Mon 4.2.13:
We woke up at 3:30, walked to the other side of the Termini station to meet Shane and Iqbal (so that's why our meet-up plans Saturday morning failed), and slept during our 7:10 flight back to Berlin. We arrived at the center just in time for class, albeit pretty exhausted. Somehow I managed to survive both Econ and E40 (review session for Thursday's midterm!), went to Dolores burrito again with Shane and discussed our favorite aspects of Rome, and then came home to sift through my photos and sleep.
Tue 5.2.13:
After a German test in the morning, a few of us went to Colours (a thrift shop that sells clothes by the kilo; it also offers an additional 30% off Tuesday afternoons) to find Karneval costumes! We picked up a couple clown outfits, a few crazy hats, and a furry green onesie - should make for some great pictures!
That evening was another program dinner, with all the host families invited. Mine was out of town so I sat with Lulu and Sarah and their host moms; the spread included a large green salad (fresh vegetables!), lasagna, and a bean dish, followed by an apple-creme dessert, all of which were excellent. I went straight home afterwards (I even fell asleep between my U-Bahn stop and the previous one, and woke up three stops later haha), grabbed some groceries for the week, and crashed at 10:30.
Wed 6.2.13:
Today's 'Berlin vor Ort' field trip was to Prenzlauer Berg, a young and hip (and gentrified) area in the northern part of Berlin. Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, Prenzlauer Berg was occupied primarily by intellectuals, artists, and students in East Germany who by and large protested the division of Germany and sought reunification. Since then, with incomes on the rise, it has seen an influx of more affluent families and is now a popular area of Berlin for quality art, food, and shopping. We indeed passed several fancy-looking restaurants and cafes - definitely ought to return!
We also saw Käthe Kollwitz Platz, a small park dedicated to Kollwitz's efforts protesting war and inequality as seen through her artistry depicting the human condition. We ended our tour at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, which contains two entire stadiums (with soccer/football fields and surrounding tracks) and is used for just about all sporting events. Dr. Jander also pointed out the site of the Mauermarkt, the weekly flea market at the previous site of the Wall. Before returning to the center, we tried Konnopke's Imbiss, considered by East Berliners to be Berlin's best currywurst - indeed it was quite delicious, and offered semi-enclosed plush seating (!), though I will have to try Curry 36, the West Berliners' most-touted currywurst.
From 5 until 11, we were busy with work - all of us in E40 had to employ Timur's assistance to finish the homework, and then Susan, Shane, and I went to Shane's to work on our Econ presentation for tomorrow. I got a Thai curry near Shane's before heading home, writing some of my blog, and sleeping.
Thu 7.2.13:
This Thursday in Germany is Fat Thursday or Weiberfastnacht, which marks the first day of Karneval and is associated with feasting as well as the tradition of women taking over town halls and cutting off men's ties. Accordingly, German class was interrupted by Maria, Jutta, and Karen, who stormed in wearing masks and snipped off Jochen's tie! Then we danced around and made newspaper hats :) After class I studied for the E40 midterm, submitted housing for Spring, and looked online for tickets to Monday's Hertha-Union rival soccer match (essentially West vs. East Berlin), but no luck. I believe the presentation and midterm both went well, and to celebrate afterwards I hung out with Shane, Iqbal, Mikaela, Anna, and Spencer for a bit, and we found an excellent burger place (I got a mozzarella stick burger) and crepe place near my house.
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