Can we go to Kreuzberg now?

Hallo!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty good, despite a horrible cold/chest infection rearing it's ugly phlegmy head on Saturday night. Work has been varied, they said my changes to a translation really improved it (woop) and I can feel my German improving slightly. I write emails in German and ask Marit to check them and twice now she's said all my endings were correct. IS THIS REAL LIFE?

I also finally posted my letters/cards today, my sincere apologies to those of you who have now had your birthdays and babies.

So the weekend before last, Joe came up for the weekend and we started out in a strange bar down my street. It was all very odd (but mainly just boiling) so we jacked it in and had a Burger King.

Joe was raring to go to Kreuzberg so that was, obviously, the first thing we did on Saturday, followed by what was possibly the most incredible Currywurst I have ever had the pleasure of digesting just off Ku'damm.

oh ja

We did get to see a Berlinale film- it was called Macondo and was about Chechynan refugees living in Austria. It was really good...until I fell asleep and missed the last 15 minutes. Are you surprised though? Saturday night consisted of bar hopping in Kreuzberg (you literally can't tear the boy away), starting at Madame Claude's where nearly everything was upside down and glued to the ceiling. That was followed by a slightly more normal cocktail bar, where I happily discovered Wassermelon Man. You can't taste the alcohol-it just tastes like Haribo. The third and final bar (too much rum had been consumed) was a bar called Misfits, which suited me down to the ground, but soon after that we headed back and all I remember is stubbing my cigarette out on my thumb so we could get in the taxi.

Sunday morning was me whinging for quite a while, before we went to the East Side Gallery and I properly tried falafel for the first time. Sweet Lord, it was delightful. 

You've learnt what freedom means, never forget it

I particularly enjoy Joe's foreboding shadow in this

Most of the day was wandering around really, though we did experience Europe's fastest lift. It was like 20 seconds to get to the 24th floor or something - mental, and my ears killed. The view was worth it though!

Chirpy

That weekend was pretty good when it comes to new foods and new bars. On Sunday night, we went for Vietnamese with one of Joe's friends who is also in Berlin and it was insanely good! We went to a lesbian bar on Weserstrasse, which was very strangely decorated - think Grandma's house crossed with a huge picture of a woman with too much pubic hair and a sign that said 'I love my vagina'. That was followed by another bar, where everyone was gathered around the the tv watching Tatort (a popular crime show here). There, Chelsea got us to try the house shot and I swear I thought my chest was going to burst into flames and Saint George would smite me down with his sword as I exhaled gusts of fire through my flaring nostrils. All exaggerations aside, it was bloody rank. An experience, but rank. So then it was bye bye Joe and back to work on Monday.

Last weekend, I met up with my French tandem partner, a nice fellow called Lionel. We had a crepe in Kreuzberg (well, Kotti, for those of you who understand the hip Berlin lingo) and a little walking tour of the canal. It was really nice to meet someone so random and I found it very enjoyable to listen to him struggling to say 'clothes' and 'studying', which was more like 'stood-ay-ing'. To be fair, I embarrassed everyone with my shitty French so I gotta give him credit.

After that, I went to find the Rollberg Kino in Neukoelln. I wasn't entirely sure and it was a bit dark, so I popped into a Lotto and asked the way. Was great, until I said 'oh right, so next left' while madly gesturing to the right.... Got there eventually though, got my ticket to The Wolf of Wall Street, salty popcorn and a beer. The film began with slaves standing in a sugar cane field. I then recognised Chiwetel Ejifor and realised I was in the wrong film. And so I accidentally saw 12 years a slave, and it was actually amazing.

I've got tomorrow and Friday off, which is going to be very nice indeed. I plan on sleeping a fair bit tomorrow to try and fend off the rest of my illness and then hopefully meet a German tandem partner in the evening. Then, Friday, I'm off to Poland for the day. As ya do.

Bis bald xx

Fabulous? Er, it just means sehr, sehr gut...

Hallo! 

I've been in Berlin for over a week now but it feels so much longer. Not in a bad way though, I just feel very comfortable here. I haven't felt very homesick yet but I think that's because I have such a structured routine here already and from the moment I got here had two very friendly flatmates to keep me entertained and distracted. I also feel like this is a more secure move in a way, because when I got to Paris I KNEW I was away from home, because I was in a student residence but here everything just feels very different. That's not to say I don't miss people back home, because I do, it just isn't getting me down. Give it a few more weeks eh.

Anyway, it's been a very good first week. My bank card arrived and I also have my monthly U-Bahn pass. Apart from working, I've had a couple of touristy days- Checkpoint Charlie, Berliner Dom, St. Hedwigs' Cathedral (what a superb name), the Stasi Museum (which I took ages to find and didn't realise I was outside it till I ate lunch. In my defence, the whole old Ministry of State Security complex has now got doctor's surgeries in it), the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, I went shopping on Ku'damm yesterday (thank you Sia, for introducing me to Pull and Bear, new fave) and checked out Potsdamer Platz, where the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) is happening right now. No celebrity sightings, I am sad to report, but I did get asked for directions by a very hip looking lady with a dog.

Berliner Dom

Lunch outside what turned out to be the Stasi Museum. 

Dusky 

9/10

shopping like a rich Berlinerin

I'm just gonna have to accept it

Anyway, WORK.  

I was so nervous sitting outside on my first day, mainly because I was confused by the location. I knew it was on a quiet street, but I didn't expect the office to actually be in a ground floor apartment! Anyway, my boss is really nice although he reminds me a bit of my Grandad, in that he is really encouraging but has this really piercing stare when he's waiting for a response which is scary.  He didn't mess around and I was immediately shown the ropes and given work to do!  So far, I've proofread a website, a job advertisement, a cosmetics press release, translated some info about some sort of technical product and made a database of English advertising and communication companies. I feel like I'm learning every day, and having to explain English grammar rules in German keeps me on my toes; it's challenging having to justify why you've chosen a certain word instead of another. We also don't speak English in the office, so even if I am reading in English all day, I am still speaking and listening in German.  

Another girl called Marit works in the same room as me, on the desk opposite, and she seems lovely so far, even though when she speaks I nearly break my ears listening because her accent is really difficult so by the time I've processed the meaning, she's onto the next part and waiting for my answer. 

As for the flatmates, it's been great so far. Last Friday we went for ramen in Kreuzberg (I'm so cool I might do myself an injury) and we just chill watching tv together. Last night, Kat and I watched Winnetou dubbed in German and ate chocolates. That's my idea of chilled home life.

Have any strange things happened? Of course they have. A man offered me one of his muffins (he had three) while I was sitting outside a bakery, a very old woman with platinum blonde hair and drawn on eyebrows like, in her hairline, stared at me on the U-Bahn for an uncomfortable period of time and I saw a man in Aldi pushing around his dog in the trolley, just piling food around it. There's been others, but I found these particularly memorable. 

I'm actually quite excited for the week ahead, just eager to get back to work and see what more interesting things I'll be doing. For the moment, I'm very very keen, whether that'll change after a month or so, we'll see...

Also, Joe is coming to visit at the weekend which will be great and hopefully we're gonna see a film at the Berlinale (fingers crossed!)

Bis bald xx

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

Home Sweet Home

Hello from Essex! I'm currently sitting in my living room by my Christmas tree, drinking tea and watching Mock the Week. It really doesn't feel like I've been away for 3 months but I'm sure it will hit me tomorrow when I go into town for Christmas shopping...I've already been shocked by the politeness of the Tube, the friendly banter of a cab driver and the beautiful taste of semi-skimmed pasteurised milk. But what will I miss about Paris? Here's a nice list for you, to round off the first part of my Year Abroad.

The people I've met
I've literally met some brilliant people in the last 3 months and without them, it wouldn't have been very bearable. It also feels quite cool (soz) to say I have contacts in South America. 

The amount of bakeries
Self explanatory really. Tesco croissants have got nothing on the real deal. Anywhere, any time.

Cheaper tobacco
As a dirty smoker, this is something I will really miss. 30g of Pall Mall Red cost me €6,90, (£5.51) here 25g of the same costs just over £7.

Living on the same train line as Notre Dame
There's something pretty special getting on a train 5 mins from where you live and 15 mins later arriving in front of Notre Dame and of course, Saint Michel....

Saint-Michel
I know this place is teeming with tourists but there are some really cheap places to eat and the best crepes, in my opinion.

Mr Gould and Frau Horstmann
Easily the best teachers at ISIT. Gould's lessons were hilarious- I particularly enjoyed 'What's a sex nun?'. Horstmann is one of the most adorable people EVER and I wish I could just bring her back to Nottingham. EMPLOY HER PLEASE

Free'p'star
One of the best shops I've ever been to. It looks like your average vintage shop but climb a practically vertical ladder at the back of the shop and you'll find 3 huge boxes of of clothes, which you can rummage through to your heart's content. Best part is that everything the boxes is €1! There are three shops but the best one is on rue de la Verrerie in the Marais.

Hearing 'putain' all the time
'Putain' is a bit like 'fuck', in that you can say it on it's own or describing something but it actually means 'whore'. I literally it  heard thousands of times a day and actually found myself saying it quite a lot too. I missed the last train home once and loudly said it in response to being told I'd have to get a bus. I actually also said it today, to my suitcase when it got stuck on a corner. Am I Parisian yet?


And the things I wont' be missing....

The lack of manners
Parisians are just so rude and don't seem to grasp the concept of basic etiquette. They will literally push you with their hands and literally shove you. The other day, I very nearly slipped down the gap between train and platform because they are just incapable. They'll just barge past you and won't say excuse me. You'll normally only get a reticent 'pardon' if you breathe loudly and agitatedly. 

The price of everything!
Paris is ridiculously expensive, to the point where I now think a meal for 15 quid is the deal of a century.

Slimy men
I don't understand why people think it's normal to walk past someone and say 'oooh bonjour' whilst winking. Just let me walk to the station please without being propositioned by the scabbiest men this side of the Seine.

The stench of some metro stations
Some metro stations would have been condemned by British authorities. One of these was line 4 at Chatelet. There was a homeless man who was there for like, 6 weeks and he had an unfortunate habit of pissing and shitting himself. You literally had to hold your breath on that platform.

The lack of pie
WHY DON'T FRENCH PEOPLE EAT STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE?
that is all.

I'll add more as they come to me! This'll be my last post before Christmas, so Merry Christmas!

x