The one about Public Transport

This might seem like a strange topic to choose for my blog, but I have experienced some rather bizarre observations on German (specifically Berlin) public transport, and I thought I might share those with you today.

Underground

Surprises

Here in the city there are no ticket barriers on the underground platforms, which means that you get a lot of people attempting to ride without a ticket. All tickets are controlled spontaneously by inspectors onboard the trains, and this can take you entirely by surprise, as they are often plain-clothed (and can fine you 40€ on the spot!)
I have started to realise, however, that there are certain traits to look out for, if you want to spot one.
Firstly, they are virtually all middle-aged men, travelling in pairs or threes, with broad-rimmed glasses and balding white or greyish hair. They tend to wear jeans in an attempt to fit in and look like part of the young crowd, when normally people of their generation would be wearing cords or chinos or something more... age appropriate.
They tend also to wear a loose shirt or black leather jacket, in order to try and cover the bulky ticket machine attached to their belt.
And finally, they always travel in small groups of normally 2-3, who never sit down upon entering the carriage no matter how many free seats there are. After a few moments of hovering by the door in awkward looking silence together, they fan out and start their murmour of 'Fahrkarten, bitte'. Then you can see which people start to squirm uncomfortably!


I must admit, I do sometimes entertain myself by playing 'spot the inspector' on a crowded U-Bahn train!!

Buskers

You often find buskers with guitars or similar on the underground trains as well, which can be entertaining. 
I hear one man fairly regularly- he plays guitar really really well, he has a deep, crooning, beautiful voice, and an amazing beard. He has serenaded me and my fellow passengers with songs such as Moon River and The Way You Look Tonight, and always brightens up my journey to work of a morning.

There is, on the other hand, a downside to having such buskers in the train carriage with you. You can't avoid them. 
Now there's one trio of musicians, and I know exactly where they travel to and from, which I now make a conscious effort to avoid. Their trio consists of a clarinettist, violinist and I believe a guitarist, and they will play Pachabel's Canon in unison in a loop. It's really not very tuneful or pleasant to the ears, and I don't appreciate the way that their assistant pushes their collection cup insistently right into your face. Over all, a highly unpleasant experience, in my opinion!

Polite Homelessness

Homelessness is quite a big thing in Berlin (it's really difficult to find accommodation here), and so quite often homeless people will turn to magazine-selling to earn enough money for a bed for the night/food to eat.
It's quite common to see these people travelling on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn, begging from the commuters and tourists they find there.
What astounded me about these people was how unbelievably polite they are.
This is a rough translation of a typical Big-Issue-Equivalent salesperson here in Berlin:
"Hello, and a wonderful and pleasant morning to you all. I would like to firstly apologise for disturbing you on your way to work/sightseeing here in Berlin. My name is X, I am one of the hundreds of homeless people in this city, and I am here today to ask you to buy this magazine from me. It only costs 1.20€ and will help me to afford something to eat and drink, as well as helping me to eventually afford a roof over my head. Even if you don't buy a magazine, I would most appreciate if you could donate any spare change for food and drink. In any case, I wish you all a very pleasant onward journey and have a nice day. Thank-you for your attention."

I mean, seriously?! You'd never find that in England!!

Buses

Bus etiquette. 

It seems that here, travelling by bus is a very impersonal business. You are expected to have minimum contact with the bus driver- there's no greeting or eye contact other than silently showing your ticket upon einsteigen (getting on)- and you exit from a side door without saying 'thank-you' or acknowledging the bus driver's existence. Bizarre, but so it is.

Bus driver driving style

Now, here in Germany, drivers are generally known for being fairly respectful and considerate of other road users (I'm ignoring the concept of the Autobahn for now!), but I have to say, bus drivers are a real exception to the rule.
I have to travel by bus virtually every day for work here, and I have noticed a lot of interesting behaviour.
Bus drivers frequently honk their horns, drive over red traffic lights, cut up cyclists and cars and even shout 'Arschloch!' at other road-users if they don't do what they expect.
For a short period of time, we entrust our safety into the hands of these people, and so to set such an example of how (not) to drive just seems a little ridiculous, and very unneccessary. On the other hand, the buses are virtually always on time, so I suppose that's a positive side to it.

That's it for today. Sorry it's been a little random!

Alles liebe aus Berlin,

Louise x

Drawings, Discipline, Dirndl, Destinations and Dumbfoundment (but it's not all bad!).

I've now been here for a grand total of 57 days. 
That's 8 weeks, or just under 2 months, or 1/6 of my time here (depending on how you look at it) and I've very much settled into the general routine of day-to-day working life.

I now am not only in charge of teaching English to young German children, but also music classes twice a week, as well as undertaking homework-marking and private tuition in my spare time.

Drawings

So I received my first present from a child yesterday. It was apparently a drawing of me:

Hair that's long enough to reach the floor, an anorexic-looking long purple body, short stick-legs (again, purple) a big smile and a lovely pair of purple glasses. 
Yupp. Very accurate... :-)

Discipline

Some of the children in my classes have now sussed out that I can be a bit of a pushover, which has been a steep learning curve!! I hate it when they start to play up and not listen to me, because I don't want to seem like the big scary English teacher, but it got bad enough the other day that I even had to send two boys out after they starting throwing things around, so I've had to learn very fast to assert my authority!
However, I now have some very sneaky tricks up my sleeve (mainly bribery-based), and I've finally mastered the subtle art of keeping the childrens' attention without needing to raise my voice, so my classes seem to be under a little bit more control again. 
We'll see how that goes!

Dirndl

I also recently went shopping with my housemate and her friend, and we all tried on the traditional German/Austrian national dress (called Dirndl). Pretty hysterical experience, I must say, and it was surprisingly comfortable:

Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me...

Not sure quite how the children would react if I turned up to class like that though!

Destinations

So here I wanted to cleverly introduce the arrrival of a few lovely people to Berlin, but then couldn't really think of a word beginning with 'D' that would fit with my title. So I went with destinations. Sorry =P

Emily, Elaine and James (friends and fellow music students from Newcastle Uni) have just arrived to start their years abroad at Humboldt uni, here in Berlin. It was lovely to be able to see their familiar faces again, and to share in their experiences of moving here and settling in, even though I am working quite a lot of the time so unfortunately don't get to see them as much as I would like. 

Dumbfoundment

So I had a bit of a shock the other day, when I found out that the leader of the church I'd been going to here in Berlin has actually been arrested for having had sexual relations with a 13 year old boy. 

I'd met him a few times at the church services, really respected and looked up to him as a teacher and church leader and example of a model family man, and so it was a real surprise to find out that he had been arrested.

It has revealed many things to me:

• That no matter how well you think you know somebody, you never know what's going on inside their hearts/minds. A slightly daunting thought!
• Even those people who seem a perfect role model aren't actually perfect. They're just human.
• People (especially in Christian circles) are very very quick to judge. Me included.
• When the head of an organisation/group is suddenly not there any more, although it brings utter chaos, it brings people together under a united desire for sustaining the cause. It has made a lot of people re-evaluate what's important to keep the church running, and pull together to move forward.
• How much I need Jesus. Without him, I am nothing better than any murderers, idolaters, thiefs, rapists, adulterers, liars or cheats... yet with him, I have everything. I have no more regret, guilt or hopelessness, because I know that I have a hope and a love everlasting that will never change or leave me stranded. What an awesome gift!!

That's all for now. I'll try not to eat too many Currywurst before I post again.

Alles Liebe,

Louise x

Time passing... and a few Milestones

Over here, time seems to fly by incredibly quickly, but at the same time, it also feels like I've been here for ages. 

So, today I'm celebrating three important milestones in my Year Abroad.

Firstly, the end of my first official week's teaching. 

What a week!! At times it's been tough, but the children are on the whole very sweet and willing to learn (which always helps!), and the more lessons I've taught, the more confident I've become at controlling the class and ensuring that both I and the children enjoy ourselves.

And now, I'm looking forward to next week, when two more new classes start, and I can get stuck in even further with those children I met this week.

Secondly, it's just dawned on me that I've been here in Berlin for exactly a month today.

A MONTH ALREADY!!!

It feels like only yesterday I was packing my life into a suitcase and setting off for the airport, full of excitement and nervous anticipation and more than a little bit emotional/teary-eyed.

Now I feel like a Berliner. 

Now I own a bike.

I honestly feel like this is a significant rite of passage for anyone living here in Berlin. If you don't have a bike, you're not truly embracing what it is to be German. Pedal-brakes, basket, slanting crossbar, the lot. So, yesterday, I went and bought one. :)

Admittedly, this isn't just as a metaphorical symbol of the culture, but also for me will potentially be very practical. A bike will make it significantly easier to access the schools where I'm working (which tend to be quite far away from any U-Bahn stations), and to travel between them, as well as further exploration of the local area in my free time. But it's also helping me feel like I fit in here as well, which is a good feeling.

I'm not going to use it straight away for work, as I want to be really secure in where I'm going/how to cycle on the Right hand side of the road/how to adapt to a bike with pedal brakes before I even attempt that (I'm not sure it would leave a good impression if I turned up for English class 20 minutes late, breathless, covered in sweat, having got lost and nearly caused a traffic accident!!) but hey. I'm here for a whole year. Plenty of time for all that.

My third milestone is that tomorrow, it's only two weeks until I fly back to sunny old Blighty for the wedding of two very dear friends of mine in Durham. I have been honoured with being asked to be bridesmaid, and it's been nearly two months since I've seen either of them, or in fact any of my Newcastle-based friends, so there will be a mega celebration in order. I can't wait!!!!!

So here's to time, that old friend. As somebody (I forget who) once said,

"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

Alles liebe,

Louise :) x

Berlin... some thoughts.

I've been here for just under two weeks now, and I'm starting to get a feel for the city, the pace of life and the attitudes of the people. There have been many surprising discoveries, and I thought I'd just share with you a few thoughts.

The area in which I'm living is called Steglitz. It's found in the South West (formerly American sector) of Berlin, and is beautiful. Gothic architecture, lush parks, grand houses and tree-lined avenues are all around here, and yet there is still a constant reminder that you are living in a capital city, by the amount of traffic, skyscrapers and shopping centres which are virtually unavoidable (as you can see here).

However, Steglitz is just a tiny little part of this huge, expanding city. You can easily travel on the S-Bahn or U-Bahn (underground network) from here into the Stadtmitte, and from there, explore all around the city in whatever way you feel like: Walking, Bus, Boat, Bike, Tandem bike, Horse and cart, Strange multi-person Beer/bike combos (not kidding, these do actually exist- proof below).

Whatever way you choose to explore, you can't NOT be amazed. It's unbelievable. Such a unique city, and there's an awful lot to explore. Thank goodness I'm here for a whole year!! :)

The Berlin Wall

I guess I can't really give my thoughts on exploring Berlin without mentioning the inevitable. I mean, a structure that divided the city completely in two for so many years will obviously have had a lasting impact on it, but I wasn't quite expecting this much!! You can still tell which side of the wall you are on, even now- 23 years after it was torn down. The architecture, the kinds of people, the sorts of businesses you find there, it is almost like a different city in the East, despite the ongoing efforts of the German Government to unite the city as an example to the rest of the country to do the same.

To give you an idea, compare the first photo with this one (taken from the sightseeing bus, a view of Leipziger Strasse, which was formerly in the DDR (East)):

The sky's still the same colour, granted, and there are still lots of trees, but each of these high-rise apartment blocks belong to the era of the 1960s DDR, where children had collective potty training, Trabis (DDR-issued cars) were the transport of the day, engineers earned little more than farmers and everyone (or so it seems) went on nudist holidays.

It's like a different world.

How on earth can these two, distinctly-different sides to one city unite as one, after all this time apart?? It seems impossible.

However, I think, after last night, I might have my answer: The Youth Culture.

There is an immensely strong youth culture here. And when I say immensely strong, I mean students and young professionals (I use that term loosely- most don't have permanent jobs, just love it so much here they don't want to leave) on bikes EVERYWHERE- especially in the "cool" areas of Neukölln and Kreuzberg. 

There are no laws against drinking in public places here, there is no tax on beer (so it's ridiculously cheap!), smoking is allowed pretty much anywhere and there is an incredibly relaxed attitude towards drugs as well. 

In cometh the inevitable: parks full of young people with their bikes, drinking crate-fulls of beer and smoking I-don't-know-what until goodness-only-knows what time in the morning. Oh, and they listen to a lot of techno music too.

Sounds horrific, right??

Well no. Actually, it's not like that at all.

I was in such a park last night, and it was really good fun. I'm not saying that I have started smoking and doing drugs or anything, but I went and I had a few beers with friends from work, and genuinely really enjoyed myself. Nobody in the park was drunk out of their heads, making a fool out of themselves and throwing up, leaving broken bottles everywhere and making a mess for somebody else to clear up, like they would be in a similar situation in England.

These people get together to have a few beers, and to socialise and relax after a hard week's work (someone even comes round and takes away your empty bottles for recycling!!!). They are a young, liberal, creative people who embrace the attitude of 'live and let live'. There are buskers, street artists, people dancing on the streets and professional graffiti artists as well as street theatre groups and impromptu comedy/karaoke acts all over the place, and they come from all different walks of life, yet all have the same passion for freedom of self-expression. 

They don't care if you're from the former West or East. They don't even care if you aren't German! It doesn't matter what you wear, what car you drive, what language you speak, or whether your handbag came from Primark (yes it does exist here) or Prada. If you are proud of who you are, and you make the effort to just go with the flow, you will be accepted as a Berliner- guaranteed.

I think this liberal attitude is what is the key to Berlin's success as a flourishing cultural city. Admittedly, this liberality can go too far- free availability of beds on the dance floor in clubs for those couples who just can't quite make it as far as their own bedroom, for instance- but it's definitely the only way that I can see it possible for them to move forward and look beyond the segregation and division of the past.

Here's to the future, Berlin! Prost!

Alles Liebe,

Louise :) x

I've arrived!!

I have now arrived in Berlin and settled into my accommodation. Hooray!

The city is fascinating- full of contrasting beautiful old gothic buildings and graffiti-covered concrete DDR-style skyscrapers. Lots of green-ness though, too. And an excellent, efficient and punctual transport network (it is Germany, after all).

Things I have achieved so far, that I'm proud of:

-making a phone call in German to the bank and successfully cancelling/re-arranging my appointment there.

-Navigating the Berlin underground system (U-Bahn) on my own. Next step is to confidently do it without needing a map, but I've got to take it one step at a time, I suppose.

-Successfully registering residency here, as well as applying for the German equivalent of a CRB-check at the town hall.

-Understanding a church sermon in German. I went along to a church service on Sunday, and managed to successfully follow the speaker's line of thought, which was very satisfying as religious language isn't the same as every day German. Oh, and he was Swiss, so his accent was even more difficult to follow!

-Setting up a German phone contract.

-Successfully registering for a bank account in German over a nice cup of coffee (the German way to do any kind of business, of course)

... and all of this, in less than a week. Is it any wonder I'm exhausted?

My official training for the internship starts tomorrow, and it will be intense, but I'm really looking forward to it, as we get to work with school children right from the outset.

I will try to post again before too long.

 Alles liebe,

Louise :) x

packing problems.

Two weeks to go- and so much to do!!!!

I have a ridiculous amount of people to see before I leave, and on top of that, I have to complete all of my paperwork as well as deciding how on earth I can fit my entire life into a suitcase.

One. Single. 20kg. Suitcase.

HOW??

Somehow, over my 20 years on this planet I have managed to accumulate an ENORMOUS amount of stuff. Clothing, shoes, bags, stationary, accessories/hair/makeup products, posters, books, dvds, CDs, dressing gowns, onesie (just one, so far!), mugs, electronic-y stuff (yes that's a techincal term), musical instruments, cooking utensils... the list goes on and on, and it is really making me think: how much of this stuff do I actually need? 


Perhaps at the end of this year I will have a better grasp of what things are actually vital to my existence, and what are mere luxuries which I can afford to live without.

Or perhaps I'm just going to return with a collection of even more random paraphernalia from Germany- Beer tankards, Glühwein mugs, hats, keyrings, fridge magnets, flags, t-shirts... 

Who knows??

Black music, Ballroom dancing and the Beautiful summer skies.

T minus 63 days... it's getting closer!

However, this weekend I've had a lot more than just my year abroad on my mind.

First, there was the birthday meal for one of my friends and fellow salsa-addicts. We went to a Marco Polo (on Grey Street) and had a good few laughs, as well as some delicious Italian food, followed by salsa dancing and shimmying in Vineyard bar until the early hours. Standard.

Saturday morning I met up with a very close friend of mine for brunch, and we spent hours and hours just chatting and drinking tea. There's virtually nothing I enjoy more than that. I also discovered what a 'Stottie' is (for those who aren't from this part of the world, a Stottie is a delicious Geordie version of a bread bun absolutely packed with fillings- mine had a full English breakfast in it. Complete with black pudding!). 

Then there was the black music conference. The whole of Saturday afternoon in a lecture theatre watching 19 presentations, one after the other, and all on various topics under the umbrella of 'Black Music'. From Beyoncé to the Lion King- and everything inbetween! My brain definitely hurt after that one, but I had no time to stop... 

... I went straight from there to the Latin and Ballroom society's "Summer Ball" (or "Summer Saturday Salsa Shimmyfest" as I like to call it). What a fun evening that was- takeaway pizzas (long story... the caterers didn't turn up), champagne, line-ups and even more dancing. For the second night in a row, I didn't get to bed before 2:30am- and I certainly knew about it the next day!

I had extra coffee before church, and even surprised myself by being there on time (!). It was a great time of singing, prayer and teaching, and I certainly gained a lot by being there, despite having to fight to stay awake.

Following church, a group of us wandered down to Quayside (a really iconic, pretty part of Newcastle along the bank of the river Tyne- google it!) for the Sunday market and to see what we could see. 

What a gorgeous afternoon it turned out to be! Bright sunshine, blue skies, contemporary art, a live jazz band, hog roast lunch (with applesauce AND gravy!) and hours of entertainment from watching a man in sandals standing on what looked like a surfboard, paddling painfully slowly up-river.
You never know what to expect in this city!

I guess, reflecting back on this weekend, seeing everything that I've got up to makes me truly grateful to call Newcastle my second home, and also to be called a child of God. Simply knowing that no matter how busy our schedules are, God can always find time for us if we find time to seek him. He loves to listen to us, and (this is the truly exciting part) to respond to us in return. Amazing.

Alles liebe,

Louise :) x