Tuesday 9 June 2009

hello berlin, it's nice to meet you

berlin first impression mosaic
(click to see more photos)

After 10 months of waiting on citizenship, 4 weeks waiting on passports and visas, and 35 hours of airplanes, airports, buses and u-bahn rides, we are finally, finally, finally here. phew!

Here are just a few things we have liked so far.

Bikes everywhere with different kinds of add ons to transport kids. Wagons in the front, kid seats on the back, front mount chairs, rear mount chairs, pull behind carts, half a kiddie bike connect to the back, etc. It's so safe and flat with tons of bike paths, and no one wears helmets. All the bikes are really great retro models. Such beauties! Luke is in love. me too.

DOGS!!!! I think when dogs die and go to heaven, they actually come to Berlin. I have never seen such a dog accepting city. Most dogs go out with no leads or leashes, they just run along side bikes or walk ahead of their people. Some how they all know how to heel, stop at the traffic lights, and wait outside shops for their owners. They even ride the u-bahn (subway). I see all this and miss Yoshi BIG TIME.

Everyone lives in apartments here. We were able to score a 6 week sublet with some americans right near the centre of the city (kitchen pictured above). Of course all the buildings are old and amazing. A lot of balcony's serve as people's wee gardens are are thus gloriously decked out. If you don't have a flower box, you may as well go home.

Great creative people! We had one friend already living here and so we have gotten to know a few people already, indluding our current roomates. A lot of english speaking creatives teach at these kids camps that last a week and pay the big euros. Savvy people tend to teach 10-25 weeks a year at these camps and then take the rest of the time to work on their own creative projects.

Anyway, I think that is enough for now. We are now settled and I have even found some well paying temporary work (helping out a really interesting family with their household until their permanent assistant comes over from L.A., I start tomorrow!).

But before I sign off, I have had several old friends and people from back home ask me, "How are you able to do things like this?" And I want to encourage anyone who thinks that living/working overseas sounds far fetched, because it is really NOT THAT HARD. You may have to be persistent, do some research, and be willing to take some risks, but its do able.

There are visas out there, you can find work, you can go and live just about anywhere and you can do it on the cheap. There are many teaching english abroad jobs that are really easy to get into, and there are working holiday visas available too. So go! have an adventure!

Here is wiki's explanation of working holiday visas.

okay bye for now. I will bring you more updates soon!

xkimberlee

PS. Lies, those socks! crafting and living out of a suitcase just do not go together. My craftiness lives through you now! (at least for now).


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh man, ditto to that! in fact, it's tres possible to do whatever ever ever you want wherever whenever however. and don't you forget it!

Iris said...

Those bikes are C-O-O-L! My first bike was a lo-rider (imaginatively named 'The Harley'). I gotta get me an adult-sized one.

It's so great to hear you say that moving overseas isn't the amazingly difficult toil most of us think it is. I lived in France a few years back and would love to do it again, but the endless paperwork puts me off :-( Thanks for making my excuses seem lame!

Sally Anne said...

It seems so strange to have you in Berlin when Melissa and Tom were there just the other week.!They will be home here in another ten days and I can hardly wait.
So glad you are settling in and loving the experience. Your photos are fantastic...I love the fish.

Ruby in the Dust said...

sounds like you've made yourself at home already! have fun Kimberlee :)

victoria said...

Sounds so cool. I particularly appreciate hearing about the Dog Heaven aspect of Berlin. Love the kitchen pic too.

charlotte said...

oh WOWeeeeeeee - I am so excited for you. just today i was saying to kevin i think a big proper holiday in germany would be so cool.

xxx

lily, rosemary and the jack of hearts said...

Wow wow and wow! I cannot wait to reach Berlin! I hope we might be able to catch up. :) I bought a vintage postcard in Rome and the woman on the front reminds me of you so much. I hope things only get better xxx From Olivia in Napoli!

Daniel Munn said...

Jeeeez, and I thought listening to the Kings of Leon I downloaded from Youtube was creative, but no, apparently its flower boxes. Why do I try?