Lots has happened in the last few days... I found a new room, moved in all my luggage, and took a train to Amsterdam where they have the biggest Burger King that I've ever seen in my entire life...
Let's start with the new room. I had been looking all last week for a new room to move into on the first of the month with some German students so that I could speak more German and meet more young people. Tuesday night, I went over to look at an apartment in Neukoln and met three very nice German students. One of them was leaving for 2 months for an internship in southern Germany so he offered his room and I took it. My roommates will be two German girls, one who studies politics, and the other who has an internship in ad type things. They seem like interesting people and they really like to speak with me and my broken German. I think this will be the best thing for me improving my skills.
Thursday, I moved in all of my luggage and noticed something else really interesting about Berlin. People were moving. I think I saw ten other people with luggage moving around on the day that I moved in to my apartment. Then, I thought about it and realized that it was the 31st so everyone was doing there apartment changes. I keep hearing how Berlin is such a dynamic city, but I think seeing all those people with suitcases really drove it in to my head. Berliners don't usually settle down for life. They come to experience life in a whole new way and then move on their way...
Yesterday, I took a train to Amsterdam that I had booked a few weeks back. I had heard that the BVG, the Berlin train company had decided to go on strike so I was a little worried about getting to and from the Hauptbahnhof, but it ended up that the S-Bahns, which I needed to take, were still running. But, this meant that they were PACKED with people. While I was riding on one, I finally found that I could speak German as well as a four year old. I was sitting in my seat reading a book and writing a little bit and some little kid came up to me and asked, "Was machst du???" (What are you doing?) . I ended up having like a 10 minute conversation with this little four year old about Germany and America and how much he likes trains! It turned out that the little kids German was just about as good as mine, so our simple conversation worked out perfectly.
From the Hauptbahnhof, I was supposed to meet Joe at the next stop in Spandau. I got there...but no Joe... I called him and asked where he was and he panted that he was coming... The train left about two minutes before he called and told me that he was there. I guess I'm going to Amsterdam by myself... For a while, the train ride was really awkward because I had no one to talk to, but then I engaged in a conversation with some girl traveling to Hannover. I was able to talk to her for a while, speeding up the ride. But after she got off it was pretty boring. I got to Amsterdam and walked around the city...lost...for about an hour before finding a hotel. The city is really incredible with all of its canals and old buildings (pictures will come up later). Joe called and told me he'd be coming by train in the morning...
So now, I'm sitting in my hotel in Amsterdam writing on this computer. I did end up meeting some girls from the States who happened to be pretty good friends with one of my pledge brothers from Phi Psi (again, a really small world). I guess I'm going to walk around the city today with them and see what I can find...
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