Port Arthur

Port Arthur, Tasmania 2015

Here are some more pictures from my series on Port Arthur (for my previous post see here) - the former convict settlement in Tasmania, but also, perhaps more famously, the site where Australia's largest mass murder took place 20 years ago. Walking around the site, it was eery to think that such a thing could happen in such a beautiful place. Even though it was the dead of a Tasmanian winter, the sun was out and glistened on the water, the old ruins a lovely shade of yellow and the trees green and lush.

Two Two

Two Two Cafe, Neukölln

After not the best start of the day, my boyfriend (who has just moved to Berlin) and I stumbled across this super cool Japanese cafe in the middle of Neukölln. It has a super cool vibe that was totally not Berlin - for example, it was super welcoming, had wifi & super cool stationary for sale and the coffee was decent (okay maybe I'm being a bit harsh to Berlin...). But it is definitely going to be a staple in the future!

German classes are done (for the moment) and last week I had my university orientation. The German classes came in useful because the entire week was pretty much done in German, which means that I missed important things like how to sign up to my classes. Sigh, but I got through in the end, and despite some hiccups on the way, nothing is going to stop me from staying here at the moment. So what if I can't complete enough credits to transfer back home, it'll all work out, says the voice in the back of my head who still thinks ignorance is bliss.

I also managed to score a job at this super cool boutique-y shop right next door to my house, as did my boyfriend at an equally as cool coffee roastery. Speaking of him - he's been here two weeks now and settled in pretty quickly. Its much more fun heading to the veggie markets with someone slightly more cooking inclined than myself. It's been a blast so far, and I couldn't imagine spending my time in Berlin with anyone else but him (sappy-ness ends there). We're thinking of trying to stay here for the year, it's easy for him being British, but my Australian blood doesn't get me too far. But again, it'll all work out...

Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas

Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas, Berlin

I watched a German film called Victoria this week about a Spanish girl living in Berlin. The whole film is shot in real time and in one take, and follows her meeting a group of Berliners over a night. I don't want to give anything away - my only advice is to watch it, even without subtitles if you prefer, so you can really go into the mind of Victoria.

I've spend most of my evenings after class going to the gym, cooking dinner and then studying two hours of German. It can be lonely sometimes, but there is something refreshing about routine and having enough time for myself to do things that I always skip for a social occasion back home. I really cherish the free-ness I have in Berlin, the lack of commitment I have to many things, the idea of living life a little slower but more enriched. My boyfriend is coming in two weeks, so maybe that will change things a little bit, but I'm excited to have company again.

Neue Heimat

Neue Heimat, Friedrichshain.

Life in Berlin is going pretty damn splendidly at the moment. A year ago I was a mess; I almost failed a couple of exams, I was crying a lot, nothing seemed to be going right whatever I did and I spent a lot of time leaning on my wonderful friends shoulders. But now, I can't even imagine what I felt like back then. Everything has changed so much. My biggest problems right now are - my pan is too big too cook scrambled eggs, I can't finish a loaf of bread by myself before it goes stale and I miss my boyfriend. But he'll be here in a month, and I'll have someone to venture with to the abandoned airports, military stations and all the cool things that are in Berlin.

This week I've been going to the cinema a lot in an attempt to watch all the films nominated in the Oscars. Brie Larson has been one of my favourite actress' for a while now, and I cried so much when she won her well-deserved Oscar. I stupidly watched Room on the plane to Berlin, not realising what an emotional rollercoaster I was in for and cried for most of the journey. It was such a raw experience. The film didn't pity the characters, nor did it portray the experience as a sick circus show for its viewers. It was very much a show about love, connection and survival. I have never seen another film quite like it. Other films I've seen this week include Brooklyn, Carol, Spotlight and The Revenant. Brooklyn and Carol satisfied both my love of the 1950s fashion as well as my passion for a well written love story. Spotlight was intriguing for the whole two hours despite knowing the ending (because, well, its history). I found The Revenant, however, boring, lacking in a major plot line and dragging on for way longer than it should have. Other films I hope to see this week include - Amy, Victoria (a German thriller that I've heard rave reviews about here), The Hateful Eight and Anomalisa.

house of small wonders

House of Small Wonders, Berlin

These snaps are from a cool Japanese cafe in Mitte with super good breakfasts'. My only complaint was when I asked for a double shot latte, they gave me this massive coffee, the size of one of those gross Starbucks Venti cups. Anyways...

I'm still without internet, which is starting to bug me a little bit considering there is no data connection in my apartment. In its absence, I have binge watched all of Making a Murderer, Narco's & Gotham in two weeks, finished Lena Dunham's Bio and studied a lot of German. Hopefully it is installed today, because living alone is lonely enough without the whole of the interwebs to keep me company. When it is installed, I hope to update here 3x a week. I've just finished a month of my German classes, with two more months to go. I've been able to practice my German a little bit more because my friend group now consists of an amalgamation of several nationalities, where our only mutual language is German. Conversation is fun, and it helps me speak quickly. Its still a shame that my German won't ever be as good as my French, purely because I speak so much English here, but then again, it's much nicer being understood and being able to chat to people.

white as snow

Volspark Friedrichshain, Berlin

Apologies for my absence this week - after spending last weekend looking for apartments I finally signed a six month contract for a studio apartment in the east of Berlin. I moved in Tuesday, and spent most of my evenings after class at Ikea and Muji finding bits and pieces for my place. It is in a super cool location, with shops and cafes downstairs and the Boxhanger Platz Markets across the road. My wifi isn't connected for another week, so I have to steal wifi from cafes where I can (hence my absence). Its furnished - which is simultaneously good and bad - the decor is not quite my style but at least I don't have to spend another week (and a months budget) furnishing the place. Hopefully I will be able to jade-ify it with bric-a-brac from the markets.

Aside from my house dramas - school is going well although my learning has slowed down a bit. There a quite a few Swiss-French at my school, which is nice to practice my French but confusing to swap between two languages that aren't English. I haven't had much time to explore Berlin still, so many museums to visit and cafes to drink coffee at. Maybe I'll save that for visits from friends. These photos are from a couple of weeks ago when it verged on -9 degrees, and the snow was 20cm thick. As wonderful as it was, it has all melted away which makes walking around the city just that much easier. And also riding, which is my next task - to find a bike!

back to the drawing board

Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

So, it turns out good news doesn't really stick for long in Berlin. Yesterday, I received a message cancelling the agreement I had to move into a flat in Feb. It has sent me back into a pretty big spin again, seeing several houses a day with the slim chance that I'll be offered something by next week. I've had to miss class to write emails, and arrange viewings which has not left a good feeling in my stomach, and my German is getting behind. I've met some really great Germans through the house hunting process, but it would be great just to have my own room so I could buy a plant and decorate to make it feel more at home while I'm here... so any prayers or good vibes are well appreciated right now.