Stoplights

Every day now I take the bus to school. My bus stop is a 10 minute walk from my house. When I first started taking the bus I was instructed to get on  bus #430 at 7:36, and it would bring me straight to Palmnicken. Then one day bus 430 didnt come until eight or so and now it just entirely doesn't come. Since Paola (the Mexican exchange student) and I are at the same bus stop, we have been sort of just getting on a promising looking buses. They so far have either A) brought us to the bahnhof, or B) brought us to a school just a ten minute walk from Palmnicken. Every day was an adventure! Today now I got to the the bus stop late and Paola was already gone, so I got on a bus (436) that somehow brought me right to Palmnicken. I hope I can find it tomorrow morning too!

Anyways, have I mentioned how BADLY I miss mexican food? I miss it SO SO much. I cant believe I ever took tacos or nachos for granted. Ever. I have tried making nachos here before, but it was a complete disaster. The only corn chips I could find were seasoned with paprika, the only cheese I could find was mozzarella, and then my salsa dip was pasty tasting. Not ideal. Andrea and Paola and I have been looking for a Mexican restaurant after someone mentioned there was one by the bahnhof. Until this morning we couldn't find it, and then on the bus I was reading some sign that said "Specialty Italian, Greek, and Mexican food". The whole time this restaurant had been right in the middle of the bahnhof parking lot! We felt pretty smart. So after school we went and got Nachos. We only got one to share, because it cost €7,- . At first the man just brought out this small plate of salad/maybe-the-Germans-idea-of-nachos plate and we were so WHAT? Then he brought another plate of actual nachos which was alright.  The other one turned out to be salad. Definitely weren't the best nachos that I'm necessarily used to, but they passed.

On my way home I was spacing out when out of the corner of my eye I saw the stoplight turn yellow AND red at the same time time and I did a big double-take. I watched until the light switched again, and it did it again! So that is another thing different in Germany!

The stoplights go from green to yellow, yellow to red, then there is red and yellow at the same time, and then green again! Huh. Also the lights are placed at the intersection right over the car, and not on the other side so its always really hard for me to tell when the lights are switching when I'm in the backseat.

I found this tackle shop in Fürstenwalde. Reminds me a little bit of home and that wilderness feel that Fürstenwalde and Berlin don't really have..

Berlin & an Anti-Papst Protest

For Rebekah and I, Thursday is now officially Berlin Day because we both just have a few classes in the morning, so in the afternoon we can go to Berlin! When we got to Berlin we went to Mister Bubble by Alexanderplatz, the shop that sells bubble tea. The other day I got a certificate thing that they stamp every time I (or a friend) buy a bubble tea, and when I get ten by the end of September I get a T-shirt, a free bubble tea, and an "Imagawayaki-Gebäck". I do not know what the last one is but I am excited anyways!

 

After that we we got some ice cream. Kugel means scoop, and one Kugel usually costs €1.20. They are not that large and are probably way overpriced, but it is so good and there are so many new flavors! Well, they sound like new flavors when they are in German! So we're walking, and then we see these hands sticking out of the ground with a camera. Nikon? I think it is a German company or something cool. So we did the normal thing and took jumping pictures under it.

Then on the other side of the road we found a giant Lego giraffe. I  absolutely love Legos and Giraffes so it was pretty amazing. It was a Dublo-Lego combination which made it even more amazing. I got really excited when I saw that there was a Lego-related store, but when we went in there was only some postcards and then a winding staircase downstairs. I tried to go down it but I got stopped by the workers. They said it cost €16 to go and see whatever they kept down there. I don't know what was down there but it had to be pretty life changing to cost €16. I was really disappointed.

After that we went to the Sony Center to meet up with some other exchangers when we heard a protest going on. This is my second protest that I have just happened to be there when its happening which is really cool. Dont worry guys, they are all very peaceful protests and Im not doing any actual protesting, just observing.  This protest was anti-papst. The pope was coming and speaking in Berlin that day. Some of the catholic schools didnt have school that day, and the security was higher, with more guards around the bahnhofs and such.

 

I think there was a lot of controversy about the pope coming to Berlin. It seemed like most of the people I talked to didn't really want him coming to visit. I guess it is costing German taxpayers a lot of money and many aren't so religious. I heard some music or drum beats from inside the Sony Center and Paola and I went to check it out. Unfortunately we took the long way around the buildings and the marching in the streets was over when we got there. What we say were a ton of people centered around a big stage. A lot of people had signs saying anti-pope stuff.

It was interesting but Paola and I got bored because the speaking was all in English and it was pretty crowded. So we left. On the way back home that night the train I was supposed to take was delayed an hour and a half! I still think Germany has an excellent transport system, but that was lame. I got home so late and I still had school the next day!

Neurruppin

This weekend was my first districts orientation. On Friday the Kiwi and the Mexican girls from Fürstenwalde and I traveled to Neurruppin. The city is on the opposite side of Berlin than Fürstenwalde is.  That afternoon everyone was meeting everyone as they were showing up. It was an a guy from Ohios birthday so we sang happy birthday to him in a few languages.

Our Schlafzimmers

The next day we had breakfast at eight and then took a boat to an older part of Neurruppin. We got a short tour where I learned it burnt down completely and it has 21 churches. We at lunch and then had a group meeting about our Paris tour and the Europareise. After that we went bowling, which seems to be an American thing that Germany has adopted, because the bowling alley had its back wall painted with scenery from the U.S., and the bowling alley in Fürstenwalde is called "American Bowl".

 The English-speaking tour group

 The Americans. I think that's everyone!

When bowling was over we went to the local gymnasiums cafeteria, which was probably the coolest cafeteria I have ever been in. If I remember it right, the building was made for and by the students. After a "typical German dinner" (steak, meatballs, brats, and potato salad) they had set up a dance for us in the building. This weekend was great and I cant wait for our Paris orientation!

 

Group picture before boarding the boat

Bubble Tea

Today was my schools 20th geburtstag which the teachers were pretty excited about. Yesterday we got out of class at 11, after our third period, and different groups of people had set up different stands through out the school. They had one station where you could airbrush, and other where you could get body paint, fill out a quiz, listen to music, play horse shoe, and race in toy cars.

 

I got a purple dragon tattoo body painted on my arm.

We ended up leaving the school at about two when most of the little stands were done and went to Berlin. I can do that now because I finally got my monthly train ticket! Its €10,40 (about $15 or so) to ride the train to and form Berlin for one day so I would try not  to do it too much. It took a while to get my monthly card because there was some confusion about how to pay. Its great that I have it now because I can go to Berlin from 14:00 bis 3:00 from Mondays thru Fridays and then any time on the weekends. Its pretty sweet.

 In Berlin Frederick, Rebekah and I went to a shopping center at Alexanderplatz and there was this really neat soap shop, except for all the soaps smelled very strange. We also found the ultimate Harry Potter/LOTR/Twilight fan club store. It had legit Harry Potter wands, with like different ones for at least 20 different characters. There were even some that had the tips light up when you swirled it. I was geeking out hard core.

Lets see. Have I mentioned bubble tea yet? Frederick was talking about it when we got dinner and I was like right away trying to remember where I had heard that before. Then I remembered that my friend Sophie mentioned it a few times and how it was like this big fad in Europe, so of course I had to go try it. Since I don't drink milk my options were a little limited. You could get most common flavors in either green tea, black tea, yogurt, or milk. I got grape flavored green tea with these euro-cent sized "bubbles" in the bottom.

Freddy an I with our bubble tea

There were many other different bubbles you could get. Different shapes, flavors. After I orderd I saw they had aloe vera but it was too late.. They give you these gigantic straws with them that suck up the bubbles. At first I thought It would just suck up all the bubbles and leave me with all the tea part but it portioned out really nicely. The "bubbles" were actually very hard gelatine-y sort of flavoured balls. At first I wasn't sure you were supposed to eat them. Totally worth the €2,90.

 

The last of my bubbles

Later we got Eis and I had the most amazing ice cream ever. It is called Waldmeister, which translates into Woodruff or Woodrum. Even thought it is blue it might be the best ice cream ever. That reminds me I am really craving cotton candy ice cream. Or Moose Tracks again... yummy.

Today they let us out at eleven again, except this time a bunch of adults and some students chosen by teachers (including Rebekah and I because we're exchangers) and met in the cafeteria/stage/auditorium. We listened to some speakers talk in German, and then a theater group did a short presentation. After there was lunch and so many good rolls and chocolates.

I have learned that a lot about this exchange is the little accomplishments you make. Like buying something without breaking into English at the check out, and having the cashier understand you. Understanding your teacher when they ask you a question. Remembering for once to address your teacher in formal (Haben Sie, not hast du). Taking out your bus card before you get on the bus so you don't hold up the line behind you as you search for it,  pushing the green open-door button on the regional bahn. Or like being able to hand the cashier the correct amount of change instead of giving them a big bill so you don't have to try and understand what numbers they say in German. And especially when you say a little phrase in German to a native English speaker with out thinking about it. :)

And I saw two whole trucks yesterday and one today, so my truck total for the 37 days I have been here is now 8! (another one of those little accomplishments)

Differences

Here is a list of things that I find different in Germany. Of course there are countless differences but these are simply the ones that I have bothered to write down and compile.

• Sparkling Water
   -People here drink „fizzy water“ all the time. At school atleast half the kids drink it.

• Cars
  -Most of the cars here are noticably smaller. It is also my fourth-something week here and I have seen a grand total of 4.5 trucks.

• Leberwurst
  -Its like a meat-flavored butter, or a meat spread that oyu have on your bread.
  
  
• Autobahn
  -Definately a place I want to drive on someday. Like the highways I am used to but on steroids.

• More Formal
  -Everyone here is in general more formal. Theres a lot of hand-shaking going on, even with the younger kids.
  
  
• Kaffee Time
  Coffee time? Tea time?

• FKK Strands
  -What Germans call nude beaches, they are more common in Eastern Germany. Oh, and speedos.
  
  
• Saunas
  -Saunaing here is generall done naked
  
  
• School
  -No water fountains
  -No yellow buses, all city buses or bikes.
  -In the classroom sleeping and yawning (especially without covering your mouth) are frowned upon.
  -The windows on our doors do not have wire mesh in them.
  -There is no official attendance taken and put in the system so far that I have seen.
  -No mandatory German „I pledge Allegiance“
  -Each period is 45 minutes long. At 10:35 we have a 25 minute break and at 12:35 we have a 35 minute break.
  -There are no bells
  -There are eight periods in each day except for Freitag, there are six.
  -School starts at 8:10 every day. I get out at 13:55 every day except for Tuesday I get out at 15:35 and Thursday at 11:45.
  
  
• Lawn Mowers
  -They have electric Lawn Mowers!
  
  
• Windows
  -I find the windows here have a different handle. You just twist it and push the window out, there is no difficult sliding up and down or twisting.
  -On all the windows in my neighborhood there is also a metal or heavy plastic barrier that slides over the outsides of them that you put down at night. It seems like Fürsenwalde has the threat level of Grand Marais (minimal to none as far as I can tell) but everyone uses the window doors thing.
  
  
• Rain Barrels
  -Most of the houses have rain barrells that attach to their hose.
  
  
• Windmills
  -There are windmills every where here! I even saw a whole field of solar panels here once. Overall I would say much more energy conscious.