Skip Mandatory Field Trips, and go to the Zoo (and get rammed by a goat) Instead!!!

So last weekend there was a mandatory NYU Berlin fieldtrip to Hamburg...about that...

I woke up around 6:30 to make sure I made it to the 7:15 call time outside, and yes, I did. We all moved in great anticipation to the main Berlin train station, HBF aka Hauptbahnhof...only to miss our train.

Apparently we were supposed to meet at 8:15 ON the train (or maybe they all met and forgot about me and dave, im not sure which is worse), and not on the platform (which still makes no sense to me). Basically me and Dave went to grab some coffee because everyone went shopping...then we waited on the platform to see our advisor...only we never did. We probably sat for a good 5 minutes looking at our train waiting. Then it disappeared.

After we got the go ahead to enjoy our day in Berlin, what happens? We decide to go to the zoo. Sounds friendly, right? NO.

I get RAMMED by a goat. Gosh, I don't know how to convey it with the real pain I felt. Not to mention the fact that Dave dragged me into the petting zoo...and I did not go willingly.

This is the bitch who got me.

And this is me now, four days later. In case this photo doesn't do justice, the bruise is about the size of my palm.

And this is the boy who let it happen to me (oh yeah, and he watched!)

Making New Friends or NOT

So I realize that not everyone will agree, but I'm just reporting what I think is true for me.

When you go into something strange and unordinary, its easier if everyone is all in the same boat. It's easier to make friends. Easier to be bold. Easier to relate to others. Unfortunately, this "boat" can be defined too many different ways, so you never really know until you look at it in retrospect.

I found this out yesterday for sure when my new friend Kathleen and I went with a random boy to a random club. In almost an instant he ditched us to talk to the others rather than us.

Not to mention that the two other kids we were with were too into themselves and seemed terribly and falsely intellectual. I could bet a lot of money I'm a lot smarter, and I'm not say it in a IM SO FULL OF IT way, but rather, THEY WERE TOO FULL OF THEMSELVES!

You can't judge a book by its cover. You can't judge someone's knowledge based on how they talk. You can't judge people based on how they act just be seeing, but rather by understanding why.

Anyhow, we should have known better and just stuck with our pals over in NYU Berlin. Gosh. Lesson learned!!! Of course this won't stop us from being adventurous, but perhaps we should do it together next time since we are in this together :-).

After all, the fact that we practically GREW UP in different programs in Berlin made a difference...they had their clique and weren't open to newcomers, and we had ours. Yeah we tried to break the boundaries, but oh well, right?

Deustche Bank the devil that ate my ATM card...aka former employer. lol. jk i love you db.

So Deustche Bank is affiliated with Bank of America. Only one problem—their ATM ate my ATM card today. Can you imagine what it feels like to be in a new country for only three days, only to have your ATM card just be TAKEN AWAY?

Yeah—well that’s me.

I’m not really sure why it was taken away. I’ve heard different thoughts that perhaps there was fraud with a whole bunch of accounts or perhaps I put in the wrong pin. Either way it was miserable. And apparently, since it isn’t a Deustche Bank card, it is likely that it has been shredded.

Then I had to be transferred 4 times before begging a BofA representative to help me .

OMG. But yeah, I think I’m taking it with much grace :-P. GAHHH!

Credit Cards or NOT

No credit cards, sure they warned us. But the electronics store? Are you kidding? Cash? Supermarket too? What a nightmare. I guess it’s a good habit at least. We then realize how much exactly we are spending day to day!

The day I hit a woman in the face…

So the story begins with my rush to buy electronics. What is only natural, yet banned in my former HS (shout out to MWHS!) is to high five or wave our arms in the air and point at people in the hallways because of the congestion.

Have I learned anything from this?

Of course not.

I hit a lady in the face.

And my new facebook status is currently…”hit a lady in the face today with full force, oops. thanks jenny for reminding me, lol. SO THAT'S WHY NEXT TIME YOU COME TO GERMANY, THEY WILL HATE YOU!!! LOL."

She was an old lady—a sad mean angry old lady. Its also horrible that my first response was, its not my fault you are so short, but I didn’t really say it ;-). I asked her if she was okay, but of course she had no idea what I was saying.

Yeah she didn’t say anything. Nothing funny or entertaining in German, but I made a dash for it, hahahah how embarrassing but terribly entertaining for everyone except the poor lady.

The good news was that when I was pointing, it was to the electronics store, where I found my 15 euro hairdryer with three speeds and temperatures. Also a light for my super dim room (its very dark at night)!!!

What’s cooler though was the soda maker. Me and my new friend Dave were absolutely fascinated by it. Or at least I was :-P. If they had that at home I would most definitely buy it!!! Actually, only if its reasonably priced. It was 35 euros here, so maybe so long as it is around 40 USD or cheaper. Knowing us though, it’ll be outrageous, like that thinkgeek.com website with all those Asian things they mark up 900%!

Yummy Street Sausage and Fancy Food that wasn't Yummy!

So today I had something which is apparently a classic Berlin dish as per a NYU staff member, it was called the "cross gebratener havelzander auf sautiertem gurkengemuse" AKA roasted pike with cucumbers in creamy dill sauce with basmati rice. I have to honestly say, it was not very pleasing.

Call me American, call me spoiled, call me what you like, but I do not, do not, do not like fish with bones (whether edible or not, in fact with most Chinese fish with edible bones I still pick the bones at). Besides the bones, the texture was like pike, and wasn’t crispy as I expected a breaded piece of fried fish to be. The sauce wasn’t exactly spectacular either. If I had paid it would have cost 10.50 Euro, or about 15 USD. Not terrible, but anything that doesn’t taste good in Europe is expensive. (On the other hand, anything that doesn’t taste good in places like Xian, China, IS CHEAP! Oh how I miss the days of 3 dollars for pounds and pounds of delicious Chinese breakfast food.)

For dessert there was some strange “Red and Green Mousse” as they called it. It was DELICIOUS. The texture of it was really more marshmellowey rather than like a mousse. One was berry flavored and the other was lime! Mmmm. The hearts on the plate were an added bonus and extremely cute.

Apparently we ate in the special Humboldt faculty club called Cum Laude, but it really wasn’t so great besides the dessert!

After all of the proper food of course for an afternoon snack, or as we called it in Hong Kong,

afternoon tea, was rostbratwurst just from a guy on the street! AKA Roasted/Grilled bratwurst. In my opinion its the only real way to eat a bratwurst, because when I last visited Munich at all the restaurants they just served boiled ones, so the skin isn't crunchy and it is really just a strange texture. WEIRD!

We all got one besides Jenny (because she newly went over to being vegetarian-HAHAH in Germany mind you, but its okay Jenny we love you, and thanks for taking our picture!!!).