Avatar Premiere: My night on the "blue" carpet

Premiere in London!  Read about it

http://www.nerdygirlatw.com

A Prince, an Avatar, and a Nerdy Girl action figure

I am going to London for the world premiere of James Cameron's AVATAR!

Click here to find out more about why and how:

Nerdy Girl: Around the World

Daddy dearest

My dad's in Berlin and somethings never change...

Read it!  http://www.nerdygirlatw.com

The doctor is in...

My experience with German healthcare... Read about it!  http://www.nerdygirlatw.com

Living like a Louis (XVI)

Check out how my girls' weekend in Paris went!  Pictures too!

http://www.nerdygirlatw.com

Top of the mornin' to ya!

Check out NG's thought on early bird flying as she jets off to paris for the weekend!

http://www.nerdygirlatw.com!

Am-Excellent Customer Service

Check out:  http://www.nerdygirlatw.com to find out how American Express (AmEx) came through for this Nerdy Girl!

Tasty Apples and Barbie Dolls

Check it out!  Finally was able to get onto the computer!

http://www.nerdygirlatw.com/

It all went down the toilet. Literally.

Read the new post at http://www.nerdygirlatw.com!

BBM: Blackberry Mom

New post! Check it out:  http://nerdygirlatw.wordpress.com

"Schwein"ing and dining

Read it at http://nerdygirlatw.wordpress.com!

I guess not all of my stars were "Allied"

Read about my trip to the Allies' Museum in West Berlin @ http://nerdygirlatw.wordpress.com!  (I even put up a couple of pictures!)

Just a heads up...

While I will be posting on both sites for awhile, I have decided to make the executive decision to switch over to wordpress for various reasons.  Luckily, despite my technology-disabledness I was able to import everything that I have written up until now!  Yay! 

So please keep reading...hopefully on wordpress :)

http://nerdygirlatw.wordpress.com

Just thought I'd share...

So it has been brought to my attention that it has been ten days since my last post and I have yet to write anything talking about the rest of my trip.  Apparently I am prime procrastination reading material and so in not posting have been letting certain people down.  I'm shameless, I'll take it.  Since I am in the midst of writing a paper discussing "Nachkriegszeit" (After the war time) auf Deutsch my time is limited.  This weekend I will get back to my procrastinating self, I promise.

But I do think that this sign I saw when I was in an Australian bar in Rome (no one there spoke Italian) is worth putting up all on it's own...

For those of you who are distracted by the glare that I found was unavoidable (and this picture was taking on my blackberry so I didn't have technology on my side) here is what it said:

ALCOHOL CANNOT BE CONSUMED OUTSIDE THE YELLOW BAR.

Sorry for any inconvenience,

10% of the money made from these drinks goes to

"The Prosthetic Body Part Foundation and

Little Timmy really needs that new Femur."

Well, not really... Just really, really bored

behind the bar and we need some

customers to keep us happy.

So go on, buy a drink.

Buy a drink with Little Timmy in your thoughts.

The sheer cheek of those Aussies!  Can't say I didn't laugh.  A lot.  And I made sure to buy a drink...For Timmy obviously.

Let's get ready to [Las] Ramblas!

So last time we left off I still had lots to explore in Rome and pasta to eat, mission accomplished, this morning I got up at the crack of dawn (okay, 7:30) to catch my flight to Barcelona.  In my last post I mentioned that the view of the outside of St. Peter's Basilica  took my breath away, well the outside has nothin' on the inside, let me tell you!  If I lived during the time this was built, I sure as hell would believe in God and his almighty power.  Then there was Michaelangelo´s Sistine Chapel, my last "tourist stop."  After shelling out 14 Euros, I was well on my way to seeing possibly one of the most legendary works of art that I can think of.  I still remember learning the history behind it, the relationship between Michaelangelo and the Pope Julius II in 10th grade history and dying to see more than the poor quality photo that was in my textbook.  However, that museum was going to make sure that I got my money´s worth.  With each arrow that said "Cappella Sistina" I felt the butterflies in my stomach and thought FINALLY!  It was like the butterflies I used to get when getting ready to see the tree in Rockefeller center for the first time that Christmas season. (My grandmother was Catholic).  However, it felt like one big tease.  (Although I was pretty taken aback by the Raphael rooms and thought the hall of maps was pretty sweet) Forty minutes had passed and I had almost started give up hope.  Forgive me, and maybe I am just influenced by the religious context, but it sort of felt like The Passion of the Christ.  (The movie.  And no I am not comparing myself to Jesus - more like one of the poor fools following behind him in the procession with the hot sun beating down.)  That said, the view, was more than worth it.  Even if I could take pictures, it would have been futile.  (Especially without the flash)

Now I am in Barcelona and ready for action!  Hearing the Spanish is not quite so intimidating...oh wait, no, it´s not Spanish!  AH!  It´s Catalan... Crap.  I think this trip has been good for me because I´ve really had to rely on myself (and I have yet to take a taxi!).  On top of the fact that Barcelona is a city that I have been dying to visit for a super long time, I get to see my close friend Alison!  I can´t wait for the romantic dates we´ll have walking down Las Ramblas...

Again I apologize for the lack of pictures.  I have been taking them!  It is just that when I made the executive decision NOT to carry my laptop, I didn´t take into account that I would feel uncomfortable loading pictures onto a random computer in a random internet cafe.  What if someone saw my pictures and decided to do sketchy things? Like, what if I was cloned?! Creepy.  Yeah, you´ll just have to wait in suspense.

When in Rome...

(I admit that that was super cheesy but how often can you say that...and it be true???  Exactly.)

Okay so last time I left off I was preparing to leave for almost two weeks of traveling and while I am sorry for my truancy (does that work for blogging? hmm.) I have barely had a moment to breathe since I left early Tuesday morning to go to Dresden and Prague with my program.  Dresden, a city that was almost fully destroyed during wwII and then taken over by the soviets during the reign of the DDR, has been almost entirely rebuilt and it is pretty gorgeous but also kind of haunting.  Part of that may be because the stones the Saxons used to build the massive buildings turn black over time...and the lovely weather we had which included but was not limited to rain, bitter, cold, hailing, and snow.  Prague as always was a gem and I have to say as much as I have loved Rome so far I miss the craziness that comes with traveling with my group!

Rome has actually been a bit of a culture shock.  I guess that it is because I am used to the orderliness that is Berlin.  I mean here I have experienced at least 10 near death experiences trying to cross the streets (which seem to be lacking traffic lights in clear areas...) while in Berlin it seems as though NO ONE jaywalks.  My pensione while clean is not exactly reinvigorating.  This morning I was woken up by the sound of a barking dog and yelling Italians (I presume the mother and son who own and run the establishment) but I didn't come to Rome to hang out in my hotel so off I went to experience my 'Roman Holiday' and have checked quite a few sights off my list... I think my favorite of the day (choosing from Spanish steps, Pantheon, Colosseum and a few others) was the Fontana di Trevi...but I think that because I have always found myself drawn to water.  Then again I have yet to experience the Vatican in its full glory.  I did go to St. Peter's square though and the view of the basilica as I walked closer literally took my breath away.  Tomorrow I am getting up early so that I can take a real tour and see Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel, a sight that I have heard about and looked forward to for so long that I am almost scared.  I mean it has quite the reputation to live up to.

So here are five lessons that I have learned during my last 24 hrs in Rome:

1.  There is no such thing as jay-walking.  If you don't you will never get where you need to go.
2.  If you want to find it, just follow the hoards of people holding maps in their hands.  Which seems to be pretty much everyone.
3. When you are on your own, your navigation skills are forced to improve.  While I have yet to become the next Magellan, I haven't accidentally ended up in Florence.
4. Italians are not a reserved people. (quite the opposite of their German counterparts)
5.  Don't be lazy and get your bum out of bed if you want to actually see stuff.

Arrivederci!

How SWEET it is to be loved by you, by you!

There are just somethings that taste the same no matter where you go which can be super comforting when even the "Diet Coke" has become "Light Coca Cola".  Sweet potatoes, my friends, is one of those things.
 I have recently hit my limit where I can no longer stomach the idea of living on Döner Kebabs (as tasty as they are), "Asian" noodles from the street vendors, and though I loathe to admit it, the occasional fast food chain.  A friend of mine has actually made it his business to find EVERY McDonalds in Berlin...I told him that if he survived past the age of 30 then I would buy him a McDonalds.  (That MAY have been a mistake.)  Anyways, back to sweet potatoes, which I rediscovered as I begun my foray back into the land of the healthy eaters.  While I am a big fan of the baked sweet potato, there is something to be said for sweet potato fries...leading me to the inspiration for this post (aside from my recent eating habits):

Intro to Cooking: Sweet Potato Fries  (Compliments of my favorite, CollegeCandy!)

Mmmm....

I guess I'm a little hungry, could you tell?  Well, lucky for me my mom is going to be in town for the next few days and she'll feed me!  (I hope.)

And we're all a week older than the last time I posted...

Whoops. Sorry.  While I did not forget, I do have an excuse!  The past week has been crazy (with no promise of lightening up!)  First there was my official entrance into legally drinking adulthood (yay 21!) which was also a German holiday.  October 3 is "Der Tag der Deutschen Einheit" (Day of German unity) and so think big party, all the stores are closed, etc...  This year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall there was a special presentation at the Brandenburg Gate called "Die Riesen"  (Which translates into "The Giants")  There were two "Riesen" (a big one and a small one) who traveled through the entire city to be reunited with each other at the gate.  Kind of like Berlin finding it's way back to a reunited Germany, perhaps?  Awww.

I must say that it was pretty cool celebrating on my birthday because while they may not have known it, the crowds were also there for me. (Though I have heard that the German Reunification was KIND OF a big deal...) To top it all off my host dad and I enjoyed dessert as we watched the small one pass by.  I had Apfelstrudel mit Schlagsahne und Eis. Mmmm...

(Translation: Apple Strudel with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream)

Second, It has also been midterms this week (up until Monday) and I have been scrambling to study and just get myself ready.  Even more so because my mom is coming for three days and I am pretty sure that I'd rather spend time with her than my German vocabulary book...

Top 5: Reasons why I love my host parents...

1.  My host mom makes me breakfast in the morning (rather than just leave me to the pieces of toast I would whip up, left to my own devices)

2.  My host dad asks me if I am going horseback riding every time I put on my hunter rain boots.

3.  My host mom thinks that the internet and computer are the same thing...thereby when I told her that the internet was indeed having problems she insisted she proved me wrong by merely pressing the "power" button. (Luckily that was taken care of when my host dad came to the rescue and fixed said problems)

4.  They have been married 47 yrs (as of yesterday) and still like to sing and play the guitar and piano together on random mornings.

         a. (yes I did just make a subset) She told me that for my upcoming birthday on Saturday they were going to sing to me. 

5.  She brings me chocolate.  (bars? brownies?  you name it.)

Where do we draw the line with tradition?

Much to the chagrin of many of my peers at Swarthmore, I have always found a bit of comfort in the traditionalism that comes with the Judaism of which I have grown up with.  I don't feel comfortable, as a woman, wearing talit (shawl) or a kippah (little circular hat) and I have never warmed to a woman rabbi.  A fact that I am readily prepared to attribute to facts unrelated to gender.  I do think at some point it would behoove me to learn how to cook a tasty friday night dinner.  (More for my sake than anyone else's!).  Tradition and faith, in this case Jewish tradition and faith, has given me something to hold on to as I have grown older.

All of that said, a minyan (the minimum of 10 praying individuals needed for a full service) should account for both men and women and I am consistently surprised by the fact that even in "liberal" synagogues (especially here in Germany) men and women are made to sit separately.  Men are usually in the center, acting as full participants while the women are off to the sides and up on the balcony, are essentially spectators.  This, I have learned, is primetime for the Yentes who take it upon themselves to discuss who is getting a little thick around the edges, whose skirt is too short, who is not married, and of course the pain of their perfect Jewish son's "shiksa syndrome." (With that in mind can you blame them?  The grass is always greener...) I would almost go as far as to claim that I was more familiar with the liturgy than over 50% of the males sitting below me, judging by the chatting and lack of direct participation I observed, so why is it a big deal for me to sit there?  Can one justify the division of genders using "tradition" as an excuse or then does it become discrimination?  Where does one draw the line?

Just some thoughts I had while sitting up in the nosebleeds this afternoon during the Yom Kippur service...

Comments welcome, please!

Saturday night with the Exorcist

So for weeks our German class has been preparing to see the Berliner Ensemble production of Der Aufhaltsame Aufstieg des Arturo Ui by the playwright extraordinaire, Bertolt Brecht.  The play is a parable, almost entirely based on the events leading up to Hitler's taking over of the Chancellory in 1933.  In our class we were supposed to have read the entire play (Okay, I admit that my attempt at reading could have been misconstrued as skimming selectively).  Then we discussed it from start to finish.  Should have been enough to get the general gist of what was going to happen at the actual production.

Should have been.  But it was indeed, not.  I could have read the play in German, English, and acted it out myself and would not have had a clue what was going on.  (Our professor and a majority of the German audience felt likewise) It was described to me as a "post-modern" production.  All I can say was that the man who played Arturo (Hitler) was very adept at making strange noises with his mouth that included but was not limited to breathing like a dog with his tongue hanging out and speaking in shrieky, lispy voice that made his character sound like he belonged in the Exorcist (which I will admit to have never seen but can only imagine) and needed to be exorcised.  Granted, he was essentially playing Adolf Hitler so one could argue that the characterization was not entirely inaccurate. 

I chose to sleep through the second half but found myself suddenly awakened by the sounds of guns being shot.  How rude.

Some ice cream with your sprinkles? Yes, please.

So I always got the impression from my older friends countless facebook updates and loads of stories that it was just simply impossible to miss home while abroad.  I mean sure everyone misses their friends and family but you're having such a fantastic time experiencing new things (which I am!) that you simply can't imagine you'd even have the slightest inkling of desire to sit in Sharples, the communal dining hall which doubles as a ski lodge (not really but it looks like it) and serves the most unappetizing food.  Okay, I admit it.  I miss having ice cream with my cup of rainbow sprinkles on Mondays and Fridays.  Sigh...

Important dates on the horizon:

October 3 - this Nerdy Girl's 21st birthday!

October 16 - this Nerdy Girl flies to Rome, Italy to begin her fall break adventure! (Rome, Barcelona, and Lisbon here I come!!!  Finally some more traveling!)

Back to my paper on the Weimar Republic...

Blaire, give Grandmother back her pearls. K, Thanks.

So I'll admit, I probably should have gotten started on my list of a million and one things that I have to do but c'est la vie...I found that my desire to get caught up on my favorite tv shows was too pressing to ignore.  Especially when I saw the first episode of the new season of...

THE BIG BANG THEORY.  (CBS Monday nights)

Gossip Girl, Shmossip Girl.  While I adore Sheldon, Leonard, and Howard Wallowitz, (the four geeky scientists the show is about) Raj Kouthrapali (sp?) will always have my heart.  There is something so wonderfully sweet about an Indian astronomer who needs tons of alcohol just to be able to talk to women.  And always manages to get a woman in bed.  Bravo!  (I'm assuming it was consensual on both sides obviously.)

As for Gossip Girl?  Here's what I think - Blaire needs to stop dressing like an old lady (you're way too young to be wearing grandmother's pearl necklace), Chuck Bass needs to stop acting like an old man (dressing gown?  really?), Vanessa needs to stop acting like a scorned woman, and Serena?  For the record, people GO TO COLLEGE to find themselves.  Whoever said they "knew themselves" before going off to college was a liar.  Or delusional.  As for Dan Humphrey?  Has anyone noticed just how much hotter he looks?  I think it's his haircut.

Moral of the story?  Never underestimate the power of a good haircut.

How liberal are you?

This is how the synagogue on Rykestrasse would describe themselves:

"We are a very liberal synagogue.  Men and women are in the same room.  But they sit separately. (Obviously)"

Golly, gee whiz!  I hope that I wasn't too much of a distraction!  Breathing the same air can be a little too tantalizing if you're not careful.  Makes me wonder about the Jewish culture that has evolved here with the regrowth of the community and what kind of shape it has begun to take...

Sarcasm aside, the service was nice if a little hard to follow (German garbled over a microphone is not the easiest to understand).

Shanah tovah!  Enjoy the apples and honey!  (Even if you're not Jewish - it's sweet!  ha ha...)

Bauhaus? Boohoo.

So, I know that it's totally taboo for a cultured girl such as myself to admit total and utter boredom when describing my experience at Walter Gropius's Bauhaus but...I really don't have a choice.  I mean to be fair I did not go through the entire thing and what I saw was a special exhibition on Bauhaus furniture.  (I think) My back ached from just LOOKING at chairs that I am 101% sure my grandparents would have a tough time getting out of.  EVER.

That being said, I understand why Gropius and the Bauhaus were so influential and I found it interesting that there was such a disconnect between the identity of the Bauhaus, as modern individuals, and their visions of mass production and conformity of society.  (I will admit that that is a GROSS simplification but it is what I got out of my tour this afternoon...) Sorry Walter, but not all of us are sheep.  Especially if you're chairs are just that uncomfortable.  If it had been a sofa, maybe we'd be having a different conversation.

Was that the beginning of a metaphor?  Well, that is also some food for thought...

Shanah Tovah!  (Happy Jewish New Year!)

Due to popular demand...

Here is where one can find Sven:

Holmes Place Berlin
Friedrichstrasse 68 (It is right off the beautiful French square called the Gendarmenmarkt in the Mitte (aka cool part of town)

In addition, since most people reading this are not moving to Berlin but may come for a short visit, they do offer day passes!  So say hi to Sven for me!

What's in a name? (Part 2)

Okay, so first off I would like to apologize for all of the technical glitches or confusion there has been regarding the new address of the blog.  Silly me, I didn't realize that when I changed the address there wouldn't some telepathic message sent out from my computer to the rest of the world (or at least my world since I am not sure people in Afghanistan are truly concerned with what Joanna has been up to in Berlin...but hey, that'd be cool if they were, not gonna lie.)

Why the name change?  Well it is a little demoralizing when everyone, including your own mother, keeps referring to your blog as "Forever 21."  No, I am not a woman's clothing line nor do I have any association with them.  I also figured that the new name fit ME better and the direction of the blog as it has come into being these past couple of months.  I am a nerdy girl who is currently traveling the world.  Subtlety is a strong suit of mine.  Anyways, from now on there should be no more glitches of this sort.

On a positive note:  I was reviewed by the site "Bloggy Award"!  Here are some tidbits of what they had to say...

"There is something to be said about Joanna’s writing – it makes for a fun read! I have no idea who she is, but I did enjoy reading about Sven, her fitness trainer, among other things. I am sure that more enjoyable posts are to come."

"Nerdy Girl: Around The World has huge potential. Joanna seems to be the type to look at things from a unique perspective, and in spite of the glitches that I encountered, I am positive that this blog can gain wider readership. What do you say to giving this blog a chance?"

Yes, please, do give me a chance.

Off to class!  Ta ta for now... 

Travel advice?

So it has come to my attention that as a writer of a blog that has a large focus on traveling, there should be some posts devoted to travel advice. For those who know me, you know that I have been to my fair share of places and have a lot to say about each one of them and for those who don't know me as well, feel free to ask and find out!

Since most of the questions have been concerning Europe, (makes sense seeing as that's where I am studying abroad and most of my friends here are not contemplating trips to South America - at least this semester), I am putting up a list of the places I have been on the European continent and would be more than happy to talk about!

BERLIN, GERMANY - obviously!
Austria - Salzburg, Vienna
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Belgium - Brussels, Antwerp, and Brugges
Budapest, Hungary
Croatia - Dubrovnik, Hvar
Greece - Athens, Santorini, Mykonos
Istanbul, Turkey
Krakow, Poland
Spain - Madrid, Granada, Sevilla, and Cadiz
Paris, France
Prague, Czech Republic

Email me at:  Jolang13(at)gmail.com (avoiding annoying spam emails!)
or Find me on Facebook - Check out the badge!  (I am getting so tech-savvy...not.)

Up next?  Rome, Italy!

What are friends for?

Other than making sure that your blog succeeds? Beats me.

I'm afraid that I may have started to become one of those annoying individuals who uses any social interaction as an excuse to put in a plug for "Forever 12." (Recently changed to "Nerdy Girl: Around the World"...but more about that a bit later) During one of those interactions last night I was lamenting my inability to remember to take enough pictures. So my friends, kind souls that they are, decided to take matters into their own hands and make sure I had EVERYTHING documented.



Gosh darnit! It just makes me warm inside to look at it and not remember.

And here I am "pre-cat nap"...



Not sure who or where those glasses came from. I just thought they were sweet.

P.S. Pictures of me actually out and about in Berlin are coming soon. I just have to wait until my friends load the pictures up on Facebook. Sorry, but that's the truth.

I now know why Americans are so fat.

They don't have Sven.

"Who is Sven?" you might ask... Well he is the man/superhuman who ran my fitness class yesterday evening. I have to say when my stretchy band thing snapped, filling me with a rush of relief, I was convinced that there was a God and that that God was smiling down on me. Briefly. (And I would hardly classify myself as a couch potato) There is something otherworldly about taking a highly intense aerobics class taught by a tall, brawny but lithe German man (with endless flexibility and energy). One second he is shouting "DREI! ZWEI! EINS!" And smacking the floor with his towel and the next he is smiling and dancing around the room as though we're all at a disco having the time of our lives. My personal favorite? The little air guitar solo he played on his unnaturally flexible leg. I could totally write a blog just on the various "training" experiences I have had and will have throughout my time here.

Psycho step/weight class survived and swim swum, I went off to meet up with two of the girls from my program. Hazelnut ice cream in hand, we went to the Bode museum (my favorite? The interactive kids gallery. Hands down.) And then stopped off for drinks at a cafe. We were CARDED! I will admit that despite my total surprise I secretly loved handing over my ID knowing that I was well (ok almost 3 yrs) above legal age. Only 3 more weeks until the big 2-1!

Half a bottle of wine later, I was a very happy camper. Giggly as well.

Wie sagt man "flexible" auf Deutsch? "Flexibel"

I have decided to use my break time productively so that instead of updating my vocabulary list or writing in my "Tagesbuch" (journal) I am updating my blog. Same idea, different language? Okay, fine, I'm procrastinating any way you look at it.

I have been sick for the past few days and so yesterday I decided that I wouldn't push myself too hard and take an easy yoga class at my gym in the Mitte. (City center a.k.a cool part) Now, I would not necessarily consider myself a yogi but I have been practicing pretty regularly and sometimes intensively since I was fourteen. Let it be known that I have never had an experience quite like the one I had yesterday evening. Yes, I probably should have known, given past experiences, that gyms focused on brawn and a "chi-chi" clientele are not going to have the best yoga programs but I thought I would try it out regardless. There is also that whole language thing - I missed the week where our vocab list included "warrior pose" and "downward dog."

Well, I needn't have worried. The yoga teacher probably knew less German than yours truly AND anything he said was said with what seemed to be a VERY thick New York accent. Not to stereotype or anything. I swear if I, or anyone else in my program, pronounced words like that we would be thrown out. Don't know if I should admit this but I am a fan of the tv show, The Nanny, from the early '90s starring Fran Drescher. Anyways, this guy was Fran Drescher, speaking German, at a slightly lower and more tolerable decibel. I have to say it was not the most zen of experiences just because as I was attempting to twist my body in all sorts of unnatural directions, I was also struggling between feeling an intense attack on my sensitive ear drums and the desire to bust out laughing. Luckily the class ended before I had to decide.

I think I'll stick to activities that don't require dark lights, constant instruction, and meditation.

Being a caring big sister from afar

Is really not easy. Thank god then for BBM! Now even when we do not have time for skype face to face or even facebook chatting I can drop some pearls of wisdoms on his metaphorical lap (aka blackberry).

Zum Beispiel:

"Don't be a fool, cover your tool."

"If you can't cover your rocket, keep it in your pocket."

Do you see a certain theme here? Well, as much as I love young kids I am not looking to become an aunt any time soon.

Photo op!

Okay, so I realized that as witty as my writing is, a blog, especially one that is about traveling really needs to contain pictures...Something that I always forget about. Because honestly, I get so awkward! I mean I know that all of us on some level possess a certain level of vanity but there is a limit to how much you are allowed to put that out there...and asking people to take pictures of yourself? Well, that is usually crossing the line. Even if you say, "it's for my blog!"

Now lucky for me I met some super cool Germans who were willing and ready for a photo op this past Friday. Please excuse the fact that I seem almost entirely unable to keep a straight face throughout the entire experience.

Photo #1 - The "friends out at a party" pose (I cannot take credit for these titles)



Photo #2 - The "serious" pose



Photo #3 - The "myspace pose where you show your cleavage but not your double chin" pose



Photo #4 - The "Right before the party on a boat became full" pose



Photo #5 - The "Cheers!" pose




Anyways, as you can see I am obviously hating life here in Berlin...

Voluntary art projects in college are NOT a sign of regression!

Okay, so today is friday which means that I have officially survived my first week of classes and commuting (well, not exactly commuting since I still have to take the U-bahn everywhere). Now, from the title of this blog post you might be asking yourself, "How exactly has this girl been filling her time when she is not commuting on said U-bahn?" That, my friends, is a very good question. I, unlike many of my peers, relished the opportunity to do presentations during my formative years. No, it is not because I love having everyone's undivided attention as I drop pearls of wisdom one after another. It is because any good presentation requires the presence of a good visual aid. Did anyone hear ART PROJECT?! I sure did!

Here is how I decided the forming of the European Union should be immortalized:

Comic-book style.



I never claimed to be a talented artist.

(I am still pathetically trying to figure out the whole "technology" aspect of blogging so bear with me!)

Swim girl swim!

Gym membership? Check.
Bathing suits? Check.
Stir crazy energy from lack of physical activity while getting "acclimated"? Check. Check. Check.

Getting out that physical energy? Priceless.

(I figured that if I totally copied Mastercard that could be a problem...)

In the words of my new gym: "Have a sporty day!"

Hi ho, hi ho! It's off to school I go!

Mission: Survive first day of school with classes spread out over Berlin with only limited knowledge of where I am going and how the different U-Bahns and S-Bahns operate.

Mission Accomplished. Barely.

I guess being at Swarthmore has spoiled me in that I literally have to do little more than roll out of bed in the morning to get to class. Here I have to roll out of bed, walk half a mile, jump on the (correct) U-Bahn or S-Bahn line depending on which day it is and where my class is, and then figure out which streets to take in order to find the class. Not that I am complaining, it will just take some getting used to. There is always that adjustment period and after days of excitement, that bordered on euphoria, it is finally settling in that when all is said in done, I am still in college and there is still homework to do and commitments to fulfill. Though it would be nice to have a chance to just immerse myself in the city rather than being shuttled around the city by my program. There is something to be said for a feeling of control and independence when trying to find footing in a foreign place.

It feels like light years ago before I begun my program and moved in with my host family and meeting Jonny feels almost like it was a dream... crazy how time can go by so fast but then at times feel as though it could not go any slower. (Kind of how I felt today during my German class when my teacher decided that it was necessary to tell us her entire life story, including how she used to get lost berry picking in the forest...echt cool! nicht.) That said, my Environmental Political Science class, despite the transportation hassle, promises to be quite interesting and thought provoking. Economics tomorrow!

First week is always the slowest, I know, because before I know it I will be cramming for midterms (and then finals!)...

Home sweet home!

Wow. Cannot believe it - this is the last major unpacking job that I am going to have to do until December! Hallelujah! Orientation is over and now I am writing this post sitting in my new room with my new German family. I have to say it is a pretty sweet set up over here. Beautiful area, beautiful apartment (with a balcony that looks into the nearby park!), and really nice people! I have to say that I was extremely nervous but now I already feel as though this will be an unforgettable experience in so many ways. I can only hope I continue to feel this way throughout the semester! It'll also be nice to have the weekend to settle in, purchase school supplies after two days of constant information, moving around, and general overwhelmingness that is studying abroad. That said, I highly recommend taking a Fat Tire bike tour. They have them not only in Berlin but Paris, Rome, Barcelona and London.

There is so much to say about the last few days...Suffice it to say that I am continuing to meet great people both in and out of my program from all over and it's just wundebar!

Time to unpack...WOOOHOOOOOOOOO!

p.s. for those of you who told me to count on wearing lots of sweaters here...it's been like 90 degrees every day...Global warming?

It always sounds better with an accent!

Almost any American girl who has been abroad will admit that there is something magical when the same every day English words and phrases are said with a non-American accent. Those who claim to be unaffected are, undoubtedly, lying. Of course looks and personality (see I am not totally superficial) count for most of it but it is that little bit extra that the accent provides which makes the jetlag worthwhile. (okay there is the whole museums and culture thing too!) Now I am sure my New York/Manhattan accent does the same to them...

How did I get to this topic? Well, I have been back in Berlin, preparing and waiting for my program to begin (6 pm tonight!), for a couple of days and already I have begun to meet fun and interesting people! Not even just from Germany but also from other European countries, like say Great Britain. Now here is where I face a dilemma...Theoretically, I am blogging about my life as it happens while I am over here in Deutschland but while I am excited to do so, I am also hesitant. When talking about people do I use real names? Do I use first initials like Gossip Girl? (I feel like that would get super confusing because unlike a scriptwriter I don't have control over the names of the people that I meet) Or I guess I could do code names...but what if that individual is offended by what I have chosen for them? Although I am pretty sure that if I do meet some Italian Lothario I am going to have to refer to him as "the Italian Stallion." For now, since I have permission (I am mostly positive of that), I am going to refer to Jonny by his real name. Although maybe I made that up too.

Jonny, as you may have surmised, is from Great Britain, and took pity on me and my pitiable German. We discovered later that in fact, my German is more than fine but I just become shy when speaking to native speakers and sound like a blathering idiot. Because he has been living here for three years he offered to show me around a few places and we went for lunch and despite my earlier preconceptions, Wiener Schnitzel, when made correctly, really is quite tasty! Or maybe I was just mesmerized by the English accent. Our attempt to visit the Pergamon was thwarted by the fact that Tuesday is the one day that it is in fact closed. To add to that the sky opened up and poured. How romantic!

Not to worry, I am sure I will have plenty of time to visit the Pergamon while I am here :)

And now I am off to meet the other students in my program - wish me luck!

It's really that EASY!

Just thought since a main focus of my blog is about traveling that I should make a point of giving my first Easyjet experience a big thumbs up - basically European JetBlue (without the mini-tvs...) Definitely looking forward to lots more traveling in the near future with their great prices!

Now it'll be time to say good bye to my mom and baby brother (who is going off to college!) and settle down in Berlin...

Guten Nacht!

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

If someone offered you the chance to go to a film festival that was showcasing a critically acclaimed film with the guarantee of said film's star and director's presence, you would jump on the opportunity, wouldn't you? Don't. That is unless you have been guaranteed seats in the first five rows, unlimited drinks, an invitation to the VIP after party, and a private limo to take you home. (Don't forget a personal translator so that you understands all the speeches and announcements made in the native language, such as say, Croatian...) Otherwise you are just a seat filler. Nothing more. No one cares there if you have even showered, let alone put on your sunday best. Sometimes it just sounds too good (and glamorous) to be true!

That said, The Wrestler, the spectacle of the evening, really was a good film. Tough to watch as there are only so many times I want to see Mickey Rourke sporting a long bleach blonde mane bleeding from the staples lodged all over his body. And quite frankly that was one of the tamer images. That said, I'd say that the movie deserved the high praise and critical acclaim it has received. As for getting up close and personal with Mickey Rourke and Darren Aronofsky? Mr. Aronofsky did nod a "hello/please get out of my way we are in a hurry" while setting up for a press conference at our hotel pre-screening. Yay!

Pictures as promised...

Split, Croatia...

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Compliments of my mom's blackberry since our USB for the camera seems to be MIA - I promise the water really is blue!

It's all going along swimmingly!

Wow. The beauty of Dubrovnik has left me practically (obviously not totally) speechless. It reminds me of the old city of Jerusalem without all of the Chasidim, shwarma stands, and souvenir shops and with the added glory of having the blue, blue, blue (did I say blue?) Adriatic sea hugging the city walls. Not to mention that I am pretty sure they weigh you at border control because there are NO fat people. Even the older ladies have hot bods. I guess with weather like this one is more likely to be wearing a bathing suit and that is motivation enough for anyone not to eat that extra portion of fries...Maybe it's just good genes? However, skin cancer from all that tanning would suck. (Clearly, I am just jealous.) Luckily, I have one more full day to enjoy myself here before I head back to the arctic weather of Berlin, which is predicted to be a chilly 77 degrees upon my return on Sunday...

On this trip, I have also rediscovered a new passion - swimming. Sounds simple but when you have lived in the middle of Manhattan for pretty much your entire 20.8 yrs existence, it isn't so obvious. And then like a lot of girls I know, I decided that I was too cool to jump into the cold water and would rather sip my pina colada and tan by the side of the pool. Good thing this trip I decided that being blasé is a tad over-rated. That's why I travel! (no, not only to swim) To discover and rediscover things that would have gone unnoticed while I was at home or at school even. Okay, I admit that was treacly.

Oh and word to the wise: Students on a budget traveling in Europe looking for some sun should recognize that despite popular belief, Croatia really isn't the cheaper version of Greece. It just has a less-valued currency. Sneaky, sneaky...

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Sure it was a little naïve that a three week family adventure would go on without a hitch - a meal was bound to disappoint and some egos were going to go head to head...I mean that's how it always is isn't it? Turns out my family is no exception but that is neither here nor there...

We have now been in Croatia for three days and the Adriatic is just as blue as the pictures promised. It is a shame, however, that our first impressions were colored by our first hotel in the town of Split - excuse the corny joke but as soon as we got there we were ready to split and take the next flight back to where we had come from (in this case, Budapest)...That also may have had something to do with the fact that our plane was taken over by the male Australian Water-polo team - I should have known it was all too good to be true!

While admittedly clean the Villa Marjela Hotel was so far removed from any town that there were no hotels in sight...we were surrounded by a parking lot, pre-1992 apartment buildings (as in pre-independence), and garbage that never made it into the bin. Pictures will be available soon enough.

One other thing I have learned on this leg of the trip - Croatians are extremely approximate in their descriptions..."Oh it is only a 10 minute walk to the beach" when in fact, we found out it was more like a 30-40 minute walk and a "pebble beach" really means a beach of rocks that drops off into the water. (Not necessarily a negative just false advertisement - I was tempted to buy those water shoes I wore when I was 4 to protect my feet!)

All of that said the island of Hvar, where we are right now is quite picturesque and lively at night with lots and lots of beautiful people to ogle. Even if they do not play water-polo. Off to Dubrovnik tomorrow for the last leg of family fun!

Oh! And I learned a handy new scrabble word - ZAX

Is there female equivalent to Lance Armstrong?

So my plan to blog as I traveled has not gone exactly as planned so far - as in I haven't found the time to write in it despite all of the different places and tastes I have experienced thus far in the past couple of weeks while traveling through central/eastern Europe with my mother and brother.

So far checked off on the itinerary:

Berlin (my home away from home for the next few months)
Krakow/Auschwitz
Prague
Budapest

Up next:
Croatia and the beautiful Dalmatian coast (which always makes me think of Cruella de Vil)

I have to say that as great as it has been so far, touring and learning about these different places and life since the second world war and that thing called the "iron curtain" I am excited to just pass out and relax on the sandy beaches of Croatia. I think that I will have had enough culture to last me until I at least return to Berlin to begin my studies...

Biggest accomplishment of the trip so far? Getting over my fear of riding bicycles...While I did learn to ride a bike when I was relatively young (unlike learning to drive which has yet to happen)...I have never felt totally comfortable which was underscored by the fact that almost every time I found myself in a relatively large accident (aka being attacked by a garbage can at the age of 7) However, since arriving in Berlin about 10 days ago, I have been on 3 successful bike adventures - including a 35 km bike ride through the "czech countryside" to Karlstejn Castle...really not as flat or scenic a route as was advertised...yay!

Who knows maybe I'll learn to drive while I'm here! Autobahn here I come!

(I apologize for the superficiality with which I describe my travel, which has been from it - my exhaustion and acute sense of the need to wake up for a walking tour of "Jewish Budapest" is preventing me at this moment from going into greater detail.)

Can you say NERD?

I realize that I haven't spent all that much time explaining myself or talking about who I am - why Berlin? Why not Paris? Prague? Barcelona? And even more of a question...Why GERMAN? I mean it is a well-known fact that most Germans, at least in the big cities, speak at least a passable amount of English so learning it for communication purposes isn't really a great excuse. Then of course those who know the least bit about me point out that not only is German not particularly useful but that I am Jewish and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. And when I stand there thoughtfully trying to come up with an intelligent response for a decision that I am not sure I understand fully myself, the individual asking the question almost always looks at me with a raised eyebrow, a smug look of satisfaction as though what they said hadn't occurred to me, and says"Well?" As if we have just had a life-changing conversation that will force me to reevaluate my choice to be an honors History major and German minor, and undoubtedly see that I am much more suited, as a Jew especially, to something say like, Economics or Biology.

The answer to the question has many parts - firstly, I have always been fascinated by European history and started reading Anne Frank at the age of 9. (However, knowing that she was going to die was a little too grown up for such a young girl and found it necessary to finish it at the age of 11.) I have to date studied the French Revolution of 1789 four times in school since I was in eighth grade and still find it fascinating and so becoming a history major wasn't so much of a long shot. The German is what gets the questions as I have just mentioned. As an incoming freshman at Swarthmore College in the fall of 2007, I was excited by all the possibilities and decided taking German would be fun and it sort of snowballed from there as I became more and more involved with the learning and became more in awe of the great faculty that I was surrounded with and privileged to study with. Never underestimate the power of a great professor in discovering your passions.

Wow I just realized how much I wrote and how much of a nerd I sound like. And my stomach is rumbling because it's lunchtime. (I'll use my lack of food as my excuse for any unnecessary rambling that may have occurred since lack of sleep would just be a lie as it is past noon on a Saturday morning.)

Ich liebe zu reisen!

Translation: I love to travel!

This is the first blog that I have written according to my own free will - last summer it was part of my job description as an editorial intern for Alloy.com to record my "exploits" and discuss life living in NYC. I can't say that my feelings have changed about posting my personal life on the web all that much but I do think that with my upcoming semester abroad that it would be cool to have some sort of record of the roughly 4.5 months I will be spending abroad studying in Berlin and traveling around Europe. As much as I love life at Swarthmore where I have been for the past two years, there are very few things in my 20 years of existence that I have looked forward to more than going abroad.

ich kann nicht warten! (One of my goals is to become fluent in German so that I can write beyond stilted sentences that would only appear in a text book)

It is not as though I have never been to Europe. In fact I have spent summers there traveling with family and playing cello in music festivals in the Netherlands and Bavaria, Germany. Sorry to disappoint but I actually do remember my visits to Amsterdam. Although I am sure that very few girls at the age of 16 can say that their dad took them to see their very first prostitute in the notorious red light district. He knew how much I'd been looking forward to seeing...Oh! The sacrifices a parent makes for their child's dreams!

While it would be very hard to pinpoint favorite moments during my many trips abroad, I can say that there is nothing like getting off a plane after a transatlantic flight. Sure, you're all cramped and jetlagged after spending seemingly endless hours with the kid behind you kicking your seat, the old lady next to you trying to feed you food, and the girl across the aisle throwing up and forgetting that they do provide a special bag for such occasions. But there is nothing like the feeling of endless possibilities that hit as you notice the change in language on the signage and begin the treacherous journey through customs, immigration, and baggage claim. Oh and don't forget that taxi line with all of the smokers lighting up as though they believe that the cigarette they are about to shove in their mouth holds the answer to eternal youth, or at the very least, the meaning of life. Sometimes I can't sleep at night I am so full of excitement - which really makes getting to my summer internship for 7:30 am kind of tough!

What's in a name?

Some people have this idea that all of us who grow up in New York City grow up way too quickly and as a result end up being way more mature, way more "cool", and way more jaded than our peers around the country. And while there maybe evidence to suggest that frequenting bars and clubs armored with a Platinum AmEx a la Gossip Girl is not typical teen behavior, there are a few of us out there whose bathroom use is limited to private bodily functions, make-up reapplication, and gossiping with girlfriends. Some of us actually daydream about their best guy friend all of a sudden taking notice, like in every book written for the 12-16 year old set, and turning out to be Prince Charming with only eyes for you. I hope none of my guy friends read this and get the wrong idea.

When your 12, at least when I was 12, and I had no real experience to speak of boys and romance represented this sphere of unending possibility that as I got older and gained experience seemed to feel at times more depressing than encouraging. When I was 12 I couldn't even fathom all the different ways things, relationships could go wrong. So wouldn't it be easier, rather than admitting I turn the grand old age of 21 this coming October, to remain forever 12?

Basically? What's the point in being depressed about something that hasn't gone wrong yet?