Kristiy Dwijer- registered and ready to roll

Hallo aus Berlin!

So I made it here fine, and stepped out of Tegel airport into -5 and snow, which I didn't expect (stupidly). The journey to the flat was really easy- someone offered to help me with my luggage and carried my suitcase all the way to the platform! Germany, 10 points.

As predicted, I did get a bit confused. I did find the street easily but it looks like the street has ended, when it actually just goes around the corner...and even then, I wandered into some courtyard and had to waylay a bloke for some help. Turns out my building was next door.

The flat itself is amazing, and get this - I have a kettle AND an oven! Incredible.

my room

Anyway, it's been quite chilled so far. I've had a tour of the neighbourhood during which I nearly cried upon the sighting of  Woolworths, went to a burger place and felt ridiculously alien as I wasn't a massive hipster (there were vinyl stickers all over the windows everyone was wearing beanies, some dudes were playing old-school Mario Kart and there was graffiti all over the walls)  fell over a curb and bought some postcards (obviously.) Yesterday, I registered myself with Neukölln town hall, and got my registration thing stamped with a big Berlin stamp. One for the memory box.

where I registered and walked for about 10 minutes through the building before realising there were 2 entrances.

I've also got a bank account now, and I totally take back what I said about only French people having issues with my name. When I was setting it up, I saw how she'd spelt my name when I booked the appointment: Kristiy Dwijer. I'm fairly sure I spelt it for her actually, which basically means I need to re-evaluate my life if this is how I pronounce German letters....

My other flatmate, Katharina, is German and she's also lovely, even if she did call my mother 'peculiar.' (She meant 'particular') We all had dinner together last night and I did actually feel very comfortable. They're both okay with me smoking on the balcony as well, which is just awesome of them really.

I've also bought a crappy little hoodie for the flat, a hideous furry hat, a German phone, some shopping and have happily consumed two Brezels this afternoon. I'm feeling quite settled here already, which is great, just preparing to be overwhelmed on Tuesday!

Tschüss! x

12 hours till B-Town

Not long now until I touch down in the Vaterland. I feel much more excited than I did in the run-up to Paris, and I do feel less stressed (even if I have been stupidly disorganised), but I know what to expect from a move like this now - like, the days of crushing homesickness, the surrealism of everything, stuff like that. I bet you I'll also get lost tomorrow trying to find my flat and I don't even care, because that's just my life and so be it. By the way, my flat does exist (I'm 90% sure now) as one of them will be there to let me in tomorrow which is lovely but also terrifying- what if they are actually murderers? I'm sure they're not, but if I haven't updated this blog by the end of the week, send a search party.

Sums it up really. Also looks like I don't have a tongue.

So I am off to bed in Essex for the last time for six months. See ya later babes.

x

Berlin Bucket List

It's now 9 days until the Big B and I can't work out whether I'm prepared or not, which is always good...I think I have somewhere to live now, I'd say I was 90% sure, but I'm gonna stay true to my worrywart self and not reveal any details until my suitcase has firmly crossed the threshold of this supposed living arrangment- you know, just in case I've signed a contract with Nigerian princes, or the building falls down or something. So you'll have to wait for the juicy details.

I've also started a pile of stuff in the spare room, ready to be packed. So far, it consists of a pug calendar, some notepads and two tubes of toothpaste. I'm doing well.

I emailed my boss r.e what the hell do I wear to the office and it turns out it's just what you'd wear normally so that's a lot less to worry about. Though that doesn't mean I won't have a tantrum when I can't fit all of my shirts in the suitcase. Oh well.

So what's left now, is the Bucket List. Here's the updated Paris one, with some angry scrawl all over it, though I managed most of it and I'll try just as hard with this one!

• go to the Currywurst Museum because, obviously
• rave it up at Berghain
• watch a film at an open-air cinema and swing on some swings singing Sandy
• go on a daytrip to Potsdam (lots of palaces, a Chinese tea room and Alexandrowaka)
• shopping on Ku'damm I only bought one thing, but it counts okay
• eat at the unsicht-Bar (you eat completely in the dark)
• visit the Stasi Museum and Hohenschoenhausen Prison
• have a picnic in Viktoria Park, Kreuzberg
• buy some tat at Mauerpark flea market
• go to the top of the Fernsehturm and feel sick
• spend hours at Museum Island, mainly where the Egyptian stuff is
• revisit the East Side Gallery 
• visit the Reichstag Dome 
• v isit the Berliner Dom
• explore what's left of Anhalter Bahnhof
• pay respects at the graves of the Brothers Grimm
• look around the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedaechtnis Kirche I also got very angry with a tourist who was taking stupid 'arty' Instagram photos of the candles and I was like, er do you mind I kinda want to light one, to like, remember my dead relatives
• take part in the Paddy's Day parade-I bloody missed it!! I thought it was on Monday, but it was Sunday :(
• Charlottenberg Palace I've seen it, but haven't been in yet...

I went to Berlin with Lewis in 2012 and I knew straight away that I'd live there one day. Aside from being psychic, I'm bloody excited.

propa Crimbo

After all the excitement of coming home for Christmas, it's done and pretty much dusted. I've stuffed myself silly with food, so much so that I genuinely might cry if I see a turkey in the next few months. It's been a bit up and down due to family issues and new arrangements but on the whole, it's been rather good to be home!

ja, I'm still wearing this. Problem?

 I have been missing Paris, more Joe and Niamh than Paris itself but yeah, it's been so weird not being able to rock up to the Eiffel Tower whenever I want and it's been even weirder to realise just how polite England is!!! A cashier in Primark wished me a good day and I didn't know what to do with myself. On Saturday, I went to Argos to get myself a Kindle (I KNOW, ME) and I panicked when she spoke to me in English because for some bizarre reason I'd programmed myself to French that morning and ended up saying a broken sentence like this "Hi, Kindle, er, reserved?" She definitely thought I was a few sarnies short of a picnic.

Yes yes, I'm sure you're dying to know what made me, Kirsty Dwyer, collector of bookmarks and loyal defender of the paperback, decide to buy a Kindle. I do feel guilt-ridden and I've avoided eye-contact with my book shelves just in case they choose to take vengeance and throw themselves at me, but I really don't want to stop reading while I'm in Berlin and that was one of the worst things in Paris- it's just so impractical to keep buying books and having to heave them home again. This way, I can read to my hearts content while I'm away from home. I know what I'm like though; I'll probably still buy the hard copies because I just want them on my bookshelf.

my claw hand and Lewis on NYE, poser

Back to reality- I've booked my flight to Berlin! I'll be starting the second half of my year abroad on the 29th Janurary....so freaking soon and I've got nowhere to live yet. Oops.

I'm not half as worried as I was before I went to Paris though, which is odd because this time I'm working and won't have quite so much free time and it's a totally different board game. However, we all know my love for Germany so I think that's helping. I can't wait to pretend I'm German for 6 months.

I still have a fair bit to organise, mainly actually finding a roof to sleep under, getting my training agreement signed and packing some appropriate clothing - e.g intern outfits (I don't even know what I mean by that).

I'll do a Berlin bucket list soon, so for now it's HAPPY NEW YEAR and ta ta x