Die guten Zeiten und schlechten Zeiten

Jet lag really does wonders, since a very exhausted Christina woke up at 5am the next morning. Paz and I decided to go for an adventure before we had to go to a scheduled campus tour. For those who don't know, Kreuzberg is one of the hippest towns in the world. There are many lively young people, but also foreigners. There are many Turkish immigrants in Germany, many in Kreuzberg. Kreuzberg also has a fantastic night life, full of clubs that stay bustling until 4am. We take the U-bahn and immediately notice the difference. I had been told that Berlin was the Hipster capital of the world, and hadn't really seen that until we entered Kreuzberg.


We wandered the streets and ended up at Viktoria Park, a very beautiful park with an historical monument in the center. At the top, I turned around and saw an amazing view of Berlin.

The view at the base of the park, you can see the monument at the top of the waterfall 

a contrast of modern and old architecture 

Top of Viktoria Park, Berlin

We realized we needed to get back on the U-Bahn for the campus tour. We stop at an American/Mexican restaurant AND my VEGGIE QUESADILLAS  were amazing! I didnt think they would be in Berlin but oh man they were bomb!! (Ps we plan on going back to Kreuzberg to see the night life) We got a quick tour of the University after.

So all seems well and dandy huh? Not so much. All that day I had actually a really bad sore throat. That night it became worse and worse. I tried gargling with salt water, only for it to help temporarily. The next day we had a huge orientation with paperwork and more campus tours, so I knew I couldnt ditch out. that morning I checked the schedule to see if I can stop by a doctor's later in the afternoon. Orientation: 9-430 :/ ugh! I called the local doctor that the program director advised to us (because they speak English) and she was out of the office for the week. I asked student assistants where another one would be located. Then, I worried about insurance. We had just filled out the paperwork for insurance that morning, so technically I was uninsured. Dirk, the program advisor said I would have to pay out of pocket and can get reimbursed. In the meantime it had become severe pain. I could not wait until 430. The hour finally came, the last thing we were to do was set up our internet at the university. Of course, my computer had trouble so I had to go to IT help. By then it was 5 and I had wanted to call my host mom, Christine, to let her know where I was at. She always wanted me to let her know if I was going to be home for dinner. Of course, I pulled out my new German phone and the battery was dead. Could it get any more frustrating? Many students were frustrated enough because we had just wasted a day doing boring but necessary paperwork for visas and insurance. I make it to the doctors office and explained my insurance situation. I could be seen, but had to pay out of pocket. I waited over an hour and finally get called in. At this point my patience is paper thin and I am ready to rip my tonsils out. Before she checks me, Christine Bürger, sits me down and wants to get to know me. Of course having a chat sessh was the last thing I wanted to do, but I admired the consideration. She feels my lymph nodes, "Oh das isst soo big!" and said I had tonsilitis. Shocker, for those who know that my strep is almost a semi-annual holiday occasion. But, it cost me 70 Euros ($100) for her to tell me that. I didnt have enough Euro cash on me, (again not many places take cards) so I had to find a bank and come back. By this time, die Apotheke (pharmacy) was closed. So I had to wait until morning. Christine was very nice and gave me a few penicillin from her stash to last me for the night. And a few pictures in her office reminded me to smile.

I finally returned home around 8, my host mom a little worried. I explained to her everything that happened and how my phone had died. I was also feeling a little homesick at this point, getting strep my 3rd day in Berlin was not on my to do list. But at least I got my penicillin and should be better in no time!




In these times of good and bad, I also wanted to point out some differences I have noticed
-apparently Californians have a distinct accent when speaking German ( I have been asked several times if I come from California after speaking a few German sentences)
-everyone smokes cigarettes in Berlin
-Europe kicks America's ass in terms of public transportation (even Berkeley)
-Germany is very ecologically conscience,  they use energy sparingly
-the few escalators they have here do not run all the time. They are motion censored and only come on when people start to walk on them
-The bike lane is in between the road and sidewalk, it is not part of the road like America. You can only tell the difference between the bike lane and sidewalk by the color of brick. (I learned this the hard way, Germans are ruthless on bikes!).
- flip-flops scream American