Monday, October 31, 2011

Herbst intended, this should have gone up!

FYI: This blog SHOULD have gone up in the fall...I don't know why I didn't post it-but here it is


To the vast:

I'm in Berlin now, and have been for two months.
How's it going?
In an odd way, I like the bump and grind of the city below is a list:

- the convenience of the U-bahn (metro)

  • Although I'm a little weary of the underground environment, I'd rather be below the surface than above. Most of the attacks take place underground (thank God it wasn't me, prayers are rad). On a weekly basis over morning radio Sebastian and I painfully hear about a man that has been killed by a group of men, a man that has been beaten up by a group of other men, and on one occasion, a man's smart phone stolen by a group of men-most of the assaults happen at night. I don't mean to be bias...and so skeptical but...when I'm underground, I am nervous around groups of men. 
  • The traffic in Berlin is a headache, anyhow I'd rather be stuck in people traffic than automobile traffic. People traffic is OK, there are many exits from the underground, instinctively people gather themselves accordingly to get to wherever they need to go. 
  • The walk to the U-bahn is stimulating. We leave the house at a time to give us exactly 30 minutes to get to point B. When we exit our door, we're walking between trees that are yellowing, thank you Autumn, and walk down a brick street. Most times, there's this old woman with a white poodle that looks like it hasn't had a bath in six months. Sometimes it's fetching after sticks broken off branches. Other times it's chasing it's green Frisbee. I would stop and pet it, make small talk, but it looks obsessed with it's current activity. 
  • We walk down a long street and cross two intersections of morning traffic. Once crossed, we pass Kral Discount (our grocery store for rice, meat, and vegetables) sprinkled along the street are our Turkish friends and neighborhood dwellers taking kids to school, entering the U-bahn and buying things like: döner kebabs, croissants, donuts, and fresh fruits.
  • We exit the neighborhood and enter the underground en route (if we're head for uni) to Ernst Reuter Platz.
  • Courses are somewhat of a...unexpected occurrence to me. I had this idea in my mind that the university is some professional, on time (very German-HA!), serious lecture like experience. 
    • Actually, the professors are always late, all with different excuses too:
      • One dude has a kid that goes to school on opposite ends of Berlin
      • Another one just got off the train from Amsterdam/Zurich/w/e..
      • Another one isn't usually late, but for some reason misunderstood the timing of his lecture
      • Another one is distracted by student complaints.
      • The list goes on. Therefore, I sip my green tea a little bit slower in the morning and add lip stick before walking out the door...taking my time, in a way. What's my excuse? I need not one, the professor is usually later than me anyway!
On a nature note: It's Autumn! (Herbst if you're wondering if I'm learning anything)
I am profoundly grateful to be here at this time of the year. Hawaii has signs of season change, but obviously nothing dramatic like the rest of the world. Aside from being able to tell that the season has changed by additional clothing items people throw on, the TREES are changing fashion also. All summer I danced among trees with gigantic green leaves and thick branches, watched squirrels scatter up and down, and birds flourishing in flocks in and out. Now it's cold, perhaps the animals have fled or have begun their sleeping :) 
The leaves have turned yellow, it seemed like an overnight process, as if, one day summer was completely over. 

To the world: we pray about you all the time...love from us to you