Category Archives: Germany
fluevogs fluevogs everywhere
When I’m enthusiastic about something, I tend to talk about it a lot. Earlier this year I kept posting links on Facebook to shoes I wanted from this company, whose shoes are cute, comfortable, and – oh yes – wildly … Continue reading
döner kebap, how I love thee
Ah, the classic evening meal of cheapskates in Berlin: It’s a döner im Brot. It’s kind of a variation on a gyro – mystery meat shaved off a rotating hunk o’ broily goodness, stuffed in bread with sauce, slaw, onions, … Continue reading
running fast
The world championships in track & field were in Berlin last week. I kept forgetting to watch them on TV, so what I saw – the grand total – was the men’s high jump final, about five minutes of men’s … Continue reading
gender
Facebook sometimes has problems with gender – if it doesn’t know which a person is, it usually throws around “they,” as in “Bruce Fields took their turn in [game]!” because, yknow, English doesn’t really have a gender-neutral pronoun. Look how … Continue reading
ladies and gents
Have you ever seen a less helpful label on a bathroom? First you have to figure out that it *is* a bathroom and not, say, a top editor’s office or a supply closet. Then you have to figure out if … Continue reading
finally, the first day at work
At last! Today I started work at Bild-Zeitung, far and away the highest-circulation newspaper in Germany. It sells on the order of 4 million copies a day. USA Today, the top U.S. paper, has a little over 2 million circulation. … Continue reading
norovirus
After more than a week of gastrointestinal distress, I finally got a verdict: norovirus. I don’t recommend it. The good news is that I’m going to finally start my fellowship this week. You know, the reason I came over here. … Continue reading
countdown: mauerfall
I just caught a segment on German public TV called “Countdown: Mauerfall.” Mauer = wall; Fall = fall. It’s totally cool – they’re counting down to November 9, the day the Berlin Wall fell, by showing TV news from that … Continue reading
mighty cultural exchange
I’m so glad I asked the downstairs neighbor to do my shopping today (my illness being such that I really don’t want to leave my apartment unless it’s for a medical facility). He was fast, and it wasn’t out of … Continue reading
sick, sick, sick, sick, sick
Yeah, I haven’t really blogged this week. You know why? I’ve been sick. You know the only thing worse than being sick? Being sick in a foreign country. My fellow Berlin-based Burns Fellows turn out to be princes among men … Continue reading