Tag 4, Freitag - Heute, Ich bin Berliner

Wow,  so I have been wildly productive this week, which is reassuring and satisfying.  First off I want to say that I am so grateful for my two friends Henrik and Marcos who have been so important in helping me set my life up here in Berlin.

Secondly, hello sunshine.  Today is beautiful.  Granted, it was 37 degrees when I woke up, but the sun is out and bright and it's the first time I've seen the sun in Berlin.  Seeing how I'm primarily solar powered, I have a lot of energy today...

To catch you up...

Today, I became an official Berliner :)  I registered at the Burgeramt which is sort of like the city municipal office that registers residents.  The lady was NOT very friendly and almost made me come back (it's sort of like the DMV in the US. You wait forever and then they love to find something that you are missing so your wait was basically for nothing), fortunately, I just changed my move in date and she registered me.  Marcos did most of the talking because she spoke no English.

 My fist picture as a real Berliner (on Karl-Marx Allee) in front of the TV tower and Park Inn Hotel

After registering I went to Humboldt University to speak with an admissions counselor about taking courses in the Spring and Summer semesters.  Although I don't plan to attend HU for my Master's I'm interested in their variety of liberal arts and internationally focused offerings.  After visiting HU I went to the public library and signed up for a library card.  (Marcos got me my first German book).

It's a children's book that is printed on that thick, thick cardboard.  I love it. 

Yesterday was also very productive.  I opened a bank account, got health insurance, and went to a german variety show with German celebrities.  I understood about 3 sentences in the 4 hour long production.  (I dozed off a few times during some of the lengthier speaking parts).  Fortunately, a few of the songs were in English, including "I got you babe" and two songs from Dreamgirls.  It was definitely an experience.  Hopefully, if I go again next year, I'll understand a lot more.

It's my first Friday and I'm still on the fence about going out tonight.  I think I finally beat the jet lag thing because I only slept 6 hours last night and have a great deal of energy.  Again this may be due to the bright sunshine and excitement, but we'll see how it plays out.  I'm sure a couple shots of Jagermeister can sway me.

Things I am loving:

• Berlin at night
• The food (yes I realize I've listed this two times, it's that good and cheap)
• When the sun comes out
• The architecture
• The metro

Frustrations:

• They accept VISA just about NOWHERE  (wildly frustrating)
• The exchange rate is kicking my ass.  Two weeks ago 1 Euro = $1.27, today... $1.37  :(
• German pronunciation

Now I'm going to be a nerd and study.  I bought index cards to make flash cards this afternoon.  I really want to conquer this language thing.

A couple more photos:

Berliner Dome on Museuminsel (Museum Island)

The Eiffel Tower, I think

Potsdamer Platz