Today I met a friend for lunch in the cafeteria of „Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm-Zentrum“, Germany’s biggest free access library which belongs to Humboldt University. I thought that I had at least passed by all the important and watch-worthy buildings in Berlin but I had apparently missed this one.  It’s impressive from outside and inside. The marble facade of the building reminds you of a book shelf.  It’s a classic and geometric building. It’s named after the „German Legends“ Brothers Grimm, the authors of children’s tales. The library is only three years old. The central reading hall is the building’s core. With its strict symmetry and impressive galleries it creates a common culture space in the sense of the “old library”.

I had a nice tour of the library and a good lunch. I highly recommend visiting this building not only for its architectural value but also a fun place to meet young people.

There is a good expression:  „It takes three months to get in shape, but it takes three days to get out of shape“. This time it does not imply a physical shape, even though, it’s also very actual for post-holidays.  I refer this expression to my knowledge of German.  After four months of intensive courses my brain was finally picking up and absorbing new information rather quickly. I was feeling relatively confident speaking in German in front of the whole class, presenting referats and partaking in discussions. Three weeks of holidays totally got me out of ’shape‘. There were probably too many Schweinshaxes, bratwursts and beers in my diet those days. But what’s the point of holidays if you are not going to eat and drink!

I am back in the classroom. It’s been a bit overwhelming since I am also trying to catch up with old assignments. My brain is still stiff and it’s not as flexible as I would like it be now. But I know it takes time. I try to throw in a few more comments than I would normally do when I stop to buy bread on the way home. Instead of „Ein rundes Brot, bitte“, I try to say „Ich mochte gern ein rundes grosses Brot, bitte“. The lady usually smiles at me. She can tell I am practicing as I say „Ich mag dieses Brot und ich weiss nich was ich ohne es tun, wenn ich gehe zuruck in mein Land“….Darn!…I said it wrong, the verb should go to the end of the sentence (I think to myself). I should have said „…wenn ich in mein Land zuruck gehe“. But that’s not the point, she understood me and little mistakes don’t matter. I know I will get back in shape again.

I hear from many people that they are really interested to move to Berlin and make a fresh start in this city. Almost all of them, after five or ten minutes of conversation are asking me whether there are available jobs in Berlin. And the answer is not an easy one: according to my limited experience – which anyone with basic net surfing skills can acquire in 15 minutes- there are available jobs in Berlin but mainly for qualified and experienced German speaking people.

For those who do not posses adequate German language skills, job hunting in Berlin is literally „hunting“, because on the one hand the non-German speaking jobs are scarce and on the other hand the supply for this type of jobs is extremely high. Therefore, the only real option is to…learn German. Of course, it sounds easier to say it-or also to write it- than actually doing it. And then comes the second question: „is it really difficult to learn German?“ Well, although, the issue of difficulty is a subjective one, being Dutch or Norwegian could give you an advantage comparing to be Spanish, Italian or Greek. Syntax, pronunciation and grammar could be just some of the obstacles when trying to learn „descent“ German and unfortunately there are not easy solutions – at least for me.

So, it’s really a question of how much is someone willing to try. There is only one definite prerequisite for success: motive. If there is a strong a motive, then..alles ist moglich!

For tonight, „keep the streets empty for me“… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQnngjqCP4

Today for the first time in January I walked into my classroom and met my new teacher and classmates. After a short introduction of ourselves we caught up in a discussion in regard to the demonstration which took place in Berlin on Saturday, Jan 22nd. Everyone in the classroom was trying to express their opinion about the conditions in the poultry and pig farms where animals are treated inhumanly and how these conditions affect our daily food and pose a risk to human health and the environment.The teacher divided us into two groups and asked us to give the overview of the problem and discuss some ways that we, as consumers of meet, can help this situation. Of course, many of us immediately thought that becoming a vegetarian was the easy way out. However, nobody was ready to give up eating meat today. Some of us proceeded in stating the benefits of eating meet to justify ourselves, such as the important minerals meat contains that our body needs, etc. But the list was short. The „Vegetable“ list of benefits won.The conclusion of today’s discussion was that if every human being reduces the consumption of meet on daily basis will help the world to be a better place. I, personally, took it seriously.

One of the reasons why I am attracted so much to that city is what is called „Bewegungsfreiheit“ (freedom of movement). Which reminds me that „Bewengungsfreiheit“ is the moto of the newly established Tempelhofer park. With an area of almost four square kilometers it holds the tittle of the biggest park in continental Europe. Basically, it’s not much more than a wide-open space with some designated grill areas and these amazing airport buildings on its northern west corner. These extremely interesting buildings, however, still remain closed for the public.

Tempelhof airport used to be one the city’s three airport until its closure in 2008. It was originally built on 1923 but was reconstructed in 1930 and a had a prominent role for German and allies during and after world war II. Its closure, on October 30 2008, was decided after several disputes, legal actions and a failed referendum to keep it open…Berlin lost an inner city airport (historically  Tempelhof has been the world’s first airport with an underground train station) but gained a soon-to-be fantastic park where its citizens can enjoy a wide variety of activities such as biking, running, open air festivals, exhibitions etc.

According to the airport relocation project, by 2012 the new Berlin airport in Schönefeld will be ready and by 2017 the Tempelhofer park will be totally redeveloped.

Until then, enjoy the atmosphere from a Richie Hawtin live in Tempelhof:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-0psL-cnM&feature=related

• After being away for more than half a month it’s nice to be home. Berlin does feel like home to me. It gives me the feeling of security and comfort. I don’t need to walk around with a map of the city or the metro, I don’t need to ask for recommendations where to eat and, more importantly, I don’t need to spend a lot of money on food. In fact, one of the reasons I like Berlin so much is because of its reasonable prices. My favorite restaurant on the corner of Mehringdamm and Bergman street called „Primavera“ offers a great variety of pasta dishes and it’s so affordable. Basically, anywhere you go out for dinner in Berlin will not „break the bank“.

• Speaking of things I like to do in Berlin reminds me of my favorite summer activities: kayaking along the Spree, walking around Krumme Lanke, sitting in biergartens, etc. Kayaking has been particularly enjoyable and a good way of checking out the surroundings. Thoughts of summer is always pleasant but the fact is that it’s still winter, cold and dull. But thoughts of glue wine and Christmas markets make it exciting. I am looking forward to spring in Berlin.

The transition from somewhat warm Munich to cold Hamburg was difficult. I could only spend 2-3 hours at a time before stopping at a cafe for a warm drink. After having already been in several major cities in Germany, in Hamburg I automatically started looking around to see where the Rathause was. It was spectacular, as many of them are.  Another remarkable building which I saw was the brown-brick Chilehaus with curved walls meeting in the shape of a ship’s bow and staggered balconies that look like decks. I read that this building was designed by architect Fritz Hoger for a merchant who derived his wealth from trading with Chilie.Hamburg has the biggest port in Europe which has turned into a city, Hafencity. The largest inner-city urban development takes place in Hafencity. I took an hour and a half long boat tour to get a better picture of it. It was absolutely amazing to see how a long, abandoned areal of over 130 hectars is turning into a real city with restaurants, shops, apartment buildings and offices. In the next 20 years they will also build a university and a few schools there.  The former warehouse is currently being transformed into Elbe Philharmonic Hall. The tour was in German and it wasn’t easy to understand. However, looking out of the boat windows was the equivalent of having a power point presentation in English.Hamburg is one of the cities that I wish to revisit in warm weather.A few photos of Hafencity.