A few glimpses of life in Berlin this month...

Using my major.

(I studied English/Creative Writing in college, which means that my blog posts should be far more crafty and clever than they presently are.)  I miss things about college... specifically, I'd love to sit in a cafe-- my favorite had mediocre coffee, great tables, and plenty of electrical plugs-- and write something again.

These past few weeks, though, a couple of people asked me to edit papers written in English.  So I get to jump back into the world of writing, albeit semi-vicariously.  I'm really glad they asked.  And I think I might find a cafe in which to read through this next paper...  I'm getting pretty excited as I plan.  I'm such a nerd.

The truly fun things that happen while I'm waiting for an apartment of my own.

I'll admit that I've been quite restless, frustrated, etc. about this apartment thing.  But I'm really trying to trust the Lord, learn from Him, and have patience.  And, as my roommate pointed out, we've done things that we otherwise wouldn't have because of it.

*My roommates and I cleared the furniture to the edges of the living room, dragged our mattresses in, and had a sleepover.  Two days later, we still haven't moved them back.  It's like a camp-in.  We plan for this to continue once a month or so, even after we're settled into our own place.

*About a week ago, I stood outside an apartment building waiting for the real estate agent to meet me.  (She never did-- I'm not sure if this was because of a failure on my part, since our conversation happened in German, or forgetfulness on her part.)  As I waited, an older woman came out of the building, and we began to talk.  What a sweet conversation it was!  She had patience with my German, and her friendliness as we talked about where I'm from and what I'm doing here, as well as her kids and her building, put a bright spot in the otherwise-frustrating night.  And I wouldn't've had this sweet conversation if I weren't searching for an apartment.

*I've found unexpected treasures in the city.  A few weeks ago, I viewed an apartment in an area I'd never visited.  A couple of blocks away, I found a square with a set of columns that had, I learned upon investigation, been there for about a hundred years.  The cafes, restaurants, and old buildings encircling the square and the stone fountain marking the center made it so quaint.  I'd love to return.

*My roommate and I took part in the *first-ever* Lange Nacht der Wohnungsbesichtigungen.  This means Long Night of Apartment Viewings.  This was an actual event, and it's hilarious.

In Berlin, culture and arts abound, and so there's a series of 'Lange Nacht's that give people the opportunity to experience them.  For example, I participated in the Lange Nacht der Oper last year.  You pay 10 or 15 euro, and then you can ride around the city to view little snippets of opera works, dance shows, etc., done by professionals.  This takes place between around 6 or 7 PM until 11 PM or midnight.  There's also a Lange Nacht der Museen (the museums are open till about 2 AM), Langen Nacht der Bibliotheken (libraries), etc.

But this year, the apartment-searching website service that I use jumped in with their own Lange Nacht.  This, I think, speaks better than anything of the incredible difficulty in Berlin right now for apartments.  From 6-11 PM, people boarded buses that drove them around neighborhoods in the city where real estate agents had opened up apartments for viewing.  The buses dropped people off nearby, giving them a chance to look around the apartments, talk with the agents, and decide if they'd like to apply.

I should have probably dedicated a whole blog post to that evening, because it was pretty great.  Turns out that the apartments we visited were far above our budget, but they were beautiful and we loved touring them.  Plus, now we can say that we were there for this momentous occasion.  ;)

Campus, students, and ministry...  The most important part of life in Berlin :)


The semester has begun!  I've loved meeting new students and talking about God, faith, and spiritual things with them.  And I've loved meeting up with students I know, catching up and talking about this new year.  Our first event, a "Welcome Back" party last Saturday, was great, and Alpha Course begins tomorrow!  I'll be writing a newsletter on Friday with more updates about ministry, so if you're not already on my mailing list but you'd like to be, please let me know!

From my last post, four months ago...

I'm sitting on my bed, surrounded by empty walls.  I've filled around six boxes, two suitcases, two garbage bags, and one large backpack, all of which are cluttering my floor.  I've said several see you later's, and have postponed the goodbye's till absolutely necessary.

The scene isn't much different today.  My floor is cluttered with three suitcases, three garbage bags, one large backpack, and more.  I've said several see you later's, though that's been about a month ago.  I've also said several hello's!

I am back in Berlin!  This ends my fourth week here, which might raise questions about the state of my bedroom...  The explanation:

We aren't homeless, but we don't yet have a home.  Berlin, as it turns out, continues to grow in popularity, so the apartment-search hasn't yet brought us a place to live.  We've been really fortunate to have someone apartment-searching for us, but I've recently begun to work on this, too.

So today, for example, my roommates and I squeezed into an apartment full of people who, like us, thought the place was "schön"... beautiful... and it was!  Now we apply and wait to see if they pick us.  It's the apartment competition of 2011, and we're aiming for a win.  We'd love prayers for this!

Aside from the apartment scarcity, though, Berlin's great.

I've returned to the days of student life-- learning, homework, and even a quiz coming up soon.  Our team's been in language school the last several weeks to learn more Deutsch.  Though I'm far from good (quite far in fact), I've learned so much.  I'm really grateful for this time... and for the stories that come with it.

What happens when you try to learn another language:

Sometimes, you have too many words in your head.

Today, walking through a big bookstore on a busy street, I found myself in someone's way.  I opened my mouth to apologize, but what came out was a mixture of the German entschuldigung and the English sorry... the combination of which is:  "Shorry."  As in, "Oh, shorry."  At least I said it quietly.

Sometimes, you don't have enough words in your head.  You forget words that you have been using since you were five.

Last night, I forgot "lighthouse."  I'd just read the German word (Leuchtturm) on a postcard and wanted to translate the phrase for a friend, but this is what happened in my head:

Leuchtturm.  Light tower.  Light tower?  No... that's not it.  Light... light-- Light tower.  That's not it, right?  Is it?  What is it?  [....]    Light... Lighthouse!  Lighthouse!!


And I majored in English.

Stories aside, I'll be sad to end my time in language school.  Great discussions, fun classmates, and a very helpful teacher have made these weeks really neat.

After next week, though, the university semester begins... And I can't wait for all that comes with that!  To spend more time on campus talking with students, and to get going on the events we're planning-- this is what I'm truly excited about.  These are the things I love, and this is what makes me so glad to be in Berlin.