Yay
Housemate found a job. This means that there won’t be any “renovations” anymore. Fingers crossed.
peterpixel in berlin
Notes, thoughts and pictures from Berlin.
Justus, Roderick, Ich und Konrad
Wild Weekend
Two of my friends from Holland, Justus and Roderick, came to visit me for the weekend. It resulted in a much needed wild party weekend. They arrived a little late, so we only left my flat at 23:30 on Friday. I took them to Schokoladen since it is such an awesome bar. We hung around for a while and then went across the street to continue the party. Came home at about 4:00. The next day we did the mandatory tourist walkabout through Mitte, after brunch in Prenzlauerberg. Came back home to grab some warm clothes at about 18:00 and then made our way to Kreuzberg for dinner. Went over to Konrad Tonz, which is awesome, sat there for at leat 4 hours. Decided to move on to the next bar, which took us all the way up back to Revalerstr. Didn’t really find something so we got into the U1 to go deeper into Kreuzberg. Went into a bar close to Kotbusser Tor, where, to my surprise, I bumped into a Isabel, who is also doing a Masters in Potsdam. We tagged along with her and two of her friends to some squatted hospital, where we partied until about 5:30. Only came home at 6:00. Had a late brunch today here in the street. So, all in all, a very awesome weekend.
A little Update
Not getting around to blogging since I started my masters. What little time left is spent sleeping. Anyway, all things considered, life is good. However, I still have this nasty internet problem. I am strangely becoming used to the speed my mobile offers and not being able to spent hours online. In that sense, it is a good thing that I don’t have internet. On the other hand, I haven’t been keeping up on what is happening online either. I haven’t been able to listen to new music, I have also not been able to update my PC. Worse thing is that because my complete idiot of an housemate simply did not think to make sure that he is here for the dude that connects the line. He made a new appointment and is paying for the costs though. Connection date is 11 nov. Apart from that, my house is still a complete mess. I have considered moving but I have to give 3 months notice, which means that if I do it now, I can only get out on the 1st of Feb, 6 days before I fly to Africa. Waiting for a month is also a bad idea, since then I would have to have a new place by the 1st of March, when I am actually still in Africa. So, it doesn’t look like there is an easy solution to this living situation problem. On a happier note, I am getting a visit from Rotterdam this weekend from two former colleagues/friends. Should be good to be out and about in Berlin again for a weekend. Oh, and on a last note: In Germany, certain banks (Norisbank) give you a card with which you cannot pay at cash registers in shops. Sometimes this place feels lost in a different century.
To move... or not
Been having a bit of a hard time here in Sprengelstr. The room is great, so is the house. It is just… my housemate drives me crazy. He is not doing it intentionally though. For the past weeks he has been renovating the hall (because apparently he is contractually obliged to do so). This has resulted in me living in a sort of building site. The internet is still not switched on and I fear for my deposit. I don’t know whether I should stay or go, since he might be leaving quicker than I think. If that is the case, I take over the flat and sublet. Or I leave. I would just feel bad leaving so soon after I moved in again. After he finished the hall things might be back to normal and in two weeks we’ll have dsl again. Sigh.
Druk, druk, druk.
Classes has begun in full swing and I really need to get used to being so busy again. It’s been a bit crazy, yesterday was spent almost completely in Potsdam with class/seminar between 11:00 and 20:00. It should have continued until 22:00, so in effect it was still early. Went out on Monday, missed my bus and only came home at 02:00, which isn’t really such a big deal since I only have class at 11:00 but I was woken up at 7:00 by my housemates renovations. He has now started to remove the paint from the doors, it is a total mess, which is why staying in Potsdam the whole day is probably not such a bad idea. On a different note: my name change seems fairly futile… I simply cannot have it changed in The Netherlands. I will now probably end up in South Africa using my actual family name and be stuck here in Europe with this fucking surname that I loathe so much. The only real way to get rid of it is to get married. Thanks mom.
Banks in Germany are from the Third World
OK, maybe not the 3rd world, but definitely behind. I seriously can not transfer money from here to The Netherlands online using my norisbank account. I should not have cancelled my Sparkasse, that is for sure. Maybe comdirect is not as bad. Germany banks are just so much worse than anything I encountered in the Netherlands. Apart from my banking woes I have been trying to get my name changed back to Strijdhorst, what I used to be called pre -1992. That meant that I had to go to the SA Embassy in Tiergarten. They are incredibly clueless… and brought fond memories back of wasting days at Home Affairs in South Africa trying to get all the documents needed for my Dutch passport. The weather changed quickly in the last fews days, meaning summer is definitely over. I will miss it. However, I am somehow looking forward to long cold nights with Sasse and red wine on one of my chairs, watching a movie.
I am not dead...
I have just haven’t really been in Berlin for the past weeks, so there was nothing to report on. Apart from that, I am also without cable internet at home so my internet access is somewhat restricted. What is new to report is that I started my Masters in Potsdam, which seems to have been a good decision. Anyway, hopefully now that the semester is starting and I am back in Berlin my blog will be updated better.
Ivor in Berlin
Ivor in Berlin
Ivor in Berlin
Crazy weekend
Had a bit of a crazy weekend with my uncle from Sweden here. Had a lot of booze (too much), got the hangover of a lifetime too. Met some nice dudes at the rugby though, New Zealand death metal band.
View from the Bridge
The Back of Schloss Charlottenburg
