Think local, eat global!

On the last day of NOISE, Katharina said to make sure to go to Kreuzberg when I made it to Berlin. I even wrote it down in my planner so I wouldn't forget. Well, Katharina, I did a little better than that--I live in Kreuzberg! Kreuzberg is amazing, and huge! Kreuzberg is one of the especially alternative areas in Berlin, and I have spent days wandering around, and still there seems to be more! My U-Bahn stop is Kottbusser Tor, which connects to the U-1 (which goes to the East Side Gallery on one end to the Kufuerstendamm on the other) and the U-8 (which has so many neat neighborhoods, including Mehringdamm, along it). Kreuzberg is also home to a large immigrant community from all over the world, but we have mostly Turkish immigrants and their families in our neighborhood. At first I was a little hesitant to use my German, because most of the time I have (what sounds to me like) a pronounced American accent, but Sabine said not to worry, because there are so many people from different countries that I would fit right in. I'm just adding to the linguistic diversity in the neighborhood--how amazing! I live near Oranienstrasse and Adalbertstrasse, which have so many great clubs, restaurants, and cafes, as well as little alternative shops that you really can't find anywhere else. There is even a random Italian bookshop on Oranienstrasse that really has more books in German than in Italian, but nonetheless has many books in Italian and some great feminist postcards. I haven't been into the African store yet, but that will change. Along Mehringdamm and Bergmannstrasse there are a neverending supply of awesome second-hand clothing shops and eclectic shops selling all sorts of things from around the world. My favorites are Checkpoint (second-hand clothes) and Alt-I can never remember its name but it's on Bergmannstrasse (for everything from Indian hammocks to scarves to pillows and chairs and so many other things I could go for broke on. Then there are the endless parties within a ten minute walk from my house--amazing! But probably my favorite thing about living in Kreuzberg is the seemingly infinite amount of ethnic restaurants--Turkish, Lebanese, Syrian, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Vietnamese, Indian, and I know I am forgetting so many more! I literally can't stop eating! And it is all sooo good! When I told Kellie about what I had eaten in my first three days alone, she couldn't believe that I hadn't eaten any "German" food, and I told her that I can't do that because if I want to eat what is in my neighborhood, I can have Thai for lunch and Lebanese for dinner (which is a terrific combination, might I add). I love it! I have yet to get around to sampling Turkish food, but considering the fact that my cousin Kriss lived in Turkey for two years and now considers Cajun food to be blah and mild, I might hold off for a few more days if I want any tastebuds left. I love that I live in a place where if I want to "think local," I automatically "think global!" Amazing!