Category Archives: Journal
Personal Journal: Homeless in Berlin
Arrived in Berlin after almost 20 hours of travel, only to find we had a miscommunication with our landlord and he was not at the apartment to meet us. After completely losing my mind at what I was going to do with 150lbs of luggage and nowhere to go we discovered a hotel across the street and checked in. 20 minutes later and with the help of my husband, we tracked down the landlord and sorted things out, but stayed at the hotel anyway, as we won’t have internet at the apartment for almost a week. Elliott fetched us some bacon cheeseburgers from the restaurant across the street and we sat and watched unsettling German children’s television before passing out in exhaustion. As much as this was a nefarious start to our trip, I can honestly say I won’t soon forget the few hours I was homeless in Berlin, thousands of miles from home, with no way of contacting anyone for help and barely speaking the language.
Personal Journal: You Wish!
Apparently the difference in German between “you can pay the rent as you wish” and “you can pay the rent that way… YOU WISH!!!” is a misplaced carriage return.
Personal Journal: Denglish
I have been trying very hard to work on my German before my trip. The unfortunate side effect of this is that my German isn’t getting any better, but my English is getting so much weirder. Twice today I literally used German syntax in English (“I want that shirt to buy”. Seriously. I actually said that) and just now I Germanized my verb and said “broughten” instead of “brought”. Now I sound stupid in TWO languages.
Personal Journal: You Must Pay the Rent…
Sigh.
Herr Funke: Have you filled out your paperwork yet?
Me: We need to discuss how I am paying you.
Herr Funke: I really need the signed lease form so I can hold the apartment. I need your paperwork.
Me: I just want to know how I am getting the money to you. The paperwork means nothing if I can’t actually pay you.
German Guy: SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS!!! I MUST HAVE YOUR PAPERS!!! NOTHING HAPPENS UNLESS YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PAPERS!!!
American Girl: BUT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE MONEY!!! IF I THROW MONEY AT YOU I CAN GET WHAT I WANT!!! I HAVE THE MONEY!!!