So far this week has been a lot calmer because we are getting accustomed to how they do things and we are getting more comfortable with our speaking skills and using the public transport. We got an amazing introduction last week to Berlin but there is still so much to do!
Yesterday I got to go to the top of the Siegessäule to see a breathtaking view of Berlin. When I got back to Amelie's house her parents told me that on top of the Siegessäule is where they got engaged! They pulled out a photo album and showed me the cutest picture of them after Amelie's mom said yes. I also got to eat my first full Döner, a German favorite, (just kidding, that is a lie becuase I did not finish it), but it was really good. One of my favorite things that I did not mention in my other blog about my host family specifically are how much effort they put forth to communicate with me. I feel bad about my lack of German skills but they reassured me that it is fine. I also love how Amelie's mom always has gummy bears with her. I have developed a slight addiciton to gummy bears that I never expected to have. Other things I am very thankful for are the fact that they give me regular water becuase they know I do not like sprakling water and that they make me coffee some mornings.
Before I write this paragraph on diversity I would like to say that the German keyboards we are typing our blogs on have the "y" key in a completly different spot so the word "diversity" is quite annoying to type (also there is no spell check on my computer, sorry mom).
As far as diversity in Berlin it definitely has a big city feel with the amount of different ethnicities and languages I have heard being spoken, but at the same time it does not strike me as that different from back home. The refugee crisis, although, is not something we are experiencing in Springdale right now. All the Germans I have talked to about it seem very welcoming toward the refugees. Ricardo (Jacob's German) told me that he is okay with having them in Germany as long as they do not have to use their school's gym to house them. This attitude I feel is significatly kinder than what people back home think about the refugees. The diversity of the city as a hole including the refugees and people from all parts of Europe is worth paying attention to.
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