christmastime in berlin and a different view of the wall

in about three days it will be the beginning of 2008, which is an absurd thing to think about. spending christmas in berlin was actually very nice, but i missed my mother and friends. there is something very cathartic for me about the drive from vermont to new jersey and all that i associate with it. it's the end of a stressful semester, the beginning of a new year and a fresh start. its the hope that being home will be really fun (which it usually isn't, but that's okay). its the anticipation of christmas eve and new years and seeing everyone that i've missed. christmas here lacked a lot of christmas "spirit" for me, despite the fact that i tried very hard to be imbued with holiday cheer by way of weihnachstmarkten and glühwein and christmas songs.

christmas in germany is a three day calorie-binge affair, as i very much expected. much sekt was imbibed, much meat was consumed, and i even got some presents, which was really nice! it was a little saddening to see that people who barely knew me bought me more thoughtful presents than most of the members of my family could come up with, but i try to be thankful for everything that i get every year because it's really not the point. i gave my roommate and her sister homemade mittens, and gave her parents vouchers for homemade socks. i'm also going to surprise kathi's in-laws with homemade socks because they were also very kind to me this week and had me over for coffee a few times and gave me a brand new english novel as a gift, which was incredibly thoughtful of them.

the 24th, or heiligabend (holy night) consisted of meeting up with the in-laws (from now on gina and fred (hard g, not soft like in the states)) and taking the dogs on a long spaziergang (walk). kathi's parents and her in-laws live in the far north part of the city, practically on the border. we walked the dogs all of the three days, taking ditte (kathi and my dog) and gina and fred's two dogs (one of which is a 10 week old puppy!!!) all around the area that used to be the no-man's land of the berlin wall. it was amazing to see what it has turned into now. vast stretches of open land surrounded by forest which is now overpopulated with dogs and their owners and families going for long walks. it's a little surreal to walk through a wooded area and come out upon a large sandy tract, knowing that people may have been shot there trying to get into west berlin from the brandenburg area, which was technically part of the DDR (GDR). then we went back to kathi's parents apartment and opened presents!! as i said, i got everyone hand knit gifts. i received really beautiful yarn from kathi's parents - fall colors, which are my absolute favorite, sort of chunky weight and enough for a sweater. they also included needles, which is so sweet!! kathi and kiki got me a shirt that says "haupstadtrocker" which is cheesy, but i'll wear it when i get home. they also got me a little bookmark calendar. since i didn't expect anything, it was really sweet of them. then we got to the important part - food.

germans traditionally eat fondue at christmas and/or new years, but this is a different fondue than i've experienced via flea-market sets and the movie anchorman. kiki and i sat in the kitchen cutting raw lamb, beef, pork and chicken into thin thin strips. then we set up two fondue pots full of boiling water and set out the raw meat, raw shrimp, and about 7 different sauces. we also had broccoli, but the meat was the focus (duh). every person got two fondue forks and we proceeded to dig in. the gist of it is that each person puts some meat on the end of both of their forks, puts it in the fondue pot, and then when it's cooked you put another piece on, return it to the pot, and eat what you cooked with one of the sauces. it allows for you to eat very leisurely and talk and enjoy the meal. i have never eaten so much in my life. at the end of the meal, when all the meat is gone you drink the broth which is incredibly rich and delicious.

on the twenty fifth we came back for roasted lamb which was marinated for 3 days in red wine and apfelschörle, which is a sparkling apple juice. on the twenty sixth we had something called raklette, which i had never heard of before. apparently it's swiss, but its another german holiday-time tradition. we put out bowls of all sorts of vegetables and things - corn, tiny mushrooms, chopped peppers, chopped zucchini, mild goat cheese, chopped ham, pickles, and once again shrimp. a grill was set up in the middle of the table which had a grill surface on top, but also had space underneath for a bunch of tiny shallow pans with handles. we also had plates of cheese slices. basically we put some herbed butter on the grill and proceeded to grill the shrimp and also some potatoes, and filled the pan with an assortment of the aforementioned ingredients, covered it with a slice or two of cheese, set it in its slot under the grill and waited until the cheese melted. once the cheese melts you pull the pan out and consume the cheesy melty deliciousness.


needless to say i signed up for a gym membership in 2008 haha. it was a really gemütlich christmas, however. kathi's family is incredibly nice and welcoming and i felt right at home with them, playing with the dog and knitting a swatch for my sweater. i would love to start on it right away, but i need to work on some socks first and then finish the scarf i'm in the middle of. crunch time at FU has finally begun and i've been working all day on reading for my final paper, which is seeming to be impossible at this point. i know that once i start writing my ideas will easily fill 12 pages, but starting off is the hardest part. i need to really summarize all the readings in an outline and then i have a feeling i'll be able to get started. january will be a month full of work, but i think it will be enjoyable. my goal is to have one paper finished by the time ben gets here on january 13th. i think that is totally feasible, and leaves me a month for the other two.

celebrating new years in berlin should be really enjoyable and i'm leaving everything up in the air. i'm trying to keep my expectations low and stay low key with my celebration because too many plans always ends in disaster. i have plans to have dinner with my friend laura and some of her friends, then we're heading to a high point near where she lives to see fireworks. after that it's all up in the air - there are a few parties/clubs that i could choose and we'll just have to see. my only worry is paying 20 or 30 euros to get into a club and then want to leave. i have faith that it will be a good night, however, because it takes very little other than alcohol to make me happy :)

my new years resolutions this year are as follows:
1. absolutely no more drunk dialing in 2008. this is a good resolution because it will save money and dignity simultaneously.
2. to make my gym membership worth it and go at least once or twice a week.
3. to stick to my budget for the next seven months.
4. to clean the kitchen/bathroom or run the vacuum once a week, because my apartment gets dirtyyyy.
5. to make a list of museums/exhibits to visit and cross the names off once i go to them all :)
6. as with every year, to make every day memorable in some way.

to my massive readership - ich wünsche ihnen einen guten rutsch ins neue jahr!!! happy new year, see you in 2008 with a review of NYE and inevitably stress due to finals!!