening listening to music, mostly Bobby songs, while I packed a bit. Oh, yeah, and we also worked on eating ridiculous amounts of food in order to "dispose" of it before leaving. (We didn't want it to go to waste!) We accomplished what we set out to do, and then we turned to several rounds of Extreme Packing. He brought all of his bags in my room, we struggled, worked up a sweat, and strategized long and hard. Finally, I'm glad to say that we are both all packed up, and now it's just a matter of throwing last-minute toiletries and such in the suitcase before leaving...at 4:30. In the morning.
It's now just about 12:30, but hey, it's our last night here. I could have gone to sleep an hour ago, but then I couldn't have made this post, and I felt like it was important to post now, not to wait until I get back. Too many thoughts and emotions right now not to post. I want to remember everything about this past twenty-four hours because they've been great, and I think it's also impossible not to feel a bit antsy before taking off.
Now, however, I will go to sleep. Thank you for continuing to keep up with my journey, and I wish you all the best! Look for a perhaps final post in the next couple of days. It'll be a long way back home, and I know I'll be exhausted, but once I can begin to finally process all of my feelings as I re-enter American life and culture, I'll blog again.
Alles Liebe von Berlin!

-Monika

P.S. Notice anything different with my hair? :D

Fourth of July, Berlin-style!

This has been a hectic week, and the hecticness will only intensify tomorrow. However, the 4th was too great of an occassion not to write about, so I'll fill you in on what went down yesterday! :)

(Quick catch-up: Monday, classes. Tuesday, I stayed home, not feeling well, partially because I had stayed up so late the night before killing the pestilent creatures that have taken over my living space. To repeat, the bugs are not my fault!)

Wednesday, 4 July, 2012

I have to say, I've never had a better Fourth of July than I had yesterday! Perhaps something about being outside of the US as Americans everywhere are getting loud, drunk, and obnoxiously, in-your-face "proud"...but anyway, it was so cute because in class, Hyoun-A asked us a lot of questions about the States, about Fourth of July traditions, and then we lit a candle in the shape of a star, since it's America's birthday! We didn't have a cake or anything, but at least we had a candle. :) My classmates and I got such a kick out of playing patriotic songs and singing along, watching Hyoun-A's reactions, and unfortunately I only caught a few lousy seconds of it on tape, but below is a brief look into how we spent our morning class sessions.

Andreas belts out the final words of the national anthem after the rest of the class had stopped singing.

Anyway, we had a genuinely fun time poking light fun at American patriotism and showing off our repertoire of national hymns. We also did an activity, which I think was my absolute favorite activity of everything we've ever done in class, which was a translation activity! We had to pick a song in English and then render a translation auf Deutsch. One group translated "Imagine," which Joey then sang, one group translated "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas, which was hilarious, and which Joey then once again sang auf Deutsch, and Andreas and I naturally translated Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American." Each group presented their translation, and then the others had to guess what song they had chosen to translate. We had a lot of fun working on this assignment and doing sing-alongs...it was a really great way to spend one last full class day together, and this was just the morning.

After lunch, we were all to meet up at 14:00 at Alexanderplatz, where we would reunite and then walk together to a museum about the history of Berlin and its citizens. Just as I had arrived at Alexanderplatz via U-Bahn, though, there was a Native American man singing and playing instruments, which I caught on video. It was cool because that's not exactly something you'd expect to see in Berlin. I also found it ironic, it being the Fourth of July and all.

I got to Alexanderplatz pretty early, so I sat around in Starbucks, talked to my dad on the phone, and finally ordered a drink: a Himbeere-Johannisbeere (raspberry-currant) Tea Frappuccino! SO GOOD, and SO DIFFERENT than the drinks back home! They also have a lot better food in the Starbuckses here.

Yum!

Anyway, after we all found each other in front of Starbucks, we walked through the Nikolaiviertel to the Ephraim-Palais Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin. We spent an hour-and-a-half or so here, just walking through the different floors and exhibits of this beautiful building, learning about the influences of many lesser-known Berliners over the years. Some of the stuff dated back hundreds and hundreds of years, while some was more modern. It was really a well-laid-out museum, I think. When we were done exploring the museum, we went into a classroom inside the building, where we sat and talked and drew pictures, which we then explained, to express our experience in the museum and with Berlin: what contribution we have made to Berlin in our time here, and what contribution Berlin has given to us.

We finished up at about 16:00, so from there Junyi and I rushed to the Alexanderplatz Bahnhof, where we hopped on the S-Bahn heading home. We almost got all the way home, but then we realized that we would be completely late in meeting up with Peggy and the Vanderbilt group if we went all the way back to change and to put our backpacks away. So, we got off the train, hopped on another one going in the direction from which we had just come, and we headed back through the Alexanderplatz area in order to meet at the Hohenzollernplatz U-Bahn stop. We got there at 17:15, the rest of our group showed up about twenty minutes later, and then Peggy took us to a local flower shop in order to buy flowers for Professor Hahn, at whose house we were having our dinner party. We each got a flower to give to Professor Hahn, but the catch was that we also had to each say something auf Deutsch while handing her the flower upon entering her apartment.

When we got to her apartment, it was just after 18:00. We walked in, gave her our flowers, said our German phrases, and settled in to her gorgeous and spacious apartment. Right when you walk in, you're faced with shelves upon shelves upon shelves of books. In response to my taking a photo of one portion of Professor Hahn's rooms and walls of books, Oliver asked, "You have been inside a library before, haven't you?" ...Really, an impressive collection of books!

Oh, yeah. So, speaking of Oliver (my German teacher from last semester, a Berlin native)...he was there! :D It made me so happy to see him, because first of all, it's just exciting to see my teacher again after such a while. Second, my German's improved, and it's exciting that we are now able to have at-length conversations auf Deutsch. Third, the last time I saw him, about a month ago, I was exhausted and barely spoke, but I wasn't so tired last night, so it was nice to be able to talk like normal again and to really show what I've learned. I think one of the best feelings in the world is when someone is proud of you, and Olli, I hope I can make you proud!

Bis August!

I really can't express how good of a time I had last night. I sat between Professor Hahn, at the head of the table, and Oliver, to my right, so most of my conversations during the dinner party were not in English. :) Professor Hahn cooked us an amazing meal, too, starting with Gazpacho soup and bread, then Goethe's favorite meal: potatoes in Grüne Soße (green sauce), with zucchini as well. For dessert, we had another classic German treat: Rote Grütze (like a mix of different red berries, sweet and sour, which you then pour vanilla sauce over). Everything was DELICIOUS, and between the food, the company, and it being the Fourth of July and therefore just feeling like a holiday, I couldn't have asked for a better day yesterday. It was a refreshing and much-needed step away from coursework, and it was also great to sit down for one last meal together with all of the Vanderbilt group, with Peggy, with Professor Hahn, with Olli, and also with another grad student named Aurora, who will start teaching in the fall. ::sigh:: Such a wonderful time!

It's also always a lot of fun coming back late at night with the Vandy group, as we always have lots of laughs on the way home in the S-Bahn. We got back around 23:00, which is when the reality struck that we all had our final tests the next day...

So, eh, about that test. Well, this morning, I'm happy to report that it came and went. It wasn't too bad, though I know I didn't do as well as I did on the last test; I really only got a chance to study on Tuesday night, since we had that party last night and were on our mini-class-excursion yesterday afternoon, but I guess I'll find out my grade tomorrow, and hopefully it's not too bad.

After our test today, we took a long break, then met back up, played some games, then took a lunch break. For lunch, we took Hyoun-A with us to Rathaus Steglitz, where some of us got Döner. I just got bubble tea, as I've been craving that stuff for days! So good! Hibiscus tea with yoghurt bubbles, yuhs, please! :)

Following lunch, we took the bus back to the classroom building, where we had our last official class meeting. We spent our time wisely, however...playing Werewolf ("Mafia")! Lots of fun and lots of laughs...it was really a class to remember.

We got out a bit early this afternoon, so then I ran some errands at Rathaus Steglitz, got back to the apartment, and did a bit more cleaning up/packing. Tomorrow is my Hausmeister inspection--gotta be ready!

Tonight it stormed pretty badly, with a lot of Donner und Blitz (thunder and lightning), but Junyi and I made the best out of it and had a really fun sort of "girls' night in," cooking and eating and talking for hours.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow the FUBiS experience truly comes to an end. I've edited my last essay, I've submitted my final, "creative" project, and I've bought carrots for our class picnic tomorrow. In the afternoon, at 14:00, there's a farewell party being held at the main university building, and it's there that we'll have to all say our good-byes. I didn't think I would really get that close to anyone in just six weeks, but I really will miss seeing my classmates and Hyoun-A everyday. It's been a truly intensive experience in every way, and it'll be strange not waking up to go spend the day with them anymore.

As my Summer 2012 journey in Berlin comes to an end, I'm reminded once again of the tremendous generosity of so many people, which made it possible for me to come on this trip and have this experience. To anyone and everyone reading, thank you. To my friends and family, naturally, thank you for your support. And to my teachers, professors, and deans, thank you for your instruction and for your confidence in me.

I plan to make a few more blog entries, in which I'll include more "thank-you"s, as well.

It's getting pretty late, so I'm off to bed now.

Alles Liebe!

-Monika

The Ten Plagues

In all seriousness, I officially declare that three of the ten biblical plagues have come to pass in my apartment within the past week. First, sickness, which is essentially the same as incurable boils (right?). Second, hail and thunder--the monster of a storm that hit on Saturday night and which, I learned earlier, killed four people. Third, my apartment is infested with those horrible silverfish bugs, which I think have just spawned a new generation... And just for the record, the bugs were living in this apartment before I was; unfortunately, though, they've suddenly decided to take over my living space. As a result, I stayed up until 4:30 this morning, chasing after the bugs, squishing them, and then recoiling in fear and disgust. At about 2:30, I sent out an SOS to my dad via e-mail, since my phone is out of minutes, and luckily he called me right away and advised me to use whatever chemical I had to fight the infestation. My floor is now covered in dishsoap, but I have to say, it really does the trick, if anyone's wondering.

The joys of living on one's own in a foreign country.

Freaked out by the silverfish and tired of being tired and of being on a school schedule, at this point, I am sort of ready to go home. I do love it here so much, but I guess I also get the feeling that, since my program is ending and that was the whole point of this trip, I no longer will have much of a reason to be here. I miss the comforts of home, and I miss the company of my family and friends. I haven't made and kept any German (or Polish) friends in my time here, mainly because I'm in class all the time, and also because people here are more reserved, on average, than your typical American. Plus, I don't go clubbing or any of those "social activities" where you meet lots of people at one time. That is one thing I regret about this trip, but I look forward to spending more time in Europe next summer and actually making European friends.

For now, it's back to class.

Gruß von Deutschland!

-Monika

P.S. HUGE ¡Felicidades, España! for your defeat of Italia and your resulting victory in the Euro Cup 2012! You totally deserved it, and it's always a pleasure to watch you play.

My Last Weekend in Berlin

Well, this is it. My last full weekend in Berlin. A week from now, I'll be just hours away from touching back down on the runway in Nashville. I can't believe I've already been here six weeks! Time really does fly.

Unfortunately, the last weekend of my Great European Adventure is much less glorious than I imagined it'd be. I slept almost sixteen hours last night, but I still feel pretty out of it because of my allergies. I went to bank and the grocery store this afternoon and expected to stay out, grab some bubble tea, go to the Anne Frank Zentrum, eat lunch, and then come back to the apartment. Instead, I took the bus to the bank, went to the ATM, got back on the bus, stopped at the store, shopped as quickly as I could, grabbing only the necessities (I'm proud to say that, including today, I have not spent more than 10 Euro during any one trip to Kaufland!), ate a quick Schnitzel im Brötchen mit Senf there, and then got back on the bus and headed home. Bubble tea and Anne Frank, I wish I could get to you this weekend, but I just can't.
So, when I got back from the store I made some hot tea and relaxed, croissant in hand, flipping through channels on TV. I just took a shower and am now awaiting a small-scale dinner party downstairs in Junyi's apartment in about an hour.

Since this weekend's not goin' so hot, I'll make a list of things to look forward to this week:

-Monday: Stores will be open again, so I can finally get some more bubble tea!

-Tuesday: One day closer to Wednesday...

-Wednesday: The 4th of July! Be on the look-out for fellow ex-pats setting off fireworks. Most importantly, though, Wednesday night is the Vandy group's real "farewell" dinner party; we'll be meeting at Professor Barbara Hahn's apartment here in Berlin, and she'll be teaching us how to cook some traditional German food. YUM!
-Thursday: Final test. I'm not really looking forward to this, but at least it means I've made it through my B2 Intensive Intermediate German course!

-Friday: FUBiS farewell party. Also, time to pay one last visit to all my favorite sites in Berlin and to celebrate, one last time, this amazing opportunity, made possible thanks to the aforementioned Professor Barbara Hahn.

-Saturday: Wake up extremely early, go to the airport, sadly wave "See ya later" to Berlin, but happily return home to my family, friends, and sweet, sweet puppy, Cyril.

Alles Liebe!

Chillin' in the apartment.

-Monika

A Rough Day in Deutschland

Well, after a long, hard, and largely successful run, the German national team has been knocked out of the Euro Cup 2012. It was sad to be at the Fan-Meile last night, watching Germany slowly disintegrate. They just weren't working together well or spreading the field at all. They played surprisingly poorly, but they almost made a come-back in the last minutes of the match, when Özil brought the score to 2-1 thanks to a penalty kick. So, Italy will be taking on Spain this Sunday in the final, and I have much confidence that Spain will win.

Before the game, a shot of the German flag on the big-screen.

Some of our men getting ready to sing the national anthem.

The national anthem!

I ended up staying home sick today because, after spending the night at the dusty, cigarette-smoky Fan-Meile, I woke up this morning more congested than NYC at rush-hour. At least it's Friday.

Not much else to speak of. I think the Vandy group may be going out to dinner tonight, but whether or not I'll go is still up in the air.

Goals for the weekend:

-Visit the Anne Frank Center (she is my Doppelgänger, after all)
-Drink "bubble" tea

This is my last weekend in Berlin, and I'm kind of glad that I'm not feeling too ambitious. I have seen so much, and there's honestly nothing else I feel compelled to do. After spending so many weekends travelling, I think it's only right that my last weekend in Deutschland is spent just hanging around Berlin, anyway.

Gruß und Gott sei Dank, es ist Freitag!

-Monika

Accounting for Each and Every Day

...is a bit hard now that I'm in a routine. Literally the only new thing that happened on Tuesday was that I tried potato salad from the little market on the corner of the street where we have our classes, so I figured I'd wait until after my German class's last excursion on Wednesday, yesterday, to blog.

The weather continues to be crazy here--very reminiscent of Nashville weather, where it rains one minute, the sun shines the next, suddenly a storm breaks out, and the temperatures are fluctuating all the while. Because of this, I've been so sleepy! The only good thing about going back home is that I'll be able to catch up on sleep without feeling guilty for not spending that time out exploring the city or something.

But yesterday our excursion was to the Museum für Kommunikation (Museum for Communication), which is "one of four such museums in Germany, established in 1995 as part of the reform of Germany's national postal network and charged with documenting all aspects of the history of communication in Germany. The Berlin Communication Museum's main exhibition shows the development of the postal service from the Middle Ages onwards, and also the development of telecommunications in Berlin. There are quite a few interactive exhbits, and most of the items on display are presented in an easily accessible form."

http://www.mfk-berlin.de/

All the verbs for communication (auf Deutsch) that you could possibly think of.

The museum was neat, but the weather was kind of gloomy, which made me really tired and low on energy. The building that houses the museum is huge and architecturally stunning, but again, I just wasn't really feeling all that into exploring a museum, but some of the displays--namely the downstairs Schatzkammer (Treasure Chamber/Room), where all the lights were off and the displays were motion-activated--were fun.

After visiting the museum and completing our assignment of breaking into groups and creating a tour of an exhibit auf Deutsch, our teacher, Hyoun-A, took us to the famous Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers am Gendarmenmarkt, at the place seen in the picture at the top of my page. Here we got hot chocolate and some people got other desserts as well. They had 43%, 70%, or 80% hot chocolate, so I went with the darkest and ordered the 80%. It was good, a bit bitter and unlike anything I'd ever had before, but it was really good. I should also mention, the place was really fancy and pricey, but worth it on this occasion.

When we had finished eating and drinking, we went downstairs to the main chocolatier/shop part, where some of us bought chocolate to take back home and all of us marvelled at the many chocolate sculptures scattered throughout the store.

They're building the Titantic!

The Reichstag.

The Brandenburger Tor, natürlich.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, about which I've previously posted, when I went on an excursion to Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.

Following our visit to the chocolate store, everyone went their separate ways, but a guy named Andreas and I went to lunch with Hyoun-A at her favorite Currywurst place and also Oliver's: Curry 36. (This is the place Oliver and Elisa took me to that day, a month or so ago, when we met up.)

We had a nice lunch, nice conversation, and Curry 36 ranks second on my list of the best Currywurst in Berlin. So far, the one at the Dahlem-Dorf U-Bahnhof takes the cake. After lunch, Andreas and I had nothing better to do, so we went to Alexanderplatz and walked around the giant Alexa shopping house there. There's also another shopping house there, Galeria, which I hope to visit before I leave.

I got back home about 17:30, and I had already finished my essay the night before, so I had nothing to do. I decided this may be my only chance to really sit down and thoughtfully pack, so I did just that: I packed. I'm sad to already be at this point in my Great European Adventure, but I'm glad there is so much still to do in the days to come! Plus, packing so far in advance allows me to strategize. You see, now commences the challenge of "How to Pack Everything in One Bag and Still Weigh-in at Under 50 Pounds." I think I can do it, but then again, I've still got over a week to buy stuff to throw in my suitcase, so we'll see what happens. All I can say is, thank goodness for carry-ons!

Anyway, today is Matthew's 19th birthday, so after classes we'll be taking him out to the Alt Berliner Kneipe (Old Berliner Bar) for dinner. Once we've had dinner, the party will continue, but move over to the Brandenburger Tor Fan-Meile, where we'll cheer on Deutschland as they face off with Italy in this pivotal semi-final game. The winner of this match will join Spain in the finals this Sunday, 1 Juli. It's such an exciting time to be here in Germany!

But so anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW, and GO DEUTSCHLAND!

Alles Liebe

-Monika