I've realized that the past few blog posts have been rather deep. Although, I do love talking about how the Lord has spoken to me and what He has done, I think this post I'll focus on some good stories. Berlin is so unique and everyday there has been some great story to tell. So, today I will share a few funny ones.
The Rad-Dads
So, many of you know, Berlin has a fantastic transportation system. They have S-Bahns, (the city trains, my personal favorite because you get to see the city as you travel), U-Bahns (subways), the trams, and the busses. Well, about a week or two into our time here, I was going back to the hostel with the rest of the people in my room, when we encountered, The Rad-Dads. These were not your ordinary dads. No. These two individuals that boarded the U-Bahn this particular evening had a fantastic and somewhat strange show. At first, they looked like a small band transporting their instruments to the next venue, but after a minute they started setting up and playing. One of the dads was from New Zealand playing the guitar, while the other was from Canada on the electric piano. I'm not 100% sure what they were singing about, as one of them smelled really, really unfortunate and distracted me with the B.O. However, one thing is for sure, they were loving it! They sang their one-hit wonder (I'm assuming, as they also informed us of their CDs) and headed off the subway, onto their next gig. We will always remember those Rad-Dads with their smells, sounds, interesting choice of wardrobe, and upbeat personalities. You go Rad-Dads, you go.
I'm from America
Well, this story starts out when I was going to my first language school with my cohort in order to take a test to see where our language level was at before starting classes. When we got to the school, a lady welcomed me, talked through the instructions with me, and then took me to a room to take the test. The first portion was on a tablet and then the rest was spoken with another employee. I wasn't too confident about the written portion, but when it came time for the conversational aspect, that's where I lost it. Another worker came and asked me to sit at the desk and tested me on my German speaking abilities. He would point to certain pictures (for example, foods at breakfast, or things in a room), and ask me what they were in German. Then, he asked me to start a conversation with him in German and this is where it went downhill. So, as any normal conversation, I said: "Hallo." Then, I said "Ich komme aus Andrea," which translates to "I come from Andrea." Needless to say, I realized that I meant to say "I come from the USA" (Ich komme aus der USA). The man politely corrected me and then shared the news that I should start German from the beginning (the very best place to start). Shortly after that, we all finished up our tests and left. I was so embarrassed because of knowing so little German, but as I left and started walking out the doors, I started cracking up! This was my first German word-fail. The first of so many to come.
All the Strange Things Happen with You
This is one of my favorite stories because it was seriously SO funny when it happened! It all started after eating dinner with Ramsey and Emily. We had a wonderful meal together after seeing Ramsey's new home for the next few weeks, and Emily and I were on our way back to my flat. As we had gotten on the S-Bahn, everything seemed normal. Everyone was sitting quietly in their seats, glancing outside or on their phone. However, at the next stop, a young man got on the train. He had his headphones on and was sitting quietly listening to his music. Until....he started bobbing his head back and forth. Emily and I could tell he was into his music, but nothing more than that. But then...he started shouting at the top of his lungs the lyrics to his German tune! I started to die laughing, as Emily whispers into my ear "all the strange things happen with you." And it's true, all the strange things happen.
Asking for Money
Now, this story is an interesting one. This one takes place as my friend and I were walking towards the S-Bahn station. Now, first, a little back story. At the time, I was so confused as to what to do when people come up to you and ask you for money. I was uncomfortable because back at home, those that were asking for money would stand at busy intersections. They would probably be holding up a sign saying that they were needing some money, or food, or whatever they were needing as well. Then, one would have the choice of keeping their window rolled up, if one would choose to not give, or one could roll down their window, offer money, food, etc., or ask to buy them something from a restaurant, etc. Well, here in Berlin, everyone just comes up to you and asks the question for money. Most often, they ask you in the public transportation areas, but on this particular day, a man decided to ask me as I was walking down the street. Again, I was so confused and uncomfortable with this that when he asked me I literally responded by saying "ehhhhhhhh" as I continued walking. Seriously? "Ehhhhhh?" I'm not sure what I was thinking when this happened. About a minute later, my friend asked me, if I really did say that because most people respond with a "no" or just shake their heads, or if they do feel like it, they can give some money or some food. Needless to say, I have learned how to say more than just "ehhhh" when people confront me with those type of questions.
Sister Andrea
About three or so weeks ago, my cohort and I went to get our residential permits. I could tell it was going to be an interesting time because even before I got to the building a man walked up to me and asked me if I spoke Russian. Unfortunately, I don't speak Russian and told him that I didn't speak it in German (which didn't help too much because he didn't speak German very well either). Well then, I found a few of my cohort members and we started walking towards our waiting area (they building is sectioned off according to nationality). Once we got to our waiting area, we got our paper work in order and waited for our number to be called. I was first to be called in, so I went with one of our leaders into the office. The man asked for my papers and then told us to leave and come back. When we eventually did come back about 20ish minutes later, he had everything ready to go. I got my permit and we went back in the waiting room to wait for everyone else to get done. As we were sitting in the waiting room, I was looking at my permit and gave it to others to look at, when my leader realized that my permit said that I was a nun! It says that I am a sister for the Evangelical Church in Berlin. My dream has finally come true! I am almost Fraulein Maria! She was a Austrian nun and I am now a German nun! (For those of you who don't know, I love The Sound of Music and had pondered for one or two days if I should be a nun as a career option way back in the day). The funniest part was that no one else got their permit like mine. I was the only one that was the nun, while everyone else had a worker's permit. Thanks to the German government, I am now living the dream!