Weekend #4

I have intentionally skipped posting for a few days in order to really just take a weekend "off." This was another long, intense week of German language, but as I mentioned on my Wednesday night post, it is a tremendous help that we have mid-week excursions to break up the intensity a bit.

Friday night, Matthew and I went looking for a Kneipe to hang out in, as I was really wanting to meet some Germans, and the locals aren't much for conversation on the trains or buses. We didn't find any Kneipen, so we ended up just walking around in the Rathaus Steglitz area, which is the route we take to get to classes during the week, which somehow led us to Oranienburger Straße, a street known for its night-life, namely its "ladies of the night." For me that was sad to see, but we ended up finding the Mexican restaurant in which Oliver, Elisa, and I ate last weekend, so we went in there, had a drink, and ate some chips and salsa. After that, we walked back to Friedrichstraße, where we caught the S-Bahn home, and we got in at about 12:15. We were tired, but it had been a good and interesting evening.

Another point about Friday night is that the Euro Cup 2012 opened in Warsaw, with Poland valiantly tying Greece 1-1. Go, Poles! :D

Yesterday, I slept in until about noon, so as to catch up on sleep, and then went out to observe the Fan Meile (Fan Mile) running between the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate, which is where all the Fußball fans in Berlin gather to watch Germany's games and cheer on the national team. I walked around, got a Bratwurst, a German hat, and German-colored Hawaiian lei before heading back to rest up before going back out in the evening for the game. Last night at 20:45 (8:45 PM, for all ye Americans), Germany had their first game and won with a late second-half goal against Portugal! Matthew went to the Fan Meile, and I wound up at a restaurant across from Potsdamer Platz, called Andy's Diner & Cafe. After about twenty minutes of being there, I realized it was supposed to be an American diner, so that was fun. :-P

I was just looking for a place to watch the game, so I walked up and just stood, watching the game, for a minute or so. I was about to ask a German couple if I could have their extra chair, but before I could say anything, the wife looked at me and, in German, told me, "Sit down! Come sit down! You don't want to stand the whole time! Come join us!" And so I did. Before I knew it, we were sitting and talking about the game, about differences between America and Germany, and about our respective home towns of Nashville and Löhne, auf Denglish (Deutsch and English mixed--like Spanglish for English and Spanish). By the end of our conversation, we had watched Germany defeat Portugal, and we had toasted to our having met one another. We exchanged information, and, ultimately, I think I met my German family. I now have a place to stay next summer if I want, so I hope that everything works out and that I will be able to return to these wonderful people and to meet their two young daughters, who would apparently be thrilled and would love me to help them with their English. :) Last night was like a whirlwind of activity, but all in all...a very good night, and this couple was truly kind.

This morning, I woke up at 9:30 and took the S-Bahn one stop up, got off, walked about twenty minutes, and finally found the Catholic church I've been trying to find since I got to Germany. It's a beautiful place in a quiet residential area, and harmonious violins and trumpets provided the music for the Mass. The church was packed with families, so I admit I was really "family-sick"--I won't say "home-sick," as I really love Berlin--standing there throughout the Mass by myself. Also, I went with the intention of attending the 11 o' clock Mass, but it turned out that there was no 11 o'clock Mass since there was some special procession after the 9:30 Mass today. Sooo, I was at Mass, I went to Mass, but I just kind of crept in the back of the church the whole time because I didn't get the memo until after the procession had begun...unfortunately, their Web site didn't mention this schedule change, or at least not that I could find. I don't know whether or not I'll go back to this parish again because although it was truly lovely, and I just wish there had been an 11 o'clock Mass, it was kind of a far walk from the S-Bahn station. Maybe my disappointment just colored my experience walking back, but it really was a little out of the way. So, it may be back to St. Hedwig's in the weeks to come.

Other than that, I've just stayed in and watched Italy take on Spain (and draw 1-1). After having dinner with Matthew, I'm now watching Ireland vs. Croatia, and Croatia is leading 1-0. I took a long nap earlier, so I'm ready to do some studying after the game is over, and after that, I guess it'll be back to bed for me as I get ready to face another long and strenuous week.

Things to look forward to:
-Tuesday night, 20:45, Poland plays Russia at Warsaw, Poland
-Wednesday class excursion to some thus-far-undisclosed location
-Wednesday evening dinner reunion with Peggy and the Vanderbilt group
-Wednesday night, 20:45, Germany plays the Netherlands at Kharkiv, Ukraine
-Friday evening, Matthew and I leave for Wrocław to see Poland hopefully knock the Czech Republic out of the Euro Cup!

Well, Ireland just scored to tie it up, already in only the nineteenth minute, so I should go, lest I miss out on the action.

Lots of love to back home,

Gruß

-Monika