First week of 2022! That’s a grab bag of 2’s if I ever saw one. (And that’s an inside joke that only a handful of people know or remember lol). My time home in the U.S. was amazing, my flights back to Berlin were smooth sailing and my first days back were delightful. It only took a few nights to get readjusted to the time difference, and then it was back to exploring my new home. This week I closed out a French bar with the owners as a snowstorm made the windows looks like a snow globe, I helped celebrate Lola’s first Christmas and I saw a silent film performed with a live orchestra in Kino Babylon!
FINAL DAYS WITH THE FAM
I’m so lucky that I was able to go back to America for an entire month to visit friends and family. Despite getting Covid when I was in NYC, I truly enjoyed every second of my time in the States. To round out my exciting time at home, Joe and I binge watched all of Demon Slayer and hung out with Sulley on the couch for three days straight. Goodbye’s are bittersweet. On one side it is simply sad to leave loved ones, but alternatively, it makes my heart happy to know I have something so special to me that it’s hard to say goodbye. Until next time <3
American Junk Food Shopping SpreE
Honestly, I don’t really miss any of the classic American junk food. My shopping spree was mostly inspired by my excitement to show my new German friends all of the sweets I loved growing up. Out of everything I bought, Dinosaur oatmeal is still number one in my heart. It’s also the one item in my shopping cart that I will consistently buy until the end of time. Until I too am a dinosaur….
Sharing this food with my roommates was hilarious. I loved explaining the history of the different candies and showing off the three flavors of PopTarts that I deem “the classics.” Aka, Cinnamon Sugar, Strawberry and Smores. I also brought Lucky Charms (aka marshmallows for breakfast) and Reese’s Puffs (peanut butter chocolate F L A V O R). While we opened up the different snacks I showed everyone that 90’s commercials and died laughing down memory lane. I never realized how every snack has a mascot or a figure telling you to eat it and buy more.
hEADED hOME
My trip back to Berlin was fairly simple. My mom drove me to the airport at 3am and I caught a flight from NC to NYC. United lost my bags at JFK, but then they eventually found them while I hung out in the lounges to kill time before my flight home to Berlin. I got to JFK around 8am, so the only lounge open was Air France. It was a nice place to start my relaxing breakfast tour of the JFK airport and while the espresso was perfect, the food bar was lacking in vegan friendly options. After France, I moved on to the Prime Class lounge right outside my gate. I was planning to continue my tour of the JFK lounges after Prime Class, but I loved the vibe so much I didn’t want to leave. They had plenty of space, a ton of food options and a mirror ceiling. I ate the equivalent of two lunches and drank a few coffees to keep me awake through my flight delays. Once I was on board my flight home, the rest of my trip passed away in a sleepy haze.
I woke up to the sunrise on the other side of the Atlantic and started off my morning skincare routine as usual, with a nice face mask. I got a few weird looks with the mask on, but honestly not enough for the fact that I had a gel face mask under my FFP2 face mask. Desperate 10+ hour flights call for desperate measures.
gOAL SETTING IN THE FIRST WEEK OF 2022!
I love using the first week of the year to set goals and plan out what I want to do for the year. In 2019 I decided to read 60 books. This year I am going to go for 60 again. First up… Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyers. I know, I’m an academic… I read the book on my flight back to Berlin and honestly it wasn’t half bad. I loved re-remembering the Twilight series prom a different perspective and an easy YA book is always a good way to kick off a reading challenge.
Lola’s First Christmas
I wasn’t the only person who came home this week, Lola also returned back to the apartment! Lola, the apartment pup, was vacationing in Munich for Christmas and finally got to open her Christmas presents once she was home. We wrapped the presents in dog themed wrapping paper with kibble bits inside and the opening worked perfectly. Lola’s first Christmas was a success and I’m so happy I got to be a part of it.
Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid Mit Berlin Orchestra
On Sunday, Caroline and I went to see Charlie Chaplin’s silent film ‘The Kid’ with the Babylon Orchestra Berlin. When Caroline organized the event I didn’t know exactly what we would be doing because everything about the description was in German, but I am so amazed by what the show turned out to be. The theater is in Mitte and was originally built in 1928, but it has been able to keep it’s original charm throughout the years. The bright lights and marquee, the classic cloth seats and the popcorn stations all made the movie experience that much better. In addition to not knowing the movie would be a silent film accompanied by a live orchestra, I also didn’t know how much I would love the plot of “The Kid.” It’s an adorable story and genuinely funny despite it’s age. My only wish is that Chaplin wasn’t such a shit person so I could actually fully enjoy the movie in peace.
