Official Start

The school day is finished here. Tomorrow Sven and I will start our first official day at Freie Schule Anne-Sophie. We are very excited. We have our lessons prepared for the next couple days and our desk is organized. My desk is in the back part of the room, facing the windows. I’m told I made it very homey and American-like. You can judge for yourself…

So there are a few things I know about Europe that I forget that are very different than America.

The List:

·      Shops are closed on Sunday. You can walk a whole city block and find maybe two shops open. These will be little cafes. If you think you are going to go grocery shopping for the milk or toilet paper you forgot yesterday- forget it!

·      Dogs are everywhere! Berlin is very much pet friendly. Dogs are on the train. In restaurants, at their owners feet. Dogs even go to work. Sadly, it is not a petting-friendly place. Owners are afraid that their dog may react badly so they don’t allow you to pet their dog. Many owners even have insurance just in case. (They have insurance for everything here!)

·      There are no school buses. Students need to walk, get a ride from their parents, or take public transportation. Public transportation is the most common form. I take a tram, train, and bus to get to school. I only take the bus on the days in rains or I feel lazy. So truth be told, almost everyday. The six flights of stairs is a lot of work!

·      In the shower, there is only a handheld shower-head. So you can’t just stand under the running water. OK, not every place is like this but many.  

·      Parks and open-air markets are very popular! Hundreds of people will be in one park.

This weekend I went to a cute open-air market. There are tons of spreads, meat, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and cheese! One stand would melt the hunk of cheese, and then scrap it off onto a piece of bread. It smelled heavenly. I promise to go back and buy one in the days to come.

 Afterwards, I found my favorite pizza in all of Berlin. OK, I haven’t tried it all yet but I promise you—I believe I’m in Italy when I eat it. It feels so real.

 

Well, Sven and I must be going. We will talk to you soon. All the best! Just think it’s April!!!! School will almost be over for you. Be thankful –we don’t have summer break until July 10. Until next time, we send our love.