The best laid plans....

A few months ago, my host family emailed me and asked if I'd like to join them in Berlin to visit their first au pair Hannah. Obviously, I said yes and got pretty excited. This weekend was the big weekend, and while it was overall enjoyable, it didn't pan out quite as we planned. The trip started off rough with several traffic jams on the ever exciting autobahn. My host dad was so frustrated he was twitching when we finally made it through an hour of waiting in traffic. The usual 4 to 5 hour trip last between 6 and 7, so when we arrived in Berlin everyone was pretty drained. Hannah met us at our apartment and helped us settle in. Apparently it's common in Germany for landlords to rent their apartments as we would rent a hotel, for just a few nights. They can charge more but it also gives families a nice place to stay and cook while they're vacationing. This is particularly good since I've realized Germans don't love to eat out, at least my family doesn't. The first night we splurged and we got pizza from a restaurant. However, we brought it back to the apartment to eat. The pizza was tasty though and chilling in a quiet place gave me an opportunity to get to know Hannah. She's lived all over the U.S. but spent the most time growing up in Texas. Like me, she finished school and wanted an adventure. Unlike me (because my mom would kill me), she has stayed an extra 2 years working in English camps and teaching elementary school outside Berlin. I think she'll be heading back to America soon, but only after she enjoys a two month tour of Africa. Crazy travelers. Anyway, we had a nice time with Jorn and Catrin and then she invited me to go out with three of the women with whom she works. First we went to a restaurant where a group of old eighties rockers were playing classic American music. It was cool, but super loud. Next, we followed one of the girls who apparently has money into this shmancy club where everybody wore their fashionable clothes and fashionable frowns. I was not impressed by their apathetic coolness, nor was I intimidated. I put a smile on my face and tried to get the girls to just enjoy themselves and dance, after all, we paid 10 euro, but they weren't comfortable so after just a few minutes we left. The next stop was at an even more awkward venue where the clientele were in their mid forties but all looked like they'd paid good money to look twenty something. However, these people weren't as worried about maintaining their composure and were dancing and having a lot of fun. One strange element was that some of them were wearing Dirndle and Lederhosen, traditional German clothing as pictured above. I've never seen anyone actually wear these outfits, especially not out on the town, but cudos to their fun spirits; it helped create a cool atmosphere and made the girls I was with chill out and have fun. The night was a little strange, but overall a success.

The next morning we got up early and went to the Berlin Zoo. Piet had been before but last time lost interest in the animals when he realized he'd have to walk around to see them. This time he was a trooper and we saw the majority of the zoo. It was cool, but some of the cages, especially the one for the lions, were super tiny. One lioness looked at me with the most pitiful gaze I've ever seen on an animal. Though, the polar bears had a big cage and they seemed to be content.

After the zoo we went back to the apartment, had some coffee and a shower, and then I made a fatal flaw. I agreed to a car tour knowing that I had an irritable McDonalds McGrittle in my stomach. It was Hannah's idea for McDonalds; we reasoned that American food plus the zoo equaled a perfect morning, which was basically true, but did not equal a perfect afternoon. We saw downtown Berlin and some pretty statues, but at some point I had to close my eyes from car sickness. Meanwhile, Piet was in the back seat repeating "I feel not so good." So we gave up on the tour and returned to the apartment where I took a two hour nap. When I woke up, I learned that Piet actually had a fever and was in the bed. So Jorn and Catrin stayed in with Piet, but Hannah was still around and asked if I'd like to have dinner with her and her friends. We ventured to her neighborhood and enjoyed a casual dinner with an Italian, an Australian, and an additional American. The food was great and the conversation was delightful. I called it a relatively early night and because my host parents were convinced I'd be murdered if I went alone, Hannah escorted me back to the apartment. She was incredibly kind and hospitable and I’m looking forward to seeing her again soon. I'm hoping to take a train to Berlin in early November during the twentieth anniversary of the wall coming down. Looks like the train tickets are pretty high that weekend, but hopefully it will work out. I think she might also visit Edewecht one last time before she goes to Africa. So, another cool person to add to the list of folks I've met here.

Today we woke up pretty early and made the trip home. This time traffic wasn't so bad, but we had to take Piet to the doctor on the way home which took a while. Luckily they said he just had a little bug and just needed rest, fluids, and ibuprofen. By the time we were home he perked up and seemed better all evening. After he went to bed Catrin, Jorn, and I watched Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. His character says things that only an old grumpy war vet played by the one and only Clint Eastwood can get away with, but luckily our curse words and slurs don't mean much to people who've never learned that they were bad. They liked it and it was good to end the crazy weekend all together just watching a movie.

Hence, the trip didn't allow for a huge amount of site seeing or really experiencing what Berliner life is all about, but I got to know Hannah and I got to have one crazy night and one very relaxed night in a cool place with good company. It was a bummer that Piet didn't feel better and Catrin and Jorn didn't get to venture out with him as they planned. However, I view the trip as an introduction and I hope to see more of the city during another visit. Perhaps I'll make a friend around here who'd like to join me there or other German cities. This week I plan to look more for a theater or volunteer work to get plugged in to Edewecht or Oldenburg. I'd like someone close by to spend time with, but I really can't complain at this point. The last two weekends I've met cool, like minded Americans who could relate to my experience here and were very kind to me. At least I know that Germany has a good record of attracting my kind of people. I'm sure I'll run into many as time goes by. Still missing the good ones I've left at home, but it's amazing that so many keep in touch. Thus far I don't feel at all alone or isolated, so I'm doing fine to be so far away.