Of having balls

I found these in the Supermarkt. Yes, they were tasty and juicy.

I find myself wondering about what it means to actually have balls or, in more educated terms, to be courageous.

When I first moved to Berlin, I was told I was being courageous for doing it, with the whole going away facing an uncertain future in search for a job and a less depressing environment. I often thought to myself that it was not really courage, if you were feeling more on the desperate side and you were as afraid as I was.

I am still afraid every time a job application doesn't go well, and always try to remember the upside of things: at least I am getting job interews here, whereas I was getting none in Italy. It will happen, all I have to do is keep positive and never cease trying. And try to get clients as a freelance translator. :)

Furthermore, moving represented a huge change in my current relationship. Me and my boyfriend had been living under the same roof for six months before we separated, each of us following his own personal projects, him with his startup in Trento, me in Berlin being adventurous.

And I have to tell you, long distance relationships are not easy, especially if you have this intense desire of sharing your living space with the person that is now so far away from you, and if you really have no way to plan anything regarding your own future, let alone that of your relationship.

So, I've had my harsh times in these first two months as a Berliner. But I've also had great times, to the extent that I think they outnumber the tough ones.

So many things seem to have happened within in me in such a short time, that the time before moving seems to belong to another life, to another me. I am here, I'm trying things I never thought I'd have the courage to try alone, I'm putting myself on the line, and I'm conquering my fears, even those that have represented a problem in my relationship with my boyfriend and with others.

I think I am at my happiest these days. I am feeling more secure, I know the problems I have and I want to overcome them.

The next courageous step in my self development process will be opening up to people without fear of being hurt. Wish me luck! :)

Being offline is a whole different world

Hallo liebe Leute!

I'm stranded (mostly) offline these days, as my home connection went kaputt on Thursday night. So, I'm writing this post on my wordpad with the good intention to upload it as soon as I get online somehow.

Anyway. The good news is: I think it's happening! I can feel German building up in my brain, coming to me more and more easily, slowly but surely making its way to my mouth. Iguess the simple fact of reading lots these days ('cuz I have no internet) plays a roe in it. I am now able to order meals and drinks in German without getting lost!

Doubly hot Ingwer Tee!

I tried my hand today, as I went out looking for an Internet café (I failed my search, by the way). I first landed in a neat place just aside an ex-church (Selig Café), as it was one of three places a friend had suggested to me. Of course, being web-less I could not even look for places myself! Anyway. I go in, sit at a table, consider how weirdly restaurant-ish the place looks for being a Café, and order a frisches Ingwer Tee, as per picture. That's freshly cut ginger, for those of you who may be wondering. :)

Only after I find out they don't have an accessible LAN yet: the place is under new management (hence its being a restaurant, after all, and no longer a café) and it has only been open for a week now. Duh!

Anyway, I sip my Ingwer Tee, pay, and try to make my way to one of the other two suggested places. I have a map with me (a *real* map) but a) it doesn't show one of the other two addresses entirely, and b) it shows the other -and last- one, but the map is such a mess around there I cannot find it. So what do I do? I try to use my memory. I *know* I have passed by that straße many times (Fontanestraße), so I get on my bike and go.

Where was it again? Was it left of Sonnenallee, or Hasenheide? I try both, no luck.

Scorned and defeat, I went back home and resigned to wait until Monday, when school would open again and I would be able to use their Wlan. Yup, here I am, in der DeutSCHule. :)

I want to end this with a sweet note, though, and since we're taling about German things and schools, I want to share a piece of my latest Hausaufgabe with you. We were asked to write our favorite Rezept in German, and of course I just *had* to go with the Cheesecake. Here it is, I hope you like it. :)

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE (auf Deutsch!)

ZUTATEN

Für den Boden:
- 2 Löffel Rohrzucker
- 150 Gramm Butter
- 250 Gramm Digestive Plätzchen


Für die Creme:
- 1 Tütchen Vanillin
- 100 Ml frische Sahne
- 20 Gramm Maisstärke
- Saft von einer halben Zitrone
- 3 Eier (2 voll, 1 Eigelb)
- 600 Gramm Philadelphia
- 100 Gramm Zucker


Für die Glaser
- 200 Ml saure Sahne
- 1 Tütchen Vanillin
- 2 Löffel Pulverzucker

ZUBEREITUNG

Zuerst machen wir den Boden. Geben Sie die Plätzchen und den Rohrzucker in den Mixer dazu. Zerkleinen Sie alles.
Stellen Sie die Butter in ein Töpfchen auf den Herd un lösen Sie sie auf. Geben Sie die zerkleinerten Plätzchen in eine Schüssel und gießen Sie langsam die Butter dazu. Vermischen Sie die Mischung.
Bestreichen Sie die Kuchenform mit Butter und legen Sie sie mit Backpapier aus.
Geben Sie die Plätchen und Butter dazu und streichen Sie die Masse gleichmäßig in die Form.
Stellen Sie für eine Stunde die Kuchenform in den Kühlschrank oder für eine halbe Stunde in den Gefrierschrank.

Dann machen wir die Creme. Heizen Sie den Ofen auf 180 Grad.
In eine große Schüssel geben Sie die Eier, das Vanillin, und den Zucker. Schlagen Sie sie bis die Mischung homogen ist. Geben Sie den Käse allmählich dazu un weiterschalgen. Die Mischung sollte keine Klumpen haben.
Während Sie weiterschlagen, geben Sie den Zitronensaft, die Maisstärke, zwei Prisen Salz, und endlich die Sahne dazu.

Nehmen Sie die Kuchenform aus dem Kühlschrank (oder dem Gefrierschrank) und gießen Sie die Mischung hinein. Streichen Sie die Masse gleichmäßig in die Form und stellen Sie die Kuchenform für 30 Minuten in den Ofen. Dann senken Sie die Temperatur auf 160 Grad für 30-40 Minuten mehr. Dann machen Sie den Ofen aus und machen Sie die Ofentür halb auf. Lassen Sie die Torte in dem warmen Ofen für 30 Minuten weiter stehen. Danach ziehen Sie die Torte heraus und lassen Sie sie abkühlen.

Wenn die Torte abgekühlt ist, machen wir die Glaser.
Vermischen Sie die saure Sahne mit dem Vanillin und der Pulverzucker. Gießen Sie die Mischung auf die Torte un streichen Sie sie gleichmäßig.
Sie können dann:
- Die Torte in den Ofen bei 180-190 Grad für 5 Minuten stellen, dass die Glaser karmellisiert, dann in den Kühlschrank für mindestens 6 Stunden stellen.
- Die Torte direkt in den Kühlschrank stellen.

Sie Können den New York Cheesecake wie er ist verzehren, oder mit Ihrer Lieblingssauce verzieren. Schokoladensauce, Erdbeersauce, Kaffeesauce: Ihrer Fantasie sind keine Grenzen gesezt!

Ice Age

I just finished reading this article about how scientists now seem to have grasped why Ice Ages occur (roughly every 100,000 years, but then it "only" takes a thousand years for the ice caps to melt!).

As ice caps accumulate over the span of hundreds of thousands years, it's easy to imagine how it's very unlikely that a sudden catastrophe like the one depicted in The Day After Tomorrow could ever occur. Cities would not get flooded or covered in ice sheets within a few days, but still I had my imagination spinning.

With icecaps slowly building up, people would have plenty of time to slowly migrate southwards, leaving the frozen areas uninhabited. But what would they leave behind? Deserted towns, and even cities? Try to imagine a deserted Berlin, or Stockholm, or even Milan buried (or encased, I like the mental image I get if I use "encased") under a 3,000 meters thick ice layer. I don't know if you can see it too, but the mental picture I get is fascinating. Cities in ice. Wow.

Also imagine the consequences of a modern era Ice Age: how would global powers and cultures be affected by the slow migration? How many new cultural identities may be born? How would geography itself change, both as a discipline and as a matter of fact? And how would new nations and states be born, with what strains and what conflicts?

And then, as the ice caps begin to (relatively quickly) melt away, how would people and nations and powers and cultures deal with the new conditions in just the span of a millennia? Can you imagine the thrill of future-to-be archeologists travelling up north to (re)discover the ruins of what once were cities, and nations, and inhabitable lands? What would they do with what they found? Repopulate it? Build gigantic archeological reserves? People would surely get up north again, if population growth rates keep going. They would need more space!

Anyway. I guess I got carried away and excited in a very childlike way. And it feels good to work your imagination from time to time. Now I wish I could be around to witness the next Ice Age and post-Ice Age. :)

Ich bin hier!

Hallo liebe Leute!

So, some time has passed since my last blog entry. The last two weeks have been packed with events. I have completed the A1 level at my local Sprachschule, and of course we had a test to wrap the module up. It went great! I scored 81/85, I'm proud of my linguistic talent. :)

After the test we -- classmates plus lovely Lehrerin -- had a picnic at Treptower Park, where we had a chance to talk about all the sort of things we never had a chance to talk about in class. It was sweet! I found out many of my classmates actually have some strong interests I share too.

Me, on a bike, along a preserved
Berlin mauer @Mauerpark

The following week I had a sweet guest, as my boyfriend came visiting. We've been quite the tourists, although a lot remains to be seen. The story of the city is tremendously intriguing in every little bit. Even understanding how the existing subway lines were modified after the erection of the wall is fascinating.

It's the little things that give the sense of what a ridiculous effort was put into splitting an entire city in two parts, and how silly it seems today.

It's also heart warming to consider what the city is today: it's welcoming, it's permeated with a deep sense of community, it's the land of sharing! I love the spirit, it's full of hope and faith in humankind. Yes, I'm aware this may well be the inaccurate vision of somebody who's only been in Berlin for a couple months. :)

Anyway. The boyfriend is now gone, and while long distance relationships are tough, talking openly of anything wrong, or bad, or sad is one good way to keep it goin'. But then, this goes for any kind of relationship, sentimental or not. :)

School has started gain! And I still have some days to wait before knowing whether I'll have a job in September or not. Will you please cross your fingers?