May 12th: Mensa Food, DDR Museum, Trabi's, and Ampelmann!

I have to do a short presentation on Tuesday about the mensa's here (cafeterias) for our German-refresher and discourse class. It is supposed to help us be more comfortable making presentation infront of others for our actual research proposals.

This cost: 3.20 Euros

The amazing cheese plate, then potatoes, gravy, beans, and broccoli. The gravy is awesome! I could have had schnitzel, but I thought I should eat something green.

A church near the DDR museum.

The Fernseher Tower!

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE????!!! LOOK CLOSELY!!!:

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Here is the Berliner Dom (church), across the water from the DDR museum:

My grandparents were on the wait-list for something like 10 years before they got their Trabi:

I got to sit in one! And guests to the museum can even start the engine.

Crazy woman driver!

DDR Symbol on a mock building:

Sandmanchen! And other characters: Mom, Uwe, Oma and Opa, do you remember their names?

This watch reminds me of one that I may have seen Opa with when I was younger. Really only the dates and face are what reminded me of it (not the strap).

Frei Deutsche Jungend Uniform

I imagine my mom dressed like this:

When watching "Goodbye Lenin" with my family my mom pointed out all the East German patterns on the wallpaper, and bed linens. Well here are some more. Apparently the East were low on cottons, so most clothing was made of plastics/polyester:

A DDR passport?

After we were done in the museum we went to the restaurant that made authentic East German meals. I ordered the potato soup (which Oma and Opa fed me for my birthday before I left for Germany)! I also considered getting my Oma an east german cook-book, but I figured she had all the recipes already. I looked through and I recognized many of the meals.

Me with Ampelmann!!!

Today was also Fiona's 21st birthday, so we went to an English Pub that was named after the author Oscar Wilde. Lots of people spoke English there, and our waitress was from Seattle. It was pretty cool to be there with little Wilde quotes even in the menues.

I also went to Fredrichstraße (one of the Berlin shopping districts) and saw an English book store. I considered checking it out for some books, but decided to go to Starbucks instead (how horrible of me!), but I wanted a taste of home. I will return to the book store at a later date, and probably soon since the girls I am travelling with are extremely well read and visit there frequently.

Mom, Oma, and Opa! I hope to get a phone call from you all soon :) Xoxoxo Jessica