Off to See the Wizard
Weather: A cool 25 degrees. No need for a jacket for the first time in about 2 weeks.
CD: Talking Heads “…And you may ask yourself - well…how did I get here?…”
Berlin, Berlin... finally. I have arrived. I rolled into town last Wednesday behind the wheel of a truck I had rented, which was neither very cheap nor completely legal, but few questions were asked at the leasing desk (not your usual line of German operations) and I was cruising with a heap of furniture loaned/bought from Keith. In the end I like to think everything worked to my favor.
The flat we’re in is a palace. Well maybe not so much a royal estate, but a palace of the people - East Berlin style - towering over the edgy Friedrichshain neighborhood. The area is thronged with youth and teeming with energy. Zuzu got us a position right on the edge of the trendiness… a few streets to the east and things get a bit seedy but I like the dynamics inherent in that.
Over the weekend I had a Dresden treat as several kids came into town to celebrate the move. A mix of emotions ensued for a variety of reasons. We did tour the city however. Maria, a girl who’s spent her life in East Germany made her first ever visit to the Berlin Wall. “This damn thing is what kept me from chocolate and bananas when I was growing up” she screamed upon meeting it. Imagine that… bananas as a luxury item.
So life in the o.b. (Ost Berlin) is cruising along at a rapid pace. Sometimes I wish I could call a Zach-Morris-Time-Out and settle out the details. Last night I was the Grillmeister for Zuzu’s welcoming bbq on our balcony for several of her friends. Zuzu is my roomate and such an amazing girl. As I was washing dishes the other afternoon, she forced me to stop washing so I could join her on our balcony for a cold beer. “Stop that work now Chad, or the beer will get cold!” She’s also told me to lose the Sachsen accent. Das wees isch nüscht…nö?!? Jan moves in Friday (with fridge, washing machine and dishwasher - the “harmony-making machine”) with Hilmar in accompaniment. How did I get here… ***New Pics Added Here***