Around 5:30am, I was wide awake. My body was a bit stiff, so it was the perfect time to stretch and do my regular yoga routine. It was raining outside, so I made a cup of ginger tea. Decided to stay in, do some research and figure out how I’ll get to the language schools. Prepared a rough plan for the day. Had a quick shower – Ahh, the feeling of pressurized hot water on cold skin felt perfect.
By this time, the grocery store across from my flat was opening up, so I dressed up and went there to pick up the basic food items. The labels were in Deutsche, so I picked up stuff that was easy to identify. I was surprised when I had to pay only 8 Euros for milk, yogurt, onion, spinach, mint leaves, banana, eggs and Gouda cheese. This would have easily costed me $25-$30 in San Francisco.
Came back to my abode and made omelette with eggs, cheese, onion and spinach. It felt so good to have homemade omelette after three months. My tummy was happy and so were the clouds. No more rain and, time for me, to explore the language schools.
My first stop was the Deutsche Akademie. It was a nice 30 minutes walk from my flat. I met the advisor over there and it was deemed that I should take the basic A1 intensive course first. It’ll be all about grammar. No basic conversation or such. I was a bit disappointed.
My next stop was Berlitz, which was also nearby. My flat mate had told me that Berlitz is good but it’s all very expensive unless the government or your company is paying for it. They didn’t have any advisors who could meet me today and gave me an appointment for tomorrow morning. Felt a bit like a corporate environment which didn’t gel well with me.
I went to a cafe nearby to relax and, mostly to access their WiFi, so I could do some more research about language schools. Ironically, it was the same cafe I had been to on my last visit 3 years ago. How serendipitous! The third on my list was Speakeasy. I read the reviews and this school seemed like a better fit for me. It would be a 20 min train ride from my flat which was the main reason I had put it at the bottom of my list.
I took the train and headed to Speakeasy school. The representatives at the school were very friendly and provided me all the information. Of course, I will have to take the basic A1.1 intensive course where I’ll learn grammar but I’ll also learn basic conversations phrases. This sounded exactly what I was hoping for, being able to at least speak some phrases, after this course is over. It was a bit expensive than the first school and a twenty min train ride, but I decided to sign up here because of the right fit. My classes would begin next week, so I had enough time to get settled and explore Berlin.
I decided to walk around the neighborhood. I love wandering around without any expectation or knowledge about the area. The walk across the bridge was lovely and stumbled upon the beginning of the East Side Gallery. The weather was cooler but the sun was peaking out of the clouds so it felt nice. I was super hungry so kept on walking until I came across a cute cafe. I saw lot of people dining at Emma Kaffeeklatsch, so glanced at their menu and grabbed a seat outside. The restaurant cafe was across the street from the Schlesisches Tor train station. Was a great spot to sit and watch people. Ordered a vegetable grilled cheese sandwich, which was yummy. As I headed inside to use their toilet, was fascinated by the cool ambiance inside. Next time, I have to come here for dinner. The graffiti WC area was rad as well.
As I wandered further, ended up in Kreuzberg. I saw a little kid having the largest scoop of ice cream and his face was fully covered with chocolate. So adorable to watch while reminding me to always be like this little kid at heart – carefree and joyful. So, I caved in, and ordered the smallest scoop of Etna – Mandel mit Pistazie ice cream at The Sicilian Ice Cream shop. After all, I have to watch my waistline. The ice cream was simply Yum!
As I kept on walking, I came across a church, which I instantly remembered from my last trip. I was happy because I knew where I was and then headed to the street which had some cool boutiques.
I wanted to keep on going but my legs were sore from walking for hours. The side effect of too much relax time in India for the past few months. Im sure in a week or two, I’ll be back to normal and can walk with ease for hours each day.
I hopped on the train to go back to my apartment. I did end up taking the wrong train but was able to figure things out. I transferred to another train and got off at the stop which was ten minutes walking distance from my flat. Now I know that S2 is not the same as U2. Haha. The transit system here is nice and clean. I just have to learn where the different train lines go to and, also understand their bus system (which is always so tricky).
It was nice to be back home to relax and have some home cooked meal.
