Another Update...

It's so weird not having regular lectures... it seems like every week at least one of our lecturers is away... we've not had any lectures for over a week, but then we have four in a week... strange. We've still got SO much work to do... we've finally found out how much work we have to do, and we've got three book reviews, two 20 page essays, four presentations and our dissertations... seems like a lot but we just need to get cracking and do a bit each day, and then hopefully we won't have mental breakdowns at the end.

I've been ill again this week, for the second time since we arrived. Normally I don't get ill so I'm not sure why I'm getting ill so much here... guess it doesn't help that our flat isn't exactly the cleanest... Oh well. life goes on...

I've booked myself a night in Leipzig when Alice's mum comes to visit. She's staying with her in her hotel in the city so I'll be on my own for a few days, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to visit somewhere that Granny loved and always used to talk about. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Germany. Much as I love Berlin, I'm excited to travel outside of the city. I like the whole single traveller thing, it's very freeing, and makes you feel like you can do anything you want!

While Alice's boyfriend Matt was here last weekend I went to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, which is located at the most northern S-bahn station in Berlin, Oranienburg. It felt like a different world up there, because if I thought Berlin was a fairly quiet city, Oranienburg was dead, even on a Saturday. The camp was interesting, but I didn't feel particularly upset as I thought I would. It was not like Auschwitz where you see pictures of piles of spectacles and shoes everywhere, because a lot of the buildings at Sachsenhausen are no longer there. A few buildings are still standing and you can go through and read about the sort of things that happened, but it was not the experience that I thought it would be. I'm still glad I went though, and everyone should definitely go to one in their lifetime.

In terms of sightseeing, Alice and I have been to the memorial to the murdered Jews, which is an extremely upsetting museum because it has pictures and stories of real Jewish families, which makes what happened so much more personal and painful to read about. On top is over 2,000 concrete blocks laid out in a big square. We wanted to go to the New National Gallery but it was a Saturday so the queue was about an hour and a half long. We'll probably go to that another day. Instead we decided to go to Kurfurstendamm which was SUPER busy because we hadn't realised that the second biggest cup final in Germany was happening in Berlin on that day between BVB and Bayern, so we got caught up in the thousands of fans who had congregated on Kurfurstendamm. The whole city was filled with football fans, and a lot of the smaller U-bahn stations were closed (presumably for safety reasons) so we had to walk further than normal to get to where we wanted to go. It was kind of cool though, because the atmosphere was very exciting and we also saw the Dortmund team bus as it drove past. We then went home and watched the game on TV with a bottle of Berliner Pilsner (a lager type drink, which costs 65 cents at the shop, of which you get 25 cents back for recycling your bottle. It's cheaper than coke or bottled water, so it's quite popular. I'm not going to lie and say I would drink it often, but it was nice for a one-off occasion.

I'm looking forward to Mum, Dad and Adam coming to visit because I'm really excited to show them Berlin. I love this city, and actually think I could be really happy living here. It's not too far away from England, and the lifestyle here is just so much more laid-back. Germany is an amazing country, and I can see why so many international people come here and stay.

Update on Berlin Life..

It's been a couple of weeks since I updated (I think...) but a lot has happened.
We've just about managed to get our modules sorted, and are now trying to get forms signed and sent off to Nottingham so we get our ERASMUS grant... but that's a long complicated boring story which I won't blog about.

In terms of things we've done other than go to lectures, read and do work on our dissertations, we've had a few really nice days. Alice and I decided to go to Wannsee, which is a town just up the road on the bus. It is a cute little town with a huge lake which is BEAUTIFUL in the sunshine. There are loads of people boating on it, and many bars and restaurants overlooking the lake. It seems like a really chilled out place to spend some time. We ogled all the beautiful houses with rooftop terraces overlooking the lakes and wanted to buy them all and live in them! But the real reason we went to Wannsee was to go to the house where the Wannsee conference took place. This is the conference which took place during the second World War which planned the Hoolocaust. There's a really good museum there which is very informative. The house itself is stunning, which makes it weird to think about what happened on that day. It was very chilling reading the documents, and standing in the very room that it took place. I think the most awful part was reading the letter which was sent inviting people to the conference, which stated that the conference would be "followed by breakfast." They must have had strong stomachs to be able to eat after effectively planning the murders of millions of Jews.

We went for dinner with a girl from our Modern Presidency class. She's called Ditte and is from Copenhagen. It was nice to talk to her about everything, and as she is going to be studying at Birkbeck University in London next year she wanted to know a bit more about England.

We also enjoyed a day of shopping on Kurfurstendamm, or Ku'damm as it's known to the locals. We went to KaDeWe and looked at all the pretty, beautiful, expensive items that we wanted but could not afford. We also went to many H&Ms, and plenty of other shops. We had lunch and also visited the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. It was badly damaged in the war, and the spire was hit so now it is jagged and broken. They preserved it as a reminder of the war and rebirth. It also has a little exhibit about the church and the war, and also a new part of the building. This is a concrete dome filled with thousands of blue glass tiles, creating an amazingly beautiful atmosphere. There is also a giant golden Jesus being crucified, floating above the congregation. It is one of the most peaceful crucified Jesuses I've seen, and it made the atmosphere even more special. It is a beautiful church, and made me feel very humbled sitting in the beautiful building.

This week we went for dinner with a girl who Alice knows from going to an American Studies conference in September. She was very nice, and we had a good time. The next day Alice and I went to Gendarmenmarkt to see the beautiful square and the matching Deutscher and Franzosische Doms. We also went to Galleries LaFayette, a famous department store, and stumbled upon a few hidden treasures. It was a beautiful day all in all, and we had a really nice time.

The next couple of weeks should be fairly quiet, as we don't have many lectures. We really need to crack on with some dissertation work, as we have various family visiting within the next month so won't get the chance to do much work then. I have also booked myself a hotel in Hamburg in June, which I am very excited about. I have grown to enjoy travelling on my own, as it gives you a lot more freedom. It is nice having Alice here though, as without her I would be extremely lonely. We have such a laugh together, and are helping each other get through the experience smoothly. We are really similar, and seem to be becoming more so as we spend every day together :)

Week Two in Berlin!

This week has been a extremely confusing one, because we are having trouble figuring out our courses and modules, and how many credits we can obtain. We need a certain number of credits in order to graduate on time. We have seemingly spent the entire week emailing lecturers - from Nottingham and Berlin - to try and find out what's going on. We still haven't got it completely figured out, but we are getting there slowly.

Alice and I attended three introductory lectures this week. In Berlin, people attend lots of lectures in the first week to see if they like the look of a module, and then pick their final modules after that. On Tuesday we went to a module about major issues in Antebellum history. This sounds like quite a good module, and the lecturer was really nice. It was nice to have a female lecturer, as from my experience American Studies seems to be a fairly male-dominated subject. The module will entail reading documents from Antebellum history relating to major issues including prohibition, farming etc., and then interpreting the documents. On Wednesday we attended a Sociology lecture about religion and society. This sounded quite interesting but the course looked pretty intensive on the reading side. It was also assuming quite a lot of prior sociological knowledge, and whilst my undergraduate degree was half Sociology I didn't feel confident about the module. Alice has never really done any Sociology so we decided to rule that module out. The third lecture of the week was on Thursday, and this was the course we were most looking forward to - the modern American presidency. This seems to be focusing on the Bush and Obama presidencies, how a president functions within the American system, who has the most power etc. It was all stuff I had done on a more basic level in first year at Keele, however this course will go into slightly more depth. It should be a very good course. The lecturer was slightly scatter-brained, but very enthusiastic.

We had a free day on Friday so we decided to go into Berlin and go to the Deutsches Historisches Museum. This was a ginormous museum which followed German history from 100bc until the reunification in 1989. The amount of stuff in this museum was vast, and you could spend weeks in there and not see everything properly. It was 4 Euros to get in for a student, which was pretty good value. After that we left, grabbing a Dunkin Donut from Fredrichstrasse to eat when we got home.

On Saturday we had planned to go to the Ritterfest - a medieval festival - however we didn't know exactly where it was so we ended up pottering around the local town, doing a bit of shopping and having a Starbucks. We went to the supermarket on the way back home. Saturday night is Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar on TV - the German version of Pop Idol - so Alice and I watch it together. It's great because all the singers are quite bad compared to the British or American versions... but we enjoy it :)

Registration and Zehlendorf

Yesterday Alice and I had to go and register at the Student Exchange Office. To get to the main campus of the Freie Universität Berlin (FU) we had to get a bus from the Studentendorf to Krumme Lanke station, then the train a couple of stops to Dahlendorf station. We went to the office which was down a really long street called Brummerstrasse. We got there to be told we had to walk all the way back down the road to another building to get two pieces of paper signed, then walk all the way back to the office to hand them in. We did this, then got all the right pieces of paper we needed to be officially registered. We needed coffee after all that walking, so we stopped at a small cafe and had coffee and a croissant, which was absolutely delicious.

Next we had to go and register that we are now living in Berlin at the local town hall, the Bürgeramt. We went to the information office, told them what we were there for, then were given a number and sent to a waiting room to stare at a screen until our number was called. We probably sat there for about an hour before we were called to Platz 14. A man in there did our paperwork, then we left and took the bus back to the Studentendorf. We went to Aldi which is right next to the Dorf, then I went across the road to the other shop. I got a bit of food then headed back to my room. I spent the evening watching Silent Witness and Skyping Mum.

Today I had a free day. Alice and Matt went into the city centre so I went to the local town where the Bürgeramt is and wandered around the shops. I found a Woolworth, a Boots equivalent and a Burger King, as well as lots of other various shops. I had a coffee at Starbucks and used their free wi-fi. I then came back to the Dorf where I braved the shower for the first time and watched some random YouTube videos. I hung out with Alice and Matt for a couple of hours when they got back.

First Weekend in Berlin!!!

Hallo aus Berlin!
I started my ERASMUS adventure to the Freie Universität Berlin at 3am on Friday morning. I got up with my Dad and we drove to Stansted airport. We made good time, stopped for coffee on the way and got to Stansted at about 6am.

I checked in for my Germanwings flight and got a Boots meal deal. I boarded the flight to Stuttgart, which went without a hitch. The extra leg room seats are amazing :) I had my trusty Kindle so the flight went quite quickly. At Stuttgart I had coffee and a soft pretzel and waited for my connecting flight to Berlin. I got on this flight which, again, went smoothly. When I got to Schoenenfeld airport I got my luggage and walked for about five minutes to get to the train station. Transport in Berlin is AMAZING. Every train you want to get on comes within ten minutes, and the platforms are all signposted really well so you know exactly where you're going. All the trains are spotlessly clean, no litter anywhere, and the people are really helpful.

I got to my hotel via an S-bahn and then a U-bahn. The hotel H10 was really nice, because it was a deal I booked on lastminute.com so I got a four star hotel for a ridiculous price. I checked in, then after dropping my luggage off immediately set off to explore the surrounding area. Kurfurstendamm is a large shopping street with many famous brands on it, but it was all quite commercial. It was nice for me though, because everything I needed was within easy reach. I decided to go familiar for my first meal in Berlin, so headed to Subway which was across from my hotel. I was completely knackered after wandering around for two hours, so went back to the hotel, watched the world figure skating championships and went to sleep.

The next morning I was up bright and early to take a hop on - hop off bus tour. I chose a company and got on the first bus at 9.45am. I first rode the entire route once to get a feel for where I wanted to get off. As the weather was completely crazy that day, it was good to be able to hop on a bus which came every ten minutes. It was cold and windy, then rainy, then sunny, then it randomly hailed and SNOWED, then it was sunny again. I got off the bus at various points along the way. First I got off at the Typographie des Terrors, a 200m stretch of the Berlin Wall which has been preserved and made into a sort of museum. I was surprised that seeing the wall moved me so much, and even today it is such a strong image. The wall itself symbolises state oppression, and the graffitti splashed across much of it symbolises defiance.

I then walked to Checkpoint Charlie. I was slightly disappointed in this, because it was so touristy and commercialised. People dressed up as Russian and American soldiers posed for photographs, and hundreds of tourists stood around taking pictures. There is even a McDonalds within touching distance of the checkpoint, adding to the feeling of commercialisation. I got back on the bus and headed to the Brandenburg Gate. Modeled on the Acropolis, this imposing structure is extremely impressive. It was badly damaged by gunfire in the war, and has been repaired several times. This is an extremely iconic image, and I enjoyed the beautiful architecture and carvings.

I also stopped at the KaDeWe, Europe's biggest department store. It was so big that you couldn't find anything if you wanted to, so your best bet was just to wander around. I knew I couldn't afford anything in the store, so I just rode to the top floor in the extremely beautiful glass elevator which had amazing views of the atrium right down to the ground floor, and then left. In the evening I got some food and headed back to the hotel. I did some last-minute preparation before leaving for my accommodation at the Studentendorf, Schlachtensee in the South-West part of Berlin.

On Sunday morning I got up early. I had to check out of the hotel by 12, so I wanted to spend the morning at the East Side Gallery. This is an amazing piece of public art which is an international memorial for freedom. It is a 1.3km section of the Berlin Wall which has been preserved. It consists of 105 paintings by artists from all over the world on the wall. Much of it has been vandalised over the years, and it has undergone major renovation over the last couple of years. It was a beautiful tribute to the fall of the wall, and one of the best art galleries i've ever been to because of what it represents. I walked all the way along, then returned to my hotel. On the way I stopped for a few minuted to watch a marathon which was going on along Kurfurstendamm. There was a group of drummers playing alongside which made it a really nice atmosphere.

I checked out of the hotel, and made my way to the train station in Wansee where I had to catch a bus to the Studentendorf. The Studentendorf is a complex of student accommodation with a variety of different rooms in it. I am staying in an apartment with six rooms, a living room/kitchen and a bathroom with two showers, two sinks and a toilet. I have met everyone living in the apartment. Alice is from Nottingham University and is on my course. Andrew is from Chicago and is studying political science. Maria is from Poland and is studying Art History. Arno and Saiid are in the other two rooms. Everyone seems very friendly, and my room is very spacious. The kitchen and bathroom are slightly grotty but this is not really a problem.

My first few days in Berlin have been extremely exciting! Berlin is the same size as Paris in area, but it has only 3.4 million residents compared to Paris's 11 million. This makes it an extremely nice city to walk around because tourists are not constantly in your way and overcrowding everywhere. I think Berlin is on my list of the best cities I have ever visited. I am growing to love it more and more every day, because whilst it feels quite international it also feels quite German. I love the culture and the atmosphere of the city, and am excited to experience more as the weeks go on.
Tomorrow I am going to my university campus to register on my course. Hopefully I will get my student ID and sort other things out. I can't wait to get stuck in!!!