My plate is filling

Today was a long stressful, busy, day, but honestly I much prefer that to being bored and lonely. Not that I've been super lonely. It's just hard for me to adjust and I don't necessarily think the people in my program really "get me". Not that I'm trying that hard to make them. At this point I'm figuring, nobody likes a tag along. I might as well focus on experiencing Germany and meeting actual Germans, and if my fellow classmates come to like me, Great, if not, well, it's their loss.

Social endeavors are starting to take a back seat now anyway, because I am getting busy. I am in the highest level of German, and typical of the German stereotypes, my teacher is incredibly demanding. Which is great because I want to actually be able to speak the language, but horrible because, I have to....actually speak the language. Today, our homework is to write a fairy tale in German. The plot of mine is thus; A princess is named star because she's that pretty. One day in the woods she meets a witch. The witch tells Star she will grant her one wish. Star wishes for Prince Charming. The witch says, "Love is the best wish, always" and grants it. So they live happily ever after. Seriously. Tell me I don't have potential to be a novelist. That shit is epic (unfortunately my writing capabilities and imagine extend my German composition skill).

Also today, the professors introduced themselves and our courses. I'm super excited about one called "Dealing with identity in Europe", which seems like a complete bullshit course from the title, but will deal with Roma (shout to the Russ side and their gypsy roots), Turkish Immigrants to Germany, former East Germans, German Jews and other minority groups and how they reconcile these differences with "being German". Also cool sounding, a class on gender in Berlin which will investigate prostitution (which is legal here) among other things, and a sociology class called "Sex, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll" which begins covering the Cabaret's of the roaring twenties here in Berlin (shout out to Liza, baby!). Needless to say I think all these courses will amount to a very interesting semester.

After leaving IES I went to the FITNESSSTUDIUM (fitness studio) which is a big piece of shit. It's in this creepy dark courtyard, although only a block away from IES, but there are only two treadmills and some janky looking machines that maybe were used before Unification. That's it. And it's hot. And it's smells like foot. But, I ran on the treadmill and felt very proud of myself for doing so (although no wonder the Europeans smoke and drink and never exercise, that foot smell is an assault to the senses).

So here I am at home, having just cooked dinner and greeted the cats (I am starting to talk to them, in German, which is like THE ultimate crazy cat lady thing to do) and I am getting ready to hop in the shower and meet up with Christian, the German bartender from the other night, for a beer. I am also dorky enough that I am seriously considering asking him to proofread my fairy tale (if that doesn't show him my dazzling intellect...).

Oh well. To the dusche (shower, not douche bag, although, come on, it's funny, right?)!