escaped

so i pushed the reset button on this whole host fam situation
and now is the official time when i fled.
i went out dancing with daniel just a few hours ago,
and he agreed to help me pack up and escape right now.
i'm spending the night with him and couldn't be happier!
on to freedom and independence and collecting empty bottles!

ich habe die Nase voll

jumping ship.
getting the fuck out of potsdamn.
mostly packed already, fleeing tomorrow
and not regretting a single thing.

if i could describe my host family situation in one word
it would be 'trying'

also with this photo:

some nice and pretty things mixed
with disgusting trash and cigarettes.
self-contained in it's own small world
and inactively segregated from the outside.
(i would be the Punica bottle in this metaphor, i think)

i'll take it a step further and say that
i am ready to close the lid on this garbage
and leave the kitchen for good.

potsdam revamped

i live here.


i drink this.


i flee in 2 months.

AvPD

done on a regular basis these days >>

backtrack: one month!

wow.
can't believe it's been one full month since my mom visited!
time to update.


we toured potsdam, spent obligatory time with the host family,
and wandered the berlin streets in the last days of collld.
i oftentimes fell asleep on her bed,
stole breakfast from her hotel's breakfast buffet
(pictured above),
went to work and never went 'home' !!!


we also ate an excessive amount
including this pile of meat dinner from schögls
whatever we didn't finish we packed up
and ate later in her hotel room
after stealing plates and silverware from the hotel kitchen.


my mama knows how much i love almdudler.
also that's the last i'll see of my winter jacket for awhile
(she took it with her with the assumption the weather would soon be nice)
((she was wrong!))


i just think she's so cute.


it was a great trip overall and i miss her a lot!
i've kept myself busy since,
but i'll be seeing her again soon enough :)

the CONS & PROS

so i need to move to berlin. it's been too ridiculous lately with traveling 2-4 hours a day, sleeping roughly the same amount (!!!) and just feeling like going back to potsdam and the same host family situation is FAR from ideal. moving sucks for sure, but seeing other people's apartments in berlin makes me rethink things... so here's the cons and the pros (rather than pros and con, since i wouldn't be reconsidering the situation if everything was positive and great, right?)

CONS:

• smoky shit smell
  
• sharing bathroom - never shower, no time in morning
  
• 1hr+ travel time each way to/from work, sometimes 2x day to party in Berlin
  
• host family never eats together - Microwave is king!!!
  
• socializing around the televiison - TV waves = brain waves
  
• computer- & South Park-obsessed host father ***doesn't look at me anymore!
  
• total mismatch in personalities & interests
  
• 205 euro rent + only 100 euro stipend (compared to 250 euro stipend when living in a shared apt) to barely live there, barely eat their food, and to have little to no contact with these people
  
• sometimes pissy host sister
  
• host mom badmouthed Ulli!
  
• Bahncard expiring 31.03.10 - no need to pay extra just so i can go to potsdam every day
  

PROS:

• WAS convenient during the university phase
  
• relative privacy
  
• internet connection
  
• food always available
  
• sofa is relatively comfortable
  
• always warm
  
• uni gym membership & proximity
  
• trips with daniel
  
• someone else does the cooking/shopping/cleaning
  

i mean i don't want to make it out to be the worst situation ever, but it'd be nice for a change... a big change for the remainder of my time here. i'm searching for places now!

familial familiar

my father visited me last week.
it was surprisingly enjoyable.
strange to see how my opinions are changing
from being away from america for so long.
we drank together for the first time,
ate lots of meat and bought a coat and shoes.
the heat in the rental car was broken.
we beat a homeless man to death in the park.
the end.

weekend photo journey

fouad arrives, without coat.

fouad hasn't hurt his shin yet.

fouad used the bathroom for free.

fouad enjoys paprika chips, almdudler and whisky.

fouad thinks about apartments some more.

fouad likes apple cake.

fouad pays to use the restroom.

fouad eats chicken mush on the flight back.

make moves

new address: Zeppelinstraße 171, 14471 Potsdam, Germany
new host family: amazingly nice (paprika chip nice)
new room: has an elephant potted plant stand!