(no subject)
I have not updated in a week... mostly due to the fact that I have had a very unevenful week. I was one of the 5 or so that actually stayed in Berlin this past weekend- this was not by choice, however. Two seperate groups of friends made plans to go to either Vienna or Prague. I was going to book my ticket once I decided which destination sounded more appealing. Later that evening we recieved an e-mail from the program director stating that no one could leave the country because the German Consulate in New York issued us single-entry visas. This past Monday, I met up with the bunch of the people who already purchased their tickets for the weekend to get our residency permits rushed. At this point, I was not going to purchase a ticket for anywhere unless I was 100% sure that I would have my passport returned to me by Thursday with my visa re-entry restrictions overturned. Needless to say, I got my residency permit in time, but by the time I went to book my ticket the trains and airfares already climbed to over $200 (the train was less but was still way too expensive for what it was worth). The result: I stayed in Berlin, which in fact was okay because I was able to spend some time with the others that were left. Some of us went on a tour of Berlin's Kreuzberg section with some of the program administrators. We got treated to a Turkish lunch and were introduced into the neighborhood's history. Many of the people living here are generations that sprang from the immigrants (mostly Turkish) who came to rebuild the city after WWII. On the tour, I also discovered that the squatter ground next to me ("Mud City") has random farm animals on it. There are three ponies, one of which that has one eye. There are also goats and geese. I was surprised to see the sheep wandering around the grounds uncaged... I think I just might die if I saw a sheep frolicing on Adalberstrasse...
Overall, the weekend was okay... very low key. I spent a lot of time alone, which maybe I needed anyway. I don't know, the city can feel lonely when most of the people you know are gone and you know that they are having a better time than you are... In the end I am sure one weekend will be insignificant and there are plenty more opportunities to travel. Maybe Munich this weekend? I really want to but I won't get my hopes up with everyone's conflicting schedules. However I am happy to report that I was successful in locating a few items for myself and others this weekend... My walk there along the river was also nice. The sun has been coming out more often and that instantly puts me in a good mood. Now, hopefully, it can finally get warmer...
Overall, the weekend was okay... very low key. I spent a lot of time alone, which maybe I needed anyway. I don't know, the city can feel lonely when most of the people you know are gone and you know that they are having a better time than you are... In the end I am sure one weekend will be insignificant and there are plenty more opportunities to travel. Maybe Munich this weekend? I really want to but I won't get my hopes up with everyone's conflicting schedules. However I am happy to report that I was successful in locating a few items for myself and others this weekend... My walk there along the river was also nice. The sun has been coming out more often and that instantly puts me in a good mood. Now, hopefully, it can finally get warmer...