Been to Berlin... (what rhymes here?)

So... check off capitol city number 11 on the list, this past weekend I travelled by car to Berlin because we had a 3 day weekend. I was going to go with one of my students, Honza (we had been planning the trip for a few months, but at the last second, he couldn't go, so i went with his older brother Jirka, so it was just as awesome! We got there after a short stop at McDonald's in Dresden and arrived at our accomodation. We stayed with this family who was renting a room out for the weekends for 5 Euros a night! Wow, super price, and really great location also. It was actually really interesting, we saw all the interesting sights that are a must-see in Berlin (The Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg gate, Reichstag, main squares, and so much more). We travelled to Potsdam where they had the Potsdam Conference to discuss the division of Germany into Zones (each of the 4 Allied countries got a fourth of Germany). There is a really beautiful park with a chateaux and a beautiful Old Town to walk around. Wow, there's really so much to talk about about Berlin, but I don't want to talk about the different places I went just yet. I want to talk about my experience there for a moment.

The most amazing thing about being there was the feeling I got just walking around. To actually be in a place where the city was split into a Communist sector and non-Commie sector. I don't know if i can describe the experience so well, but just knowing that the people on both sides lived in the same city, maybe only 100 meters from each other, yet they each led completely different lives, not even being able to see the other. I tried to imagine like I was in Berlin, but maybe 20 years ago or earlier. The lives go on, but in some way... they don't. When visiting places such as The Berlin Wall or Checkpoint Charlie (it's a border which the Americans controlled who went in and out), you just could sense the hostility that each side had. On one side of the wall, the Berliners could go up to it and graffiti it as much as the wanted in an act of protestation to the Communists, and on the other side of the wall, you couldn't find any graffiti, and if you even tried to get somewhat near to the wall, you would be shot dead. It's just interesting to see the people that are living there now. Seeing them go about their normal life, and to think back 20 years and to think that they would be doing the same thing, but the situation was just a bit more ghastly. I mean, I don't know. It's really hard to put into words, and the only way to understand perhaps is to see it for yourself.

But, it was really an awesome time. Some of my favorite memories were visiting Potsdam and walking around the park for hours and hours and seeing the small quaint former Eastern German city, and also visiting the Pergammon Museum (I love history). At this museum they have the Pergammon Alter which they have transported from an ancient Asian city piece by piece. They also had a real Babylonian Gate and so many more really ancient things from Rome and Greece, and wow! I can't even say enough about this to prove it's awesomeness to you. Trust me, it was killer, and if I wasn't on a time schedule, I could have spent 4 hours in there. So... next time I go to Berlin, I want to go back. And of course, it was really awesome to see the Berlin Wall. But not in the same awesomenality as the museum. Just like I was saying before... to really see Berlin as it was. To imagine a wall going all around half of the city. 160ish km of wall. And to think that after communism fell, people would be taking off work to go and personally help to destroy the wall. Wow, it was such a horrible symbol of the city.

We went to the beautiful city of Potsdam and there was a park with this chateaux in the middle. It looks better in the summer with some shrubbery i suppose.

This is the old city decorated for christmas. It's really a beautiful place

This is the Berlin Wall, without nothin on it. Just imagine this surrounding the entire city.

This is a more deteriorated look at the wall.

This is Checkpoint Charlie. The American guarded sector of Berlin.



This is the square where Hitler burned all the illegal books

The Brandenburg Gate



These pictures of of the WWII Memorial. At night time, they have guards to make sure that no one graffitis anything

Flu Season is Here... well... something is that is

It came on in one big sweep. Shhhhhhwwwwwwweeewwww. SLAM!! And now... all of a sudden, everyone's droppin like flies. As one of my films describes it best... "There're over there... Now they're over there. El Guapo, now there over here... El Guapo... they're everywhere!" Well... maybe it hasn't been so bad. But this week was exceptionally different than any of the previous weeks at the high school thus far this year. How so? Well... it all started last week actually, when two of the English teachers called in sick... and that's really about all that happened, but they've called in sick for the last 7 days, so... let me explain to you how my situation works out... For english, you only teach one half at a time (about 15 students). So.. i teach one half two times a week, and another teacher teaches the same half 2 other times a week. And I also teach the other half two times a week, and a different teacher teaches them again twice a week. Unfortunately, when the other teacher is sick, I am stuck with all 30 of the students which can prove to be a difficult time. wow, but actually with the students that I actually taught it wasn't so bad... (but it was bad)... but the bad thing was me getting stuck teaching the youngest classes at our school (12 and 13 year olds). And mind you, they're english ain't the best perhaps. And no, i didn't just have 15 of them, but of course i had all 30 of them. 30 new students that i don't normally teach and who don't speak english and who are 12 years old.... wow. aha, and I had them 3 times :) it made for some interesting times. So... normally, I teach 17 hours a week at the high school and each class has 15 students. But this week, I taught 20 hours, 9 of which were combined to 30 students... Wow... I sure am glad that this week is over. And now my friend Brad is coming to visit from Graz, so I hope that this weekend will be relaxing and fun :)

Civilization... I think not

So I found this pizza last year and it's really reall y good. maybe one of the best frozen pizzas here. wow! but... one small interesting problem... Can you find it?


So... how do i know when I'm not in a civilized land? Simple... when a pizza box is translated into 12 different languages, and none of them is English!