Berlin in September

Every city looks the same in September. Berlin is London is Boston is Paris.

First, a few overdue August memories:

1. Eating croissants/drinking espresso and people watching at Les Pâtisseries de Sébastien

2. Carambars and all the French goodies at Cafe Fleury

3. New neon sign at Tor Bar reading "lächelnd sah sie aufs meer hinaus" or "Smiling, she looked out to see"

&&& September:

Rosenthaler Platz giving me all the positive vibes I need to start my days:

Walking to Mauer Park on Sundays has become one of my favorite weekend activities. Love the perpetual drum circle, watching youths (and geriatrics) play basketball, and the occasional karaoke. I came to this park every weekend in September: first to register Lena for her flea market stand, to visit her at the stand the following weekend, with Sol & Audrey to watch basketball, and to soak up the sun and journal the last weekend.

I became an expert in U-bahn mirror selfies. Solina came to visit for a weekend and took us to a "colorful" themed party, where this rainbow animal print suit was my favorite costume. Unfortunately, I purged all colors from my wardrobe before moving to Berlin so my outfit was unspectacular, but Solina wore a yellow bathing suit top and Audrey wore a blue mesh dress over her favorite jeans. We hula-hooped the night away and enjoyed singing Christina Aguilera's "Dirty" a bit too much.

Strolling down Oderbergerstraße is never boring - from effortless grunge-glamour to tropical flowers growing out of trashcans. I feel like I find everything I love about Berlin on this street.

Spontaneous brunch in Kreuzberg was a welcome change from the usual wholesome weekend activities in Prenzlauer berg, especially if it includes nachos and margaritas! Tequila at noon was surprisingly not the worst idea.

I went on a lot of morning walks this month (new 7am wake up time like I'm in middle school again!) that usually ended up at Audrey's front door asking for coffee and subsistence. We watched Taylor Swift's Reputation Tour video at least 6 times through...and are ready to keep doing it in October. Other Netflix recommendations include the Italian drama, Baby.

Things we cooked/baked in September: bolognese, pasta with vodka sauce, veggie hot pot, carrot cake, pumpkin bread, lots of roasted brussel sprouts, Goop chilli, and lots of soups.

Berlin's Festival of Lights was a fun way to rediscover some of my favorite places in Berlin. The light shows on Berliner Dom, Bode Museum, Staatsoper unter den Linden, and Brandenburg Gate were gorgeous. Bode Museum (pictured below) was my favorite - I watched the lights switch on a few minutes after sunset.

This month I swore off Risa Chicken (just have to remind myself that the batter tastes like ramen noodle seasoning and I can remember burping up my midnight order three nights later). When I feel like grabbing something late at night, K'Ups Gemüsekebap never disappoints.

Berlin streetstyle is growing on me. From chunky boots paired with a red puffer jacket, to leather pants and jackets, and finally a dressed up all-black ensemble - I think Berlin streetstyle might peak in autumn.

Lena, Yuqi, and I like to pretend we're freelancers on "no meeting Fridays." We'll try to meet up at a cafe to do some work, catch up, and get out of our "home offices." Yuqi types so quickly that it forces me to also be productive and these catch ups give Lena and I a chance to exchange team horror stories (and some good stories too)!

After 8 months in this city, I finally feel like this is where I live and not as temporary as I once thought. I'm proud of the friends I've made, the cafes I've discovered, and my daily routines that keep me sane in this insane time. My manifestations are unfolding!