Guy & Swaantje's End of Summer Party

Okay, so I was finally invited to my first non-work related event in Berlin (besides the girls night which I was invited to because the host was friends with a colleague).  Quite an exciting thing to look forward to...first there was the invitation, all in German with my language skills leaving much up to interpretation.  So, I managed to have the "einladung" (invitation) be part of my German lesson today.  Of course there was a cultural component to the German lesson as well where I quizzed my instructor on the appropriate ettiquette...gift, what to bring, etc.  So this was an "End of Summer Party" and "Belated Birthday Party" for Guy, a Londoner who lives in my "haus". 

The good news was that Guy is British, and of course, speaks English.  My fear was that although he speaks English that others might not.  Although I have been a bit sick the past couple of weeks with a cold (thanks to my beloved family! ; ) I thought maybe I was too "sick" to go to the party.  Okay, so I am not really sick anymore, I just wanted an excuse!  It is hard to put yourself "out there" into a social situation that is a bit stressful.  But, I decided I would do it.  My German instructor told me to bring Proseco, flowers and sushi.  So at 7:00 I was dutifully at the grocery store looking for my purchases.  The sushi didn't look so great, the proseco didn't either - it was either something for 3 Euros that I had no idea if it was good or Veuve Cliquot which I knew was great but it cost 35 Euros, which with the flowers and the food would be over 50 Euros for a Guy that I had only met twice!  Additionally, I didn't want to seem like I was over doing it.  Suddenly I felt my illness coming on again...okay, not really but I was at least feeling a bit sick to my stomach.  Then I thought of my sister Aimee and I what I would tell her in the same situation..."just go, you will have fun - don't worry, whatever you bring will be perfect and it will be fun".  I decided that I should heed some of my oft given advice.  I bought some cheese, bread, dates and flowers.  I skipped the proseco and decided to bring a bottle of Pinot Noir from Oregon - I knew it would be good and it wasn't a $60 bottle.

I arrived home, created a psuedo cheese plate, arranged the flowers in a vase with a ribbon, put the wine in my pocket and headed out to the first floor.  Worst case and my commute home would be quick and painless.  Wondering if I brought too much or too little, if I was dressed appropriately and if I would have anyone to talk to - I bravely pressed the door bell and waited.  There was no answer.  Okay, now that I spent all this time preparing and agonizing I wanted to be inside the party.  I juggled the vase and cheese tray and pressed the bell again.  No answer.  I wondered if someone had looked out the peep hole and decided not to answer.  ; )  (How could that be??)

I was determined.  Balancing my gifts precariously in one hand, I opened the outside door and walked into the courtyard.  I entered the common courtyard and passed people on the terrace, walked through Guy and Swaantje's bedroom and into the heart of the party.  Thankful that I had made it into the party and hadn't dropped anything on the floor I promptly set everything on a table.  Luckily I spied the host nearby, I reintroduced myself and quickly told him I have been sick and didn't think I would be able to stay long since I was still feeling under the weather (what I chicken!, but it is always good to have an out).  Guy quite graciously thanked me for coming and for the gifts and said he hoped that I would be able to stay for a while and enjoy the party.  As he thanked my I was thinking that I hoped he didn't think that he could actually keep the dishes that I had brought the food on...  

Speaking with Guy made me feel much more at ease.  Then I recognized Paulo, another neighbor and house member.  I met Paulo right before I traveled to Valencia when I had to ring his bell at 8:00 AM to retrieve a chandelier that I miraculously was able to order on German eBay that he had signed for.  We quickly began talking and with a glass of wine and another English speaker on hand I started to relax...

...the evening was a success.  I stayed for 2 hours and also had the chance to meet Nicolas who also lives in the "haus" with his pregnant girlfriend Heike.  Their baby is due September 5.  I was happy to meet Nicholas since he and Heike had invited me to their house warming party which I wasn't able to attend since it was in June and I was in the states at the time.  Both Nicolas and Paulo explained to me that the "haus" we are all living in is newly renovated and that all the tenants are new since about March.  Because everyone moved in around the same time there is a closeness of the occupants.  Most have had parties where they have invited everyone living in the building.  The group also organized for a movie to be shown a few weeks ago in the common courtyard on a large screen.  So, it seems there is a great sense of community.  I will invite everyone to my house warming birthday party.  Or maybe I will have a party when my mom and Aimee are here.  I always love when my family has a chance to meet my friends and colleagues.  

The lesson in living...when invited to a party go, don't worry about it.  After all, how bad can it be? ; )  I look forward to many more "haus" events...

Shan Rahimkhan

When I need my haircut it is one of things where I wake up and look in the mirror and decide I absolutely HAVE to get my hair cut TODAY!  That was my experience this morning upon looking in the mirror.  Today is the day and I need a haircut!

Being in a new city finding a stylist that you like can be quite a traumatic experience.  A haircut, unlike a bad outfit, cannot be easily discarded.  So, I consider myself very lucky to have found Shan even before I moved to Berlin.

Shan Rahimkhan has an amazing sense of style which is evidenced in his Cafe, Coiffeur, and Casa.  You have to check it out on www.shanrahimkhan.de!  The first time I got my hair cut Shan did it himself.  I felt like a princess when I left and was warmed by the kindness and encouragement that Shan offered after hearing about my stolen purse at Tegel Airport.

Well, being impulsive as I am about my hair and calling at the last minute unfortunately meant that Shan was not going to be able to cut it.  Okay, so I didn't even ask.  But in any case, I got a nice cut today from Marty.  I got about 4 inches cut off and I am happy to say I won't be able to wear it in a pony tail for a while!

After my hair cut I went around the corner to Gallerie Lafayette.  I think it is pretty cool to have one of my favorite French stores in Berlin (okay, so we don't have an Apple store yet, but we have Galleries Lafayette!).  So, I went and tried on some sun glasses.  I found some that I liked but they just seem too glitzy for Berlin.  Berlin is a solid "cool" city and doesn't have as much of the flash that New York has.  The "window" shopping was fun (they already have winter scarves...I hope that is not an omen for winter weather in Berlin!

I am looking forward to going to Helsinki tomorrow.  It is one of my favorite places.  I will be sure to add some pictures to my blog.  Also, I need to add some from my family's visit as well!  The haircut photo was taken with my Mac...! ; ) 

Girl's Night

Last night was a fantastic girl's night hosted by Melissa H. There were about 8 of us and it was a lot of fun. The evening started with "bubbly", bruschetta, organic (and very green!) olives, and radishes. It was really a lot of fun to meet a great group of women and I was really surprised by how much we all laughed.

Melissa is a fantastic hostess, she made everyone feel welcome and she has a very cozy and charming apartment in Mitte off of Oranienburger Strasse which is a wonderful neighborhood. She made a roasted pumpkin, risotto and a lovely green salad. Dessert of berries and a light cake was enjoyed by all!

It is funny how small the world is...one of the women, Anja Schuhmann, was receiving pilates instruction at Body Balance in Chicago the same place that I was going to at the same time! Anja now has her own studio in Berlin - www.studio-a-pilates.de.  Melissa is a photographer and she knows most of the women at the ladies night from the Laugh Olympics which she participates in. The Laugh Olympics is usually performed in the fall/winter/spring at the Spirit Yoga studio in Hachesher Markt. However, they are moving to a comedy club in Prenzlauer Berg...my neighborhood. Anja also is practicing for the Laugh Olympics as well. It was funny when I met her, I thought she was American, her English is perfect! She was saying her street address in German and I was so impressed by her German pronunciation. It turns out she is German...so then I was impressed by her English.

After the wonderful food, introductions and bubbly, Melissa turned the evening toward the quite serious matter of "I never...". Well, I never played I never before, it is a game where one person starts and says "I never kissed a stranger" and then anyone who has kissed a stranger has to "drink" (doesn't have to be alcohol, this is just so you have a visual cue as to how has really kissed a stranger) and then you go around the circle and share the story of kissing a stranger. A new "I never..." statement is then given by the next person after all the stories have been told. After being transported back to college days (I felt a bit old!) I very easily fell into the fun, the stories and the laughter. Despite the sharing of very personal information, it was a lot of fun and we all laughed so much!

I am fighting a cold so by the end of the evening I was losing my voice. The first time I glanced at my watch it was 1:00 AM! I couldn't believe how quickly the time had past. At 2:00 AM, I was only the second to leave. I am glad I did. I was really tired and as it was I slept today (Saturday, the only day to do errands since the stores are open!) until 1:00.

Upon rising, I very promptly decided that it was critical that my hair was cut...hence my visit to Shan.

Lessons in Living...Berlin!

So, this blog will now be dedicated to my experiences while living in Berlin. Believe me, there has been quite some shenanigans here so far! ; ) But really moving to Berlin has been wonderful so far and really part of an unexpected journey!

So, I will regale you with stories - happy, sad, funny and bad - about my experiences living abroad.

Check back for updates!

Family visit...

My family came for a visit...Dad, Debbie, David, Ben, Katelyn and Abigail. It was so wonderful to see them. They arrived on Wednesday evening. I greeted them with tears of joy! I was so excited to have them in Berlin, happy that they would have time with me in my "home town". We had a wonderful time, very relaxed. They left yesterday...at 4:00 AM. Now I am in my flat with remnants of their visit. Glasses on the counter, Dad's crumbs from the streuselschnecke, Abby's yogurt bowl, wine glasses from dinner the night before. Rumpled sheets on the bed. The sofa bed with pillows strewn. I am still enjoying the aftermath and basking in the joy of their visit. I hate to clean up and wipe away the last visible traces...

Missing you!