4/11-12/13

Hello all! Sorry for not posting yesterday, I was pretty warn out and I was also pretty sure the post would be pretty boring! Yesterday was another day of observation at BBS. While each day is new and exciting to me, but I also realize that it's exciting for me because I always feel so at home and alive in the classroom. You really know you are meant to be a teacher when you get excited over textbooks and planning a curriculum!

Overall, as far as yesterday went, it was pretty chill. I was able to observe a physics lesson (not because I'll ever teach it but because I am being given the chance to watch multiple teachers work) which was pretty interesting. It was an exciting and tiring day, like they normally are in the classroom. By the time I got home I was pretty useless (I have been staying up later than advisable on a school night) and ended up forgetting to post about my day.

Now today is Friday! Woohoo, one thing that will never get old while teaching is having my weekends off! Working retail I always worked weekends, so finally starting to grow up actually means I get weekends off again! So after working (well mainly observing) this week, I am ready for a fun and relaxing weekend. Anyways, today apparently the weather was a bit strange for Berlin (yes, I am resulting to discussing the weather right now, but don't worry you don't need to continue the small talk). I woke up, and honestly it looked like a fairly common morning that I experienced all winter quarter in Bellingham... You guessed it, it was raining! It felt like being home again. Right down to telling people not from Bellingham (or the greater Seattle area) that I don't carry an umbrella because the wind makes them more hassle than anything at home.  So everything I own has a hood, or can be worn under something that does. I did get a few laughs out of the staff members when I told them about loving the rain, and that I was use to it.

Just like home, on my way to catch the shuttle to work!

Truth be told, the rain didn't stick around for very long. It was gone by the afternoon and as I made my way home from shopping the sun was out shining in full. Well apparently, that was still too much rain for those who live in Berlin. By next week it's suppose to be warm and sunny. I'm kind of excited though I may need to go by a pair of shorts and a skirt to keep cool as it heats up here!

On to the next story, I realized today that walking most of the way to work to catch the shuttle has made my feet a bit sore, and it took me all week to figure out why! In Berlin most of the side walk areas aren't actually paved. Instead of our usual cement sidewalks, Berlin has adopted the cobbled sidewalks... No joke, in my entire area the sidewalks are a collection of stones. While it's not very noticeable in the shopping areas (the stones are bigger and better aligned), walking on it all week in my boots has left my feet very sore. Next week I'm switching to my super comfy slip on shoes Debbie bought me, I now realize the importance of having sensible shoes!!!

One of the nicely done sidewalks by my apartment...

So after I got home tonight I realized I should head out and get some groceries before my low energy put me to bed at 4 pm. Of course  being out shopping around dinner time I naturally needed to stop and eat. You know, it is very stressful trying to find food somewhere when you don't speak the language. I ended up finding a little pizza and pasta shop and decided to try my luck.

It turns out that most places here do have an English menu,  but you have to request it. I ordered my pizza (spinach and mozzarella) and sat down to enjoy. The pizza had the shredded spinach on it, and honestly way too much of it, so I ended up picking some of it off. Other than that the pizza was amazing... But I was informed before I had ventured out to eat pizza, that here in Germany it is not a finger food. So I got to eat my flat crust pizza (the all seem to be flat crust, the Germans are a bit more health conscious apparently) with a fork... I will never under appreciate my pizza slices again! Eating it with a fork was the most challenging meal I've had in a while!

Enjoying my pizza (see though, too much spinach).

After finishing dinner I made my way into the mall and happily stumbled onto a bakery, where I decided to finally test the amazingness that is German sweets. I was bad and decided to order two different sweets (which I finished most of and felt miserable for some time! I ordered an Eclair (it seemed to be filled more with pudding than the lighter creams I've had in the past) and what I can only call a fruit and cream puff ring. These desserts were pretty tasty and I can only imagine what a more famous bakery will offer as I begin exploring more of Berlin.

Woody and I sampling some sweets!

 After stuffing myself I decided to try and figure out where to pick up my groceries. I was on a mission to get some basic produce, but what I really wanted to buy was a new pillow! The ones that were provided in this apartment were horrible... So after search several stores I finally decided to try one last department store, which also turns out to be a grocery store too. No joke, this store called Karstadt, is the closest thing to a super store that Berlin seems to have. But its fancier than say a Fred Meyer, Target and especially Walmart. Imagine going into Macy's at the mall and realizing they have added a food section, once you get over the strangeness, that is what this store is!

So I managed to finally do one stop shopping (though I may have been able to get some things cheaper elsewhere I was too tired to play the shop at three stores game). I located a pillow that will be good for the time I'm here, but I had to search to find one cheap enough I could justify buying. Apparently pillows are just more expensive here. I  bought mine for 8 Euros, but the average price I was running into (and I'm not joking either) was 25 Euros for a basic pillow! Some of the memory foam like ones were in the forties and fifties for price! I will never again taking for granted my three dollar pillows that target carries every year at the back to school sales (or for like 5 dollars at other times).

In this store I also managed to find what ever teacher needs, a travel mug for my morning caffeine. Oh and I finally figured out a way to filter tap water here at a reasonable price, in order to avoid buying water every week. I bought a filter water bottle, that has the filter built right into it. I was so excited to find this, it will make it so I can start drinking water like I use to! Again, you come to realize how many things you took for granted back home when you no longer have it easily. The water is safe here, but it never tasted right... Somethings are just hard to live without, and why I can't find a substitute for hugs from the people I love, I can drink me some tap water now!

Woody modeling with my new pillow and my other purchases!

Well that is all in the adventures (and everyday life) of me. The words of the day, of course Dad I'm doing two since I missed yesterday, are Ausfahrt links and Ausfahrt rechts. They mean "exit left" and "exit right." Though I can't really say them myself too well (well links for left isn't too hard) I learned what they meant by riding the train, and having them tell you which side to exit to get onto the platform! Well that's all tonight, its getting late. Guten Nacht (see if you can remember yesterdays lesson)!