Don't Turn Around

(author's note: I wrote this two days ago, but just now had a chance to post it because I've been running around like a crazy person.)

These last two weeks have been ridiculously busy. I kept trying to find the time to write because I had so much to say, but it never happened. First of all, I had my first Tag der Arbeit in Berlin. I was pretty anxious because I had heard so many horror stories about riots and things getting out of control. What I ended up doing was staying at a friend's house and we went to Mauer Park. It wasn't scary though, it was just a huge celebration. There was definitely a noticeable police presence, particularly at the entrances, but never once did I feel like I was in an unsafe place. They even let people bring their beer in (you're allowed to drink publicly here), the only difference from normal was that you had to put it in one of the provided cups and get rid of the glass bottle. So we went in, took some pictures, enjoyed the various bands and fire spinners that were performing, and then when it started raining we went home. It was really a cool thing to see.

Alright, well all of that actually happened the evening of April 30th. The next day, which is the actual holiday, was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was so beautiful. We used that to our advantage and had a barbecue in one of the city's smaller parks. Certain parks here allow actual barbecues and fires, so we were able to bring a grill and make chicken and stuff. But it got me wishing for more common American barbecue/picnic fare, so Martina and I are planning to throw another barbecue as soon as the weather warms back up again. The funny thing is, a crazy summer rain opened up on us while we were barbecuing. Everyone scrambled to grab everything and we ended up hiding under our picnic blankets. But it was beautiful. And the rain made the whole experience even more memorable. I took my shoes off and ran around in the warm rain and enjoyed the sunshine while being absolutely soaked. I probably looked like a drowned rat, but it was still one of those perfect moments that you just can't ever plan.

Since I had that Tuesday off from work, I didn't expect to do much with the rest of my week. But on my way to the bus Wednesday morning, AM's father asked if I would like to go to an exhibition with him that night. Of course I said yes, and I'm glad I did. We had such a good time. It turned out that he had two invitations to a private viewing of the Gerhard Richter exhibit at one of the local museums. I felt absolutely spoiled. We got to view all of the artwork without a big crowd and we got to enjoy private catering. I'm really thankful for all of these wonderful experiences that he keeps sharing with me. And I think he can tell that I enjoy them, because the next Thursday he invited me to go to the dress rehearsal of an opera with him. Since seeing an opera in each of the three major opera houses here is on my list of things to do, I was more than happy to come along. The show was called Xerxes and it was in the Komische Oper. The place was beautiful, though I didn't approve of the mixture of classic and modern in the interior decorating. The show was wonderful, funny and still classical. In fact, I'm told that it got rave reviews in the local newspapers. It might even be the best show of the year. And I really appreciated that the seats all had subtitles on the back where the language could be chosen, because even if my German was perfect, I'm not sure I could understand it as it's being sung. Basically, I just really enjoyed myself and am looking forward to seeing another show here soon.

But back to the weekend between those two events. First I went shopping on Friday with Martina. We were on a hunt for shorts. Flattering, non-mom looking shorts. Any of you that know me know that shopping with me is never fun. Especially for shorts and pants. I am a cranky shopper. But Martina put up with me and even helped me to successfully find a decent pair of shorts! Just another sign that we are perfectly matched friends :) And then it was Cinco de Mayo, something that is basically unheard of here. Which is fine, since there isn't a lot of Mexican heritage to be celebrated in Germany anyway. But Martina and I used it as an excuse to force Mexican food on our non-American friends. And they loved it! We (mostly Martina) made nachos with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo. My god, it was delicious.

Sunday has become a bit of a tradition with Martina and I. We call it Sunday Runday. We have started a Couch to 5K program together and we always start the new week on Sundays. And then we spend the rest of the day in our pajamas, chatting and watching movies. It's great because this is the first real exercise routine I've ever followed through with. And it's not even that hard! Plus I get the rest of the day to rest and relax and prepare myself for the upcoming week. Oh, and bonus, we've decided to run a 10K here in Berlin in October. That's our big goal that we're pushing for. I'm really looking forward to accomplishing it. Maybe someday I'll even manage a half-marathon and possibly a marathon! Baby steps though. Baby steps.

So this past weekend I did nothing (except for Sunday Runday, of course). I mean, I had to work both Friday and Saturday, which is true of about half of my weekends, but other than that, I chose to do nothing. I wanted to relax, which mostly meant I ended up watching a ridiculous amount of TV. I even got into Game of Thrones (it seems to be pretty popular over here, I don't know about at home). And I finally took my bike into Kleinmachnow to explore some of those forest trails that are constantly tempting me on my way to language class. I took lots of pictures (some of which I'll post a link to) and had a little mini picnic by the river. It was wonderfully relaxing. And reminded me of another reason that I love this city. With spring making it's appearance, the amount of green space around here is just astonishing. There are forests and parks and rivers and just trees EVERYWHERE. It's so amazing to be able to live in a huge thriving city, but still have the wild so close at hand.

Sunday was Mother's Day, both here and at home in the States. (I hope you all told your mommies how much you loved them!) I arranged to have two cookies with Happy Mother's Day written on them delivered to my mom at work from the cafe where we used to always eat together. I was pretty proud of my idea, so I thought I'd brag a little by sharing it here :)

Sorry if this is a little chaotic, I'm writing it in the car between dropping off M and going to the Kita for my shift today. This little 45 minute break is about the only free time I've had recently. My host mother has been at her job in Copenhagen for three days now and I've been working a ridiculous amount. Just have to make it through today though, and then I'm home free! The whole family is going out of town on Thursday, so I have a sweet little mini four day vacation coming up. I definitely need it. And hopefully the weather warms back up so I can really take advantage of it.

Speaking of vacations, my Istanbul trip is nearly here! Just two more weeks! I'm beyond stoked :) Except that the airport that I was scheduled to fly back into was the new Berlin Brandenburg airport and now they're saying that it won't be opening until maybe next year. Sooooo.... I'm working on figuring that out.

Well I really better get down to work. I have to walk down the world's steepest cobblestone hill. It's crazy and I'm terrified that I'm going to fall on it all the time. I plan to avoid it as much as possible come this winter. Your song for the day is one that I just heard on the radio. It's a song that most of you probably already know, but I was admittedly surprised to hear it in German. Probably shouldn't have been though, since the title is Der Kommissar and I even had to give an oral presentation on the artist in my German class in college. Either way, enjoy! I'll try to write once more before I head off to my big Turkish adventure! 

P.S. Pictures are here.