Zweimal in Berlin

Ich bin nach Berlin jetzt zweimal geflogen und es gibt noch nicht genug Zeit für alles das Spass macht. Schade.

Letzten Sommer hatte ich vielleicht zu VIEL Spass gemacht und nicht genug Grammatik gemacht, aber diesmal mach’ ich anderes. =)  Jeden Tag bschäftige ich mich mit Hausafgabe und Vokabular und versuche viel und gern den ganzen Tag Deutsch zu sprechen. Es ist aber ganz schwer und fühle mich immer noch müüüüüde. Aber es ist total lohnend!!

Und ich möchte auch sagen, für die Leute, die vielleicht meine Grammatik immer noch kritisieren….ich bin NOCH Studentin und hab’ nur 2 Jahren Deutsch gelernt…ganz intensiv lernen, dennoch nicht sooo lange Zeit. Ich bin nicht schon perfekt. Wahrscheinlich werde ich ewig Fehler machen. Aber es ist mir egal—Deutsch ist mir interessant und ich habe viele Gelegenheiten gehabt, zu reisen und neue international Erfahrungen zu haben. Ich finde das wunderbar, if I do say so myself!!!

Ah, the Berliner Schnauz…

So, last summer, upon my first week in Berlin, I had a lot of trouble with a major cultural difference: Freundlichkeit (friendliness).

However, this year, I find it much easier to deal with, although it is still quite infuriating sometimes. I find myself to be generally a good natured person, and I smile often at people, even those that I do not know. That goes not so often in Berlin. So most of the time I walk around feeling like people think I am a simpleton or something. Oh well. It still frustrates me thought that I try so hard to be approachable and open to the new experiences, but yet a typical Berliner will shut that down real quick. I find this to be the case about 99% of the time by where the Student apartments are, but in Mitte and other touristy areas, people are generally more receptive to foreigners. However, it probably does not help that I look very German (fair, blonde, blue-eyed), and so when I speak with an Accent it is probably mostly a schock.

Overall, though, I find the experience thus far to be better than last year, because I am more comfortable and prepared for the little differences we take for granted when at home.

I plan my trips around the sensitive needs of my iPhone.

In 4 days I am leaving for another month abroad, and OH the endless task list! There are so many things to do to prepare for international travel.

A very important task I have been trying to figure out is how to bring my iPhone abroad without coming home to a $4000 bill. And I am not exaggerating. Just Google ‘iPhone abroad’ and start reading horror stories of people who unknowingly took their phones to Europe or wherever and incurred the ridiculously high roaming charges for data usage. It is one thing to know that making calls from your US mobile phone while overseas will cost you an arm and a leg, but surfing the web and checking email could cost you a whole lot more than just a couple of appendages.

So I have been doing my research. Yesterday I called my cellular service provider and had them turn on international roaming so that I can use the phone in case of emergency.  I hate calling the phone company. It is inevitable that you will wait on hold for 45 minutes and then the connection will be bad or the customer service agent will try to push some ridiculously expensive new “package” on you, when all you have is a simple question. However, I was shocked that she didn’t insist on selling me a data package or some other monthly service that would cost me hundreds to remove after I return home. No, instead she easily agreed to turn on  the international roaming, and in her words I quote “because you just want to be able to use your iPhone for emergencies ONLY.” Yes, that is exactly it. Thank you very much.

She then proceeded to tell me about 5 or 6 times to make SURE I turn OFF data roaming BEFORE I leave the US. Haha. I guess some people didn’t do their homework when taking their handy-gotta-have-it-with-me-at-all-times-iPhones with them abroad.

So if you are an iPhone user/enthusiast/freak then check out this page on traveling with the iPhone.

http://www.solvate.com/solutions/2009/01/27/iphone-users-must-read-before-you-go-abroad/

This is a very comprehensive list of exactly every step you must take to avoid an offensively high mobile bill while abroad.

I swear, taking this gadget abroad is way more complicated than traveling with paper maps (who can ever fold those things back up??) and the complete Oxford Duden dictionary in your carry on bag.

Why Berlin?

I’ve seen the phrase ‘Berlin liebt dich‘  used as a touristy city slogan, and I even have a T shirt that makes this bold statement in not just German, but English as well. But it’s not just a catch phrase–for me anyway.

Last summer I had an amazing time in Berlin. The people I met and the experiences I had were priceless. And while the creature comforts are mostly the same, I fell in love with the lifestyle in Berlin.

It’s not merely the hipster vibe or the vast array of art and culture experiences to be had. Sure, that adds to the allure for a relatively young traveler such as myself, but Berlin is so much more than that. It’s a way of life.