Eis Geists

This morning I woke up at 5:30 am to sunshine streaming through my windows. Apparently sunrise in Berlin is at 4:59. That could take some getting used to!

Today was an orientation day where we learned how to use the washing machine (sort of, it's very scary) and other fun logistics. A group of us went to lunch together at a small restaurant very close to the IES center. Of course, I ordered Käse Spätzle. Can you really eat anything else?? I mean, it's basically German mac and cheese.

The server brought us a glass of ice, since we are Americans and like ice in our drinks. (The Germans don't put ice in anything). Somewhere amidst all the Germanglish someone accidentally referred to the ice (Eis) as a ghost (Geist). They sound very similar. So before long, we were all giggling about putting ghosts in our

drinks. No wonder the stuff is as cold as death!

In the afternoon we all went to the mall at Alexanderplatz to buy SIM cards. Not very exciting, but we got to use the streetcars to get there. I'm going to have to make a point of going back to Alexanderplatz. It's a huge shopping center with several monuments and fountains and such. Very touristy, but there's plenty of fun stuff to do.

A group of four of us then decided to go get dinner and groceries (again). The little restaurant we stopped at has Schnitzel and french fries (so much for trying to eat healthy here). We spoke mostly in German and I tried to ask as many questions about grammar as I could. Some very aggressive birds watched us eat. When we left, they descended on our french fries.

Then it was off to the mall for a grocery store adventure. We visited Aldi and DM, which is a Drogerie. A "Drogerie" in Germany is like a drugstore, but instead of selling just drugs they sell cosmetics and cleaning supplies. There was a giant three-story slide in the Mall of Berlin, but we didn't ride it. I was so bummed. I also got to see my first Edeka grocery store, which was a huge moment in my life. (Go look up the Edeka Supergeil commercial, it is legendary [well maybe not so much if you don't understand the German puns]). We got lost

and ended up in the most well-lit parking garage I've ever seen in my life. Fun stuff.

At last we made our way back to the apartment, loaded down with lots of groceries and cosmetics. We'd started a group WhatsApp (texting across foreign and domestic numbers is really expensive), so we invited everyone to ice cream and a bit of sight-seeing of the Brandenburg Gate at night.

Our apartments are very nice, but the hallways and stairs are quite dated and dark. There are only three rooms per floor. As we were navigating up the stairs in the darkness, several times we almost fell. "Watch out for the eis (ice)!" was a common phrase shared whenever we heard strange noises. It seems our group is already creating dumb inside jokes.

The Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor) is about a block away from our apartment. This is a massive historical monument in Germany. Built by Prussia's Frederick the Great, the structure served as a gateway to the city. The royal family would parade from their palace to the gate whenever they left for diplomatic meetings. Throughout Prussian and German history, the gate has been used time and time again as a symbol of Germany. It appeared in many chilling WWII photographs as the backdrop for Hitler's military parades. After the war, it was left on the East side of Berlin just behind the wall, a clear marker of the city's division. Finally, after the reunification of Germany, the gate stands as a proud symbol of unity and peace.

We hadn't really taken the time to visit the gate, even though we'd passed it every time we left the apartment. Our S-Bahn station is a few meters from the gate (S-Bahn is a public train system).

The gate was so pretty, framed by the sunset-stained sky. Street musicians filled the air with guitar and saxophone. People mingled about, with couples posing for pictures and locals hurrying past all the slow-moving tourists. Just to the left of the gate stood the American embassy, the familiar flag waving in the breeze.

I know that even in these few short days I have begun to take the gate for granted. But it is really beautiful.

Also the six-seated "conference bike" that was offering Berlin tours. That was also very beautiful. :p

After acting like total tourists, we decided to get some ice cream! It's hard to find places here open super late, so we had to go to a shop in the mall. Our adventure took us to Potsdamer Platz, a busy shopping center with gorgeous architecture. I'll have to get some pictures later. I got this delicious coffee mocha gelato. We walked back to our apartment, laughing and sharing stories.

On the way back, we passed a torn-up parking lot with a single sign next to it. We didn't pay much attention to it at first, since there are lot of parking lots and lots of signs in this part of Berlin. Someone in the group took the time to glance at it, though. This was the site of Hitler's underground bunker where he and his trusted generals hid during the last days of the war. Here he and many others took their own lives after the allied victory. And now all of it was buried under a parking lot, barely marked, intentionally forgetable. It was a very chilling thing to notice, but I'm glad that the city has chosen to forget this bunker's location.

On a lighter note, when we came to our apartment from the back side, we noticed that there was a small playground. Being the mature college students we are, several of us took off running towards the equipment. A couple on the teeter-totter, one on the swings, and I tried my hand at those little plastic cars on a spring. Unfortunatly I was a bit heavier than a child, so I tipped the car almost all the way forward to the ground. Eep! I had to keep my feet out to prevent myself from sliding off the front.

I think the local Germans who were out sipping beer where very confused.

Overall, it was a wonderful day. I feel so happy to be here, in Berlin. Still very much out of place, but I think in time I will learn to fit in. Maybe, just maybe, by the end I can call this city my own.