Survival of the second weekend

To my friends, my family, and me when I read this in 20 years, I have survived Berlin night life.
After a long week, it was time to have some fun. Not like I hadn't been having fun, but it was time to really explore the nightlife that Berlin had to offer.


It is Thursday night, no class or program excursion on Friday, time to party. I meet up with a few friends and we head out to a bar in Kreuzberg. We have a few beers ("Diesel" is common in Germany: beer and coke) and chat away.

Zur Fetten Ecke (The fat corner)

Quick side note: my friend and I had to use the restroom but the doors were not gender labeled. Both doors were full of stickers and there was no way to tell which was Men or Women. So, we try the first door only to walk in on some guy right in the middle of a pee. Startled, I say "Sorry" instead of the German equivalent " Entshuldigung" basically giving away that I was a foreigner. He snarled something inaudible as we awkwardly leave the restroom. Ya that was embarrassing.

Some other Americans from the program wanted to meet up, so we go and meet them at a Turkish hookah bar. Of course the whole place was filled with people from our program, but we decide to stay and chill for a bit. I learn a special bar trick that a program member had learned from his host family. I have no idea what its called, and you basically hold a beer and turn your arm in a bunch of crazy ways without spilling. It's tradition to sing and do it as fast as you can, and apparently is very popular at Oktoberfest (So I must practice and prepare before I go!). The whole crowd decides they want to go to a club, so we walk with them on this club scavenger hunt. Once we get there, the original people I had gone out with decided we weren't too stoked, especially since we hear dub step blasting from the doors. Hours and hours of dancing to dub step? Barf. Plus, I was on a mission to meet some locals at a bar. So we bounce to try and find some cheap "Doner Kabob" and another bar.

For all you uncultured folk, check this out

By this time it was already 2 am, and we had wondered aimlessly enjoying the night lights of the city. We see drunken people playing guitars and dancing in the streets, so of course we join them and try to lip sing some German song. Deciding it was probably time to head home, we go to the closes S-bahn station, only to notice no trains were running. I, using my suave German techniques, ask some locals when the S-bahn began running again. They informed me that on the weeknight, all public transit closes down from midnight to 4 am and the best way to get home is by taxi or night bus. (By the way, the whole conversation was in German. I am proud of myself, although the dudes I asked also mentioned my "funny" accent. Damnit) I guess that is what we get for wanting to start our weekend early. We all lived in south west Berlin and were currently in east Berlin. I believe Berlin is about the size of Los Angeles, so in other words there was no way our frugal asses were going to pay for a taxi. We find a night bus station and wait...1 transfer and 45 minutes later we get to south west Berlin. My 3 friends all lived in the program apartments, which was not too close to my homestay. The bus stop I needed to get off at was fairly close to my place, but they demanded they walk me home instead of let me walk alone in Berlin at 3am. (They still had a 20 minute bus ride ahead of them to their apartments.)
We get off and start walking, of course 10 minutes later we found out to be the wrong direction. Finally, we make it to my place. The bus stops around were not the same buses that my friends needed. I could tell they were exhausted, so I offered them to stay at my place. I was weary and not knew how Christine would handle it, especially since 2 of my friends were guys, but I would deal with it in the morning. We all crash in my room at 430 am.

The next morning, (or should I say 3 hours later)  I hear Christine and her friend Ursula shuffling about and heard them leave around 8. Not sure when they would be back, I convinced my friends to leave before they came back so there would be no awkward encounters. Christine came back and I decided telling her would be the right thing to do. I explained the whole night and how my friends all crashed in my room. The first thing she asked was, "Oh! Did you know there is a pad under your bed that your guests could have slept on?" Feeling horrible for making the 2 guys sleep on the floor, I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous night I had just had. For any future guests, I have a pad for you to sleep on and a welcoming guest mother ;)

Being incredibly exhausted, I took it easy Friday and caught up on some homework.

Saturday was a birthday of a friend in the program. I promised to make an appearance, so headed out to the apartments. After an hour of "pre-gaming" and socializing, they decide they wanted to all go out to a club. We take the good ol S bahn. The ride there was ridiculous. All the Americans were screaming and falling over. Paz and I, of course much classier ladies, were embarrassed that the stereotype was being fulfilled. They all get off and we decide to stay on together and go to a different area to check out some bars (and escape the crowd). 
Oranienburger strasse, apparently a bit more classy than Kreuzberg, but we quickly realized this is also where all the prostitutes pick up their clients. I may have seen a prostitute once or twice in my life, but never interacting with the public as I had seen here.

We run into 3 attractive German guys on the street. I, after having a few beers in me, speak German the whole time and try to convince them I am a local. They, like everyone else, commented on my accent and was not buying into my bullshit. Paz nonchalantly states, "No we are from California." Damn you Paz, blowing my cover!

After losing interest, we keep walking and decide it is probably time to go home. At the S bahn station we had a map out and while trying to figure out our desired destination, we hear  in English "Where are you trying to go?" We look up to see 2 timid Germans wanting to lend a hand. We strike up conversation and they decide we should chat at a bar. We sit for almost 2 hours talking with the Berlin locals. They were both in the middle of getting their PhD's.  For all my ladies out there, many German guys are shy, nerds. It's adorable. For all my family members who demanded I come home with a rich German, I am working on it ;) We all exchange numbers and they make sure we get on the S bahn home...at 330 am. 

Sunday was a great day of lounging in the warm weather. Paz, her German host brother, and I went to Schlactansee and swam in the lake. This was not a "naked" lake, but regardless Germans don't care about changing in public.

So, with very sleep, I made it through the weekend. I am glad I am meeting more locals, and I am also becoming very acquainted with Berlin. For those of you following, I know I keep saying S or U bahn. Berlin, and just Germany in general has a huge public transit system.
click here for poor image of map

Ya its gnarly huh? How do you think we felt on the first day when we had to find our way from the airport to the university? It takes some getting used too, but is fairly easy once you get the hang of it.

To all my friends at home, I love ya, but I am not missing the States. I am enjoying my time here in Berlin, BUT if there are some things I HAD to miss, I guess it would be:

peanut butter
convenient stores/grocery stores that stay open late
tap water (they only drink sparkling water)
free public restrooms (it is common for one to pay 5-50 cents to use a restroom here)