Es ist mir Wurst!

Okay! Finally got internet access...we don't have it at our host's house, so we'll have to use it while at the Goethe Institute or at a friend's apartment.

Sunday: Flew to London. Heathrow airport--nonsensical. We got off the plane, walked down 3 levels, had to take the transit to all the connecting flights, then took a massive elevator, THEN had to go through security again (I still don't understand why), and then you're at the terminal. BUT the gate for your flight isn't posted on the screen until 40 minutes before your flight leaves, and you might have to take the transit to a different terminal, which could take up to 20 minutes. So that's not stressful...but all went well.

I'm loving Berlin! It's gorgeous.

Our apartment is so cute! There's a balcony by our room, which is fantastic:

Monday (which I can't believe was only yesterday): We are discovering the wonderful U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and Bus system here. They're awesome! Though my hands feel super grimy afterward. Becca and I went to the Goethe Institute and took our test/interview to see which class level we belong in. But first, we got lost after coming out of the Bahnhof. We had a map but had no idea which direction was North. So that was fun! (it really was, actually). My interviewer, Heidi, was really friendly, and I understood almost everything she said to me (there were just one or two phrases that I had to ask her to clarify).

Kristen, Katelyn, Becca, and I went to the Brandenburger Tor--so cool! And Unter den Linden. And the Reichstag. And the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. We got asked to be on this German TV show to discuss politics for 45 minutes--I don't even think I could discuss politics in English!

Unter den Linden is gorgeous! A camera can't really capture what it feels like to walk along that street, but here's an attempt:

For lunch, we had Döners--an oh-so-delicious Turkish food. Döner macht schöner! We had FHE at Institute, where we were fed delicious (and free) food! And we played volleyball for a while, which was really just so much fun. We're probably the next Olympic team, no big deal or anything ;)

We went back to the Brandenburger Tor at night, which is really beautiful, both day and night. We came right up out of the U-Bahn stairs, and the Tor is RIGHT THERE!

We went to the Holocaust memorial, which turns out to be really creepy at night. These tall, cement slabs, some up to 15 feet tall, narrow passageways, uneven cobblestone floors...kind of eerie...

Tuesday (today): May Day! Wow! The days really seem so much longer--maybe that has a little to do with jet lag, but I really don't feel jet-lagged very much, thank goodness. Katelyn, Kristen, Becca, Colter, and I went to the abandoned/old airport and had a picnic/hippie/indie fest with a bunch of other people from our program. We wore dresses (well, not Colter. He wore this creepy/interesting shirt that had a female's face on it), made flower crowns, ate lunch, etc.

Afterward, we went to our professor's apartment for lunch and information about our Art and Architecture class. We wanted to go see the Avengers afterward, (yes, it's already been out in Germany for a week!) but it cost 13 Euros--about $20! So that didn't happen. So we went to Potsdamer Platz and saw remains of the Berlin Wall and the line through the city of where the wall was. So we explored the area a bit.

We had ice cream! My first Eis in Germany this trip: 2 scoops of Waldmeister. What does Waldmeister taste like, you ask? Well, how would you describe chocolate? or vanilla? It's really it's own flavor, but it's so delicious! It's kind of bitter, I guess, but not really. Just trust me. It's delicious.

Kristen, Katelyn, Becca and I got together and had our own homemade dinner and hung out, relaxing before school starts tomorrow.

We've used public transportation so much and have walked so much in the past 2 days, it's pretty awesome. Though my U-Bahn/S-Bahn map is seriously deteriorating, and it's only been 2 days!

As for the title of this post, it's a new phrase I learned today. I already knew "Es ist mir egal," which means, it doesn't matter/I don't care. And "Es ist mir Wurst" means the same thing, but I just love that idiomatic expression!

Okay, I'll end this post now. But just so you know, I could seriously keep writing and writing about the things we've done and seen and noticed so far, and still not cover everything. (very cliche, I know. I'm ashamed. But it's true)!