Monthly Archives: May 2016

Fertig….finished….

Posted on May 31, 2016 by arleebug54

A month-long intensive language course is a strange animal. One barely gets into the routine, learns the way to school, gets to know the teachers and fellow students, figures out how to study (again), begins to feel some proficiency, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin, Germany, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Ein Wochenende in Nürnberg (a weekend in Nuremberg)

Posted on May 24, 2016 by arleebug54

One of the unexpected outcomes of this student excursion was the opportunity to attend my first European pen show. Now as you may know, I have been a member of the national and international pen community for some time now, … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Ein typischer Tag – a typical day

Posted on May 10, 2016 by arleebug54

So now that I’ve mostly reclaimed my sanity (mostly), let me share a little of a usual day with you. Remember there have only been five of these – a combination of placement test, national holiday, and weekend mean that … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Es ist verdammt schwer, Deutsch zu lernen

Posted on May 9, 2016 by arleebug54

Okay, folks, this is Day 4. Monday. I had a lovely weekend. I did all my homework. I even did extra reviewing of the material from last week. I slept well. I had coffee. But today I hit the wall. … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

There IS a god…

Posted on May 5, 2016 by arleebug54

Miracle of miracles, the little bakery downstairs (run by a lovely pair who play Arabic music) *has free wifi.* I am saved. I am sitting there now with some decent coffee and a strudel of some kind. I don’t know … Continue reading →

Posted in Berlin, Germany, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

…GO!

Posted on May 4, 2016 by arleebug54

Much to my utter shock and amazement, on the basis of one (count it ONE) ten-week German language class at Occidental College in the spring of 1975 (and a passing acquaintance with the Danish language), I placed out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Wifi 101

Posted on May 4, 2016 by arleebug54

So I’ve had my official first “everything is not perfect in Berlin” moment. Wi-Fi. Can’t live without it, right? So as you may recall, shortly after I arrived I learned the unhappy fact that there is no Wi-Fi in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

On your mark…get set…

Posted on May 2, 2016 by arleebug54

After several days playing around in Berlin (more about that in a moment), I settled into my student digs last night in preparation for the beginning of my language course today. If I were asked to describe my shared flat, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments