First week auf Deutsch…

It’s only been a week and already it feels like so much longer. Our travel here was successful, but not without hiccups (we ended up accidentally going out of security in the Amsterdam airport, and had to be escorted back through) which just adds  tot adventure.

The adventure continued upon our arrival in Berlin- three of our groups bags were lost in the way! Thankfully we were able to work with the airport and locate them by the end of the day, and return once again to St. Michael’s Heim.

After a long first day, we began to settle in, and started exploring the area. After our first day of class at TU Berlin, we took the bus to the Mensa for lunch. I’ve been so amazed at how easy it is to get around here. Anytime I want to go anywhere, all I have to do is hop on a bus. Despite not speaking the language very well, we haven’t gotten lost too many times…

Sometimes not knowing where you’re going can be the best way to learn where things are! One of our favorite things to have discovered is Döner Kebap. In almost every block you can find a stand serving it for prices as low as €3.50!

We’ve also had the chance to try some other foods that were slightly less impressive. I had the great idea to try a German take on Mexican food, and let’s just say I was not very impressed. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but what I got seemed as though someone saw a picture of a burrito and thought, ‘Yeah, I can do that!’

While it had almost all the normal fixings, it came with the added bonus of Spätzle (a German potato noodle) and ceasar dressing. You should note in the picture that paprika appears as an ingredient- that’s because it was the only seasoning this thing got ! All in all, not a horrible experience, but definitely interesting to see a different interpretation of a food that’s more familiar to me.

All in all, it’s been a great first week, and a privilege to experience this different world.