GERMIE AWARDS!!!
I know it sounds like a kindergarten biology lesson, but let's not dwell on the name. It sounds better than Berlinies. Or maybe not. You can call them what you will.
Our first award of the night goes to the best cameo performance in a major motion picture. The winner...the NEIGHBORHOOD BLACK CAT! What film, you might ask? That film was called, "Peek in my window and climb onto the sill." This black cat just edged out the duo of Toad 1 and Toad 2 who made visits into my room. Sorry Toads, maybe next time.
The award for what I will miss most was a difficult one. I could say the people, I could say the atmosphere, I could say the history, etc, etc. What I think I will really miss so much is the PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. Man, this thing is wonderful! And I haven't driven a car in 2 months. I've only been in a car once, and that was a taxi. Hopefully, I haven't lost all of my driving skills and will not endanger all those around me. Maybe if Tuscaloosa would put a subway system together before I get back I wouldn't have to worry about this problem.
The best beer award goes to WEIHENSTEPHAN HEFE DUNKEL. Not only is Weihenstephan allegedly the oldest brewery in the world, but it also cranks out some delicious brews. A lot of times I could order a pilsner and be just satisfied, but this Hefe Dunkel was sweet and delicious. I don't know all kinds of technical terms to describe beer (though I do know that mouth feel is one--weird), but all I can say is try it.
My favorite restaurant goes to a restaurant whose name I actually do not know. It is a shame because I ate there several times after class. The restaurant was an Italian restaurant just across the street from my school. I call it the OIL RESTAURANT because I believe they specialized in cooking with olive oil. Whatever their secret, it was delicious. Yesterday, some classmates and I ate there for the last time and boy, did they treat us nicely. They gave us free pie! Free pie! It doesn't get much better than that! The food was delicious, the staff was nice, the drinks were tasty, and they gave us free pie. Thank you, mysterious oil restaurant on Pestalozzi Strasse.
Best villian--the EMU. See yesterday. I had a pretty neutral opinion of emus before this attack. I actually kinda felt bad for them because they had wings and they couldn't fly. I thought to myself, "What a waste of wings! It is a shame that even though you can run fast, you can't fly with your wings!" It is a cruel joke. But now, no sympathy what soever. I'm glad your taunted daily by your wings and your ugly face. I even have a touch of ill will against ostriches since they are so similar. So to the emu community of the world, I'm sorry but one haughty emu at the Berlin Zoo ruined it all for you.
Biggest surprise--this might have to be the Track and Field World Championships. I saw many sporting events; yes, 3 counts as many. I was aware that Arsenal played in Germany. As soon as I found out that I was coming to Germany, I thought to myself, "Arsenal played Stuttgart last season, and they train in Austria during the summer!" I'm just glad I got to go. But the TRACK AND FIELD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS were a complete surprise to me. Track and field is one of those sports that I watch during the Olympics and get excited about, but afterward, I lose touch because no one covers it anymore. It was really great to see a world record broken and to see how all of those athletes could perform. The Track and Field World Championships just beat out German mustard for this position. It is so delicious and so diverse.
Best night--I must say the ARSENAL MATCH. Okay yes, I got to see my most favorite sports team play. I got to see something that I might not get to see again (let's hope not, though). I saw one of the best soccer teams in the world play and some of the best athletes in the world perform. But I also got to meet some really great people. Paschal and Otto were a lot of fun. Uwe (Ulle? Uh oh, I can't remember) offered some good conversation. I can't describe how much fun it was. Maybe I should write a poem about it?
The most impressive sight--I saw lots of things while I was here in Berlin. I saw the Brandenburg Gate, the bust of Nefertiti, Sachsenhausen, Olympiastadion, Charlottenberg Palace, Usain Bolt run the fastest 200m race in the history of the world, and many, many other things. I must say that the CASTLE CHURCH may have been the most impressive thing that I saw. It wasn't particularly gigantic, but the sight was really something. The sanctuary was so intricately decorated and the building itself so rich with history that it is difficult to ignore. I was really impressed with the sights that I saw at that church.
And lastly, the award for "Will I come back to Berlin" goes to someone very special to all of us. This award goes out to YES. Berlin has been absolutely incredible. I saw so much, and at the same time still only scratched the surface. It is difficult for me to communicate how much fun I had, how impressed I was, and how much I learned while being here. I didn't just learn about the language, but I learned about the history, I learned about the people, and I learned about myself. I have survived two months in a foreign country. But I don't want to say alone because I certainly wouldn't not have had the same experience without my family and my friends. So I want to say thank you to you all for following along with me and keeping in touch. It has really meant a lot to me.
Before I take off for the day, one important note. As I said before, this is a terminal blog. All good things must come to an end, and that includes this blog. But! Even though I come back on Friday, that doesn't mean the blog stops on Friday! The last day of blogging will be the following Friday 4 September. I thought it would be nice to give some debriefing and let you know how American life is post-Germany. So stick with me for one more week!
Have a lovely Thursday, America, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Deutsches Wort des Tages:
die Auszeichnung -- award
1 comment:
Two points for mentioning "mouth feel"
Good work.
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