Hallo zusammen!

Heute habe Ich einen Rundgang durch Mitte gemacht! And if you’ve never been to that part of town, I definitely recommend it! In Mitte gibt es viele Sehenswürdigkeiten, but my favourites had to be the Konzerthaus and the surrounding buildings. The architecture of these are truly incredible, and seeing the difference between them and the more modern shops/buildings around them was very interesting. A whole square of history right smack dab in the middle of a modern city.

By the square, there is an incredible Chocolatier place named Fassbender & Rausch. OMG! This place was insane! They had truffles and chocolate of all different flavours including generic ones such as Himbeer and Espresso all the way to super unique ones such as Limoncello and Tiramisu! The best part had to be the enormous chocolate statues. Words cannot do them justice, so here are pictures!!!

CHOCOLATE REICHSTAG ! ! ! !

CHOCOLATE GEDACHTNIS KIRCHE ! ! !

CHOCOLATE BRANDENBURG TOR ! ! !

CHOCOLATE FERNSEHTURM ! ! !

Lastly, I walked up to Mall of Berlin and Potsdamer Platz, which is incredible in its own right and deserves a whole new blog post on its own.

Enjoy these Bilder for now! I need to get some rest after a long day. Bis bald!

-Milan ♟

Hallo zusammen!

Today I had a great day at (as you can tell from the title) a Fußballspiel, and I wanted to share my experiences with you all in hopes that you too attend a local Fußballspiel! So the game I attended was Hertha BSC v. Bayern München, which was very difficult because I love both teams! But eventually, I chose to root for Bayern because they’ve been my team for years. So, with my old Bayern sweatshirt that I bought from Karstadt Sports, I made my way to Olympia Stadion. 

When I got there it was obviously incredibly crowded and it took about a half hour to actually get inside the Stadion and sit down. In the Stadion, there is an obvious Hertha side (Ostkurve) and then the obvious Bayern side, and I was seated right in the middle of both with a mix of Hertha fans and Bayern fans all around me. Once the game started, I could automatically feel the incredible energy and adrenaline off the fans in the stands and the players on the field. Both sides were chanting and pounding, swinging their scarves (I didn’t bring one, what a shame) and waving their flag.The first goal was made by V. Ibišević in Hertha (to which half of the Stadion screamed until their lungs gave out) and then a goal was made by R. Lewandowski in the extra five minutes added to the game. Many excellent shots from Bayern were blocked by Hertha’s great goalie and vice versa. Of course in the middle of the match, there were a few falls, and even a few yellow cards to accompany them. At one point in the game, one whole row of fans got into an argument that had to separated by workers from the Stadion.

During half-time, I walked out, amongst the throngs of people rushing to use the restroom and get some refreshments, and got a nice hot really low alcohol content Glühwein, also know as „Stadionpunch“ and some tasty Pommes. Restroom lines, of course, were longer than heck but I managed to get back to my place in time. By the time the game was over, several people had left early (they missed Bayern’s goal at the 90+), but that didn’t mean that there still weren’t thousands of people trying to rush out. When I got to the S-Bahn, I had to wait for four trains by the time I was able to squeeze onto one. Overall, I absolutely loved the game and the experience I had attending it. I hope to go to many more in the future, and I hope you go to some as well! Bis bald :)

-Milan ⚽︎

Hallo zusammen!

It is Friday abend, officially the beginning of das Wochenende! So, today I thought I would write a little history Blog entry. First, let me explain. Four times a week I go to the Deutsch Akademie at WIttenbergplatz. Normalerweise to get there, I take the S-Bahn to Zoologischer Station and walk the fifteen minutes past the church to school. I’ve been past this church at least ten times and I still don’t know the history behind it! I’m sure not all of you know the Gedächtniskirche’s story either, so let’s do this!

So the church, designed in the Neo- Romanesque style by Franz Schwechten, was built in the early 1890s under the rule of Kaiser Wilhelm II to commemorate his grandfather, the first German emperor. It was opened on September 1, 1895.  There it stood proudly for about 40 years before being wrecked by an air raid on November 23, 1943 during World War II. For the next 20 years, there was much debate and controversy over whether the damaged building should have parts torn down, or if it should remain as it, serving as a symbolic reminder for the people of Berlin.

Finally it was decided, that most of the church was to be torn down and rebuilt in a more modern style, while the damaged spire would remain. The new part of the church, completed in December 1963, consists of two newer builds covered in coloured glass. Next to these two buildings, the damaged spire stands out to serve as a reminder of peace. In such a busy city, it is seen by thousands of people daily.

nicknamed der Hohle Zahn, or the Hollow Tooth

Hopefully this little story sheds a new light on the church for you. Bis bald :)

– Milan ♝

Liebe Teilnehmer,

Hallo zusammen!

It is I! Wittenbergplatz Blogger extraordinaire. So, today is the three week anniversary of my being in Berlin. It was also the last day of the second week of my Deutsch course at Deutsch Akademie. Since I am now exactly halfway through the course, I decided to finally write about my Course class.

So my class is comprised of 11 people, including myself, from many different parts of the world. Incredibly, I have a classmate from Russia, one from Egypt, one from Turkey, and even one from Ethiopia! All of us are from different age brackets, which is great! There is so more diversity in such a small group. Going into the class, I was very nervous, as I had taken German classes in America before and didn’t have a great experience. My nerves quickly faded away though as the class started. My instructor is so amiable ( she makes us laugh every class) and she really made everyone feel comfortable right away. She even learned all our names on the first day (and we all have some pretty unique ones)! She started us off with a quick introduction activity so we can get to know our acquaintances a little better.

Every day we start off with a review of the lessons from the day before, and then we start of with a string of informative and entertaining lessons. Every few lessons, we do a fun little game such as Word Dominoes or Hangman so that we are not always doing serious work. My instructor’s teaching style is really great and the amount of information I have not only seen, but actually learned is incredible for such a short amount of time.

Quick snap of what was on the board today. Featuring two classmates‘ heads and my great instructor!

As the days passed, I began liking the class more and more and now, I even love it! The three hours pass by super quickly and by the time 18:00 rolls around, I feel as if I had only been in the class a little while! Hopefully you all love your classes as much as I do! Bis bald.

– Milan ★

Hallo zusammen!

It’s me again!

It is the start of a new week! How have you all been getting by? Do you like your classes/classmates/instructors? I know I do. Also, can I just say, wow! This cold weather is really kicking my butt! I don’t know about you, but it has been very difficult for me to adjust. Where I come from, and surely where some of you come from, it never gets colder than around 20* C, so getting used to this freezing weather ist sehr schwierig! It is also very weird for me to see it snow! Although when falling it is beautiful, when it piles up on the side of a schmutzige Straße, it looks like a colorless Slushy that Petrol Stations sell. Incredibly enough, one of my favorite parts about this harsh winter is the ability to see my breath. Being able to see the water vapor in your breath freeze in mid-air is one of life’s simplest pleasures.

Since there are both great and terrible things about this chilly season, I took the liberty of writing a little list to remind us of what we all love, and hate, about Winter.

• :) Weihnachten und Silvester
• :) No hot and sweaty days
• :) A nice hot cup of Glühwein from one of the many stands around berlin. Viellecht der kleine Stand neben der Wittenbergplatz U-bahn-Station. If you have never had Glühwein (or mulled wine in Englisch) think of ein süßer Rotwein mit Zimt, Kardamom, und Nelke, oder Staranise. That first sip makes warmth travel down your throat and throughout your body, warming you right up.
• :) Keine Mücken, Zecken, und Flöhe (this is especially great if you have pets)
• :) Schneeflocken (no one flake is the same) and Schnee
• :) Ice skating on frozen lakes
• and much more…

frozen surface of Schlachtensee

• :( The harsh, biting cold of winter
• :( Having to wear many layers, and then take them off and put them back on every time you arrive or leave somewhere. And if you don’t take them off, then you spend all your time indoors sweating.
• :( Dry skin and chapped lips
• :( Losing pain and/or pain in your fingers from almost contracting Frostbite (lol)
• :( Limited ability to do physical activity, and therefore (sometimes) weight gain
• :( Almost no sun! For two weeks, I almost forgot what the sun looked like

Now, depending on who you ask, Winter is either the best season, or the worst. But no one can deny the beauty of bare trees, chilled by Winter´s bite, waiting patiently to regrow its´ leaves so they can spread their foliage covered arms in Spring.

Try to stay warm! Bis bald!

– Milan ☄

Hallo zusammen!

SO! Last Thursday was the first Stammtisch of February! A whole bunch of people from both Deutsch Akademie locations met at Cancun, a Mexican restaurant/bar in Alexanderplatz. Let me just say, it was great and turned out way better than I had hoped! Deutsch Akademie reserved a private sections with many tables in the back for everyone to sit and mingle.

First, when I got there (a bit early I must say), they had us write our names and Course Level on a sticker to place on our shirts so we automatically know what to call each other and then could skip the dreaded question of, „Wie schreibt deinen Name?“ when trying to find each other on Facebook at the end of the night. This especially made it easier to start a conversation with new people, when the restaurant started filling up. And fill up it did! Every seat was taken, and then some, causing some late-comers to have to grab a chair from an empty table from another part of the restaurant. Incredibly enough, once everyone made it, we were all able to squeeze in together (although we probably looked like a pack of sardines)! 

About an hour into the Stammtisch, the D.A (Deutsch Akademie) team gave each group a fun little exercise to help keep the conversations rolling. The exercise allowed us to work and laugh together, trying to figure out which answer was correct. Unfortunately we couldn’t figure out the middle picture in the bottom row, but then again, did anybody? Apparently somebody guessed correctly, because one team even won a prize!

We couldn’t figure out that last one!

Probably one of the best parts about Thursday night at Cancun was the meal! The menu had countless drinks and Mexican dishes, from chips and salsa, all the way to enchiladas (which someone at my table ordered)!

Enchiladas with a side of rice. You can’t forget that guacamole!

To see more photos from Thursday’s awesome Stammtisch, check out Deutsch Akademie’s last Blog post. Bis bald!

– Milan ☼

Hallo zusammen!
It’s your friendly neighborhood DeutschAkadamie classmate. Meine name ist Milan (yes, exactly like the city in Italy) . As of about two weeks ago, I just moved here from the USA- so I can escape from the new President. (Kidding… sort of.)  California to be exact, „Surfs up, dude!“

view from about 12,000 meters above Deutschland

So now, like all of you, „Ich bin ein Berliner!“, and not the jelly-filled Krapfen kind. It is also my first time attending DeutschAkademie. Now, it’s quite possible that some of you reading this have recently moved to Berlin as well, so der Ampelmann und die Biere sagen ‚Herzlich Wilkommen‘. And maybe, through this Blog, we can get through the transition together!  Anyways, I’m incredibly glad to be here in Berlin, and I love everything about it. From the food (oooh! that Currywurst), to the sights (das Brandenburger Tor ist sehr toll!), all the way to the city’s history and language!

das Brandenburger Tor

Speaking of language, with each day of DeutschAkademie Deutsch class, I will be writing a little bit about the Akademie, the city of Berlin, and all that they have to offer. Now, since my Deutsch isn’t quite that great yet, I’ll be writing in what I like to call Denglisch, a mixture of Deutsch and English, and you will have to bare with me as this Blog continues. Well, that’s it for now! Try to stay warm in this very chilly weather and hopefully you tune in next Blog! Bis bald!

– Milan ☼