Hallo zusammen!

So! It’s finally starting to warm up! Can you believe it? I for one, am honestly so glad that I can finally see and feel the warmth of the sun again. Before I came here, I was so glad and excited to finally see snow and experience cold weather, but now that I have been here for about a onth, I think I have had enough. Of course, I will miss the falling snowflakes and the frozen over lakes that one can ice skate on, but boy, I will not miss the harsh bite of winter. Not only can I not feel my extremities, but during the winter it is so much harder to exercise.

Now I might not be the most athletic person in the world, but I do like to go outside and have a little active fun. Normally, during the warmer months, that would include swimming, playing football with my brothers, volleyball, or even just talking a long walk in the forests. But all those are basically impossible when the temperature is below 0. So, if you’re like me, and you crave physical activity without freezing your fingers off, then I recommend joining a gym. Of course, some you might be a little hesitant for whatever reason (privacy maybe? or perhaps price?), but can I just say, it is absolutely worth it. Here in Berlin there are myriad gyms to choose form depending on what your looking for. If you are a woman and you want a place to train with only other women, theres a place for you! If you want an all-inclusive gym with classes and a sauna, theres a place for you! If you want, a gym with an indoor swimming pool so you can still enjoy the water during the cold months, theres a place for you! For most gyms, all it requires for you to sign up is an EC Bank card and your passport/proof of residence. Not too shabby, eh? There’s also a bunch of different contracts and non-contracts for you to choose from, whether you want to pay monthly or yearly, etc. To make this a little easier for you, here is a nice list og awesome gyms to choose from.

I signed up with Superfit, for a yearly contract of only 20 Euros a month. They have included classes such as Zumba, Yoga, and even martial arts. When I signed up, they even gave me a free gift bag with a Flasche, towel, and Membershipcard holder. Awesome, right?

Anyways, hopefully you find a place that works just for you! Until then, bis bald!

-Milan⚖

Hallo zusammen!

So, the other day, I was talking to another Deutsch Akademie student from America. Both of us were similar in the fact that we both have pets, but the difference is, she had to leave hers in the USA. It is not because she didn’t want to bring her pet, but merely because she didn’t know how. Of course, the process to take you pet to a foreign country is detailed and lengthy, but it is definitely possible, and a lot easier when you know what to do. Unfortunately, I know some one you have pets you had to leave back home and it may be better for you that way, but if you are absolutely and extremely attached to your pets (as I am), then this blog entry might be helpful for you. If you don’t have any pets you can skip right along, but if you’re interested, stay a while.

So where to begin, to bring a pet from another country to Deutschland has many steps that you need to follow correctly. Coming from a Western country is definitely a lot easier than coming from any other one, but all are still ok. If you’re travelling between EU countries, all you need to do is to get a Tierarzt check your pet and then get a EU pet passport! Pretty simple right? But if you’re bringing a pet from lets say, America, then the process is much different. First, you have to make sure your pets have a Microchip that is ISO compatible (an international standard), if they don’t have one, then you need to get one. Then you have to get a Rabies vaccination for your pets at least three months, but no more than six months before your travel date. (Sometimes more vaccinations are needed, depending on what country your travelling form.) Then, when that’s completed you need to make sure the vaccine worked and get a Rabies Titillation test done on your pet. When that’s all completed you can wait until ten days before your departure date to Deutschland. Within those ten days you need to go to the Tierarzt and get them to fill out a special pet Deutschland/USA Health Certificate and get it certified by your local Animal/Agriculture Department.

And even after all that is done, you have to make sure you buy your pet a plane ticket, either on board with you (a better and safer decision) or under the hold. You also have to make sure to buy an airline approved pet holder. You can buy your pet calming drops from Hyland which help you and your animal if they get scared easily or get anxiety when travelling. It’ll keep them quiet as well so you don’t have people looking at you on the plane as if you brought along a crying baby. Like I mentioned before, bringing a pet to Deutschland is a long, arduous process, but if you absolutely can’t say goodbye to your little friend, it is definitely one you should undergo. Good luck! Bis bald!

my little friend

P.S.: Deutschland is an incredible place to have a dog!

-Milan♘

Hallo zusammen!

So this blog entry will be a little but different from others, as it will not really be me blogging about Deutsch Akademie or Berlin, but more about things that I’ve enjoyed whilst in Berlin. Since February is coming to an end, these are my February Favourites.

• Music: The music that I’ve been recently blasting through my earphones while on the S/U-Bahn is actually from a genre that I’ve only recently started listening to: Jazz! And now I don’t mean new age Jazz. I’m talking about classic Jazz from the 20’s to the 40’s. Incredibly enough, you can listen to music that’s almost a hundred years old on that app! Now this kind of music is not for everyone but if you want to hear something different, I suggest Sidney Bechet („Petite Fleur“ is my favourite right now), Annette Henshaw, and Mildred Bailey.
• Tv: So coming from America, where there are thousands upon thousands of programs that I can watch, to Berlin where there are only a select few provides a very big change. Honestly, I was never a huge TV watcher in the first place. Netflix has been my best buddy these past few years and luckily, Netflix DE is just as good as Netflix in USA. This last month I have been into Black Mirror, which is a great sci-fi drama series about technology, and Rick and Morty, which is an adult animated series full of crazy scientific plots and very funny weird jokes.
• Restaurants: Ok, so as I have mentioned in a previous blog post, I came from California. Over there, there is incredible authentic Mexican food that I would eat quite often (I love Mexican food, probably mainly because part Mexican but also because it tastes great lol). Now that I’ve been here for a month, I was starting to get an itch for the familiar cuisine again, and I think I found a great place. It’s called Dolores It is an absolutely great Mexican place where you can make bowls and burritos for a great price, and there are two of them placed conveniently at Wittenbergplatz and Alexanderplatz.
• Shopping: So, if you have been in Berlin for longer than a week, then you are obviously familiar with the big department store in the KuDamm known as KaDeWe. Although it may have great things to offer, it is definitely very expensive, and a budget-ing girl like me cannot afford to spend 100 Euros on a shirt, so… I go to Humana! Humana is a chain of Vintage and Second-Hand clothes shops located all around Berlin. You can find great deals there, all the way from 1 Euro T-Shirts to 20 Euro leather jackets! Also, you are probably familiar with Flohmärkte, but which ones? The one I went to last weekend was in Treptower on Eichenstraße. I a few great things and even saw some really cool antiques. I’ll include a picture of one that caught my eye below. Now I don’t know how fond you are of used items, but if that doesn’t bother you that much, then I strongly suggest you go check these two places out! Until next time, bis bald!
  

  Check this thing out!

-Milan⚛

Hallo zusammen!

So Saturday I went to Potsdam for the first time since I have arrived in Berlin. Wow! It’s absolute beautiful. There is such a huge mix of old historical Sehenswürdigkeiten and new modern buildings. It’s even an UNESCO Heritage sight! Unfortunately I only got to see a small fraction of Potsdam, which was just the famous Brandenburgstraße and the Holländisches Viertel. I still missed Sanssouci (which means „no worries“ apparently), many museums, Neue Palace, Babelsburg Park, and much more. Both were beautiful and full of shops and restaurants. Since pictures are worth a thousands words, I’ll let the pictures do the talking. Visit Potsdam! Go go go! Bis Bald!

Brandenburgstraße

Cute little American inspired restaurant

-Milan ✌︎

Hallo zusammen!

Now that it’s nearing the end of the course (with the last week already starting tomorrow) I just wanted to give you a quick update on my experience. So, I really do think that in the last three weeks, I have learned more than I did in six months at another Deutsch Sprachschule. The lessons and quality of the teaching surpasses all that I could have imagined. Sometimes you look at vocabulary words and think to yourself, „Ok, when will I ever use that?“ But then, surprisingly, a few days later, you find yourself in a conversation with someone else using the same exact words you doubted would ever come in handy.

Honestly one of the greatest things about this course that they don’t even advertise is that it is the best way to meet friends. When I first came to Berlin, I was so worried making friends was going to be difficult, but Deutsch Akademie classes have facilitated the friendship process so much. I mean, you already have one huge thing in common with everyone at D.A.: you’re trying to learn Deutsch!   All the friends I have in Berlin right now, I met either at a Deutsch Akademie Stammtisch or the Deutsch Akademie class itself. Just the other day, I went out with one of them and had a great time.

On Friday night, we went to this awesome bar right by Warschauer Straße called Fitcher’s Vogel. And you can’t tell many people thought it awesome as well, because it was extremely crowded. We even got there pretty early (21:00) for bar standards and it was still filled to the brim with people. Luckily we managed to get a seat at the bar and enjoy a few drinks (the selection was awesome) If you go, I highly recommend the Mexicaner shot, although not if you don’t like spicy because oooh! that baby had a kick! We met and laughed with the people next to us, and overall had a great time. I would like to say though, that since its within the rules to smoke inside, by the time you leave your hair and all your clothes will reek of stale cigarette smoke. But if that doest matter to you then, Godspeed!

Very nice drink menu with good prices!

Bis bald!

-Milan☕︎

Hallo zusammen!

So as I have mentioned before in a previous Blog post, I come from America (the USA to be exact). Now we Americans are known for our annoying characteristics, mainly our volume and brashness. We tend to speak freely, and most of the time quite loudly. Now in America, no one thinks twice about it because we’re al loud haha, but when you travel, especially to a place such as Deutschland, you have to realise how truly terrible your actions are. Now if I wanted to write a list of all of the stereotypical American attributes, I would be writing all night. And plus, we’re not in America, wir sind in Berlin, Deutschland! So with that being said, maybe lets focus on some Berliner attributes. Now of course this is not all Berliners, but just the general sort. And disclaimer! None of these are insults or bad, simply just objective observations made by an outsider trying to become a Berliner. So, with that being said, lets begin shall we?

So first and foremost, and probably the most important: Berliners put their ketchup ON TOP of their Pommes. Now that may not seem like such a big deal to you, but wow! It is very irritating to me when I buy a side of Pommes and by the time I finish, there are those two or three soggy ketchup soaked fries from the bottom. Now of course, I sound like a large complainer, and I probably am, but what can I say? I’m a ketchup on the side kinda gal.

Most people I have come across in Berlin tend not to say excuse me. They normally just try to squeeze in what little space there is without trying to bother you haha.

Next, I have noticed how healthy (or at least healthy looking) and active Berliners are. Often times in America, the people you see are lazy and a bit overweight. And of course, weight doesn’t necessarily correlate to health, but in America the obesity rate is very high and the overall average health level of people is very low. I notice here, in Berlin, many people are always riding their bicycles, taking the stairs, and just walking a whole lot more in general. People here, tend to be a bit more environmentally friendly, such as carrying their own Einkaufstasche with them instead of buying paper bags, or actually recycling items. This can also play into why people ride bikes so often. It’s a good way to help the environment, stay healthy, and save money.

A funny little thing I noticed, is that most Berliners stay waiting for the little green Ampelmann! Even if the Straße is completely clear, they will not walk until the light is green.

Perhaps the funniest thing I have seen people in Berlin do within this last month, is translate traditional German anecdotes and sayings into English. Now I’m sure, regular Berliners don’t actually use these English sayings (why would you if they sound better in German?) but I still think it is very entertaining to see what some people think we native English speakers say. I included some pictures of these amusing English sayings I found on cards in a little shop.

I see why they thought „Heartly Luckwish“ was a real saying (Herzlichen Glückwunsch) aber what about „Now We Have the Salad“? Where did that come from? lol

To those of you not from Berlin/Deutschland originally, what else do you notice about the awesome people here? If you have any observations, comment down below! Would love to see what you have noticed :) Until then, bis bald!

-Milan☮

Liebe Teilnehmer,

vielen Dank für euer zahlreiches Erscheinen bei unserem Stammtisch im Café Berio! Wir gratulieren den Gewinnern unseres Faschings-Quiz und wünschen viel Spaß mit den Bildern vom gestrigen Abend.

Bis zum nächsten Stammtisch!

Hallo zusammen!

It’s me again. Oh Gott! Can we talk about the weather today? I am sorry, but it was terrible! Now I love the rain, and I love the cold, but when you put them both together and then add wind, it creates a terrible disaster. At one point during the day, a gust of wind blew so hard that my umbrella went backwards and completely broke, resulting in my having to throw it away! Ay ay ay!

Anyways… So today was Stammtisch Nummer 2! This time is was at Cafe Berio in Nollendorfplatz, which was great because it’s only one short U-Bahn stop away from Wittenburgplatz Deutsch Akademie. You could walk the distance, but I don’t think anyone wanted to in this weather. It was the perfect night to just stay home and watch a film, but that is my innerer Schweinehund talking, so I went! When I got there, I said I was with Deutsch Akademie and they automatically showed me upstairs to a quaint private section just for us. Unlike Cancun, this place was quiet and a bit smaller, cozier too. I saw some of the awesome people I met at the last Stammtisch and talked to them for a little while before going to another table to meet new ones.

Cute little Cafe!

The table I was at was full of great people from all over, including someone all the way from Indonesia! They were nice and we all had a big „Prost!“. I ordered a Berliner Wiesse Grün (if you have never tried it, I recommend it… its very sweet but it’s a fun drink if you like beer!)

Waldmeister!

Like at the other Stammtisch, we had name tags and about an hour into it, the Deutsch Akademie staff handed us fun quick little activity papers. Today we had to draw our favourite Faschingskostüm! Oh and almost most importantly, the food was good too!

Kartoffel Suppe!

Unfortunately today I couldn’t stay late because I have to get up early tomorrow, but I was able to enjoy the small time I had during the Stammtisch. If you haven’t gone to any yet, please go to the next one. It’s a great way to meet new people whether you’re new to Berlin or not, and just an overall fun activity to do if you have the night free. If you see me at the next Stammtisch, don’t be shy, say hi! Just look for the brunette girl with the „Milan“ name tag. Until then, bis bald!

They won a prize for their drawing!

-Milan☂

Hallo zusammen!

So it has come to my attention that some of my Wittenbergplatz Deutsch Akademie student mates are having a bit of a hard time remember certain aspects of Deutsch. Now, I am not perfect either but over the years I have developed some help study habits that help me remember information efficiently. Of course I do not have all the great tips, but I will share the few I have with you. And if any of you are reading this, feel free to comment more tips you have down below!

• First tip: TAKE NOTES ! Very important! If you have notes, go home and review them every night. If every night is too often and you are very busy, try to do a review at least every other day. It’s very important to keep the information fresh in your mind, especially if you are not utilising/speaking it all the time.
• Use flash cards to help memorize the past tense version of verbs. Can also be used to memorize      the Artikel of words, or just vocabulary in general.
• Like I mentioned above, if you are not speaking to others auf Deutsch often, then try to speak to yourself. Of course it may seem a little silly, and you don’t need to do it public haha, but if you are at home, try to ask yourself questions and answer them in Deutsch.
• If you have trouble memorizing the Artikel of the nouns (der/die/das), you can write them in colors in a notebook, in a folder, on loose papers, etc. For example, if you’re writing your vocabulary, you can write masculine words in a black pen, feminine words in a red pen, and neutral words in a blue pen. You could also underline them in colors to help your brain connect a pattern between the color assigned to the gender and the word.
  

  Color by Artikel (please excuse the messy writing)

• On your free days, or when you finish the course, go back and do the exercises in the Arbeitsbuch that weren’t assigned to you by your instructor during the course.
• Try to read German books and watch German TV Shows/Films (with or without subtitles).

Hopefully you utilise some of these tips, and they actually help you! If not, I do apologize! Bis bald :)

-Milan✎

Liebe Teilnehmer,

am letzten Freitag hat uns unser Kulturprogramm zur Topographie des Terrors gebracht.
Es war eine sehr interessante Führung durch das Dokumentationszentrum und wir konnten einiges über die deutsche Kriegsgeschichte und Nachkriegszeit lernen. Anbei gibt es noch ein paar Fotos für euch zum Anschauen.

Euer DeutschAkademie Team