Mo' Money, Mo' Problems!

The BVG, Berlin's equivalent to our STM, is on strike since 3 am this morning, and will stay on strike for an undetermined amount of time, but at least until the 14th of March. That means that no buses, no trams and no underground metro is running- it makes getting to places a lot of fun! Fortunately, Berlin has two metro systems: the U-Bahn, which is the underground metro (not running at the present time) and the S-Bahn, the not-underground metro!!! The S-Bahn, unlike the U-Bahn, does not belong to the BVG; instead it belongs to the DB (Deutsche Bahn- Berlin's Via Rail) and is thus still running. However, that is also soon going to change, as the DB has announced plans to go on strike this coming Monday, as of midnight. That means that on Monday, Berlin will have no running public transport of any kind. For me, that means a free day from work! For others, that means a big headache trying to figure out how to get to work.
Why is everyone striking? Easy, they want mo' money $$$$$$$$$$$$$
Oh yeah, one more thing! Teachers are going on strike tomorrow, which means no school for me! Hello 4-day week-end!! Hello walking!!

To make you smile on a rainy day

This is what I saw on my way home, on a rainy, grey and windy Tuesday evening!

A sc-hairy decision!

I don't consider myself to be a particularly vain person. I mean, I like to look good just like anyone else, but I don't spend hours in front of the mirror, looking at myself, analyzing what I am wearing, wondering if it makes me look fat or skinny, wondering what people will think of me. However, I do like my hair to look good, or at least, not out of control, which is not always so easy, as my curls are often unruly, and grow much faster than I would like!
One of the things I dread the most when I travel somewhere for a long time is the time when I will need to go to the hairdresser and get my hair cut. It is at that moment and only at that moment, that I wish I had straight hair, because I think (and I might be wrong here) that cutting straight hair is easier than cutting curly hair. My hair is much longer when it is wet than when it is dry and I am always scared that I will end up looking like a sheep because a zealous hairdresser cut off too much of my hair! It is hard to find a good hairdresser in a new city, especially when you have such a good one at home.

There is no lack of hair salons here in Berlin. Actually, there are a remarkable amount of them, but the question is, which one can I trust with my hair? There seems to be two kinds of hair salons here in Berlin: the smaller, fancier ones, that use professional products like Aveda or Redken, that offer you a Latte Macchiato or a Cappuccino, that give you a little head massage while they are washing your hair and that charge you a small fortune for your cut, and then there are the ones that offer a simple system of cut-and-go. Let me explain this system, as it is completely foreign to us. First, when you come in the salon, you need to take a number. When your number is called, you head to the sinks, where your hair is washed. After that, you go sit down again, towel on your head, and you wait for one of the hairdressers to be free. When one is free, he or she will call you, and will cut your hair. Once the cut is done, it is up to you to dry your own hair. Once that is done, all you have to do next is pay. As you can imagine, such haircuts are quite reasonably priced (on average 10-12 euro) and I think such salons are popular among students and men with short hair. I was not courageous enough to try such a place, but my friend Rebecca (who has straight hair) did, and she was very satisfied with her haircut.

I had my hair cut twice since I have been here. The first time, I went to my roommates' hairdresser, and although the cut was good, I was not particularly impressed with it (and it was very expensive!). The second time I got my hair cut (on a whim, because my hair was driving me nuts and I was ready to pull out every hair individually- does anyone else ever have that feeling?!), I tried my luck at a small, friendly looking hair salon that I found on my way to work. I was very satisfied with the cut that Verena gave me, and the next time I need to get my hair cut, I will be sure to return to her.

The name of this "hair salon" says it all!!!

Another example of the cut-and-go hair salons found all over Berlin

McPractical!

I love the German people- they are so practical! Where else can you go to McDonald's, eat your Big Mac and fries and then cross the street to go work out at your local McFit gym?!

It's simply McPerfect!

Berlin is bear crazy!

My mission for today was simple: apply for a tax number- it's a long and mostly un-interesting story, so I won't bore you with the details. After successfully completing my mission, I went for a walk around the neighbourhood where my Finazamt was situated. Orientating yourself in Berlin is not so complicated: all you have to do is keep an eye out for the Fernsehturm. Walking towards the TV tower will bring you to Alexander Platz, which is basically downtown. So even though I was unfamiliar with the neighbourhood I was exploring, I kept an eye on my favourite tower ever, and I knew I would not get lost.
I love exploring unknown areas, because you are bound to fall on something interesting, and today was no exception. As I made my way towards a church that looked worth a picture, I came across a bear pit!!!! You read right, a bear pit, in the middle of the city, next to a church and a children's playground. But the best part is that there actually was a bear in the bear pit! (In the excitment of finding a bear pit, I completely forgot to take a picture of the church that led me there in the first place, how typical!)
Let me introduce you to Schnute, Berlin's official City Bear. Schnute was born on January 18th, 1981 and lives in the bear pit with one of her daughters, Maxi, who was too shy to come out today. The two bears live in this pit all year round. The pit is surrounded with water, although in the winter, they remove it, as brown bears don't actually go into water during the winter. I have to admit that although I enjoyed looking at Schnute, there, in the middle of Berlin, I also felt a bit sorry for Schnute (and for Maxi). Their living area is not very big and it must be boring for them to be stranded there on that island. But maybe it's better than being in a zoo? I'm not sure.

Berlin is bear obssessed!

Berlinale review

The hype is over, the stars have gone home, and its back to "normal" movies for us here in Berlin- the Berlinale ended on Sunday with a "remise des prix". The Golden Bear was awarded to the Brazilian movie Tropa de elite, which tells the story of an elite police squad's battle against the drug barons in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. I didn't see that movie, but I suppose if it won the first prize, it can only be good! I wanted, in this post, to review the movies I saw during the Berlinale, but to be honest, I suck at reviewing things! Unlike many of my friends who can give you concrete and detailed arguments about whether or not they thought a movie/cd/play/etc was good (or bad), I can only tell you if I liked it or not. Don't ask me to tell you why- I can't put it into words! It is thus a good thing that there are "professional" movie/cd/play/etc critics, although if you ask me, everyone should make their own opinion about whether one likes or doesn’t like something. So, because I am not a good critic, I will instead summarize each movie I saw (don't worry, there are only three!) and tell you whether I liked it or not.

1. Cela s'appelle l'aurore, Luis Bunuel, France, Italy, 1955/56, 102 min
Presented in the Retrospektive category
The movie takes place in Corsica, where a sympathetic company doctor hides a sacked worker, who has murdered their boss in revenge for the death of his sick wife.

It was OK, but nothing special.

2. Le premier venu, Jacques Doillon, France, Belgium, 2008, 121 min
Presented in the Forum category
French film auteur Jacques Doillon follows his young protagonist in provincial northwestern France. In her love affair with the very first man to come, she seeks an intensity that her bourgeois home withheld from her.

This movie was strange, very strange. Plus, the male lead was sketchy!

3. Full Battle Rattle, Tony Gerber, Jesse Moss, USA, 2008, 92 min
Presented in the Panorama category
The directors of this movie take us to California's Mojave Desert, where the Americans have installed a mini-Iraq for military exercises. In this way, hundreds of people with Arab roots find jobs as extras.

By far the best of the three movies I saw. It is not yet being distributed, but if it comes to a movie theatre near you, you should go and see it.

That's it folks!

Side note: Because there were so many movies being presented one after the other, and because time was an issue, no popcorn was sold at all during the Berlinale festival, to ensure that the cleaning of each room did not take too much time. What?!?! Germans are CRAZY!

Schloss Sanssouci

On Sunday, as it was such a beautiful day, Ronny and I decided to head to Potsdam, the capital of the federal state Brandenburg. Postdam is a 20 minute train ride southwest of Berlin. The biggest attraction in Potsdam is the Schloss Sanssouci, with its palaces, parks, botanical gardens and fountains. It is the biggest World Heritage Site, under the protection of UNESCO, in Germany.
As you can all imagine, we were not the only ones who had the idea to head to Schloss Sanssouci that day- the park was full of couples leisurely walking about, families with kids running around, and elderly couples slowly making their way from one place to another. It is typical here in Germany to go for a walk on Sundays, as most stores are closed that day, although that is slowly changing, which I find is rather a pity. Coming from Montreal, I am used to having everything opened on Sundays and although sometimes it is frustrating not being able to go shopping on Sundays, I mostly really enjoy the fact that everything is closed on that day, and that one must find another activity to occupy oneself. Sundays here are all about enjoying your time with friends and family, appreciating what nature offers us and of course, taking the time, at around 4pm, for cake and coffee! Doesn't that sound like a most fantastic way to spend a Sunday?!