Jason's Daily Notes

I signed and mailed my work contract to the company. Nico went with me to the post office ("post bank").
The city was still blanketed with snow.
Nico, Oli, and I had dinner at the fancy Italian restaurant near their apartment. We each had the "speziale" pizza, which was a saucy thin pizza with rucola, spicy salami, and whole slices of parmasean. It was really good, one of the best pizzas I have ever had.

It was my last night in Munich, so I invited people out. After some drinks (Captain Morgan and coke, and a beer for the road), we headed out to Atomic, a club in the city center. It had free entry before 11pm. We arrived at 10:50pm, and Oli led us to just jump the queue. Sandra was already there in the queue, and she went in with us.

Lots of drinks, and a big crowd. Apparently Wednesday night is the big night there. Sandra disappeared and went home. The other three of us were out until 4:30am. We returned to the apartment, Johnnied, chilled, and eventually went to sleep around 6-7am. Whoa.

I received my work contract in the mail!
It was snowy and cold outside. I stayed in the apartment all day, skyping with Fernanda, helping Nico a bit with their market survey for the startup. At 5pm, after Oli returned from work, I finally left. I decided to take the U-Bahn to Karlsplatz, where I got off and walked around (in the snow). I discovered a Michael Jackson memorial. I invited Oli and Nico to dinner but they had plans, so we decided to do it tomorrow.

For dinner, I wanted a cheap kebab. So I went to the Hauptbahnhof and looked around. I ended up at a Uyghur restaurant (no idea what it was). I had some stir fry over rice. Returned home. Simon and another friend were there having some business.

The evening was another chill one. Stayed in.

Got up around 7:30am. Left with Ulrike and we said good-bye at Odeonplatz.

I went to the Hauptbahnhof and had a coffee, waiting for an hour so as not to wake Nico up too early.

I then went to Nico's place. Everything was covered in snow. I waited for my work contract to arrive - but it didn't today. The office wanted a better copy of my passport and my official transcript, so I emailed that over.

"I could go for a burger," I said, as I browsed through old Instagram pictures and seeing my meal at Tommy's. Nico agreed, and we spontaneously decided to cook our own burgers. We walked to Lidl in the snow. (I was out of cash - oops). I mixed minced meat with onions, and we caramelised some onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms as a topping. Then, bacon. The burgers were simply amazing.

I gave Nico a load of music and pictures. Oli had a French lesson (he wanted to refresh his French) so he went out to that in the evening.

I met up with Daniel (LSE classmate) near Universität. He's getting his PhD now, and I learned that Qian is now living in Düsseldorf. Cool - I now have some contacts there!

I returned home. I invited Patrick over. I almost forgot that he was in Munich. He brought some good beer (he is studying beer brewing technology). Oli got a hold of a DVD (Enter the Void), which we all watched in the evening. Wow, what a trippy movie! It was really an experience. We had maultaschen. Patrick went home and we all then went to bed (after watching some Californication).

Ulrike woke up early, and went out to get bread, take out the trash, etc. Nico and I woke up around 10:30. Nico left.

The plan for today was to visit Dachau. Ulrike and I had a weißwurst breakfast (she had to ask her flatmate if it was ok for us to use her sweet mustard - what a picky, anal roommate to have!). We then set off, buying a 2-person Bayern ticket for the day. Took the U3 to Marienplatz, then waited for a bit for the S-Bahn, which took us all the way to Dachau.

We decided to walk from the train station to the concentration camp memorial site. Somehow we got off track and missed the official route (with signs, etc.). But we found our way again. The weather was chilly, cloudy but dry. Before we knew it, we were at the memorial. We decided to get audio guides, which was a good idea. But we only had 2 hours to see the monument, so we got to it.

Walking around the concentration camp was powerful, as you could imagine. The weight of so many lives destroyed. It is really an experience. You can read about the history in great detail, but actually standing on the ground where it actually happened is a truly moving experience.

It was nearly 5pm, closing time, and we had not seen all of the park yet. Ulrike became anxious that we wouldn't return the audio guides in time and that they would confiscate her ID. I assured her not to worry. Nevertheless, we rushed through the gas chamber and incineration room.

We had to wait 15 minutes for the bus back to the station. There were a group of Americans sitting at the back. Ulrike and I went to the kebab shop near the station, where we each had a dürüm.

Returned home. Along the way, a couple sitting next to us was caught for riding without a valid ticket. We had a quiet night, staying home. I searched a bit for a flat in Düsseldorf and wrote a thank-you note, then finished the weißwurst and had some more chili before going to bed an hour after Ulrike, who had to be up early for work.

Ulrike and I got up around 10-11. She ran over to the bakery to buy some bread, and then we had some breakfast - the usual, cold cuts/cheese on bread.

I decided that I wanted to see Schloss Nymphenburg, a palace just outside central Munich. We took the tram there (going the entire length of that tram route) and walked to the palace. It was cold. It was cloudy. The palace was nice, not as colorful or ornate as other palaces (e.g. Schönbrunn, Versailles). But we walked around the gardens anyway. The statues were all covered in wooden boxes for the winter. The fountains were drained. The grounds were like a forest at times. We walked through the botanical garden, and as we returned, snow flurries started to fall.

We needed a warm coffee or tea. So Ulrike decided to take me to the Dallmayr cafe, a very posh place in the city center. It was like a mini-Harrod's or Fortnum and Mason. There, after about 30 minutes. Nico joined us. We enjoyed our expensive coffee/hot chocolate.

For dinner, we bought some ingredients and I made chili. We all cooked together in Uli's kitchen. Then, after finishing the food (and 2 bottles of wine) we went out. There was a mexican bar called Enchilada (I know...) that had a late happy hour (€6 on jumbo cocktails after 11pm). So we went there. 3 drinks each. We played buffalo, and I totally got Nico and Uli several times. Boom.

We took a taxi home. Nico joined us and also slept over.

Nico and I had eggs for breakfast. It was a sunny (but still chilly) day. I went out in the afternoon to walk along the river. Nico said he would join me (and maybe Oli too, after he got off work) but nooo.

I got off at Max-Weber-Platz and walked for a bit along the banks of the Isar. Both sides of the river are lined by parks filled with trees and walking/biking trails. I put my headphones on and enjoyed the music. The sun was bright, and the trails were not very crowded. I made my way over to the Englischer Garten, and I sat there for some time, just chilling and meditating.

I then took the U-Bahn into the city center, walking to the Viktualienmarkt. I walked around, looking for a vegetarian restaurant that I remember reading about online, but I couldn't find anything. So instead, I went to a counter and ordered "the same thing as he's having" - it turned out to be a freshly roasted ham, a thick piece sliced off and put into bread (semmel) and topped with a very crunchy pork rind. €5 but totally worth it. I added some mustard, sat down and enjoyed the fatty deliciousness. It was called Rost-something. Awesome.

I returned back to Nico's and Oli's. They were chilling in Oli's room working on their startup. I decided to watch some NCAA basketball, since the Duke game was on. Somehow I found it streaming online (but with a slow connection). Anyway, Duke won. We kept chilling - Jonny was there too. The Germany-Kazakhstan game came on, and we started to watch that. It was time, however, for me to go to Ulrike's place, so I said bye (aka see you soon) and headed off.

Ulrike met me at the station and welcomed me into her clean and tidy flat on the 2nd floor. The plan to meet Felix at the Hofbräuhaus was cancelled, because he was simply too tired :( So no Felix in Munich. We arranged to meet Sandra, however, who we met at Münchener Freiheit. We went to Ben's cocktail bar, which had cocktail specials going on - only €5 each. Nice. I had a manhattan. Sandra's friend joined us.

We then went to Americanos, a tackly Mexican-American themed underground bar that wasn't really a place to go dancing but played lots of tacky pop songs that we danced to nevertheless. There was Rivet, whom I hadn't seen in 5 years. We drank and danced for a but, but Ulrike and I were pretty tired and decided to leave with the last U-Bahn home. I slept on her floor, splaying my sleeping bag on her sofa cushions.

Still staying at Nico's. Woke up late as usual. There wasn't much food around, but we made do with what we had and made pan-grilled chicken with panang curry-seasoned risotto. It was great. Oli was off to work pretty early, and he returned in the afternoon.

The three of us chilled, each with our laptops, in Oli's room. I helped them with a market research survey they were constructing for their startup.

I finally got a confirmation from the company that my work contract would be sent asap - I gave them Nico's address. Boom!

In the evening, Oli and Nico had a business seminar thing at their university. I had plans to meet up with Selcuk (and others) at 8pm, so I left around 6:30 to explore the city. I took the spacious Munich U-Bahn to Odeonplatz, from where I walked around to Marienplatz and tried to find the Hofbräuhaus.

I made it to the Spezlwirtshaft before everyone else, so I just hung around for 10 minutes before Sandra arrived, and then Selcuk. We went up to the table, and I had a rahmkäse. We caught up, chatting about the different Duke people and so on. Oli and Nico soon joined us. Then, the Colombian girl Marcela joined with her fellow au pair friend Edni (from Mexico). We had to find a way to accommodate everyone; we ended up partly sharing a table with the neighbors until the other adjacent table left. Selcuk left first, then we all dispersed.

The Vernal Equinox.

The weather was cool but not bitterly cold. Woek up late; Oli soon arrived, back from his road trip to Amsterdam. We chilled in the afternoon, as some of Oli's friends came over: Simon and Sara (neighbors), Nora, Nora's flatmate Manu, and Fabian. We all made our way to the rooftop (again) to chill and enjoy.

Despite having drunk so much yesterday, I employed a "hair of the dog" strategy for today and put back a beer and a little more. Nora made pesto spaghetti, yum.

I was checking my email the whole day, waiting for a job contract to arrive, but nothing yet. :/

Around 6pm the crowd dispersed, going into the city, or to McDonald's. I stayed back with Nico for a few minutes and then went out into the city myself. I got off at the Hauptbahnhof and walked around, taking some pictures of the city at night.

As I took pictures of the city, I put my camera down and saw someone in front of me "This can't be..." said the familiar face as she stared right at me. It was my friend and classmate Uta! I couldn't believe it.

Naturally, we spent a few minutes just astonished that we both happened to be in Munich at the same time and bumped into each other. We then walked around for an hour or so, chatting and catching up. She is currently applying to PhD programs in the US (and not getting much positive response from them). We got a little bit lost walking back, but no problem. She accompanied me all the way back to the Hauptbahnhof.

I met up with Dominik there, and said bye to Uta. Dominik had surfed my couch in LA over 2.5 years ago. He's now continuing with his medical degree, doing his work placement, and is entering his final year. We went to Cafe Kosmos (again), where several of his coworkers were having a drink. It was insanely crowded, more so than even London. There was his coworker, Daniel, who joined us as we left for another bar near Gärtnerplatz. I was tired, so I kept it to one drink as we headed home. Dominik invited me to stay over at his place anytime, including during Oktoberfest, which would be great.

The next train home from the Hauptbahnhof didn't leave for another 17 minutes, so I decided to walk back. It was a long walk in the chilly midnight air.

I stayed in for much of the day, again chilling with Nico. We had some breakfast (eggs) and then went out in the afternoon to walk around the city in the sunshine. We took the U-bahn to Odeonplatz then walked toward the Englischer Garten. We saw the Eisbach, where there were about 5 guys taking turns surfing the wave on the river. Then, we had a beer in the biergarten by the Chinesischer Turm. We discussed the startup that he and Oli are developing, and I threw around some ideas.

We returned to the apartment, where we chilled on top of the roof as the sun went down. The sun was shining on the Alps, which we could see clearly in the distance. Amazing. It was a bit precarious as we climbed down off the roof.

I had arranged to meet up with (my friends in Munich) Sascha and Sandra at the Augustinerkeller around 8pm, and so there Nico and I went. We got a table downstairs (where there was no phone reception), but nevertheless Sascha and Sandra found us. We threw back a few drinks before continuing onward to Cafe Kosmos for one last drink and then going home.

Today, I traveled from Stuttgart to Munich. My rideshare was at 12:00 at the Hbf. Felix left for work; we said bye and agreed to meet in Munich on Friday (to have a drink at the Hofbräuhaus).

I showered and got my things together, cutting it close for time - and again, I just missed the S-Bahn that would take me into the city center. (D'oh!) So I had to wait for 17 minutes until the next train. I was about 5 minutes late to my rideshare, but it was ok.

The driver was Annika, studying some sort of civil engineering in Hamburg. Along with us was Bianca, studying something in Stuttgart (?) - honestly, I'm not remembering a lot of details about these people anymore. We just make small talk about the world for an hour and then sit in silence for the rest of the ride. We chatted about the educational systems in both countries, how nice everything is in the summer, blah blah blah. We stopped at a rest area, where using the toilet cost €0.70 but included a €0.50 voucher at the food shop. Smart marketing, but annoying for me who just wanted to pee (but it worked; I bought myself a coffee).

Also, there was a Columbian girl, Marcela, who was an au pair just outside Munich (Starnberg). She and I exchanged numbers when we arrived in Munich. I then bought a 1-week ticket and made my way to my host's place. Nico greeted me and was very welcoming, with a beer included and all. We bought some food, cooked some weißwurst for dinner, chilled inside for the rest of the evening. We watched Idiocracy.

It's St. Patrick's Day.

I was awake with Felix around 10am. We had some breakfast and then I went out into Stuttgart's center to explore. Felix stayed home; he had to review Lutz's thesis, and then polish his own job application.

I walked around the city center for hours. I climbed to Karlshöhe. My legs got tired. It was raining on and off. I had lunch at a kebab shop.

Felix let me know that he would need a few more hours to meet me. So we arranged to meet at 7pm at the Stadtmitte station. I walked around some more, through the Hauptbahnhof. I exited into a big construction site. I wanted to walk through it, and it was pretty open, but I couldn't tell how long the road would be, so I turned around and walked all the way around it. With my headphones on, it was no problem.

I returned to the city center and had a coffee (and sat down). The café's wifi didn't work. Argh! I met Felix promptly on time and we went to the Irish pub. It had a €10 cover charge - no way. So we walked like 15 minutes to the Feuersee and went to the other Irish pub. No cover, but it was naturally packed. We smashed our way through and started putting the pints of guinness away. We met a bunch of foreigners - a Greek girl, and a big group of Americans, including Justin (who introduced himself to everyone). Then there was Keith, an army guy who stuck around for most of the rest of the night. Properly tipsy, we returned home. I got a St. Patrick's hat somehow, haha. And one last pinklen in the river before arriving home!

I went with Felix to Tübingen, a small city about 1 hour (by train) south of Stuttgart. Felix and I had chili for breakfast and then took the S-Bahn to Esslingen, where we changed to the regional train. I couldn't remember the name of the Jake Gyllenhaal movie in which he was trying to stop a bomb on a train (I later found out that it was Source Code).

Once we arrived in Tübingen, we met Felix's friend Anne. She showed us around the city. She is going to (hopefully) work in LA for 6 months (if she sorts out her visa) this year.

My phone still doesn't work. Whatever.

We got a coffee (or smoothie, in my case) and sat on a ledge on the riverside. The city has a lot of ice cream shops. The weather was nice, not as cold as the previous days. We saw the castle. The buildings are colorful, and there are plenty of fachwerkhäuser. It was nice. We grew tired of walking around and had some flammkuchen, salad, and bruchetta at a cafe.

It was evening, and Anne needed to pack for her upcoming trip to Valencia. We said bye at the train station. Felix and I walked around Esslingen for a bit while waiting for the S-Bahn to arrive. We bought some eggs and spätzle before coming home to make the spätzle for dinner. We watched a few episodes of Family Guy, Parks and Recreation, and Community before going to bed.

Felix went to work. I stayed in. Washed some clothes in the shower with me. Walked to the grocery store (and had a kebab along the way - good). It was cold but sunny.

Did not hear back from Jon regarding their counter-offer. :/

Did not get through to my mom before her flight to the Philippines (via Japan).

We went out for drinks at night in central Stuttgart - at El Tormento (?).

The S-Bahn only runs once an hour overnight! Annoying, so it helps to have the app so that you can plan when to leave.

We left the window slightly open in the hostel room, which meant that cold air kept pulsing in as I slept (which felt good). Most of the hostel room was awake and getting ready at 7:30am, so I did too. Jonny was still drunk, having returned to the room around 6am or so. :/ Anyway... Got breakfast with Arisa, Cecelia, and Humberto.

Arisa and I packed up and checked out, leaving our bags in the luggage room. I said bye to her, and I set off to walk around the city by myself. I walked around the inner city, south to the river. Some snow flurries were falling in the morning, but they soon cleaned out. Nevertheless, everything was still covered in snow, slush, or ice, making walking treacherous. I cut my finger on a bush that I tried to wipe the snow off of.

Around 12:00 I got a missed call on my phone. Fuck. It was Jon. I called him back - no answer. I was in the middle of the city, and there was a lot of noise around me - not exactly the best place to have a business phone call. About 20 minutes later, he called me back, and we had the talk. Things went as I could expect - the offer was below what I mentioned. I simply could not accept. I responded with a figure much higher - what I should have done from the beginning. "No way" was the response. So I told him to assess and respond to me tomorrow.

I left the phone call feeling regretful - one small sentence last week could have cost me thousands! :( I did not have a good feeling. I felt that I would reject their offer and return to California. And it would all be my fault. I had no idea what I wanted, and I didn't feel that I could take anyone's advice seriously, because everyone in Europe was pushing me to stay and everyone in America was pushing me to go back.

So it is. I walked back to the hostel, getting a wurst along the way. (Actually two, since Arisa graciously gifted me with a €2 food voucher at the station). I surfed the web in the hostel lobby for a bit, and then headed off to my rideshare at 14:20 at the station.

There was no name on the ride on the website. That should have made me suspicious. The ad that they would drive with either a blue BMW or a red VW, so I approached the red, slightly beat-up VW van with people loading their stuff into it. The driver didn't speak German or English, but did confirm that the ride was going to Stuttgart. 4 people were already in the van, and 3 more people crammed in, making it a total of 8 riders and the driver.

The ride became an adventure. Mainly because the driver couldn't communicate with us. We started driving out of the city, then he stopped at a gas station and asked us all to pay him. The Germans in the car were put off by this. Then, he drove the wrong way, going down an empty road near the arena. Then, when were finally on the Autobahn, he took an exit that led us onto the wrong Autobahn (headed toward Würzburg instead of Darmstadt). We were all shouting at the driver that we were going the wrong way. FInally, he turned around, and we reset the navi device to Stuttgart. But we already lost nearly an hour. Also, the driver was driving way too slow - people kept honking at us from behind and passing us.

In the van with me was Verena (studying in Gießen, originally from near Stuttgart), Klaus (works at P&C), and Sophie (Tunisian descent, didn't talk much). Two backpackers got in the car with us: Anjali (German, blond with dreadlocks, was born in India) and Simon Schmidpeter (from Allgaü in Bavaria, working as an engineer at a paper factory in Freiburg). Anjali and Simon were on the same flight from Panama, both having just completed several months backpacking through South (and Central) America. They were excited to have a German beer again (and surprised/disappointed that there was still snow). We played some road trip games that involved asking each other sexual questions.

Sitting in the front was Tobias and some older man who didn't really talk to us.

Finally, we made it to Stuttgart. We dropped off Verena in a surburb. The rest of us had to insist that we get dropped off at the airport. Anjali offered a ride (with her mom) to me and Sophie, since we were all going to the same part of town. They droped me off at Esslingen station, where I took the S-Bahn one stop to Felix's stop.

Felix met me at the station. We got some groceries and made our way to his place, company-provided housing. There is no wifi in his flat; I have to plug in my laptop to connect. This means that I'll have to adapt to unplugging for a few days!

We watched some videos online. Felix prepared a job application. Had a couple beers. I slept on the floor.

In the hostel, the guy above me was snoring very very loudly. Obnoxious American Jonny drunkenly returned around 4am and was loud, waking me up for a minute. I fully woke up at 8am and went out to shower. Jonny was obnoxious and still drunk. I was barely making a rustle but he loudly said "you're making a lot of noise"! I was laughing on the inside, but wasn't sure if he was sarcastic or not.

I got ready and went downstairs for the free breakfast - bread, cheese, müsli, coffee, etc. - I sat with Derek the Canadian, and Christian and Paola the Argentians. Naturally, we complained about our roommates. Derek and I tried to organize our rides with mitfahrgelegenheit (Derek was stranded in Frankfurt because his friend was evicted from his place near Dortmund).

Back at the room, I couldn't find my coat, nor could I find my room key. FUCK. Am I really that stupid that I just let my things get stolen?! I should have seen it coming - Derek had his spare change stolen the night before. There was really no sign of my coat anywhere, nor of my key. So I had to get a new room key from reception.

It was also essential that I have a coat in this snowy weather. And I bundled up, wearing 2 shirts and my scarf, then headed out, walking directly to the shopping street (Zeil). I could actually handle the cold, as long as I kept my hands buried in my pockets. The roads were covered with snow and slush - I kept having to jump over puddles for fear of getting my shoes wet. I went to Urban Outfitters, where there was nothing. Then to Galleria Kaufhof, which only had coats over €150 - no way. I then spotted H&M, where I found a decent and warm jacket for €39. Deal - I had a coat.

I then walked around, trying so see as much of the city as I could on this one day. I walked around the old Opera, past the big Euro symbol near Willy-Brandt-Platz, then past the Goethe Haus and back to the Ziel. I had a bit of hunger, so I went to a café (Ziel Café) and ate a flammkuche. The news was on the TV - discussing the travel chaos caused by the snow (a 100-car pileup near Frankfurt yesterday) and the anticipation as the college of Cardinals convenes in the Vatican to vote for the next pope.

All this time, I was refreshing my email; I had asked Jon to contact me again regarding the status of my job offer, but still nothing. I was starting to worry. Did I fuck up the end of our meeting (regarding my expected salary)? I hate being kept in limbo like this. I began to feel homesick.

After lunch, I walked onward to the Zoo (nothing to see there) and south to the river. The clouds had parted and allowed the sun to shine brightly. This resulted in the views across the river being quite stunning. In the sunshine, it felt good, not warm but not as bone-chilling as in the shade. I walked onto some bridges, in the old town, and along the river, taking plenty of pictures along the way. There were a couple of other tourists around, but in general the city was empty.

I got a WhatsApp message from Kayleen - Demi had told her that he would be paying back the deposit today! YES!

I returned to the hostel. Derek, Christian, and Paola had already left and their beds were made. I called home - my mom was getting ready to leave for the Philippines in a few days. I met my new roommate, Arisa from Japan, who is doing a round-the-world trip for 14 months! Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, and now Germany! Then, onward to Amsterdam and South America - wow! I also met Humberto, from Brazil, who owns his own renewable energy (solar/water) company and is in Frankfurt for a convention.

In the hostel room, Jonny came back, introduced himself to me (he's a basketball player in Germany, originally from Detroit) but he returned now with two friends who had a dog with them (Kyra). They hung out for a while and often left us with the dog! The dog was cute, but Arisa and I wanted to get some food! So we eventually left, leaving the dog with them as they smoked up in the bathroom, and got some Vietnamese/Chinese food at the restaurant just across the street. It was good.

We returned to the hostel, chatted with Humberto (Jonny and his friends were gone) and we all went down to get dinner. There, we sat with a girl whom I had helped to open the door (the doorknobs in the hostel are weird); she was named Cecelia and was from Argentina, visiting her boyfriend who had been studying in a small city in Thüringen.

During dinner, we found out that there was a new pope - Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Argentina! (Now Francis I.) Very cool! We kept chatting and eventually retired to our rooms. I showered, then chatted with Mike, who was busy with schoolwork, and Fernanda, who urged me to go home, before going to sleep.

Martin didn't wake up early like yesterday. In fact, I was awake and getting ready by 9am, when he awoke. Since my rideshare left at 10am, I had to rush through breakfast and say good-bye. I slushed through the ice and -5°C temperatures to get to the U-Bahn station and to Alexanderplatz.

The agreed-upon meeting place was the "Europcar corner" at Alex. I thought it would be easy to find, but no! I walked back and forth, asking people where it was. The first woman had no idea; the second pointed me in the completely wrong direction. I was 5 minutes late. I got a call from Heide (the driver) asking if everything was ok - I told her where I was (the complete opposite side of Alexpl.) and she told me to walk to the tall hotel. I did, and I found the car (she had gone walking to find me).

After I apologized for the delay, we were off. The other girl in the car was Liza, who was moving to Mainz to start her studies (in film and something like anthro/sociology) but first look for a place to live. We were off, through Berlin and off onto the Autobahn. The windshield was continuously icing up (not a problem with the de-icer in the wiper fluid). We were conversing entirely in German, first about my story and then about couchsurfing and their lives. Heide worked for the climate change ministry, and she ended up talking for maybe 45 minutes about various issues related to climate change mitigation and renewable energy. I did my best to keep up, but I could only really understand maybe 60% of it.

We didn't have a GPS with us, so we relied on Heide's memory (which took us down a longer road, not wrong but not the fasted way), slightly on her phone which was running Waze (which I researched for my dissertation), and the road atlas she had in the car. I fell asleep several times. Snow flurries were falling. We passed Kassel.

Heide was in a bit of a hurry, because she was driving to pick up her boyfriend (who she met in South Africa), who was flying into Frankfurt airport from California (via London). On the radio, we heard an announcement that the entire airport at Frankfurt was shut down due to the weather. So much for the weather.
Around Gießen, the entire road came to a standstill. We were at a complete stop for 20 minutes, then inched forward and stopped again for another 15-20 minutes. Then, we started inching forward some more. We took the first exit and starting going on small country roads through nice little towns. Since I was sitting up front, I was naturally the copilot and navigator. Heide's boyfriend was now flying into Stuttgart on a later flight, but at the rate we were moving, she still wouldn't make it to Stuttgart in time, so she arranged for her sister to pick him up at the airport.

Finally, we arrived in Frankfurt. I navigated us to the Hauptbahnhof, where we were dropped off and parted ways. Snow was falling, and the streets were completely covered in piles of snow. Luckily, the hostel was just a block away. I checked in, dropped my stuff off in the room, where I met Rasan from Palestine.

I went through my things and found that I was missing my electricity adapter. (I always forget something in each city!) This was essential, so I walked over to the Hbf and bought one at a gift shop. I also got some food - a feuerwurst in brot, and a cup of blueberry yogurt. There was a technical malfunction at the station, so none of the display boards were working.

Back at the hostel, I met Derek from Saskatchewan, Canada (who studied engineering in Virginia and worked in Toronto before leaving to travel South America and now Europe) and Christian from Argentina (who had just finished studying I.T. in Dresden). I showered and then we had dinner together (the hostel offers free pasta to its guests every night. I tried a bottle of Apple Wine, which tasted like watered down cider. Back in our room; I didn't get wifi on my phone so I just lay down and surfed the web on my laptop for a while. Before I knew it, I had passed out. Around midnight I was awoken by a loud obnoxious black American named Jonny who was directly accosting each person in the hostel room ("Why are you all in bed?" "Are you that boring?" etc.). I was half asleep and just proceeded to just act asleep. He left, against the advice of his friend. Whatever - I was completely asleep.

Martin left for work around 8am; I woke up with him, and he gave me the key. I had some bread (schwarzbrot) and cream cheese throughout the morning. I arranged to meet with Jess for dinner.

I went to the nearby Netto (discount supermarket) and bought some juice, sliced cheese and salami. I considered getting some chicken from the nearby City Chicken, which looked good and popular (and reminded me of Zankou). In fact, I went inside, but they were busy serving someone else, so no.

In the afternoon, I walked (wanting to avoid riding the U-Bahn without a ticket) around Hermannplatz, which isn't too far away. Everything was snow-covered, cold, and icy. Back at the house, I waited for Martin, who said he would be done around 5pm. He didn't show up until 7:30pm.

At that time I got a call from Jess, who had arrived early and was already waiting for me. So I walked to her at Hermannplatz. Her boyfriend, Arthur (the Canadian) arrived too. I told them my story and they told me theirs (having traveled together in China; Jess now studying neuroscience and Arthur working in online/Facebook advertising). We walked over to the nearby Italian restaurant, Masaniello, which was known for having good (authentic) pizza. They greeted us in Italian, and I responded in German, Arthur and Jess in English. The languages were confusing! We all ordered the same thing - a simple tomato, cheese, and basil pizza. It was saucy and thin. We chatted for a while - I gave them some advice for their upcoming visit to Amsterdam, we discussed life as an expat, etc.

They both had work in the morning, so we parted ways. Jess made snowballs, but it was so cold that the snow was all powdery and wouldn't solidify into a ball. I went to the McDonald's and waited for Topi (who was chilling at Manu's - having had a crazy night at the house party last night). We chilled there for a couple minutes (I finished my hot white chocolate) and then made our way to Mehringdamm, where Manuel (and Eva) were seeing one of his old classmates in a small rap show at the AMP (Artists' Meeting Place). Steffen had already gone back home, so he didn't end up joining. The show was cool; they had an open mic rap series after the show finished. I met Manuel's coworker at Apple, Jack from Australia.

We returned via the U-Bahn. Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap had only 2 people waiting in line, so we did not waste the opportunity to get some great kebabs! We U-Bahned to Hermannplatz, where their connecting train was just arriving, so I hastily said bye to each of them. I bought two Augustiner beers for Martin, who was already in bed.

Got up and chilled at Manuel's place for a few hours.

I moved to Martin's place. There was snow everywhere, which meant that I had to concentrate as I walked over, carrying all my bags with me.

Martin wanted to stay in, focusing on his work.

I went out in the late afternoon to see some of Berlin in the snow (and to use the last day of my travel card). I went to Warschauer Straße and walked along the East Side Gallery, taking pictures of the famous Berlin Wall. It was really cold and the ground was icy and slippery. I then made my way to the Ostbahnhof and took the S-Bahn 1 stop back to Warschauer, and I walked down the street looking for a cheap place to eat. It was my first time in Friedrichshain on this visit to Berlin. I bought some foo( bread from a small Asian market (the only place open on Sunday) and ended up going to a small döner place and having a döner box (meat, fries, and sauce - not very healthy at all!). I then toko the tram and U-Bahn back to Martin's place.

We just stayed in, chilling. I showered then arranged my rideshare to Frankfurt on Tuesday. We made popcorn and watched Django Unchained, which was pretty long and not my favorite. Apparently they are very strict regarding downloading in Germany. Had a smoke and went to sleep quickly on the couch. (Martin had to be up early to go to work.)

Going to sleep at 7am, naturally I would sleep for the rest of the morning. But the crazy thing is, I was up at 11am and couldn't go back to sleep. Stayed in for much of the afternoon.

Manuel returned around 4pm. I made a quick trip to Kottbusser Tor and got a quick snack and bought some hygiene things that I was running out of.

Returned and joined Manuel and Eva for a breakfast at 5pm. They proceeded to fix the washing machine - I couldn't help because I needed to meet David (Nicki's bf) who had my UK phone with him. It was starting to snow. My bus didn't stop at the haltestelle - so I walked all the way to the Columbiahalle (a 20-30-minute walk, made worse by the snow starting to pile up) instead of sitting around for 20 minutes for the next bus to come. I half walked/ran so as not to be late. My hair started filling up with snow!

I met David at a cafe right by the station and got my phone! Then I took the bus back - luckily this time, it stopped and took me back quickly. I stopped by Kaiser's and bought some OJ and bread.

Back at the flat, they were surprised that I wasn't out with David. There was a plan to go out to the C/O, but first Manuel and Eva wanted to do some grocery shopping. I left them to meet Topi at Schönleinstrasse. We got a chicken kebab which was really good. We were going to get wine at Topi's favorite restaurant, but it was full. And we were cheap. So we got some beers from the Späti and headed to Manu's place. We just wanted to chill, but Manu was already hyped up about going out to a house party. I was honestly exhausted, so I just let them go and returned home.

Manuel was still out grocery shopping (?!) as I passed out. Goodnight.

I was up at 10am and gave Jon a call. I left him a message, and then he called me back and we arranged a lunch meeting. So I had to meet him at a restaurant near Potsdamer Platz at 1pm. I rushed to get ready and wear my best clothes (which isn't that much actually) and was a little bit late (3 minutes) but not a big deal.

The lunch went well - we talked about business, our backgrounds and so on. I had gnocchi and he had goulash. At the end of the lunch, Jon told me that he's "probably going to hire me" and will have a job offer prepared for me early next week. What?! Omg, that's right - I GOT A JOB.

The washing machine in the flat is broken. So I couldn't wash my clothes.

I met up with Topi and made a meal (it was around 6pm but was Topi's breakfast) of spinach and tortelloni. There wasn't much else to cook. We chilled for a couple hours at his place. His flatmate Sana was there with her mom visiting from Finland (they were planning to go out dancing - together). The other flatmate, Laura from Ireland, also arrived, drunk and tired.

We waited for Topi's friend Robby (from Calgary, Alberta, Canada) to arrive and then we headed out together. We had some drinks ad went to Topi's former flat, where the flatmates were just chilling. They left for another house party, and so we left too. Outside, we met Robby's friend Rosaline (Rosie) from England, who is studying for 1 year here as part of her uni course. We all headed to Neukölln and to Manu's place. Manu is Topi's friend from Barcelona, and his flat is right by my place. We had some more drinks there, and then left to get food (kebabs) and then went to the bar on the corner (where Eva and Sariah work) but neither Eva nor Sariah was there! Sadness. But it was a cool bar, with a cinema screening area in the back (and a disgruntled director). We had a drink nevertheless and played never have I ever :)

We returned to my place and chilled, having more drinks in my room and singing along to the guitar. We wanted to go to Kit Kat Klub, and we headed out. The U-Bahn ran all night. We made it to Kit Kat Klub, and wen're sure if we'd get in, but somehow we did - 4 guys and a girl! The club, however, was remarkably empty for 3-6am on a Fri/Sat. And I honestly felt somewhat uncomfortable. I didn't know how to handle myself. I mean, we were missing most of our clothes and with all the space, everyone could see exactly what everyone else was doing. Man, what a night. Rosie was, surprisingly, the most social one of us all. She befriended a guy, Andreas from Latvia with the churches tattooed on his back, and I couldn't tell whether he was gay or straight or bi - he was dancing with everyone. And then there were the two sexy girls, and the one clingy/also short girl whom she was with when I left.

It was 6:30 when I left. I could tell that nothing was going to happen and it was a waste to stay there. The sun was coming up as I arrived at home. Ach!

The warm, sunny weather of the last few days ended. Today was cloudy and noticeably cooler. I still wanted to see something, so after a morning exploration of Neukölln, I took the S-Bahn to the Olympic Stadium and explored the area. It was quiet and somewhat depressing.

I then took the U2 toward the city and made my way to Schloß Charlottenburg. There, I walked around the really nice gardens. I walked all the way to the far end of the gardens, where I caught the U7. I took it all the way to Mehringdamm and decided ("Scheiß d'rauf!") to wait for Mustafa's Gemüse Kebab as long as it took!

The wind was blowing, and I must have stood in line for like 40 minutes. I ordered a vegetarian dürüm, and I took it home to eat. It didn't taste as good as I remembered :(

I transfered and uploaded some pictures from my trip. Finally!

In the evening, I met Lisa M for dinner/drinks at Schönhauser Allee. We catted and shared the difficulties of life abroad and she told me about Australian stuff, blah blah. We had vegan burgers (her first) and then got a drink right across the street, at a cool lounge that was showing football.

I returned home and just rested. I didn't have the energy to go out again. I got an email from Jon saying that he tried to call me to meet up but it didn't work. I found out that I gave him the wrong number! Damnit - am I shooting myself in the foot and sabotaging my work again?

I was up around 11am and woke up Topi before 12. He wanted me to wake him up earlier anyway.

The sun was shining brighter than ever, and the air was not bitingly cold as I opened the window! We were naturally slow to get up and ready, but we definitely wanted to enjoy the day. So I suggested that we go get Vietnamese food for breakfast/lunch somewhere. And so we (including Eva) did - walking to Hermannplatz, where we found a restaurant with outdoor seating. All the tables were full, but we squeezed in tightly next to a woman at the end of one of the tables. The sun felt really good on us as we ate. We also had two vietnamese coffees :)

Then we walked to Tempelhof, the big former airfield which is now a park. Topi and I each had a beer. The park was full of people rollerblading and bicycling. Felt great :)

Returned home. Chilled for a couple hours. I put on some relaxing meditation music and we just laid down. Then, I had to leave to meet Andi in Charlottenburg. Topi decided not to come, instead meeting with his friend Manu just around the corner in Neukölln.

I met Andi at the S-Bahn station and we went to a nearby Thai restaurant. The food was ok; THai curry so nothing to worry about. we then moved to the nearby Schwarz Cafe, which was recommended by Eva. The table we sat at was reserved. So we moved, just at Steffen arrived with his friend. We threw back several rounds of beers. Andi got a little upset when the waiter brought "non-alcoholic" beer (wtf?).

Stefen and his friend left. Andi and I had two more beers before leaving around 1am. I had to take night buses back. I changed at Zoologischer Garten (where I scarfed down a currywurst) and Wittembergplatz and Kottbusser Tor. I then walked back from Hermannplatz. Whew! Needless to say, I passed out :P

Manuel was up early and off to Hamburg. I joined him for a quick breakfast and a bye. For the rest of the week, his room would be mine. The weather was getting sunnier and warmer, so I went out.

I took the U-Bahn to Jannowitzbrücke and walked outside. I followed the river to Museuminsel, taking pictures along the way. I ended up doing a lot of walking - to Friedrichstraße, Unter den Linden, Brandenburger Tor, the memorial to murdered Jews, and all the way to Potsdamer Platz. By the end of it all, I was hungry. I figured why not get the awesome Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap. So I took the S-Bahn one stop to Anhalter Bahnhof and walked (a longer walk than it looked on the map) to Mehringdamm. There was an insanely long line at the kebap stand, and also at nearby Curry 36, so I suddenly changed my mind and decided to go back home. I bought a tantuni, a type of Turkish wrap, from the kebab shop just nearby.

In Berlin (and Germany overall), each apartment doesn't have a number, but is instead identified by  name. Everyone is also very concerned about keeping things orderly (such as recycling bottles to get the pfand deposit back). Unlike London, people here generally don't cross the street unless the light is green.

I arranged to meet up with Topi, who was now living in Berlin (since September, after his exchange time in Barcelona). I was still sort of hungry, so I got a currywurst from Konnopke's Imbiss before heading to his place which is in between Alexanderplatz, Mitte, and Prenzberg. Topi had had a job, which he just left, and so was searching for a new job, and he was also relatively new in his current flat, having had some flatmate chaos (girlfriend making the bf aggresive, etc.) He also had a friend who had just attempted suicide, and so he was making an effort to reach out to that friend. We chilled for a little bit, having a tea, etc.

I had arranged to meet Steffen for drinks. He had plans to watch the Dortmund (Champions League) game with friends, so Topi and I joined. We first got a falafel from a vegetarian little restaurant near Schönleinstraße (where Topi had been living). Then, we walked to Brauhaus Südstern, where Steffen had reserved a table. Two of his friends joined us. We had drinks and enjoyed the game (though they weren't playing the bigger game - Real Madrid vs Man U).

After dinner/drinks, Topi and I walked all the way to Martin's place. We chilled there, after walking to Görlitzer park. Topi ended up returning with me to my place and crashing on the floor.

Berlin. I woke up with Manuel, who had a full day. We had breakfast (eggs, bread) and I said bye to him.

I had plans to meet Maria (who had just moved to Berlin) at 12:00 for lunch/coffee. I rushed to the Mauerpark area, and since I arrived there a little early, I walked around and took pictures. The day was brilliantly sunny and felt warmer. As I rushed to the cafe to meet Maria, I took off my coat to cool off!

Maria was right there waiting for me. I also met her friend Martin, who is an English teacher in Duisburg. I told him that I was waiting to hear back from a possible job in Düsseldorf, and he offered for me to crash at his place as I would get settled in. We wanted to eat outside in the sun but the tables were all full, so instead we opted for waffles at the café. I had a chocolate banana waffle - yum.

Maria's shoulder was in paid again. She had just had the metal plate removed, but a couple days later, she felt it rip and since then it had been throbbing and inflammed. We walked around, searching for a pharmacy and another café to hang out at (and get more food). We found a pharmacy and ended up getting Thai food. We ate the food at Maria's, and then helped her rearrange some furniture.

Around 5pm, we walked outside, Maria getting a key copied at the Schlüsseldienst, and Martin needing to leave soon for his train. I said bye and took the tram to Alexanderplatz, where I took some pictures before heading for home.

Manuel was preparing dinner, and I got some things to contribute (cheese, rice) from the Edeka near Hermannplatz. He returned and we started cooking an assortment of vegetables in a frying pan. We seasoned it simply, topping it with feta cheese and servig it over rice. Eva (the flatmate) joined us along with her coworker/date Sariah (sp?). We had a good chat during/after dinner, about the world, linguistics, the global food supply, etc. We arranged to have a hot dog eating contest on Saturday!

Spent the morning/day at Nicole's, getting my things organized and eating. Nicki made schnitzel; yum!

My train from Hamburg to Berlin was in the afternoon at 16:20. I needed to be at HH Hbf at 16:00 - I said bye to Nicki and left a couple minutes too late: I forgot my British phone at the apartment. The bus was there, so I took it to Altona and caught the S-Bahn from there (due to construction, the S-Bahn between Sternschanze and Hauptbahnhof so I had to take the other S-Bahn line).

I got to the Hbf with a few minutes to spare, bought some croissants to snack on, and waited to meet Thomas, the rideshare coordinator. There were several other people also sharing the train ride; something like 10-15 in total. They had multiple tickets for all of us. It was very confusing and hectic as everyone piled into the train at once.

The journey was 4 hours in total, with a change in Schwerin.

I sat across from Marieke, a 21-year-old girl who was studying languages at a placement in Berlin. We chatted for the first part of the train ride. I then napped. I haven't had my headphones for a while, so I couldn't distract myself with music.

The train was delayed slightly as we arrived in Berlin. The journey officially ended at Berlin Hbf, but I took the train further directly to Alexanderplatz (technically schwarzfarhren but saving me some time). I got a week ticket but also didn't validate it (again, schwarzfahren). It wasn't long before I arrived at Manuel's; His place was just next to the U-Bahn station.

We met, and he introduced me to his flat. It's clean and spacious, like many places in Berlin. I had made plans to meet Martin that evening for dinner, so I walked over to his place (yes, he lives a 15-minute walk away!). His friend from Estonia was also there. We had spaghetti with simply raw garlic, oil, and lime juice (I know!), which was remarkably not bad.

I stayed for a little bit, chilling with Martin and talking a bit about business (he's building his startup to launch a version in Berlin).

Another lazy day. I wasn't hungover, though. I had some chili for lunch (cooked together with rice on the stovetop).

The plan for the day kept changing. Nicki had to sell her sofa, and to get some stuff from her old apartment. And we were supposed to meet Conny for lunch and to have a salad. But Conny wasn't feeling well, so that was canceled. Instead, Nicki went to her old apartment, while I went into the city and did some sightseeing around the Reeperbahn and the city center. I took the bus (#5, which is a 3-sectioned long bus) to Nicki's apartment. The weather was dry but breezy which made it feel colder.

I helped Nicki carry some hof her things back from the apartment, including a lamp pole. We walked to Emil's (?) Kebap, the "best döner in Hamburg," where I got a döner with garlic and spicy sauce. It was yummy, especially at the end, when all the sauces dripped down to the bottom.

Back at the flat, dropped off Nicki's stuff, threw some towels in the wash, and popped out to Ekeda for some supplies for drinks. We decided to make an assortment of amaretto drinks. Back at the flat, Nicki's friend (actually the friend of Nicki's boyfriend David) Franzi arrived. We made hot cocoa with amaretto - yum. Franzi couldn't stop talking about her boy problems (she was basically falling for a guy who had lots of other girls, blah blah blah) . We mixed Fanta, Coca Cola, and apple juice each with amaretto. Mattes arrived and then left to a birthday (even though he didn't really want to).

Nicki wasn't in a mood to go out. It was ok - I wanted to go out by myself anyway. But the girls pulled me in for one more drink. I took Nicki's keys with me.

I went out - to the other side of town, riding the U-Bahn around. Lots of drunk people around, it was cool. Sebastian Matysik. I returned to the Schanze. I was supposed to meet with Patricia, but it was too late and she had a morning meeting. We agreed to meet in the daytime tomorrow before my train leaves. I got a falafel wrap, which was amazing, and walked home in a cold drizzle.

It's the new month! And now I'm entering the second month of my exile.

Got up early, around 8:30. Spent some time online. Shared some happy new month greetings. Got a text from Mike - he had just had a successful networking breakfast meeting where everyone was interested in his services.

I arranged my ride to Berlin - I'll be sharing a train on Sunday afternoon/evening.

The pressure was on for my interview this afternoon (it wasn't until 17:00 so I had all day to prepare for/worry about it). I stayed in most of the day, reading up on the industry and learning some key facts and jargon.

Around 2pm I went out for a walk. I needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I walked to Altona, slightly toward Ottensen, and then back.

The interview went pretty well. I didn't make any mistakes, and I think I made a good impression (although neither of the interviewers seemed overtly impressed with me). Oh well. One of them (Jon) will be in Berlin this

In the evening, we weren't sure if Conny was free (she was in surgery all day) to join us for dinner/drinks, but in the end it looks like it was too late.

I left just before 7pm to go across town to Saskia's acoustic performance. It was at a small cafe called Klassenraum by S-Bahn Hasselbrook. The cafe had only like 5 tables and maybe 22 people inside, but it was packed. I arrived around 19:40 and caught only the last 3 songs from Saskia, including a nice cover of "Read All About It" by Emeli Sande.

Saskia's set finished, and we stayed and watched the other singer perform, which included some covers (mostly of soft rock/love songs) and four little girls singing "Price Tag" :) Two of Saskia's friends, Sebastian and Charlotte (the Frenchie), both of whom were around on Wednesday night, arrived. It took some time to leave, but at about 10:15 we did, after Saskia sold and signed some CDs. We took the S-Bahn and munched on some cakes that Saskia brought with her. Saskia also had her guitar with her.

It was too late to make the show at Molotow, where Nicki was. We got there, and just as the bouncer let us in, Nicki and Conny came outside. So, we walked all together down the Reeperbahn to Hamburger Berg, and to Kiek Ut, where we had two Mexikaner shots (vodka and hot sauce) - yum!

Saskia and her friends wanted to dance, asap because they had to leave early for work in the morning. So we went across the street to Rosi's Bar, which was playing 50s rock-and-roll music. We danced there for some time. There was a petite girl who danced with me; she found out that I was from California and suddenly started speaking to me only in Spanish. WTF.

Charlotte left, and soon Saskia left too. It was just me, Nicki, Conny, and Sebastian. We went to Roschinsky's, where we had another drink and munched on the free pretzel sticks. Shortly thereafter, we left, getting a döner before parting ways. We took the S-Bahn to Altona and changed to another train to get home easily.

Last day of February.

Got up moderately late (11am-ish) and had bread (good, Vollkornbrot) with cheese/meat/spread for breakfast.

Nicki and I made a big batch of chili in the afternoon, but we didn't eat it until the evening. Instead, we made smoothies (banana, apple sauce and blueberries), which were good but lacking in texture IMO.

We went to meet Conny and walk around the Stadtpark. We rented bikes from the city bike share program, which was cool. (I had to stop by home because I left the SD card for my camera plugged into my laptop.) But, when we went to swap the bikes, the system wouldn't let Nicki withdraw two bikes. So we just took a bus to Conny's, which is near the park and close to where Nicki used to live (in a great location with a not-so-great flatmate). We went up to Conny's (on the 4th floor, all stairs, of course - whew!) and then went out to the Stadtpark. It was getting dark, but the air was fresh anyway. It was good to see Conny again - she's now in a kind of unpaid residency stage of her studies to become a doctor. She's doing surgery now, which involves long hours and an unreasonably impolite boss.

We walked around the park and returned to Conny's for a cuppa. She has two (large) cats. We peaced out and then went back home via bus.

I got an email that I would have my follow-up interview tomorrow. Woot, here it goes!

At night, Nicki went to meet her bf David at the airport (he was returning from Lisbon). I fell asleep pretty early (around 11:30) and was out when Nicki returned.

Woke up around 11; got ready and prodded Nicki to also wake up. We weren't so late as yesterday.

We had some breakfast. Stayed in much of the day. I went out, walking to the Sternschanze and then going into the city, to Berliner Tor, where I had a döner. Then, through the city and I then took the U4 (the new subway line) toward HafenCity, a new waterside development. The train stopped at Überseequartier, the second-to-last stop, because the new one was not yet opened. The area was still mostly under construction, but there were already lots of new buildings erected. I walked around the waterfront, taking pictures and finding no wifi on my phone, and I made my way back home via U-Bahn Baumwall, which quickly took me to Sternschanze.

 Nicki had music lessons and band practice in the evening. But after her music lesson, she wasn't feeling too well and decided to skip band practice.

I finally received my German SIM card! Yay. I tried it out, and it works, but it looks like the data coverage is shit, just like my Belgian SIM. Wtf.

At 9pm, I met Manuel at Goldfischglas, a bar in the Sternschanze. It was good to see him again, and he seemed really enthusiastic to see me too! In fact, he offered me a recommendation to work at Apple retail in Berlin. Awesomeness all around. There was a random guy from Turkey who butted in to our conversation, but it was all good. Saskia soon joined, with several of her friends/flatmates. Manuel had work in the morning, so he didn't stay for long. I stayed for a little bit longer, but left just before midnight, so as not to keep Nicki up too late.

Woke up around 10:30. I spent some time online in the kitchen. Nicki was still asleep, so I let her sleep in. (She didn't want me to, though - d'oh!)

Since we had a late start to the day, we just walked around the area, finding the Aldi and buying some groceries. Along the way, Nicki spotted a second-hand shop (Kleidermarkt), so we definitely went in to check it out. It was huge (riesig) and had an amazing selection of good/cool clothes. I took a picture in a coat that I later posted to Instagram and got lots of likes :P

Back at the apartment, we hung out for a bit with Matthes and listened to "Thrift Shop." The plan was for Nicki to make pancakes tonight for a friend who was over. I also invited Saskia over, and she would join us at 20:00. In the meantime, I went out and explored the city in the evening. I took the S-Bahn into the city (Hauptbahnhof) and walked around the Innenstadt. I tried to get wifi (as usual) but to no avail. I took some cool pictures of das Rathaus (city hall) and walked back all the way to the station at Dammtor, which I took home.

I got home just at 20:00; Nicole's friend was already there and the pancakes were already cooking. Saskia arrived shortly thereafter. She brought some CDs of her music, which Nicki wanted to show to her boss. We all chatted together (nur auf Deutsch) and drank a couple bottles of wine. I skyped Mike, which probably was really hilarious for him. Saskia went home around 12 and we called it a night.