Life in Berlin

So I've finally settled in here, and gotten into somewhat of a routine. I still have so much time, hence why I'm able to inform all of you about my perception of Berlin and about my life here thus far :)

1) Learning a new language
For the first time in my life, I don't understand everything that everyone is saying. It's a constant question and answer game (ie wait what does that word mean or what are you actually trying to say) or sometimes I don't even ask, as long as I have the general meaning. I speak German with the international students a lot (maybe 2/3 of the time). It switches to English when we start to party or if we are having a deeper conversation. And I think that's ok. There is only a certain point that I can communicate everything I'm thinking or want to say. The weird part is that for the other international students, even speaking in English is helping them. I have some friends that say they came here to learn German and English. Whelp not me. Often times, I'm the dictionary. They'll look to me and ask which way it is supposed to be said. The hardest is when I hang out with two Germans together, and I'm the only international. They talk REALLY fast. And I don't butt in to say I don't understand, because then I ruin the flow of the conversation. So often times, I find myself sitting there and just listening. That's all I'm able to do. And for those of you that know me, I'm not used to it :) But I am learning. I am confident in saying that my German is better now than the first day I got here. I can have a conversation with any German person. My vocabulary is getting better. I am more confident, and people don't always answer back in English :) I still have hopes that by the time I leave, my German will be excellent. No where near fluent, but able to understand almost everything.

2) German universities
VERY different than American ones. Each course is only one day a week. I'm taking four courses. Two are two hours, and two are four hours. That totals 12 hours of class a week. When I'm at home, my labs alone would be that much time. So it's a new experience. Not to mention I'm taking classes called Music and Revolution in the 1900s and Cultural Orientation in Berlin. Nothing like chemistry :) But that's why I'm here! Also I have a presentation in every one of my classes. One has to be 40 minutes long. In German. In front of other Germans. Yep, I'm scared.

3) Living in an actual city
This is a great experience for me! Public transportation, clubs everywhere, shopping centers, homeless people... everything part of a big city that I'm living in. There are festivals, concerts, shopping centers. Anything and everything you can imagine, all within an arms grasp. Berlin is especially special because it also has a lot of parks. I never feel like I'm missing the green (although I do miss the blue ocean!)I don't think I would want to live in a big city my entire life, but for one year, I love it.

4) my day to day life
12 hours of univeristy, 2 hours of kickboxing, 1 hour of yoga, a lot of sleeping, and a lot of dancing!! Seriously though, my life is very free. I do what I want, when I want usually. I have very little class. I've been getting more and more hw (this week I have a big presentation on Friday and some tests that I have to do well on. I still feel pressure to do well on tests, considering the fact that medical schools will see my grades here. But it's difficult, a different language adds a whole new factor.

Here are some pictures around Berlin that I've taken. Should hold you over until next post :)

A beautiful fall shot done by my good friend Augustine:


Another fall shot. It's a new experience having real seasons. Especially considering that it is literally freezing at night.


Went exploring a bit outside the city center:


Classic Berlin graffiti inside an abandoned building. There are so many abandoned buildings here, especially in East Berlin. They are oftentimes turned into clubs, or just left. I think this was an old train station.


Festival of lights. Berlin lights up famous buildings in magical colors. Here is the Berliner Dom as well as the Fernsehenturm: