things i miss
1. pancakes (blueberry, from Wolfgang's)
2. Belgian waffles (with strawberries and whipped cream, from Red Geranium)
3. all your other standard American breakfast food: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, etc. (from Denny's or anywhere, but particularly...everything else on the menu at Wolfgang's)
4. I've also been kind of wanting American pizza, from Pizza Hut or Papa John's, cause in Europe most pizza has a really thin crust. Delicious, but I keep seeing people eating American pizza on the episodes of "The Office" that I've been watching all week, and now I want some.
There's a place called Tim's Canadian Deli within walking distance of my apartment, and there they serve all of the above breakfast foods, in pretty good replications of the American versions. (You don't find that everywhere: pancakes, for instance, don't really translate, and waffles are a sweet snack you eat with your afternoon coffee.) And there are actually Pizza Huts in Berlin too. So I'm not in such bad shape. I'm just saying. That's the stuff I miss, two months and some days out. Significant that it's all food? Perhaps.
(I miss people, too, of course. But that's a given.)
In other news, I'm legal at last. After my third visit to the Ausländerbehörde (authorities having to do with foreigners), I have my permit to live here until my grant period is done. So far one of the only disadvantages that I can see to having been placed in Berlin is the amount of red tape I've had to wade through. The first time I went to the Ausländerbehörde, I had to wait an hour to be told which waiting room to go to, and then another four and a half hours passed before I was called to the counter, there to be told to come back in two months. So I went back the second time a couple weeks ago, but the office I had the appointment with said essentially, "You're doing what in Germany? Huh? Language assistant? Uh, okay...we can't really help you here, so go upstairs and make another appointment." So I went upstairs and talked, thankfully, to a very nice lady who made copies of the piles of official papers and identification and insurance information I'd brought with me, and gave me an appointment for last week. And I went the third time, answered one question, sat for fifteen minutes in another nice lady's office, and left with a shiny new Aufenthaltsbewilligung in my passport. All in all, not that bad, I guess. Except for that first time, after which I left thinking, I want that day of my life back!
I've been sick this week, so have done little to nothing. Tomorrow I'm teaching a lesson to tenth graders on dating American style, which should be interesting. And on Wednesday I'm going to Budapest to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with a friend from Calvin and her family. Looking forward to it.
2. Belgian waffles (with strawberries and whipped cream, from Red Geranium)
3. all your other standard American breakfast food: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, etc. (from Denny's or anywhere, but particularly...everything else on the menu at Wolfgang's)
4. I've also been kind of wanting American pizza, from Pizza Hut or Papa John's, cause in Europe most pizza has a really thin crust. Delicious, but I keep seeing people eating American pizza on the episodes of "The Office" that I've been watching all week, and now I want some.
There's a place called Tim's Canadian Deli within walking distance of my apartment, and there they serve all of the above breakfast foods, in pretty good replications of the American versions. (You don't find that everywhere: pancakes, for instance, don't really translate, and waffles are a sweet snack you eat with your afternoon coffee.) And there are actually Pizza Huts in Berlin too. So I'm not in such bad shape. I'm just saying. That's the stuff I miss, two months and some days out. Significant that it's all food? Perhaps.
(I miss people, too, of course. But that's a given.)
In other news, I'm legal at last. After my third visit to the Ausländerbehörde (authorities having to do with foreigners), I have my permit to live here until my grant period is done. So far one of the only disadvantages that I can see to having been placed in Berlin is the amount of red tape I've had to wade through. The first time I went to the Ausländerbehörde, I had to wait an hour to be told which waiting room to go to, and then another four and a half hours passed before I was called to the counter, there to be told to come back in two months. So I went back the second time a couple weeks ago, but the office I had the appointment with said essentially, "You're doing what in Germany? Huh? Language assistant? Uh, okay...we can't really help you here, so go upstairs and make another appointment." So I went upstairs and talked, thankfully, to a very nice lady who made copies of the piles of official papers and identification and insurance information I'd brought with me, and gave me an appointment for last week. And I went the third time, answered one question, sat for fifteen minutes in another nice lady's office, and left with a shiny new Aufenthaltsbewilligung in my passport. All in all, not that bad, I guess. Except for that first time, after which I left thinking, I want that day of my life back!
I've been sick this week, so have done little to nothing. Tomorrow I'm teaching a lesson to tenth graders on dating American style, which should be interesting. And on Wednesday I'm going to Budapest to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with a friend from Calvin and her family. Looking forward to it.
