the halfway point

So where to begin? So much has happened in the last week and a half.

Last week I began to panic because I felt like the time is going by so quickly and I just wanted to make sure I was using every second wisely. What I’ve since discovered is that I’m not super productive in the US and that has not changed. :) Burdening myself with having to schedule out every ounce of my time will just mean that none of my time here is enjoyable. I’ve also had to decide between forging relationships with people here in Berlin, or traveling elsewhere in Europe. Last week I was feeling like I was wasting precious time on weekends not traveling the countryside, but instead staying in Berlin and watching a movie with new friends I’d just met at Berlinprojekt. However now at the halfway point, I have a new, and I think, healthier perspective. I’ve decided that my two priorities are learning the language (well learning as much of it as I can) and forging relationships here in Berlin. I don’t need to rush around to every single site I can find just to say that I’ve been there. I can stay here and just enjoy residing here among the people. This isn’t a 15 day backpack trip across Europe. (Although, I may come back to do that at some point – and a few people have reminded me, this does not have to be the only time I come to Europe. It will still be here.) I don’t have to turn my weekends and all free time into one large sightseeing event. It’s enough to just go do my homework at a Café. Or spend time with my new friends, classmates, and roommates.

Speaking of roommates that brings up a fun story from this evening. I am currently living with two other people. A girl from Germany, a guy from Italy and there's me from the States. Since we’re all from different nationalities, we came up with the idea that we should have 3 dinners together during our time here. At each dinner, one of us will cook typical food from our country for the others. So fun! I went first tonight with American fair. It was interesting figuring out what to make, mostly because I didn’t just want to make burgers. I’m not an expert burger maker, we don’t have a grill, and they can easily get a good American style burger at a here restaurant. So I tried to think of foods that captured part of my experience in America. I landed on Mac and Cheese with a side of a Waldorf Salad and one of my favorite childhood dishes for dessert, Dirt Pudding. I used a Martha Stewart recipe for the Mac and Cheese and oh my gosh, it was good! And super easy. I halved the recipe and I still had over half for leftovers. (Here’s the link to the recipe, if you’re interested.)

 

 The Dirt.

The whole spread.

The evening was lovely. I told them a little bit about the dishes and then we ate. We ended up talking about everything from our days at work/school to the health care systems and tax policies in our respective countries. It’s been delightful to get to know them both a bit better and discuss our countries with one another. It’s so interesting to hear about how another country deals with the same problems differently. I’m very pleased to have landed two kind and generous flat mates who are both also interested in getting to know one another and the cultures we all come from.

God is good, all the time.