(OK, maybe cleaning the bathroom would be a start. After dinner.)
I barely had a moment to myself last week, from Wednesday to Sunday I had something going on every day. Wednesday was the Lichtfest in Leipzig, commemorating the peaceful demonstrations there that contributed hugely to the collapse of the GDR. For a history student with a particular interest in those weird, distant years where Germany was two countries, being able to take part in such an event was so exciting. The Augustusplatz was full of people, all with candles in their hands, and the German President even came along. (Having read up on him since, it would seem he's a pretty cool guy.) Obviously some of the references in the play and speeches were a little lost on us non-natives, but the atmosphere was something really special, and I'm so glad I got to experience it. Naturally, in the spirit of dissent and freedom, we then headed to a lovely pub afterwards to rebel against having to work the next day.
Augustusplatz
I spent Thursday both very excited and very, very stressed, as it turned out I had booked my train to Berlin a little bit too early. I hadn't even packed, so it was all a little touch and go whether or not I would make it. But I huffed and puffed and power walked to the station, which is thankfully not too far from my flat, and stepped through the train doors with just seconds to spare. I should probably have apologised to my fellow travellers for my sweaty, stressed presence. Two hours or so later I was in Erin's flat in Friedrichshain, one of the coolest areas of Berlin and my personal favourite!
Berlin is one of my favourite cities in the world. There's always something going on in every corner of the city. The first night saw a birthday night out for one of Erin's friends, another language assistant called Chelsea, and after being knocked back from one club for being under 21 ("it's in the law"... I don't think it is, actually, I think you are in a bad mood, Mr Bouncer) we found ourselves stumbling into one that was only charging 2 euros entry to an indie/rock night - result!
On Friday we headed to Berlin Oktoberfest, so that me and Emma could experience a little taste of what we hadn't managed to get to Munich for. Stepping into the slightly empty tent I was a little doubtful, but after a massive beer I was feeling much happier, and the hall was getting busier all the time. Eventually we were dancing on the benches to German party classics (some of which have associated gestures and dances - think Agadoo) and smashing our beers together so enthusiastically we accidentally caused a glass shower. Erin's phone suffering a little from the ensuing beer droplets meant an early exit for us
Ein Prosit der Gemuetlichkeit!
Making such a premature exit turned out to be a good idea, as we were feeling fairly fresh the next day to go and meet Lydia and Rosie from uni for lunch! We ended up in a Korean restaurant, which would never have been my first choice, but I'm happy to say that my lunch was pretty delicious and I'm glad I tried something new, even if eating with chopsticks is definitely not my strong point. At night we headed out for another one of Erin's friends' birthdays, ending up in the Stadtbad, a club that used to be a public swimming pool. The main dancefloor was in the pool itself, which meant a very slopey floor and a very surreal feeling. Emma said she felt like she was in a scene from Blade. Unfortunately, I am definitely not a natural Berliner, and as the morning wore on I was craving sleep more and more. I need to try and develop the hardy German attitude to partying, as I am definitely still too much of a Brit! Sunday morning was a trip to the flea market at Mauerpark, where I got myself a replacement for my Praktica camera (which I left in Britain since it was adding about 3 kilos to the weight of my suitcase...) and some tasty bruschetta.
Tasty food and happy bargain hunters!
After such a fun but exhausting weekend I'm happy to be back in my flat in Halle, and being in Berlin made me realise that although I absolutely love the city, I'm actually sort of glad I wasn't placed in a school there. My commute is much shorter than it would be there, my rent is much cheaper, and I hear German absolutely everywhere I go, whereas in Berlin I did notice a lot of English being spoken. Totally normal for a European capital, but not what I want from this year. Here, if I speak with a bad accent or make grammar mistakes, hardly anyone will switch into English in response. I'd love to spend some time in Berlin at some point, but this year is for learning German, and I'm pretty happy to have been placed in a city where English is still fairly rare.
Apologies for the length of this post, but I hope I did Berlin justice. If that's possible. Since I've not been paid yet it looks like I'll be spending the near future in the Halle/Leipzig area but hopefully I'll still have plenty to report. Bis gleich!
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