It's Snowing!!!

Our first day of snow in Berlin! Yay! Now, let's see if it sticks.

Berlin Zoo

As promised, we went to the other zoo in Berlin this last Saturday. I guess it is officially called the Berlin Zoo, while the other (as you may remember) is called the Tierpark. It was much smaller than the Tierpark. I love zoos generally, so I was not disappointed with the time we spent there. However, it was not as good as the Tierpark. Anyway, without further ado, here is a visual tour of some of the things we saw there.


I am not posting pictures of the pygmy hippopotamus because I didn't get a good one. It was a bad day for taking pictures for me. I tried to get a picture of him opening his mouth really wide and showing his teeth (I think he had something stuck in there that he was trying to get out), but I didn't get the camera out in time. :(

I also missed getting this hippopotamus with his mouth open wide. :(

We found this guy and one of his friends on the path (outside the Tierkinderzoo). I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to be out.

They did have a lot of cool, exotic animals at the zoo. These kookaburras are some of them.

Another was the Coatis. I also missed a great shot of one of these guys. He saw me and climbed to the top of a short bush near me to see what I had. I was way too late getting the camera out for that. I've been kicking myself ever since. :(


Here's Knut...the one you've all been waiting for.


A digging warthog.


Me with Eeyore.


The wooing goats.


Penguins debating about whether or not they actually want to swim.



Playing sea lions. Again, I missed the best part. They were making quite a bit of noise, but I must have had bad luck that day.


A capybara.

This is a fossa. I believe it's some kind of feline...sure looks like it anyway.

This is a jaguarundi...also a feline.

These are dwarf mongoose. They were so cute huddled together like that. They must have been cold.

This panda was just chowing down on his eucalyptus leaves.

I know this picture is horrible, but this was the funniest thing. This spider monkey was playing with a little girl. You can see the other window in the background. Well, this little girl was running from one window to the other and he would follow her back and forth. It was so cute!

This seal was posing for everybody (while all the other seals swam around).

I got a little bit of this lion roaring, but not all of it. He did a lot more roaring than that.

And finally, the main entrance to the zoo…on the way out of course.

Das Krötchen

As I was walking home from my German class a couple weeks ago, I saw something moving across the sidewalk. It was kind of dark, so it was hard to see what it was. I was completely positive when I picked it up, but it sured moved like a frog. :) Sure enough, it was...or maybe a toad. So, I brought it home to show Stewart. He was pretty lethargic (probably from the cold), so he didn't put up much of a fight. Since I had him here, I thought I'd take a few pictures of him. Don't worry, I let him go in the garden after I had my fun. So, for your viewing pleasure: Das Krötchen! (Ignore my improper pronunciation of the German word for toad in the movie. I often make a fool of myself these days as I try to learn German).

Sanssouci (Potsdam, near Berlin)

This is what a Saturday afternoon in Oktober should be like:

A Calling Already?

Well, our bishop gave me a calling today. I wasn't totally surprised, being somewhat warned in advance. So...drum roll please...I am the assistant ward choir director. I'm excited, but I'm also frustrated after the first day. I can't really understand German and I can't speak it well either (yet). So, it makes it very difficult to give the choir director advice (because she wants it), and will certainly make it more difficult when I have to lead myself. Little does Stewart know that this will have to be a calling for both of us. He'll have to translate for me galore.

Deutschkurs

Well, German classes began on Monday. I went there with a little trepidation, but I have to say that I love it! I walked into the class when only 3 people were there and I sat down next to one of them. What are the chances that I would happen to sit by the only other person from the U.S.? There are 15 students in the class: 2 from the U.S., 1 from Italy, 2 from Japan, 3 from Spain, 3 from Poland, 1 from Venezuela, 1 from Tanzania, 1 from Tonga, and 1 from Bosnia. Most of us are between the ages of 23 and 38. However, there is a 15-year-old girl from Poland. Almost everybody speaks English, but the class is, of course, conducted entirely in German.

We have only learned basic questions and answers thus far, but it's been fun. The first day I felt like I was right on line with most of the people in the class. However, there are a few people who are a bit more advanced. Yesterday I felt like the class was moving a bit too slow for me. There are a couple of students in the class who really struggle with pronunciation and remembering what we've learned. Stewart told me I need to be patient (which has always been a virtue with which I've struggled) because I have learned another language and I've taught both ESL and Spanish, so I have a better idea of what kinds of strategies to use in learning a language. That may be true, and I don't want to begrudge these people the opportunity to learn German, but I also want to get my money's worth.

So, for those of you who may speak or understand German, here I am to dazzle you with the pitiful (yet exciting) things I've learned:
Ich heiße Michelle. -or- Ich bin Michelle. -or- Mein Name ist Michelle.
Ich komme aus den USA, aus Utah oder New York (take your pick).
Ich wohne in Berlin (for now).
Ich bin dreißig Jahre alt.
Ich lerne Deutsch.
Ich spreche Englisch und Spanisch.
Mauro spricht Italienisch. Rebecca und Lola sprechen Englisch. Yuko und Nana sprechen Japanisch. Dominika, Marzena und Karolina sprechen Polnisch. Vanessa, Pablo, David y Carlota sprechen Spanisch. Jasmina spricht Bosnisch. Reziky spricht Kisuaheli.
Wie heißen Sie? -or- Wie ist Ihr Name?
Woher kommen Sie?
Wo wohnen Sie?
Wie alt sind Sie?
Was machen Sie hier?
Was sprechen Sie?

I also know other random bits of vocabulary and verbs, but I won't bore you any further. Unfortunately, I don't yet know the possessive for "du", so I can't write the questions informally. However, please do feel free to answer my questions above. :)

What I Love About Europe...

I've made a list of the some of the things I love about Europe. This is, by no means, a complete list, nor is it in any particular order. So, in case you needed some reasons to come to Europe, here are just a few.

1. Walking. People walk everywhere! I love going outside and walking. Not only do we have a nice forested area nearby in which to walk, but we walk pretty much everywhere. It is not uncommon to see people of all ages walking places. Yes, there are plenty of cars as well, but when gas is between $8 and $10 a gallon, you probably don't feel as inclined to drive. Also, the cars are generally small. If people aren't walking, they're riding a bike. I've never seen so many people riding bikes as I have here in Germany. (It wasn't like that in Spain). Our landlady thought it was strange that we're not avid bike-riders.

2. Public Transportation. I wish we had this in the States. Yes, we have public transportation, but it's not nearly as good as it is in Europe. If we're not walking, we're taking the bus or the "underground" as they like to call it here. I keep calling it the metro, because that's what it is in Spain. However, it's technically the bahn--either the U-bahn or the S-bahn--and yes, you have to be specific.

3. Bakeries. I could eat breakfast at the bakery every day! Mmmm! Just the smell wafting from the bakery makes my mouth water. It doesn't matter whether you're in Germany, Spain, or France, the pastries and other things you buy at the bakery are so much better than anything we have in the States. So, one has to walk to work off all the extra weight one gains from the bakeries.

4. Candy. Again, the candy in Europe is so much better than the States. I used to be a big candy fiend growing up, but it's worn off quite a bit over the years. Fortunately, I'm living in Germany and I like the "chuches" in Spain better than what they have here, so I won't eat quite as much.

5. Chocolate. Need I say more? Stewart will argue that German chocolate is the best in the world. He loves the Milkas, which you can buy in the States, but the selection here is much better. I, personally, like the Ritter Sports. Yes, you can buy those in the States also, but again, the selection is better here. Unfortunately for me, I am unable to find my favorite Ritter Sport (Butter Biscuit) in any of the stores here. I have looked and looked. I found it in the mini bars that come in packs, but that's it. Oddly, that's one you can find in the States. Also, they are not cheaper here than in the States. They cost just as much.

6. Ham. Whether it's jamón serrano, jamón ibérico, jambon cru, Schwarzwälder Schinken, or some other name, this kind of ham is the best! It is definitely my favorite lunch meat! The only think I can compare it to is prosciutto. That's about as close as you can get to it in the States (unless I'm mistaken).

Well, those are the 6 that first came to mind. Although, the federdecke (is that spelled correctly?) is quickly making its way to the list. As the weather gets colder, those feather blankets are nice and cozy...even if it is ridiculously small.

Incidentally, starting Monday, I will have the opportunity to see how my ESL students felt. I begin my German classes and I suspect they will be taught in German. Let the frustration begin...bring it on!