Hallo Leute!

So this is just a really quick entry about where I went the other day! And that is… dun dun dun drumroll please, Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab!!!! Now if you are unfamiliar with this establishment, it is (as the name implies) a Kebab Stand that supposedly sells the best Döners in Berlin. Now because I have a strong dedication to food and Berlin, I stood in the line that normally lasts anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. Luckily, we went on a weekday so it wasn’t as busy and we only had to wait about 45 minutes. Unluckily, having to wait any longer than 10 minutes when you’re extremely hungry is terrible, so by the time we got to the stand to order we were all hangry (hungry and angry)! Naturally there were only about three items on the menu, but quality over quantity, right? When we finally got our awesome 3 euro Döner, we were overjoyed. And honestly, nothing beats that first bite.

Now I wouldn’t consider myself a Döner expert, but I have had a fair amount of Kebabs in my day and this one was definitely in the top three. The sauces (yes plural!) were so delicious and the bread was not too heavy, toasted just right. The veggies are obviously fresh cut and the entire mixture was heavenly. They add fresh Käse on the top as if the rest wasn’t enough. Now I can not definitively say that this is objectively the best Döner Kebab in Berlin, as I have not tried every single one, but it definitely is one of the top. Perhaps even worth the wait! So please do yourself a favour and get yourself a Mustafa’s Döner in Mehringdamm.

Look how long this line was! We waited about 45 minutes!

Can we please talk about how good this looks?

Until then, 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 ♝

I love studying at DeutschAkademie because my classes are always a unique mixture of cultures. My classmates come from all over the world. Every time I start a new class I am really excited to go and be surprised by where my classmates would come from. It’s such a privilege to have the chance to meet and to make international friends.

For example my current classmates are from England, Yemen, Brazil, Indonesia and USA.  How cool is that, isn’t it? All of them are coming from different background and have an interesting story.

For example, a brief summery can be the next:

• My English classmate is a PhD History student
• My 2 classmates from Yemen are sisters and they came here to work and study German
• My Brazilian classmate studied Chemistry but here in Berlin he is working as Bartender – this is his hobby and passion
• My American classmate has 3 little lovely children. She got married to German and came here 4 years ago. She is currently studying and searching for a job
• My Indonesian classmate is 17 years old, preparing herself for university which starts in September

Every classroom in DeutschAkademie contains so many fascinating stories, unique people and international friendships

I love being a citizen of the world. And here in Berlin you can definitely feel like one

Berlin is a city of art and unique museums. I am so thankful for being able to live here. There are so many interesting places to be discovered and enjoyed.

Have you ever been in the Old National Gallery of Berlin? Yes, the beautiful building in the museum island, the one with the impressive horse rider on the top of the majestic staircases. I went there on the weekend and spent more than 4 hours inside.

It contains an exclusive collection of the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen. It was incredible!!! You have the option to learn more about the painters and the meaning behind each painting through a free audio guide in different languages. I was amazed after hearing the different stories.

I strongly recommend you to visit this gallery. It’s a magic world that you need to discover.

One of my best friends Adlien got married!!! She is also a German student like me. It’s such a privilege to meet so many special people who are joining me in the journey of learning a new language. They all have a different reason for studying German. Some are doing it because of a hobby, university, job or because their loved ones are German speakers.

The wedding of my beautiful friend Adlien was really wonderful. Her husband Toby is from Switzerland. As you know Swiss people also speak German language but with a different accent.

It was really nice to be part of their big day. Adlien and Toby are such a special couple which always will inspire us. The wedding was bilingual: half was in English and half in German. The guests were from all over the world. Many of them prepared a speech or a surprise for the newlyweds. It was a wonderful experience.

German weddings are very beautiful and offer a great atmosphere

Recently I had my family visiting me in Berlin. They have never been here before and they were really happy to discover the city through my eyes.

I love having visitors who I normally take to the unusual touristic places of Berlin. I love taking them to the hidden corners of the city. That way they can feel the real taste of the capital and to become Berliners for few days.

One of our stops was a cute little shop in Hackeshermarkt. We found many curiosity items and we laughed about many other fun objects. We bought this cute red cookies box as a souvenir from Berlin. Unusual isn’t it? Yes, but that’s what we usually like to be…UNUSUAL :p

If you have family or friends visiting you in Berlin, my advice is to show them something unusual and not very touristic. Take them to your local bakery, to your favorite coffee place or to the small shop in a dark street which carries the Berliner flavor. They will be surprised and they will love it

Today in DeutschAkademie we had a presentation day. That was a great idea of our lovely teacher Kerstin. She asked us to prepare a presentation about a topic we like or we are passionate about. She wanted us to practice our German Speaking Skills in our B2.1 class. I loved the ideas as it made us not only train our German speaking skills but also our public speaking skills. It was fun!

I chose a topic that I love talking about: VALENCIA – The Spanish city where I grow up.

Here I can share with you part of my PowerPoint presentation:

VALENCIA

• Valencia ist eine wunderschöne Stadt an der Ostküste Spaniens. València ist die Hauptstadt der autonomen Region Valencia. In Spanien gibt es 17 verschiedene autonome Gemeinschaften.

Valencia ist die drittgrößte Stadt in Spanien nach Madrid und Barcelona, mit rund 1,5-1,6 Millionen Menschen.

• Was können wir in Valencia essen?

Valencia ist bekannt für seine gastronomische Kultur. Ein typisches Gericht, das ich euch empfehlen kann, heißt paella. Paella ist ein Reisgericht mit Meeresfrüchten oder Fleisch (Hähnchen oder und Kaninchen). In Valencia findet man eine wirklich schöne Auswahl an frischen Meeresfrüchten direkt aus dem Mittelmeer.

• Wisst ihr, welche Früchte Valencia berühmt gemacht haben?

Die Orange … .Valencia wird das Land der Orangen genannt. Die Orangen sind sehr süß und sie sind perfekt für einen frischen Saft am Morgen.

• Was ist interessant in Valencia zu besuchen?

Etwas wirklich Interessantes, das ich euch in Valencia empfehlen kann, ist der Komplex Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències.

Es ist das wichtigste moderne touristische Ziel in der Stadt Valencia und einer der 12 Schätze von Spanien.

I hope after hearing part of my presentation you are curious about visiting Valencia.

See you there

Hahahahah I love German humour.

Today I would love to share a glamourous topic with you: TOILET PAPER

Hahahha Wait, toilet paper has nothing special but German toilet paper will surprise you.

Today I bought Christmas toilet paper. Can you imagine? Well, I have to confess, that I bought it accidentally. I discover what I have done when I opened the package and then I was overwhelmed by the smell of cinnamon and Grühwein. Hahahhaaha

German humour is the best! Germans never stop surprising me.

Every part of our body will feel Christmassy these days ;)

Christmas is on its away. Are you getting ready for one of the biggest celebration of the year? Berlin in December is the perfect location for all Christmas’ fans. Why?  The answer has two words: CHRISTMAS MARKETS!!!

Berlin’s Christmas markets have the ability to bring to you the wonderful taste of Christmas. Full with creative gift ideas, tasty currywurst, aromatic Glühwein and live music, these markets offer a unique experience to all its visitors. If you have never been to a Christmas market in Berlin, my advice is: “Don’t miss this chance. Go there!” If you have already visited them, my advice is: “Go again!”

Few days ago I had a friend visiting me here in Berlin. We went to the Christmas market situated at Alexander platz. The atmosphere there made our day. We saw a bend of Santa Clauses who were playing cheerful Christmas tunes. Talented people! The different stands with friendly sellers were a great attraction for us too. We met a lady who told us the whole story about her beautiful handmade hats produced in Nepal. She opened a factory there and gave job to so many women who are living in difficult situations. It’s amazing what one can learn after taking the time to stop and chat with the people at the Christmas market.

You are still on time to grab your coat, take your gloves and go to the nearest Christmas market.

Have fun and enjoy Berlin in winter

Viel Spaß