Took shelter from the rain today and found RiRi. 🌂🕶 (at Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art)

Crack den or corporate office? Can't get enough of Berlin's gritty charm. (at Berlin, Germany)

Got acquainted with Berlin from the rooftops today. (at Hotel ZOE by AMANO Group)

All the colors and textures today at Funkhaus Berlin. (at Funkhaus Berlin)

Celebrated Mother's Day/my birthday with the whole fam, same as usual. 🇨🇦👋🏼🇩🇪 (at Berlin Prenzlauer Berg)

Hungover picnic park day with @yesbuenonobueno (at Volkspark Friedrichshain)

Bit of a bike ride to Kreuzberg, but I'm in love with Original Unverpackt the packaging-free supermarket 😍 (at Original Unverpackt)

Lunch break neighbourhood stroll. (at Wedding, Berlin)

New view at the office 👀 (at Ahoy! Berlin)

One month in Berlin! Still constantly in awe of all the amazing street art. (at Köpenicker Straße)

Cherry Blossoms on my walk to work 🌸🌸🌸 (at Zionskirchstraße)

More amazing graffiti from Berlin. This city is so interesting and colourful. 

On getting sick in a foreign country, on a holiday

When my work said that we would have Friday AND Monday off for the Easter weekend (in Canada it’s just Friday) I was both delighted and a little nervous. I don’t know that many people in Berlin still and many that I do know were going away or home for the holidays. I was legitimately not sure what I would do to fill four days of free time, but it turns out the universe had an idea on how to fill at least one of those days.

I started to feel sick on Friday. Headache, nausea, abdominal pain and general exhaustion. I figured this was because it takes a lot of time and energy adjusting to a new city, job and way of life. Turns out it wasn’t that, it was an actual illness that required medical attention. And you know when you’re sick and you tend to feel utterly helpless and are just in general a useless bag of crap? I didn’t really have that luxury in this situation. So I faced a real challenge – how to find a doctor on Easter Sunday in a new city (country/continent!) I knew if I didn’t do it on Sunday, I would be hard pressed to find a pharmacy open on Easter Monday.

In my quest to find a doctor I emailed a random woman whose apartment I viewed when I first got here. I didn’t take the apartment, but I did remember that she was a doctor. She gave me some advice for calling doctors that come to your house. Interesting, but I wanted to go the old fashioned route. Then I texted a really lovely woman I met at an event this past week, and we had just had coffee the day before. She came to my rescue and suggested a hospital in our neighbourhood with a quiet emergency room.  

I packed all the things I figured I would need for a day at the hospital; phone, charger, iPad, book, passport, health insurance certificate.) What I neglected to pack was 100€ cash, which you need to pay when using their services. Being Canadian, I’m used to going to the doctor as I please with no exchange of money. Not the case here. So in my fragile state (walking was quite painful) I had to get to the closest bank to take out money. Still I forged on, arriving back with my wad of cash to pay for urine samples, blood tests and general medical advice. After the four hours in the emergency room I left with my diagnosis, a prescription and a recommendation for one of the very few pharmacies open on Sunday (even on a regular Sunday, not much is open here.) Yet, the hardest part was not over.

I walked slowly and painfully to that pharmacy, only to find it closed. Lies! I shed a few tears of desperation on the pharmacy stoop while searching on my phone where the closest open pharmacy was. As I walked the 25 minutes to the only (hopefully) open pharmacy in the general vicinity, I caught my reflection in a store window. Walking timidly and hunchbacked due to the pain, a weathered and exhausted expression on my face, tears in my eyes, hair disheveled from having stayed at the club till 5am the night before. Let’s just say I wasn’t at my best and I’m pretty sure I scared a few Berliners that had the misfortune to pass me on my journey. I nearly strangled the man in front of me in line at the pharmacy as he meticulously debated with himself over which flavor of Haribos to buy. (The gummy bears obvs!)

Somehow I made it back to my flat and up the tree flights of stairs that seemed impossibly daunting at the time. I am now rested, heavily medicated and slightly wiser and worldlier than before. One thing that helped me get through this horrible day was a text from my best friend that said something to the effect of “if you can make it through this, you can literally do anything.” And you know what, I did, and I can.

Now I just have to deal with the insurance company for my claim. Wish me luck!

On taking a vacation from a new home

*Written on March 17

Ever since I made the decision to move to Berlin people have asked me if I’m scared, excited, nervous, sad, etc. During my process of planning and even during my first week here, I barely felt any of those emotions. Mainly I just felt confused yet determined. Determined to find a job and a place to live.

Now after being gone for 10 days (only 5 of which I spent in Berlin due to a little detour I took to Paris with my BFF) I have a place to live until the end of April and I have a job until the end of July. Survival mode is wearing down, and now suddenly I’m starting to feel all those emotions people talked about, and then some. I’m not scared about surviving here, I know [think…] I can do at least that. I’m excited about all the new experiences I’m going to have, I’m nervous to start a new job and to make friends (it’s hard as an adult!). And I’m starting to feel really sad about the people I left behind. I know it’s not forever, and technology allows for constant communication, but not being able to sit next to, hug, laugh with, be silent with, do everything with those people is pretty heartbreaking.

I know this is the feeling of homesickness. I’ve felt it before and I’ve survived it before, but it is difficult. And I know that when I come back those people will be there and it will feel as though I never left. But for the time being, this is purely emotional, not rational. But I’m glad at least to be feeling the emotions now. I was starting to feel a bit like a robot, which is not very me. If you know me, you know I’m all about the emotions. So we’ll see how this phase goes. And to any of my loved ones reading this, I love and miss you!

Meeting new fury friends and enjoying the sun today 🐶☀️ (at Berlin, Germany)

Made an exciting purchase today! Can't wait to explore Berlin on this beauty. (at ARENA BERLIN)

Au revoir to Paris and to @jillianvieira. So glad I got to see you both 😘👭🗼