keine panik!

I have just returned from my first day of real travel in Germany.  Yesterday doesn't count because I spent three hours on a bus from Galway to Dublin, three hours in the Dublin airport, two hours on a plane from Dublin to Berlin, and about two hours trying to figure out how to get from the airport in Berlin to my hostel.  Thankfully, I met an Irish couple with a map and kind hearts who became my surrogate parents for appx. 1 hour.  I was able to return the favor by translating the transportation notices that were coming over the train's PA (there was a detour and then a signal problem).  After finally arriving, all I wanted to do was sleep.  Unfortunately, the big snorer in the bed above mine had other ideas.

Four hours of sleep, sore arms, and hardly any breakfast was not exactly how I wanted to start my adventures in Germany.  But, as is my nature, I persevered, ate some peanut butter, and headed out to Potsdam (specifically: Schloß Sanssouci) where disappointment continued to reign.  It's been almost 7 years since I was last in Berlin and Potsdam, and all I could remember about the palace was this beautiful, beautiful room with shells and pearls covering the walls.  I remember walking in from the almost oppressive June heat and feeling the cool, blue breeze of a grotto kissing my cheeks.  It turns out, there's a lot more to the palace than just that room.  In fact, there are at least four different buildings, one of which, the New Palace, is closed on Tuesdays.  Just so happens, that's the one I needed to revisit that magical place.  Of course, ever the optimist, I didn't realize that until I'd paid 8 euro for a tour and came out wondering where on earth that grotto had disappeared to.

But, you know, I wandered around the palace gardens for almost four hours, a luxury we weren't afforded due to the organized-fun nature of high school trips.  I saw things I've never seen before, and I was able to buy a beautiful postcard of the grotto which is better than any picture I could have taken (tripods and flash are not allowed).  I didn't get to relive the magic of seven years ago, but I got to experience so much more.  Besides, I'm only twenty years old.  I can still come back and try again!  I didn't miss one train or bus today, and I didn't get lost either, and I think that's certainly worth celebrating.  I shouldn't dwell on the fact that the Berliner Dom wouldn't let me in unless I paid for a ticket or that I didn't make it out to the Berlin Wall.  I fit a lot into one day (Sanssouci, Alexanderplatz, Brandenburger Tor, mich verlaufen...)!  So I've decided to live this trip the way Frederick the Great's palace has advised me to: sans souci, ohne Sorge, without worries.

And you're probably all dying to know how little timid Jenny is coping with the language.  Well, I'll tell you, I'm doing just fine for myself.  So far I have asked questions of about 5,000 DB (Deutsche Bahn) personnel, approached the desk at my hostel, and ordered food.  I'd give myself a 95% for participation and a 70% for success.  Even though I start off shaky and nervous, I must sound better than I did four years ago, because people have been mostly responding to my inquiries in German, something that never happened before, and I can understand much better when they give directions, though sometimes I do zone out as if I were sitting in a class instead of throwing myself into the real world.  I did have a moment today though.  I went to order a sub at Subway and I made a very common English-speaking mistake when I asked the kid "Can I have a Veggie Delight?"  He responded, like a snotty brat, with that trick parents and schoolteachers worldwide seem to adore: "I dunno, can you?"  My blank stare was met by a dumb grin for a few moments before I realized and tried to correct myself, which made me seem even more stupid.  "May I...?" I asked.  He laughed harder and I blushed more, but we pushed forward to something I actually knew how to say--vegetable names.  Thank you, high school German!  So, in spite of the embarrassment, I can happily say that my German is not so bad that people only ever respond to my attempts in English.

A step in the right direction?  I think so!