the universal.

i am in berlin! and i have to say... the hype appears to be true. i haven't been here for long, but i kind of love it.

the flight here, i ended up sitting next to an awesome woman... andrea... a photographer who was coming from an exhibition in canada... she was a bit older... said she had lived in berlin for a long time... since before the wall came down. actually, before we took off, she was reading about colonics and cleansing (nosy. i know), and later after she started talking to me, i brought it up and we talked more in depth about health. i asked her where to get good, fresh, green juice in berlin and it went from there. when we got to berlin, she saw me looking at my map, asked where i was staying, and offered to give me a ride to the hotel. i know this sounds kind of unsafe, but her energy was amazing, so i went with it. she took me on a bus to her car, gave me a tour of the city and dropped me off at my hotel. i was kind of bowled over by her kindness... and really, really happy i didn't have to navigate the public transportation with all of my luggage. she left me with her info and told me to call her anytime while i am here... she also gave me a page of tips (artist friends of hers to contact, neighborhoods and places to check out...) for while i am here.


one of her tips was to eat at this indian restaurant around the corner from my hotel... amrit... 4,50 euro lunch special... i was starving, so i grabbed a table outside... the food was delicious, and the service amazing. whenever i go to indian restaurants, they are always extraordinarily nice to me... and here, they gave me so much free stuff (including the above, rediculously decorated, rediculously fruity drink), that i began to feel a bit guilty! so. nice. and they invited me back for dinner tomorrow.

so yeah. the people are amazing. and i walked around a bit today and the city is beautiful in a very unique way... i am very excited to see more of it and learn more about it.

we had our germany close up orientation today... it's quite a group... it should be an interesting and educational trip...

oh and for dinner tonight... really delicious beet salad and carrot salad... i was a bit worried about my nutritional options whilst eating here, but i think it will be ok...