| lj meet up? |
[Jun. 4th, 2009|03:55 pm] |
I finally got to Berlin - I posted a few months ago and now have a great job as an au pair!
Now the question is, would anyone be interested in a small meet-up? I could use some English-time and make a few friends in this new place. |
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| Flohmarkt? |
[May. 21st, 2009|11:21 pm] |
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I was thinking about organizing a small clothes swap / swap meet at Gorlitzer park. Is anyone interested? Does anyone know if I would need a permit for this kind of thing? |
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| a small help in Berlin |
[May. 6th, 2009|12:26 pm] |
Hi everybody!
My name is Dima, I am student of Humboldt University in Berlin. Today I need a help of any English-speaking lj-user in Berlin. I can come to any place in Berlin. I took an interview and dont understand several phrases at all, but need to send to editorial staff this interview today or tomorrow. If you are able to help me, I will be very grateful. I may send you this interview by mail with the seconds I dont understand.
Thank you! |
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| Are all Expats morons or just the ones I meet? |
[Apr. 26th, 2009|11:06 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Berlin Neukölln | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  curious | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Boards of Canada | ] |
Hello people... I've been loitering here and there and thought I'd slip in a post whilst no-one's watching.
I've been living in Berlin for more than 2 years- I'm only just coming to terms with the permanence of my life here and have realised, my head's been so far up my jacksie that I haven't managed to make many friends, especially not Brits.
This could also be as a result of me having been to a few Toytown meetups. Now don't get me wrong, Toytown does a lot of good but MY GOODNESS are there some ignorant, self-obsessed Expats there! It seems that they think, just because they managed to leave Britain/the States/wherever and live in Berlin for a sustained period of time, they're the dog's bollocks.
Berlin can be a lonely place but I have nothing in common with these people so I thought "Hell, I'll post to that LJ community and see what happens". Is there anyone out there who feels the same? I love Berlin but I miss the banter, cultural references ("Remember that kids TV show Trapdoor? Scared the living crap outta me as a kid") and general Britishness that I don't get from my boyfriend, colleagues and (handful of) non-British friends.
So if you're not an arrogant moron and you want to get together with some other non-arrogant, non-morons to drink some beer, talk about crap, not take life too seriously and maybe have a laugh, gizza comment! |
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| Berlin Launches Friendliness Campaign |
[Mar. 12th, 2009|03:14 pm] |
BERLIN (Reuters) - Berlin has launched a new "friendliness" campaign to keep tourists flocking to the German capital during a time of economic crisis.
With the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall looming in November and the World Championships in athletics due in August, police, street cleaners, airport staff and taxi drivers have begun wearing special red pins to signal to visitors that they are ready to lend a helping hand.
The campaign, launched this week by the city government and local companies, mirrors a friendliness drive that was launched back in 2006 when Germany hosted the soccer World Cup.
"Berlin has a reputation in Germany of being a rude city, but we're a rude city with a heart," said Rene Gorka, head of Berlin Partners, a marketing group that promotes the city.
After hitting a record high of eight million last year, the number of tourists to the German capital has leveledoff in the start of 2009, due partly to the financial crisis, Gorka said.
"Despite the crisis, Berlin is still attractive," he said, adding it was a bargain destination for tourists.
In addition to the 13 Berlin-based companies participating in the campaign, some 1,050 police officers and 2,000 transport workers are joining in.
"With the upcoming anniversary of the fall of the Wall and the World Championships in athletics, Berliners should be as friendly as they were in 2006 and not give any credence to our rude image," Gorka said.
(Reporting by Franziska Scheven, editing by Paul Casciato) |
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| Choices! |
[Mar. 11th, 2009|06:26 am] |
So: I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I have no dependents, a little money saved, and no particular connection to where I live (the US, lived in a few cities here). I studied abroad (Scotland) for a semester once, and enjoyed Europe when I traveled through (pedestrian friendly, trains, architecture). I pick up languages really easily and even have a couple years of formal study in German as a foundation. I'm looking to pick up my schooling again, continuing as an electrical engineering student.
Should I move to Berlin? :) How is moving there, on a scale of impossible/unlikely/difficult/so-so/easy? How about finding a job? There's this whole thing with a work visa that seems circular to me: I need a work visa to be there and working, yet I need to be there to find a job.
I don't have my bachelor's degree, because annoying things keep coming up, but I plan to always be taking some classes, even after my degree.
I thought of Berlin because of the CCC (<3), renewable energy (which I hope to make my career), cheap and quality schooling, some of my favorite authors and pedestrian friendliness. |
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| How To Leave Berlin (on the cheap) |
[Feb. 19th, 2009|04:24 pm] |
It's cold. And grey. Maybe you have the desire to be somewhere else? The boyfriend and I are planning a trip to get out of Berlin. We did a lot of searching and compiled a small strong list of budget airlines that fly from Berlin. Below are our finds. Feel free to add any (this will eventually be on the profile page).
Ryanair - a bit sketchy, but cheap.
Easyjet - Highly recommended.
Germanwings - The flights are cheap but taxes and fees are 30 euro+!
TuiFly - Never flown with them but GOD is that clown advert scary...
KLM - Dutch Royal Airlines - not technically a budget airline, but they do offer the cheapest non-budget around. Their newsletter is very worthwhile.
Transavia - This airline had a lady in blackface wandering around Tegel airport as an ad oneday... Not sure if I want to try it. Flies to Amsterdamm.
Sun Express - Flights to Turkey from Tegel.
Brussels Airlines - Linked with Virgin apparently.
Pegasus Airlines - Flights from Schonfeld to Antalya
Air Berlin - Formerly LTU. Now Berlin's very own.
Condor Air - Worldwide flights! And cheap flights to Munich, elsewhere in Europe.
Blue Air - Flights to Bucharest
Blue 1 - Supposedly goes to Berlin?
Air Baltic - Lots of options here but not the cheapest from what I can see. |
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| The Manic-Depressive Ausländerbehörde |
[Feb. 3rd, 2009|03:39 pm] |
I do not understand the Ausländerbehörde. Every time I've gone there, I've had a huge line to deal with, been sent away because I don't have the right forms or correct documents, and been treated harshly by people who I strongly suspect speak a little English but refuse to speak it to me. My boyfriend on the other hand, has never had a problem with them.
Last year we both got student visas. We were going to the same school and had the same forms to a tee. I was sent away by the first person I came to who refused to speak English to me and kept yelling something at me in Deutsch. I had to get back in line in order to talk to someone else before they finally agreed to let me have the visa. The whole process took 6 hours and conversations with six different authorities. My boyfriend, who was sent to a different waiting room, came out with student visa in hand within two hours. He stated they were very nice to him and didn't ask him any questions.
This winter I applied for a self-employed teaching visa. The first time I went to the Ausländerbehörde at 9 am they were out of numbers and I had to go home. The next time, I waited for 6 hours, eventually spoke to some woman who said she needed a copy of my diploma (which is back in my home country, of course). After waiting a couple weeks to get my diploma shipped from home, I came back to the Ausländerbehörde and gave her the documents, thinking thank god this is finally over. Nope. She said she would have to submit my application somewhere and would let me know whenever she had heard back. After a month and a half of waiting I received a letter that said my visa was ready. After four trips to the Ausländerbehörde and two months of preparation I was finally given my visa. Today, my boyfriend went in for a self-employed artist / musician visa and was give it on the spot, within one hour. They were again nice to him and didn't ask him a bunch of questions. They requested his diploma but when he said he didn't have it on him told him it wasn't a big deal.
Now, I realize some of it can be attributed to the differences between my boyfriend and I, as well as the differences between our visas (which were the same the first time around). But I've heard so many varying stories about the Ausländerbehörde that I am seriously in doubt regarding the objectivity of the operation. It seems like it all boils down to who you get and whether or not they happen to be in a good mood that day. There are a bazillion regulations you can get caught in, but they're willing to overlook them if they feel like it, and crush you with them if they feel like it. It is ridiculous. |
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| First English language writing group meeting. |
[Jan. 28th, 2009|05:18 pm] |
Hello, it's the writing-group-pimp-girl again! Sorry for the spam!
Our first meeting is confirmed for Wednesday Feb 4th at 6pm, in Mitte. Further details here:
http://community.livejournal.com/berlinwriters/1661.html
If this meeting goes well and seems like it's going to be a lot of fun, we'll organise more regular meetups for the future. Also, I'm not going to be checking everyone's homework or anything like that, so feel free to come along even if you're not game to write anything/share what you've written! I'll be lenient for the first meeting :D Ultimately, though, I love writing and it's been a part of my life for a very long time, so I'd love for this to develop into a supportive community of like-minded chaps! A really cohesive and friendly group can be an amazing resource for advice, support and constructive criticism - even for total beginners.
I hope to see some of you there next Wednesday! |
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| El Salvadorian->Canadian->American->Now German? |
[Jan. 17th, 2009|10:21 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Reed College | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Locust Toybox | ] |
Hey guys -
I just spent the last month in Berlin on a writing grant, and after having met my long-lost brother, found several other family members, and meeting the boy of my dreams (yes, impetuously, but Damn German Boys Are Fine), I've decided I'm going to move there.
( A bit about me, and some questions. ) |
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