Two weeks of miscellaneous awesomeness

4.4.2016

German customer service

First the not so awesome part… In these past two weeks I’ve experienced a bit of bad luck with German customer services. The internet operator had missed the order for the Quick start -package where you can get prepaid USB modem almost instantly while you’re waiting for the connection to be installed to your home. After many phone calls to the operator made by my colleague, they agreed to compensate the USB prepaid internet if it is bought from their store. Well I went to their store and they did only sell mobile interfaces so I had to go and buy the stick from local electronics store Saturn. This incident also included me trying to explain this whole situation in German because the first guy did not speak English at all. In the end just good practise. So I finally got a prepaid internet after almost a couple of weeks stay in Berlin. The fridge didn’t also come at first try to my apartment but luckily the second one right before Easter weekend was a success. There is nothing to complain with the face-to-face service though, it has been solid. Also these are only the coughs of the exchange program pilot phase and will not concern any future residents really. Somehow the similar things happen for me also in Finland so I can’t say that I was surprised, I seem to collect them all…

Zen…

Not having the internet connection at home has been quite refreshing. My apartment is totally silent and since I usually stream my music from the internet there was total silence. Not having offline Spotify music was a choice… I noticed that without any distracting background noise and no browsing of social media I got into Zen-like mood where I had time to be inside my own head and think about the stuff that really matters in my life. The same effect I get when hiking in nature which is why I love it so much. Clearing your head from too much stuff at times is healthy.

Sightseeing

There is nothing really I could say about the normal sights like Berlin wall, Holocaust memorial and similar other than they are cool, respectable and crowded all the time but I was surprised how awesome the parks here appears to be! I browsed the sights by jogging also this time and among the similar than mentioned above I went to the biggest park called Tiergarten which was awesome even now when it’s just waking up to it’s full glory for the summer. Endless paths with bridges over the ponds and sunny areas by the water where to have picnics. The other half of the garden that I didn’t yet explore includes also some cafe’s and restaurants. I’ve seen only pictures about the other parks but they’re next! So I would say that you find me and my friends chilling in the sun from some of the parks when the summer catches up.

Beer o’clock

On Fridays the office gathers to the kitchen to have a couple of beers and talk about the week — some presentations on any interesting topic or just about what people have been doing for the past week. I had the pleasure of listen about the ethics of software, ecological smart houses as well as all the conversations that were inspired by these topics. We actually stayed there for three hours after work and had a good time, normally the event is not that long though.

Finnish community

On Easter weekend I felt it’s time to get socialised also outside work so I used the power of social media to hook up with some Finnish people living in Berlin and was gladly surprised how easy it was to get connected. There’s valuable advice about German living and monthly events where you can meet people. One guy from Oulu introduced me to traditional German pub, I think you call them “Kneipe” and we agreed to go to local football match once it gets a bit warmer which will surely be an awesome experience.

Bars & Clubbing

I think I found my favourite bar when I was meeting another guy from Oulu and his Czech girlfriend…why everybody is from Oulu by the way? The bar was called Tiki Heart Cafe in Kreuzberg. The atmosphere was open, staff was friendly, there was chill music and not too loud so you could speak without shouting, you can’t smoke there which is good for non-smoker and drinks are cheap as well as their delicious burgers. The awesome company I had of course made the evening but I think the bar was perfect package for me and there should more places like that in Finland, places that feels like a living room not just a place where you get drunk… I also tried a bit different places with people from work. One was themed as gothic vampire bar where we looked like totally outsiders and the other one was one of the many techno-electro clubs where you only go after 2am and they don’t close until 8am. What I’ve read and heard, these places were just scratching the surface so there should be something for everybody in Berlin. As a guitarist the next ones have to be clubs with live music!