Sundays in Berlin are so quiet, it’s sometimes freaky. I go outside and there’s hardly anyone walking or driving. It sometimes seems to me that people forget to go outside on this day or there’s a curfew.  Shops and supermarkets are closed, trains are coming every 10 minutes, nobody is waiting at the red light on the opposite side of the street. Life just feels really slow and quiet.  The benefit is that it’s nice to go for a run on the main street sidewalks. I normally run in the parks or down the canal but on Sundays sidewalks are empty and I am not getting on anyone’s way. I’ve also noticed that they cleaned the sand that they put on the snow. So it’s nice and clean.

Sunday is not my favorite day of the week. I always feel tired and sleepy especially when the sun is not out. Today was one of those days. Hope to see some sun next weekend.

Two more days and I am finished with one more level at Deutsch Akademie.  It seems to me that B1 level is the transitioning one between beginner to higher intermediate. B1/1-B1/2 is also challenging because there are more expectations from you as a student to speak during the class. At this point you already know a vast number of words and grammar to be able to express thoughts and ideas somewhat clearly.

Participation is essential especially if class time is the only time you can practice speaking German. There are always students who are more active, sometimes even overbearing, and they intimidate you because they can speak more fluently. But it only takes little courage to „throw yourself into the conversation“ and begin talking. Personally, that’s what I do.

I am excited to start B2 and I look forward to learning more and showing better participation. I might even start blogging in German! (and I would expect supportive comments and less judgment:)

One of my favorite ways of spending Saturday afternoons is going to the Farmers‘ Market, just off of Nollendorf Platz. Be it cold or hot, farmers are there with fresh fruits and vegetables right from their gardens. But I don’t go there to buy those, I go to have lunch. There are a number of stands which offer great variety of food such as grilled fish, or ‚Shashlik‘ (BBQ), Russian pelmeni, Swiss raclette, etc. Usually there is a long line of people waiting to have lunch so it’s better to go a little early or after the busy lunch hour.

The last few times I went, the Russian guy who makes pork BBQ on skewers wasn’t there. It was disappointing but instead I had delicious fresh grilled fish with a glass of wine. The atmosphere is nice. It’s also a goof ‚people watching‘ place. Oh yes, and I always buy a loaf of Turkish bread to take with me home.

During my stay in Munich I managed to take a day trip to the thermal bath and spa complex in Erding. I have to say that Germany has a remarkably vibrant sauna and thermal bath culture, which reflects the country’s obsession with feeling good and living well.  The German concept of a spa is a far cry from, let’s say, the American version revolving around massages, manicures and pedicures. The German baths have several indoor and outdoor pools (even in winter), soaking tubs, tubs with different mineral contents and temperatures and a variety of saunas and, of course, a full-fledged bar to get a beer! It’s a great opportunity to mingle with the locals and they are very affordable (4 hour stay consts 24 euros including your train ticket -round trip).

My experience showed that a day at the thermal baths can be a great way to experience the best of Germany. The Spa complex in Erding has a retractable dome that cover the entire facility. During the summer the roof is retracted which gives the island resort feel. I highly recommend visiting this place if you happen to be in the area.

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As I wrote my earlier blog entry this afternoon I was interrupted by a familiar sound in our apartment, the SKYPE “ring” coming from our computer. It was my mother calling from Armenia. We chatted for 20 minutes about nothing particularly important. Between SKYPE, Google chat, Google video and Google phone our home computer is used more as a telephone than any other of its applications.

After speaking with my mother I thought how nice it was to be able to speak about “nothing particularly interesting”. While I’m living far away it’s nice to have chats with my family members about the simple day-to-day activities that we commonly shared when I was living at home. It also reminded me of the year 2000 when I moved to the United States for a year of study. At that time the above mentioned computer applications were simply a ripple in some computer geeks mind.  During the year I spent in Texas I spoke with my family once a month for no more than 15 minutes. In Texas a 20$ (16euro) calling card only bought 30 minutes of time to Armenia. Last week I bought a 5 euro card (my grandmother doesn’t have a computer)  that allows me to speak to Armenia for 300 minutes or the US for 660.

In short, it is nice for all of us that moved across oceans (or maybe just the Oder River) to immerse ourselves in German language and culture while still having multiple ways to stay engaged with our families and culture.

Prepositions in German can get confusing, just like in English. But you will remain confused until you take time to memorize them and then you just know them!

Yesterday in class we were discussing the various prepositions that go with ’schlafen‘, ’steigen‘, ‚reisen‘, etc.  Since today is Friday and I didn’t have anywhere to rush I slept in.  Well, the question now is „Did I ‚ausschlafen‘, ‚verschlafen‘, ‚einschlafen‘ or what?“. I had to open my notes from yesterday for clarifications. Turned out ‚ausschlafen‘ was the one! Whereas ‚verschlafen‘ is ‚to sleep through for example  the alarm cloack‘, in short, unintended sleeping to wake up and see that you missed something.

Well, I’ve dealt with the struggle of learning preposition for a long time in my life. Many times I have managed to make a fool of myself in English by saying, „Oh, I can’t remember anything after I passed away…“ (instead of passed out) or „I can’t make out….“ (instead of make up)“. This list of this embarrassing situations is rather long. And it’s a matter of time and practice before you learn them and don’t have to think about them any more.

I think that’s what I am going to spend a few hours of the Friday doing – memorizing verb prepositions. Not exciting but helpful!

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.