tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34825852727420081712023-11-16T16:31:32.480+01:00Krista: Summer in BerlinKrista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-82613358487457852332012-07-06T17:34:00.000+02:002012-07-06T17:34:15.315+02:00All Good Things Must Come to an End<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I cannot believe that today is my
last full day here in Berlin! These past 6 weeks have gone by so fast. I feel
like I did so much, yet at the same time I did nothing. Either way though this
has been the best experience of my life and I am so glad that I chose to study
in Berlin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
These past 2 days have been very
bittersweet for me. Yesterday classes ended, today my host family left, tonight
I have to say goodbye to all of the amazing people I’ve met through Fubis, and
tomorrow morning I fly home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yesterday, I was so excited to be
done with class, which I mean everyone always is, but when it actually happened
I was quite sad. Usually when you end class your completely okay because you
know you’ll be back again next year and you’ll easily be able to see the people
you met in your class whenever you want. However, it’s a completely different
feeling when your done with a class where you know you’ll never be back again
nor will you see these people really again and it was just kind of hard.
However, I think my class ended in the perfect way. The agenda for our day
yesterday was to take our final, play apples to apples in German (of course),
and then to present our final presentation. So, we arrived to class and took
our final, which was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.
Then after a little break we were suppose to present our presentations, but all
of us weren’t really ready to present so we begged our teacher to push it back and
let us play Apples to Apples instead and then after our next break we’d present
and end class that way. Of course she agreed with us, so we all had fun
laughing and playing Apples to Apples and then we had an hour break and we all
just worked on our presentations. When break was over we came back and our
group asked if we could go last (even though there was only one other group),
but we just thought it would be more fitting for what we were about to present.
So once again everyone agreed and we were quite happy. Now, our final
presentations had no boundaries besides that it had to be at least
10 minutes long and that she wanted us to do something creative. Not to be
mean, but the first groups project was a little boring and pretty generic. They
went with our teacher’s idea of being a travel agency and just discussing a
part of Berlin to the class. It was interesting, but there was nothing too
special about it. Once they were done it was finally our turn. We could not
wait we were so excited!!</div>
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<br /></div>
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So we started off by stating that
our teacher said she wanted creative and that is exactly what we were giving
her. Not only did we want to do a final presentation, but we also wanted to
create something that would not only be memorable for us, but for all the
people we have met through the Fubis program. So we decided to make a video. It first
started with a video from our first day of class where a boy taught me the East
Coast Swing Dance and flipped me in a weird way. Haha. Then, we created a game
where we showed clips of us describing everyone in our class, including
ourselves, and then made them guess who we were. From here, we went into clips
of us interviewing people from different classes about what their favorite
memory was from the last 6 weeks here, what their favorite place here was, if they
found love and where, if they were sad it was over, etc. After this it went
into a slideshow of pictures that we took ourselves or off of other peoples
facebooks that portrayed what the past 6 weeks have been like here. And then
finally, it ended with two random video clips. One was of my group member
singing Karaoke and the last one was of my friends and I driving to Munich
singing and dancing to Backstreet Boys. My teacher and everyone else loved it.
Not only did it showcase everything about our experience, but it was such a
good representation of my group partners and I. My teacher even wanted us to
present it at the farewell ceremony, but we would have to edit some things out
of it to make it more appropriate so we declined on this invitation and instead
we are just going to post it in our Fubis Social Group we created on Facebook.</div>
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(My group partners and I)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Then after class, I went home
because I knew it was the last night I was going to be able to spend time with
my host family because they were leaving for Italy today. So last night Luise
and her friends and I went out one last time together and we just reminisced
about everything, how fast time goes, and how much we are going to miss each
other. Then this morning, it was my host dad’s birthday so we all woke up early
to celebrate and have breakfast together. This was a very nice way for us to
end things. Shortly after breakfast though we had to say our goodbyes which consisted of a lot of hugging, kissing, and nice remarks. We were all really
sad, but we all know that we will see each other again because we are basically
family now.Shortly after they left too, my host mom texted me telling me how much she will
miss me, hopes I have a safe trip back, and that I am always welcome here. Then
my host sister texted me too just telling me how she loved getting to know me,
how she is going to miss me so much, and how she cant wait until we meet again.
It honestly was so nice. I am so thankful for the family that I was placed
with. They are such amazing people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Now I am just sitting around
doing last minute packing and waiting until I go out tonight with the friends I
made here within the past 6 weeks. Once again its going to be another
bittersweet moment when I have to say goodbye to them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
However, im not going to lie I am
really excited to go home and be with my family, friends, animals, and
boyfriend! Ohh and to finally have some sun back in my life again. hahah</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-53746852534334629042012-07-02T19:07:00.003+02:002012-07-02T19:07:52.458+02:00One of my favorite placings in Berlin....<br />
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I think one of the most interesting
places to go to in Berlin is the Berlin Wall. For those of you who do not know,
the Berlin Wall was a barrier created by East Germany to cut off West Berlin so
that their different beliefs (East=Communist and West=Democratic) were not
forced on them. This wall stood for 28 years and kept East Germans from fleeing
to the West. However, in 1989 when the Communist party finally fell, the
checkpoints were opened so that anyone could go from East to West Berlin. This
was known as the fall of the wall and most of the wall was destroyed. Not even
a year later East and West Germany reunified into a single German State. This
was and still is a very significant, historical moment in Berlin, Germany, and
the World. </div>
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Even though most of the wall was
destroyed, there are still three main areas that stand. My favorite part is
known as the East Side Gallery and it is located at Warshauer Straße.</div>
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This part of the Berlin Wall is a
memorial for freedom and host approximately 106 paintings from artist all
across the world. I honestly could walk along this section for hours and not
become bored of the wall. The paintings are so interesting, intricate,
meaningful, etc. Honestly anyone who witnesses them is amazed. Not only are you
staring at a wall that once symbolized pain and separation, but you are
also looking at a wall that now promises a better future for Germany and the
World.<br />
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(The three pictures above show my favorite piece. Awesome coloring and so much detail.)<br />
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(In English: He who wants the world to remain as it is doesn't want it to remain at all)<br />
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These are just a few of my pictures from the East Side Gallery.</div>
<br /></div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-52380512602512162932012-06-27T16:41:00.001+02:002012-06-27T16:41:06.431+02:00Neuschwanstein Castle: The most beautiful place in Germany<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I think this past weekend I went to
the most beautiful and amazing place I have ever seen: The Neuschwanstein
Castle in Southwest Bavaria, Germany. This castle was constructed by King
Ludwig the second in the late 1800’s however only 1/3 of it was completed due
to the king’s death. The death of the king is also very interesting because it
is an unsolved mystery. It is believed that his family murdered him, but every
time someone attempts to look into his death his family puts a stop to it and
mysteriously the few pieces of evidence they had from the night he died
randomly disappeared or were destroyed in random fires. Very suspicious right?
Anyways, along with the interesting history behind this castle it is honestly
an amazing sight. It lies up on a forested hill that overlooks the
Hohenschwangau Castle, multiple lakes, the Alps, and various villages. It also
has a river that runs by it with multiple waterfalls. Also, another interesting fact about this castle is that it was the inspiration behind Walt Disney's castles. Honestly just thinking
about it makes me smile because I loved our trip there so much and I am so happy that I can share it with everyone. </div>
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I was in Munich this past weekend
and a group of 5 of us decided that we really wanted to see this castle. The
only bad thing was that it was a 2 hour train ride away, but we all figured
that it was worth it. So Saturday morning we all woke up super early and headed
to the train station. We wanted to figure out what was going to be the cheapest
and fastest way to get there. We looked up prices for renting a car, prices for
a train ticket, and the price of a tour. In the end the cheapest and fastest
choice was to go with a tour group there. We were a little skeptical about this
because tours are usually quite boring and we would rather do things on our own
but we decided to risk it.</div>
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(Train ride to the Neuschwanstein Castle)</div>
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So we got on a train for the 2 hour
ride and headed to the castle. Once we arrived in the village we stopped at
this little restaurant to get food and to use the restroom and then we were
taken on a little tour of the village. First stop was at the Hohenschwangau
Castle, which was King Ludwig’s family’s summer home. From there we went over to
one of the various lakes to take pictures as well as to take in the beautiful
sight. After this though it was time for us to take the hike up the hill to
the castle. I don’t know how long or high up we went, but it definitely was a
work out to get up there. However, if you have bad knees or something and
cannot make the hike up there, there are horse-drawn carriages and buses that
go up there. Once we made it to the top we went to various look out points to
take in the beauty of the area and then we headed to the castle. </div>
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(Us infront of the Hohenschwangau Castle)<br />
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(One of the lakes)</div>
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(Views of the villages from a look out point)<br />
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(Different images of the Castle up close and personal)</div>
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Included in our tour was a ticket
to go inside of the castle and the have a half hour tour. Unfortunately, you
were not allowed to take pictures, however my friends and I could not help but
be sneaky and snap a few shots even though they are of poor quality. The inside was beautiful! There was gold
everywhere, very intricate woodwork, windows everywhere, murals and paintings
everywhere, a chapel inside, etc. When inside we got to see the thrown room,
the servants quarters, the king’s bedroom, his bathroom, his personal chapel,
various hallways, a room that looked like plays were held there, and the
kitchen. To me this didn’t seem like a lot of rooms to visit, but then I had to
remember that the castle was not finished yet so therefore one could not really
see what the rest of the castle was going to look like.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
After we toured the inside our tour
guide took us on another hike through the foothills around the castle. There
were once again various look out points, but the coolest place we went to was a
bridge that gave you the most beautiful sight of the castle. It was beyond
breathtaking. Then, once we were done taking in this sight and taking pictures
we started on our hike down. However instead of taking the paved path, she took
us on a trail that went past the waterfalls and was all along the river. This
was amazing as well. The water was so clear and the waterfalls were so pretty.
At one point my friends and I stopped to play in the water. This was just the
perfect ending to the perfect trip.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslH3A3mOYXao0NrG_uVgQeX56aB1I2LytOwD62LcWaRsq1qm3XplAeyd9Nv3rH-pDGOff-qqGjuszPkXZ_HsUjm5cHaNv2qvoGlPnz2h11mWe7e7Yr2eznyDCUbCye-sBTTti5dhfYtk/s1600/DSC01460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslH3A3mOYXao0NrG_uVgQeX56aB1I2LytOwD62LcWaRsq1qm3XplAeyd9Nv3rH-pDGOff-qqGjuszPkXZ_HsUjm5cHaNv2qvoGlPnz2h11mWe7e7Yr2eznyDCUbCye-sBTTti5dhfYtk/s320/DSC01460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Views from another look out point)<br />
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(View from the bridge of the Neuschwanstein Castle)<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
(Photos of the hike down along the river) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When we finally made it back down to the village we loaded up on food and headed back to the train station.
Once on the train my friends and I discussed that this was the best tour that
we had gone on and we were so happy that we chose to go on it. If we had gone
by ourselves we would have never seen or done everything that we had done in
that day. It was cheap too. For the roundtrip train ride, the tour, and the
ticket to go into the castle, and a tip for our tour guide we each spent about
50 euros. We also all agreed that this was the most fun and best thing that we
have done in the past 4 weeks that we had been in Germany.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Therefore, for anyone who plans to go
to Germany in the future I urge you to make the trip out to Southern Germany and
visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. You definitely will not be disappointed at
all.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-80656753043579895962012-06-26T15:45:00.006+02:002012-06-26T15:46:10.792+02:00Host Family Loving<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I think one of the best decisions I
made with studying abroad was choosing to live with a host family. I don’t know
how many times before I left I was told by friends that I was crazy for wanting
to live with a family I did not know and I how I would have no freedom. I mean
I myself was a little skeptical too because it is a complete gamble on what
type of people you will end up with and what your experience will be like.
However, I figured that I would feel more comfortable living with a family and
I would learn/understand the culture more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The process of applying for a host
family was quite simple. I had to fill out a questionnaire, send in a photo,
and then write a letter to my future family telling them about myself. From my
answers, the program researches through the families they have and find the one
that they think best fits with you. After waiting a good month or so I finally
received an email with my host families name and then shortly after that an
email from my host mom. In the email I was told that they had two daughters,
Luise who is 20 and Philline who is 11. My host mom Nana, was an Art therapist
and that Niko, my host dad, was an engineer. Lastly, that they lived in the
suburbs of Berlin near a few different lakes and that they have a dog named
Emmi. After reading this I became quite excited. They sounded like a really
nice family and I could not wait to meet them. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGKUp8ehO-JP6Es6OCkS6A5GKEcI_A9-oZraVEradc7fM6XKWGDfadgkUwVhaNSy6BIXoWPkiaHiVywnP2vmGAOh0kHHjYpkFbDjmxYDjlUVdU9ifO3f704kmGg3jWn1vcTMJ_xCYpK8/s1600/DSC00926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGKUp8ehO-JP6Es6OCkS6A5GKEcI_A9-oZraVEradc7fM6XKWGDfadgkUwVhaNSy6BIXoWPkiaHiVywnP2vmGAOh0kHHjYpkFbDjmxYDjlUVdU9ifO3f704kmGg3jWn1vcTMJ_xCYpK8/s320/DSC00926.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When the day finally came that I
was going to meet them I was extremely nervous. I was nervous about if they
would like me, if I would fit in, if they were going to speak any English to
me, what my house looked like, what the rules were going to be, etc. However,
as soon as I met them all my fears and questions were erased and I instantly
felt at home. It was the weirdest feeling to instantly just have all your
nerves go away like that, but they were beyond welcoming and nice to me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I live in a part of Berlin called
Mexikoplatz, which is one of the high end suburbs. The house I am living in is
4 stories and I live in the basement in like my own little apartment. Then, I
have a decent sized backyard with a tree house, trampoline, patio, etc. Its
honestly so nice here and far from what I expected but in a good way. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLfAa6LKD4MJqYMnAi5kw3DVaplLkxPbvhKP1dgTTgwYVFCanHNQrR_2ORuLbOzDPeKIMihqgPKUxbKjBPjwhIIH4Tyd3cydYdV8938tDaJl4eUph0LmGLOXK2ifjgi71M_Pdv2KLdMM/s1600/DSC00787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLfAa6LKD4MJqYMnAi5kw3DVaplLkxPbvhKP1dgTTgwYVFCanHNQrR_2ORuLbOzDPeKIMihqgPKUxbKjBPjwhIIH4Tyd3cydYdV8938tDaJl4eUph0LmGLOXK2ifjgi71M_Pdv2KLdMM/s320/DSC00787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My host sister, Luise, and I have
have become best friends. I swear her and I have the same personality and we
are almost inseparable. She told me that her and her family were just as
nervous about meeting me as I was about meeting them, but that they all
honestly love me. For some reason Luise and I always find ourselves talking
about how we are so happy that we were we were paired together. Its also really
nice because she always takes me out with her friends and they have been just
as welcoming as my family has been. All her friends always talk to me on
facebook and all invite me places. Everyone just wants to ensure that I am
having a good time.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Then how I was nervous about having
rules, I really do not have any. I do not know how many times that I have come
in from the night at like 5 in the morning and my host parents always just
laugh and tell me that they are happy that I am having a good time. They are
also always pushing me to go out and explore. They understand that I am only
here for a short amount of time and that they want me to see and do as much as
possible. Its nice that they do this because I know so many people here that
live in the dorms or apartments that just stay in rather than explore because
they have no reason or push to leave. They just want to be lazy and sleep.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Lastly, I love how my family wants
to include me in everything. They take me to family parties, they are always
explaining the history of Berlin and Germany, they help me with my German, they
cook for me, and most importantly they are always there for me and make sure
that I am as comfortable and happy as I can be.</div>
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There is honestly so much that I could
write and say about my host family experience, but the main thing I want the
readers to get out of this is that it is an amazing experience. It pushes you
out of your comfort zone, but it is such a rewarding experience. Everyone that I
know here that is in a home stay here absolutely loves it and I know various
people here as well that are jealous that they did not choose a homestay.</div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-71113336999155527812012-06-26T14:04:00.001+02:002012-06-26T14:04:49.690+02:00Sleep? Whats sleep?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
If there is one thing that I have
learned on this trip is that when you have the opportunity to sleep you take
it. While you are abroad you are busy with school, homework, traveling, and
enjoying the short amount of time that you have. Therefore, you usually, or at
least I do, put all of these things before sleep. However I have come to find
that the best time to catch up on your sleep is while traveling from place to
place. Thus far I have fallen asleep on the platform waiting for the S-Bahn, on
the S-bahn, in the car, on a bus, and on a train while traveling or waiting to
travel from one place to another. My friends and I have found it funny though
to take pictures of all of the times that we have fallen asleep in public
places…</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yet, if you are going to fall
asleep like this you must make sure that you have someone with you that is
awake because people will steal your items. For example, one of my friends here
was on his way home for the night and fell asleep on the s-bahn. When he woke
up, his backpack, camera, and I-Phone were gone. The thing is too, is that you cannot
even report this to the police because they will not do anything about it.</div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-69919512003178960242012-06-21T23:52:00.002+02:002012-06-21T23:52:40.981+02:00Weekend Excursion to Hamburg<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Last weekend I traveled to the city
of Hamburg, which is in the Northern part of Germany and it is know for its
Harbor. Before going there, I heard multiple good things about it and many
people said it was one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, but I really
was not that impressed. However, that may have been because once again I had a
hassle arriving there, I swear I don’t have good luck traveling, and because
there was a planned schedule of events so I felt limited to the things I could
see and do. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The Fubis program organized this
trip and we were going to be there from Saturday to Sunday. To travel there we
were taking a bus and we were meeting at the main campus at 8:30 a.m. Now, I
have no idea how to get to the main campus because our classes are not on
campus and I only went there once. Therefore, I knew I needed to leave early to
ensure that I found where I was suppose to go and arrived on time. However, I
soon realized that walking and figuring out where I am is definitely not my
thing. I ended up walking the completely wrong way and got lost. Time kept
going by and I still found myself in an unknown place so I called my friend who
was going and he attempted to give me directions. After walking for a good half
hour I finally found my way to an U-Bahn and it was 8:30 at this time. Thus, my
friend told me to take the U-Bahn to the Dahlem Dorf station and the bus would
pick me up from there because there was another student that they were going to
pick up there. So right when I made it there I saw the bus arriving and I was
soo happy. My friend was waving at me from the window, but then he got a
confused look on his face. As I was looking at the bus, it did not stop, but
instead it kept going. I was soo confused and then I saw one of my friends, who
was actually the other kid, running after it. Yet, they did not stop for him
either. So we met up and I called my friend and he informed us they were
running too late so they refused to stop even though they told us they were
going to pick us up. I was going to call the actual lady, but my phone ran out
of money on it therefore I couldn’t. We were both quite mad and didn’t know
what to do, but seeing as we both had already paid for the trip we figured we
might as well figure out a way to get there. So him and I went to the train
station to go see about buying tickets there. When we arrived we were informed
that it was going to cost us 73 euros, which is roughly 100 American dollars.
We were not thrilled with this but we went ahead with it. We were told that we
had 5 minutes to catch the train so we had to rush and when we made it down to
the platform we looked up at the stairs and then another one of our friends
walked down and we go did you miss the bus too? And she said yeah they said
they were going to pick me up at Dahlem Dorf, but left with out me. Weird that
this happened to 3 people right?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Anyways, us three boarded the train
and actually had quite a fun train ride. It was way more comfortable than the
bus, it was faster, and we had food and drinks provided for us. Once we arrived
all we knew was the name of the hostel so we started asking people on how to
get there and we started exploring. After about a half hour we found it and we
were quite pleased to hear that we were the first to arrive. Because of this,
we were allowed to check in, pick our rooms first, and go up to them and
freshen up. Probably after being there fore 20 minutes or so the rest of the
group arrived, however unlike us they were not allowed to check in and go to
their rooms.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Once everyone dropped off their
luggage we headed downtown for some free time and a tour of the city. While we
were walking though, the three of us who missed the bus had to check in with
the leaders and they were so rude to us. They basically told us that they saw
us, but did not stop because they did not recognize us as participants of the
program and then laughed that we had to pay so much money to get there. We were
not happy about this, but there really was nothing we could do about it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
On our free time we only had time
to eat so we did not get to do much. Then we went on a tour and that was kind
of boring. At first we went to some cool places like the town hall, which was
the center, but other than that we just walked through canals, which don’t get
me wrong were pretty but there was nothing special about it, and then we ended
on the harbor. After our tour we went back to our hostel, took a nap, and then
prepared to go out for the evening.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
One thing I can say is that they
definitely had a good nightlife there. We spent most of our night on a street
that we decided was a mixture of Bourbon Street and the Las Vegas strip. That
night I did not end up coming back to our room until 5:30, which I definitely
regretted in the morning when I had to be up at 8:15 in the morning but it was
well worth it.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once
we woke up and checked out we were off to a boat tour of the harbor. At first
we were all excited about this because a boat tour sounds really cool. However,
we soon realized this tour was going to be nothing like we expected. It was
cold and rainy, therefore that instantly made it bad. Then, we thought that we
would see some cool, interesting buildings, but it was literally 2 hours of
machinery and ships. I mean it was nice and pretty being on the water, but
other than that nothing special.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uhoHowq6_M4kNFxZ4jynOGXG2k2cM8Ud0Nd0_MzDvJCejIrbygMQ1lmQc_ES6pICAqiGjvdtQwLiv_jbIZLGQsuHCMhSQmHfss7sFGlj3iJJfZgWHXjffh1JW4xgA85PXlXgT5ANHfM/s1600/DSC01297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uhoHowq6_M4kNFxZ4jynOGXG2k2cM8Ud0Nd0_MzDvJCejIrbygMQ1lmQc_ES6pICAqiGjvdtQwLiv_jbIZLGQsuHCMhSQmHfss7sFGlj3iJJfZgWHXjffh1JW4xgA85PXlXgT5ANHfM/s320/DSC01297.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
the tour ended we had a little bit of free time for food so we went on a search
for hamburgers because we really wanted to be able to say that we ate
hamburgers in Hamburg, however we never ended up finding them. Once we finished
eating we then went to an emigration museum, which was also alright but it was
nothing special. This was the last thing we did there. My over all opinion was
that everything was alright, but nothing really popped in this city that made
me say I want/need to come back here.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihki2LN0d4poTqf3E2F8HfPEsVkzM4lFKM2RODF1w9N-9yRLhCEdNMUSfSQU5_NAc3Wur__4QulCYz1US-kdoq-T9GbyUQlhVQT71pOmxfo1vru9QAAeblvOshKB39PyzzFagHX92g-5o/s1600/DSC01305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihki2LN0d4poTqf3E2F8HfPEsVkzM4lFKM2RODF1w9N-9yRLhCEdNMUSfSQU5_NAc3Wur__4QulCYz1US-kdoq-T9GbyUQlhVQT71pOmxfo1vru9QAAeblvOshKB39PyzzFagHX92g-5o/s320/DSC01305.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEo6mS2KVYQdKD_Z-u9oM9oFvAfYibsD1af4YNmpe_-iadEf7d95sghjB9vA4iZSCfAlIY-zxMQeD9s3t5SSVgaWDGCoVQMffzSlDv5o4jSgynocyZWHVu1gsRXsuE8Z3JH3movPwAYQU/s1600/DSC01313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEo6mS2KVYQdKD_Z-u9oM9oFvAfYibsD1af4YNmpe_-iadEf7d95sghjB9vA4iZSCfAlIY-zxMQeD9s3t5SSVgaWDGCoVQMffzSlDv5o4jSgynocyZWHVu1gsRXsuE8Z3JH3movPwAYQU/s320/DSC01313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
tomorrow me and 10 other people are road tripping to Munich. Unlike the other
trip though, we planned this whole thing and by planning I mean booked a hostel
and car and other than that we are just going to explore and see what random
things we come upon. So im very excited to see what kind of things we get
ourselves into!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-90790627009071071482012-06-20T23:24:00.001+02:002012-06-20T23:24:50.378+02:00Beach Time in Berlin!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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So yesterday was one of the first
nice days we’ve had in Berlin. The weather for the most part has only been in
the 60’s, cloudy, and rainy. However yesterday it was in the high 70’s and
sunny and because of this, a group of us from the Fubis program wanted to
celebrate finally being able to experience a summer day, so what did we do? We
went to the beach!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
group of 20 or so of us went to a beach on the Wannsee. When one looks at it
they would think that it is a lake, but in all actuality it is a huge river. I
do not understand how or why, but it is. Also, the Wannsee is known for what is
called the Wannsee Conference, which is when the plan for the Holocaust was
presented and approved. The house this was all done in still remains there and
is now a museum and a Holocaust Memorial. Lastly, another interesting fact
about the Wannsee is that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie own a house on it, which can be seen below.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anyways
our trip to the beach was amazing. We didn’t end up going until around 4
because people had class and we were kind of sad because by the time we got
there there was an overcast, but we didn’t let this stop us. All of us just
wanted to be in our bathing suits and have a good time. We were all excited
once we walked out onto the beach though because out in the middle was a water
slide. Once we saw that we all ran into the water and swam out to it and went
on it multiple times. It honestly was so much fun!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRiYgwSrzUnhY4nNBolnl-hP8yAJV-SmbNDzr63PmhS8qFXawfqI_WE4aMAHnao33f5Phi0HUqvKKf_mwC47ArU9LaJKY4bmQUf4sYhOTSKR-ITR2zbScqjHMjU_8KEOz9FGmQOW9eo0/s1600/DSC01334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRiYgwSrzUnhY4nNBolnl-hP8yAJV-SmbNDzr63PmhS8qFXawfqI_WE4aMAHnao33f5Phi0HUqvKKf_mwC47ArU9LaJKY4bmQUf4sYhOTSKR-ITR2zbScqjHMjU_8KEOz9FGmQOW9eo0/s320/DSC01334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After we had our fun on the water slide we started exploring
the beach and we came to realize that a short distance down there was a nude
beach. All of us girls were highly curious about it because you always hear
stories about nude beaches in Europe and so we thought we would check it out.
So a group of us went down there and all I can say is nude beaches are
definitely not my thing. Haha. However, it was still very interesting to
experience one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Once, we got back from the nude
beach though, we all started up a football game on the beach. That also was so
much fun. Everyone was just enjoying the sun and each other’s company. We all
thought it was so nice to finally be taking part in something that we all
always do back home in the summer and to just relax. It honestly was such a fun
day and one I think all of us will remember.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGKgU3U8dVm20JKIy141P1spUFzzr4kf8sqzomKuFgn53M1vWBV9T70z3jFI4DXhf4HPQMR3Pt3OUSCZaMZGwrr0ffQx1-blbS_ZW15GjwyOE9nMvfSC82YKNWz0GxhA4_PGR_XxRh_Y/s1600/DSC01331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGKgU3U8dVm20JKIy141P1spUFzzr4kf8sqzomKuFgn53M1vWBV9T70z3jFI4DXhf4HPQMR3Pt3OUSCZaMZGwrr0ffQx1-blbS_ZW15GjwyOE9nMvfSC82YKNWz0GxhA4_PGR_XxRh_Y/s320/DSC01331.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-91835669710609979652012-06-14T17:44:00.001+02:002012-06-14T17:44:55.426+02:00German Pride<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I always heard stories about how
soccer is loved by the Europeans, but I never fully understood this until this
past week. Right now the Euro 2012 Soccer Tournament is being held in Poland
and Ukraine, which is a final soccer tournament that occurs every 4 years. The
tournament features 16 nations out of 51 that qualified between August 2010 and
November 2011. The winner of this tournament gains automatic entry into the
2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
One of the 16 teams in this
tournament is none other than GERMANY and because of this it is pure madness
here in Berlin. I do not think I have ever seen a country with more pride in
themselves than I have seen here. It is honestly an amazing site. Almost every
car has at least one German flag on it and a lot of cars also have flag
coverings on their side door mirrors. Then, when it is game day, everyone is
wearing black, yellow, and red, which are the German flag colors. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhpQu1Q_2q0STkDKm7FYmeRAoKybfgIyBw35Nta7aKiSraksmVwdoHLMkFi0ZZdJziUQUjzqCI_GzlYPvypjVcL0g5Qa0_kUHaevjpjJCZTcGEqalcE2DMyjSPMepc_TNv_NLOvjHGm8/s1600/DSC01114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhpQu1Q_2q0STkDKm7FYmeRAoKybfgIyBw35Nta7aKiSraksmVwdoHLMkFi0ZZdJziUQUjzqCI_GzlYPvypjVcL0g5Qa0_kUHaevjpjJCZTcGEqalcE2DMyjSPMepc_TNv_NLOvjHGm8/s320/DSC01114.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
To watch the German games they have
put up a huge screen in front of the Brandenburg Gate so that a mass amount of
people can gather here, watch, and celebrate the wins. However, if you do not
make it to the Brandenburg Gate to watch I can ensure you that every bar, café,
beer garden and restaurant has multiple TV’s set up so people can gather there
and watch.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEq8MFBHYRFHow_1mNq0qmsAyTjYtanwLaa_NKiDur4TTvU5kXn2r7x1XrVl-mwJ512cFfSzAb5OcIC9r0neLU9qeuDmuZUNcJLJdaESiHoNuL5go-xgS1gTLi7Aqv6usbrCFTPV_5ok/s1600/DSC01116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEq8MFBHYRFHow_1mNq0qmsAyTjYtanwLaa_NKiDur4TTvU5kXn2r7x1XrVl-mwJ512cFfSzAb5OcIC9r0neLU9qeuDmuZUNcJLJdaESiHoNuL5go-xgS1gTLi7Aqv6usbrCFTPV_5ok/s320/DSC01116.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
That is exactly what my host
sister, her friends, and I did yesterday. We went to a local café, sat outside,
and watched the game. Everyone their was representing Germany whether by
wearing a jersey, a scarf, sporting a flag, or just simply having black, red,
and yellow painted on their face. I personally am not that big of a fan of
soccer, but just being in an environment where everyone is so proud of their
team and is into the game you cant help but to get into it as well… especially
when we win, which is exactly what happened last night. We ended up defeated
the Netherlands 2-1, which is now our second win and we are undefeated. I love
every time that we score because instantly everyone is jumping out of their
seats cheering, high fiving, hugging, kissing, you name it. Everyone is just so
happy. Then when we win it is even crazier. People are just running down the
streets yelling about it, people are setting off fireworks, people are throwing
others up in the air, and then everyone just parties the night away no matter
what day it is. When we won yesterday I rode on the back of my friends moped thing holding the German flag and let it blow in the wind. I don’t know, I cannot even really explain it. It is just such
a fun, exciting environment.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqz1YRhbf-cVoIVtsp26MVksJ7Le6kGUmrVUQMSKSc0TOqYmFiOD3fPgJUTqhj_sP2M8SOfp3EsqVG9-4zTKXXnrMQyOjExscckBq8ic8FFHA0h_6wm8BEcoqsAgkSWto0nONvm6H0VxY/s1600/DSC01138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqz1YRhbf-cVoIVtsp26MVksJ7Le6kGUmrVUQMSKSc0TOqYmFiOD3fPgJUTqhj_sP2M8SOfp3EsqVG9-4zTKXXnrMQyOjExscckBq8ic8FFHA0h_6wm8BEcoqsAgkSWto0nONvm6H0VxY/s320/DSC01138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The next game is on Sunday and my
friends and I all have made plans for game, which is crazy because we never
makes plans beforehand…. That is how you really know how important and fun
these games are. You have to drop everything you do and support your team…. Go
Germany!!!!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-71043694090249409312012-06-10T18:26:00.000+02:002012-06-10T18:26:03.811+02:00Night Life<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Going out for the night back home
in Michigan is completely different than it is here in Berlin. Back home it is
normal to go out for the night anywhere between 9 and 12 and then be back in by
like 3 o’clock because bars close at 2. However, if you want to survive a night
out in Berlin you better enjoy not sleeping because you wont be doing much of
that…. This is what a typical night in Berlin is like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Here we do not even think about
going out until like midnight and it is not uncommon for us to even show up at
a bar/club until 2 or so in the morning. Once at the club you just dance the
night away and I literally mean the night away. Almost always when we are ready
to leave the sun is already up. Also, I think that their clubs are completely
different than back home. I personally do not enjoy going to clubs back home
but I have fun at the ones here. The music, styles of dancing, and atmosphere
are just completely different. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Then, once you are finally ready to
call it a night and leave the bar/club you have to make one more stop…. Food
time! For me personally, this is the best part of the night. The two most
common things for people to get here are Currywurst with fries and Doner.
Currywurst, is pork sausage that is cut into slices with curry ketchup and
curry powder all on top of it. Also, the fries that are served with them are
served with ketchup and mayonnaise.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmmHIAmYFIX3Ayd85J7th9R3GJXND8zQ1lscuSO1rczLMc6rJC0DeBMwBRUB5NfBaQ3b9aUL0A4WHntnlkbHfwvg0nVfIl2WmTXX4a-q-Y8N3sySahHlEihyphenhyphen6YqYl_YQ5cU_7WZvFizE/s1600/currywurst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmmHIAmYFIX3Ayd85J7th9R3GJXND8zQ1lscuSO1rczLMc6rJC0DeBMwBRUB5NfBaQ3b9aUL0A4WHntnlkbHfwvg0nVfIl2WmTXX4a-q-Y8N3sySahHlEihyphenhyphen6YqYl_YQ5cU_7WZvFizE/s320/currywurst.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQisBNdjWp_Q3KspAZrX1Mzwn5Kllg2sOsb-BFmwS-syjb4NvJi-hg7Vf8KE0UsmR_zofsdzWyVW1GnGdhHQchVe7Nt-tfR3geF8Rx9-kRivKldEKb8mNkHFvq_RHcu1nG5QXUtlH-8QU/s1600/doner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQisBNdjWp_Q3KspAZrX1Mzwn5Kllg2sOsb-BFmwS-syjb4NvJi-hg7Vf8KE0UsmR_zofsdzWyVW1GnGdhHQchVe7Nt-tfR3geF8Rx9-kRivKldEKb8mNkHFvq_RHcu1nG5QXUtlH-8QU/s1600/doner.jpg" /></a></div>
Then, my new favorite choice is doner,
which is a Turkish dish of thinly sliced seasoned meat wrapped in flat bread
with vegetable toppings and some type of sauce. It is honestly amazing! It is
very similar to a gyro. But once you get in your morning snack of currywurst or
doner it is finally time to call it quits and go to bed, which probably isn’t
until anywhere between5-7 a.m. However, be proud you have officially completed
a night in Berlin.</div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-49326925037914203122012-06-10T15:36:00.000+02:002012-06-11T17:15:35.767+02:00Birthday in Berlin<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Yesterday was my 20<sup>th</sup>
birthday and after celebrating it here in Berlin I would advise that everyone
celebrates at least one of their birthdays in a different birthday. It honestly
was amazing and I was so overwhelmed by everything that was done for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Leading
up to midnight, my host sister, some of her friends and I went out to
pre-celebrate. We started off by going to go to a karaoke bar. As we were walking around going from place to
place we kept meeting up with people and our group slowly kept growing. Once we
arrived at the karaoke bar we realized that that was a dud so we started to
walk somewhere else. We had 15 minutes until midnight and everyone was freaking
out that we weren’t at a place and were just walking. Yet, as everyone else was
freaking out I was completely content. I was perfectly fine celebrating my
birthday on a random street in Berlin because I was with amazing people and in
an amazing city. I had no complaints, but no one could let this happen. So we
ended up finding a little café probably 5-10 minutes before minute.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When I sat down my host sister
disappeared and then her friends started walking around and talking to everyone
who was at this café. Once it was almost midnight, the countdown
to my birthday began. My table started counting down from 10 and then everyone and I mean
everyone at the café started singing happy birthday, which was what Louise’s
friends were coordinating when talking to everyone. I honestly could not stop
smiling. It was so nice of them to do and I felt so special. After everyone was
done singing random people kept coming up to me to shake my hand and say happy
birthday. After that we
all just sat around at this café hanging out, laughing, and celebrating. It
honestly was the best way to turn 20.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
Then, the next morning I woke up
and went upstairs and I was instantly told that I was not allowed up there for
another 20 minutes because they were preparing something for me. So I go to
walk downstairs and the doorbell goes off and it’s a delivery for me. My
boyfriend from back home had sent me flowers. I was so happy. After waiting 20
minutes or so I was told I could come up and as I was walking upstairs my host
family started singing happy birthday to me. As I entered the dining area
everyone started to hug and kiss me and say happy birthday. Then on the table
in front of me were gifts from them. I was so overwhelmed by all of this. I
have known my host family for only 2 weeks and they were so generous and happy
for me. It truly was amazing. And then, Nana who is my host mom, made me a
special birthday breakfast. She decorated my area with chocolates, gummies, and
strawberries, and made me this delicious strawberry, custard tart cake.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uPEDvMXvN6ynyUQvc9AUNX0y2mQnl6QrODGNgW3p6e4i7l1zkCYgNn75ohIrrPXTJqdW8Hkj-co54ugR2T4FO0GL3rmquPB7dUJnBO2n5AydjBFnOD871lrPnQcoA73dBuLTnAmy4rI/s1600/DSC01036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uPEDvMXvN6ynyUQvc9AUNX0y2mQnl6QrODGNgW3p6e4i7l1zkCYgNn75ohIrrPXTJqdW8Hkj-co54ugR2T4FO0GL3rmquPB7dUJnBO2n5AydjBFnOD871lrPnQcoA73dBuLTnAmy4rI/s320/DSC01036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcS7ZgcM5XUvtqgRycJj0sJzj4UTLbPre71Oq3Z74do33BmoZs0oM5eDwFTMv5NOAKH_PCOQXNqw29iKPlpcFfC03ooq65L2OSP-Xi7PuuNaLwWz40l6YhuBqtdBWagBB_vg0GwZeJn4/s1600/DSC01039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcS7ZgcM5XUvtqgRycJj0sJzj4UTLbPre71Oq3Z74do33BmoZs0oM5eDwFTMv5NOAKH_PCOQXNqw29iKPlpcFfC03ooq65L2OSP-Xi7PuuNaLwWz40l6YhuBqtdBWagBB_vg0GwZeJn4/s320/DSC01039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
After
my morning birthday celebration we went out to the market in Potsdam, which is
the town over, picked flowers to make syrup for drinks, and then I came back
and napped. However, the celebrations were not over. When I woke up Louise
threw me a barbeque. About 10 or so close friends came over and we made food
and had drinks. We also watched the Germany vs. Portugal soccer game, which is
very important to German people and we won!!!! And finally after the barbecue
we went out and just enjoyed the rest of the night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I
can honestly say though, it was the best birthday ever. I never expected to
have anything like this happen to me and I am so thankful and happy for the
people I have in my life over here in Germany.</div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-33199615394737689592012-06-06T20:14:00.000+02:002012-06-06T20:14:07.725+02:00Fubis Language Classes<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Here in Berlin I am taking a
semi-intensive German language course. When signing up for the class you write
down what you wish to take, but just because you choose this class it does not
mean that you will get into it. When taking a language course here they want to
ensure that you will understand the information and will be able to keep up so
they make you go through three different placement tests before you find out
which class you will really be in. Before you come to Berlin, you have to take
a vocab and a reading placement test. Then on your first day of class you are
required to have an interview where they test your speaking skills. After all
of this is completed, they go over your results and decide which level class
will be best for you. However, if you are placed in a class and you and the
teacher both think you should be in a higher or lower class they will switch
you out within the first couple of days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When I first went to class I was
completely surprised by it because it was nothing like I expected. I thought
that I would be attending class at the main building of Frei Universitat and be
in a normal sized classroom. However I soon found out that this was not the
case. Instead of being on the main campus we are 3 or so U-bahn stops away from
it and we are in a building that one would consider being a house. Then instead
of having 20 or so people in my class like I am use to there are only 7 of us.
This I thought was crazy, but I actually really like it because I learn more in
smaller settings because I get to know the other students and the teacher on a
much more personal level and therefore feel more comfortable. Another thing
that I like is that my teacher is very young. She is only 26 and therefore she
tries to relate to us as much as possible and tells/shows us all the “cool”
places to go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I
have class on Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9-3. We have a half hour
break at 10:30 and almost everyone walks down to the corner to a little store
that sells coffee, fruit, bratwurst, croissants, etc and hangs out and talks.
Then, we have an hour break at 12:30 where we go either to the cafeteria or a
local restaurant for lunch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Our classes are split up into 6
sections each 45 minutes long, but I couldn’t tell you what those sections are.
Oops. What we do in a typical class is play at least one game, do worksheets
out of our text book, listen to a tape and then answer questions about what we
heard, we learn new sentence structures, tenses, endings, etc and then do
worksheets to practice them. We do a lot more than just this, but that’s a
basic idea of a normal day. Also, our class is completely taught in German so
one must really pay attention to understand what is going. My favorite class
day though is Wednesday. Every Wednesday we have excursion days. On these days
we meet somewhere around town and then we explore, learn the history of places,
interact with people, and do little scavenger hunts to fill out our worksheets.
Today was out first one and it was so fun except it is hard to focus because
you rather just talk and explore rather than do work.<br />
Along
with what we do in class on a normal basis, we also have to write in a Journal
that is due every Monday. Our teacher does not correct anything in it she just
wants us to write and practice. Then, we have two individual presentations we
have to complete and a group presentation. Also, we have to write two papers,
only 150-200, and we have two exams. <br />
The
last thing that I really like about our class is that it is a very friendly
environment and we do not have to be serious all the time. On my first day of
class a kid in my class said he knew how to swing dance and really wanted to
teach people. After hearing this I instantly wanted to learn something, so in
the middle of class he just started to teach me. My teacher had no problem with
this and actually encouraged it. She liked seeing us interact with each other
and was intrigued by some of our culture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Overall
I think my class experience here is way different than it is back home. There
are different things I like and dislike about classes here in Germany and back
home in the U.S. However, I actually think I enjoy classes here more than at
home. The atmosphere is just completely different</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_1003592787"></span><span id="goog_1003592788"></span></div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-87932961680712750782012-06-01T18:12:00.002+02:002012-06-01T18:13:32.440+02:00Never Assume...<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The other day Dan and I were
exploring downtown Berlin when we came across this area that had an assortment
of different sized cement blocks. We were both instantly intrigued so we went
over to go take pictures with them. Of course I wanted to be difficult and try
and take the coolest picture I could think of so I thought it would be a good
idea to get on top of them and walk to the middle and have a picture of me
standing on them. I did not know if I was allowed to do this or not, but I
didn’t really see why I wouldn’t be able to so I went with it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As
I am hoping cement block to cement I start hearing, “Halo, Halo! Halo!” and
then see a security guard walking towards me. I instantly knew to get down and
then the man left me alone. After that I had to figure out what this place was
because clearly it was important seeing as there is a security guard and set
rules at this place. So as Dan and I are walking we find information on it and
I instantly feel horrible for my actions…. I had just been walking across the
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of the Europe a.k.a The Holocaust Memorial. I
felt so disrespectful, but at the same time I just had to laugh at myself
because I would do something like that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However,
after a while I didn’t feel that bad because there were multiple people that
were just sitting on it and my host sister, Luise, informed me that a lot of
young people come here at night whether drunk or sober and play hide and go
seek through the columns.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsvmPBj5K0JMuJSEXeN0qQ9Ogd9G6t36WKQV_JI_f3gK8jn0WznJrutGCbUKrNrTvn5QQq4qgqi1hICBQc4Iv0lhySOXJhkj_oFekx77jU0ku3Z8jzQDxF0wUiBgkiuZfluXwkmQmoI4/s1600/DSC00819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsvmPBj5K0JMuJSEXeN0qQ9Ogd9G6t36WKQV_JI_f3gK8jn0WznJrutGCbUKrNrTvn5QQq4qgqi1hICBQc4Iv0lhySOXJhkj_oFekx77jU0ku3Z8jzQDxF0wUiBgkiuZfluXwkmQmoI4/s320/DSC00819.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrFP2LGsTve8AtzLU1DgvXwjsaG-Zg4s68-GkwAGFHdI0sHSWIGby3xfylgMzt4t2IfBfsZK6p92SWosHLYkQzlRzJSecUz5rNt2U-8YliMnyxj8oUR9Whn507ZVa4zq9GVNS3kD1lDw/s1600/DSC00820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrFP2LGsTve8AtzLU1DgvXwjsaG-Zg4s68-GkwAGFHdI0sHSWIGby3xfylgMzt4t2IfBfsZK6p92SWosHLYkQzlRzJSecUz5rNt2U-8YliMnyxj8oUR9Whn507ZVa4zq9GVNS3kD1lDw/s320/DSC00820.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1unSzQ7o7kf5Ictx4A8nJ6Qg7PNFSx3uejSUCMc7hW7n3NQJJc7w3WINFgga-FUxxUvBAGO6bPRaNqILkBevXdEYniTOCM1N4Rulq_ATPkub59zSQKjpUlh0MOEcgv0ML-YpR_EgsNU/s1600/DSC00821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1unSzQ7o7kf5Ictx4A8nJ6Qg7PNFSx3uejSUCMc7hW7n3NQJJc7w3WINFgga-FUxxUvBAGO6bPRaNqILkBevXdEYniTOCM1N4Rulq_ATPkub59zSQKjpUlh0MOEcgv0ML-YpR_EgsNU/s320/DSC00821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXbwBGZ171p1IqsoFzATzqT8RUQEscg3XjtnOghw6tuKjUWF5sCtX4O7KfuB-6QLFrqowDNUC779Flw1p3XcghRdvhEQJEzjZEJow53Wg4n9hoimhNoGUrrrWX_Q-pvs94LVIru9LqHA/s1600/DSC00824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXbwBGZ171p1IqsoFzATzqT8RUQEscg3XjtnOghw6tuKjUWF5sCtX4O7KfuB-6QLFrqowDNUC779Flw1p3XcghRdvhEQJEzjZEJow53Wg4n9hoimhNoGUrrrWX_Q-pvs94LVIru9LqHA/s320/DSC00824.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This
memorial is really cool though. It has 2,711 concrete slabs that are arranged
in a grid pattern on a sloping field. </div>Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-87085720653502175192012-05-31T19:54:00.001+02:002012-05-31T19:54:08.774+02:00U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Bus: A Berliner's Means of Transportation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to get around Berlin one must become very
comfortable with the transportation system if they wish to go anywhere because
the city is so big that walking will honestly get you no where. Now I have used
public transportations systems before, both in the U.S. and Europe, but never
alone and I got thrown into using them alone real fast here.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
my first night, I used the S-Bahn, which is an above ground subway, to go to
and from a party, but I was with my host sister, Luise, and her friends so I
pretty much just followed them around. However, on my second day here, I was
not so lucky as to have the comfort of having Luise there to show me around. I
had to go to orientation that day at the main campus of Frei Universitat and
since I did not know how to get there Luise drove me there. However, we did not
know what time it was going to end and I did not have a working phone yet nor
did anyone else that I knew so there was no way for me to contact her and it was clear that I was going to have to find my
own way back. When she dropped me off she handed me a piece of paper that had
directions on how to get back, but when I looked at them I was so intimidated.
The idea of me, an American who spoke very little German, trying to find my way
around a huge, foreign city without getting lost was so scary, but I knew I had to
do it at some point.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily when I left orientation the
other CMU participant, Dan, did not know how to get back to his dorm so we
decided it would be best for him to come back with me so my host family could give him directions. Therefore, I was not alone on my first adventure
using Berlin’s transportation. After walking for a good 20 minutes and trying
to read a map on where the U-Bahn station was, which is the underground subway,
we finally spotted it. Surprisingly enough though, once on the U-Bahn it was
quite easy to figure out where to go from there. We had to ride the U-Bahn for
4 stops, then hop on a bus and take that for 2 stops, and then walk 10 minutes
to my house. I honestly was so relieved and proud of myself when I made it home
and my family was too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
that night I was looking at where I had to meet for class and soon realized
that it was at a completely different location than where we met for
orientation. So once again I started to get nervous because I had little idea
on where I was going, but I figured when I woke up I would just ask my family
the best way to get there and I would figure it out. Horrible idea though….
When I woke up for class no one was to be seen, so all I could do was just suck
it up and attempt to find my way on my own and that’s exactly what I did. It
ended up being almost the same route except I had to ride the U-bahn for a few
more stops.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
I found my way those two times I have not had a fear at all of the
transportation and am confident in being able to figure out how to get
anywhere. If you look at the maps in the S-Bahn and U-Bahn station you can
easily pick out where you need to go. The only thing I find kind of confusing
is the buses and I don’t really like them, therefore I only end up riding them
when completely necessary.<br />
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
commute to class is between 30-40 minutes. I have to walk 10 minutes to the bus
stop in Mexikoplatz. From there I ride on the bus for 2 stops to Krumme Lanke
where I hop onto the U-Bahn. I then ride that for 6 stops to Bereitenplatz and
finally I walk probably about 5 minutes to my classroom. It seems like a lot, but
it is really not bad at all. Commuting with public transportation is just a normal
aspect of everyday life for a Berliner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My one suggestions to people traveling alone and not knowing where your going for the first time, whether being on an airplane or on public transportation, is to stay calm. As nervous as you may be tell yourself you got this, have some fun with it, and know that no matter what at some point you will figure out where you are suppose to be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3482585272742008171.post-27727051506281135572012-05-29T23:46:00.004+02:002012-05-29T23:46:51.303+02:00Hectic Travel to Berlin<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Hallo aus Deutschland!!! I have
been in Berlin for the past 4 days and I am loving absolutely every second of
it! However, the process of arriving here I did not love so much. What was
suppose to be a 14 hour trip from when I left my house turned into a 22 hour
trip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Once Dan and I arrived at the
airport, Dan is the other CMU student studying at Freie Universitat with me,
and said our goodbyes we were all excited to get our boarding passes and then
make it to our terminal. As we were walking to check in the handle on my carry
on purse snapped off. I laughed at it and said I would fix it later and said
that I hoped this wasn’t a sign of what our trip was going to be like. I think
I definitely jinxed us there. When we went to check in we thought this was going
to be a simple process, but we soon found out we were mistaken. As we were
trying to check in ,it would not let us, so a lady came over to help us. We
came to realize that we were not allowed to check in because our flights back
in July had been cancelled because the airport we were suppose to be flying out
of will not be open by the time we leave. Therefore, we had to book a different
flight back before we could get our boarding passes. This process took forever
and by the time they had figured this out and printed Dan’s tickets we had less
than an hour until our flight and we were informed that there was no way our
luggage would make the flight. This was a bummer, but we could deal with it.
However, the difficult times still were far from over. When they went to print
my ticket off, they realized that I did not check in early enough so my seats
for this flight had been given away and thus there was no way I would be
getting on this flight. Personally I just laughed because there really was
nothing else to do and Dan just sat there all frustrated, which made me laugh
harder. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Two hours after we had originally
tried checking in we finally got everything figured out and now had tickets for
the 9:50 flight out of Detroit to Paris rather than the 6:05 flight to Amsterdam.
Once we were on the plane everything was fine and we thought we were good to
go. Yet, once it was getting time to land we look at the time and realized that
we were landing a half hour later than we were suppose to and therefore we only
had an hour to make our connecting flight. Once we got off the plane we were
instantly confused on where we were suppose to go. We figured out what gate it
was, but we had no idea where that gate was. After asking, we found out that we
had to go down the elevator, then walk through the parking garage to the other
side of the road where there was another part of the airport, and then go back
through baggage checks. So after all of this happened we rushed to our gate and
the guy looked at us strange and was like are you guys trying to board? And we
said yes and he was like no its too late, but let me call. So he calls and then
informs us that yes we had missed the flight…. Of course! So once again I just
laughed and Dan got all frustrated. However, as soon as we missed this the
other handle on my purse broke! I figured the purse was a bad omen so I just
switched everything over to a new bag and threw it away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
So once again we had to go get new
tickets. We know had to wait 3-4 hours in the Paris airport for the next flight
to Berlin. This was horrible because at this point we both just wanted to be
there and we knew we were so close. I felt bad to because I am staying with a
host family and the only way I could contact them was email, so I kept emailing
them hoping that they received them in time. </div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am proud to say though
that we did make this flight! Woo! We ended up arriving in Berlin at roughly
5:30 p.m. when we had been thinking for the past month or so we had thought we
were going to arrive at 11:20 a.m. We definitely thought wrong. Once we arrived
though everything went smoothly. Our luggage was there and once I walked out of
the gate my host sister, Luise, and her friend were there waiting for me. From
that point on I knew everything was going to be okay.</span><!--EndFragment-->Krista Betkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18135635217815909211noreply@blogger.com0