Der Erste Tag

(Der Erste Tag - The First Day)

In my two independent trips to Germany, I have noticed one thing consistently: the customs officers are really attractive. Like, wow, welcome to Germany! I love going through German customs where a very nice German man stares at me for several seconds (we'll pretend it's not because he has to check my passport photo). Plus the customs process is so much easier on the German side than the US side. You basically hand over your passport, they stamp it, and you're good to go!

Anywho, the first order of business was finding the IES center. Caroline and I decided to split a taxi. Our poor driver lost his child's car seat out the open window. He circled back to the airport but couldn't find it. I was very proud of myself for understanding the entire interaction in German.

I loved watching Berlin go by as we sped dangerously close to double-decker tour buses, cyclists, and pedestrians. There's a different feel to Germany than there is in the US. Even though the buildings in Berlin are pretty modern (for the most part), you can just tell you're in a different country. I don't know how to explain it! Maybe it's the architecture, or maybe all the green, or maybe the way the roads are narrow. But Germany is different.

When we first pulled up to the IES center, I wasn't sure if we were in the right place. It's in a very nondescript brick building, marked only by a doorbell just outside. Luckily we were able to get in okay, and meet our internship coordinator and the student assistants. The IES center has two floors and a nice courtyard. The first floor is a library and offices. The second floor has more offices, a lounge area, and classrooms. Overall it's a pretty small complex (only about five or six classrooms on the second floor), but it's very cozy!

The architecture inside is similar to other buildings I've seen in Germany. The first-floor sitting area has vaulted ceilings that reach up to the second floor. The second floor then is almost like a loft, but instead of a railing, it has glass windows. I've seen these indoor windows in other buildings here. They are really cool and give the building an open feel in between floors.

Caroline crashed onto one of the couches on the second floor (neither of us slept on the plane) and I enjoyed some free coffee and cookies. I chatted with some of the student ambassadors (German students working at the center) and waited for everyone else to arrive. We'd arrived at around 9:00, and we weren't going to our apartments until 4:00.

When about five or six others had come in, we took a little tour of the facilities. Then a guy named Mikkal (whom I was intimidated by because he was speaking almost exclusively German

while the rest of us were speaking English) and I decided to go get lunch somewhere. A block away from the center I had my very first German Currywurst.

(Image: Currywurst in all it's glory! Creative Common Image - aka I didn't take this one)

Currywurst is sort of the "official food" of Berlin, and it's just Wurst in ketchup with curry powder. I wasn't expecting much. But oh my goodness, that stuff was GOOD! The curry went with everything so well! I could eat a billion currywursts right now!!

After lunch when most people had arrived, we took a group picture with the IES bear. In German, the word for bear "Bär" is pronounced like bear sort of, and Berlin is pronounced like "Bearlin". So the city mascot is a bear, and you can find colorful bear statues everywhere. It's so cute.

Finally at 4, after lots of sitting around, we went to the apartments. They are kind of like long-term hotels (I know there's a word for that but it's escaping me). Each room has two bedrooms, a bathroom, washing machine (no dryer), a kitchen, and a living room/dining room. There's also a little balcony. We're on the fourth floor, so it's perfectly safe to keep the windows open or the balcony door ajar. Very spacious! But very German-looking.

My roommate is a girl from Colorado named Christine. We hit it off really well right away, so I'm excited about that! I think it's going to be a really good two months.

I half-unpacked. I'm sure I'll get to it later... Sorry mom ;)

Images - Lots of pictures of my apartment. Doesn't it just look German?? Also there's a coffeemaker. Very important!!

My room doesn't have a closet in it, which is pretty typical for German apartments. Instead, I have a wardrobe with a clothes rack and a couple shelves. All my clothes fit, which is great! I also have a very large bed (queen maybe?) clearly designed for two people. That means I got two giant pillows, which is fantastic. I love pillows.

I didn't have a lot of time to sit around because we were all going to dinner together as a group. I'd already started to make friends with a lot of people in our little internship group, so I was pretty excited. Plus, we were all going to a Bavarian style (think traditional German with the lederhosen and pretzels) restaurant.

The group met up at the center and walked over to the restaurant. I ordered a classic Wienerschnitzel with a German potato salad (think lots of vinegar) as a side. Our internship coordinator (Nadine) told us we could also have two free drinks. Because Germany!

I got a Berliner Weissbier mit Himbeere (German wheat beer with raspberry), and let me tell you, it was heaven. Sure, it was a Mädchenbier (girl beer, that's what fruity beer is called here), but I am a Mädchen!! I couldn't think about a second drink after eating two schnitzels and half a bowl of potato salad.

Everyone says that Americans have huge portion sizes, but I think Germany's portions are just as big. I was served two schnitzels and a big bowl of potato salad! Sure, Bavarian restaurants are more likely to serve lots of food, but I've found myself full after most German restaurant meals.

After eating, we all decided to go grocery shopping. I didn't buy anything, but it was definitely fun to look around. Catherine got some classic German hard rolls for us for breakfast (those things are to die for). Then we walked back to our aparment in a large clump (there are 14 of us) and miraculously didn't get lost.

It was about time to call it a night. I skyped home (is that a verb?), took a shower (German showers are different too, the shower head is detachable), and went to bed. Sweet dreams! Bis morgen!