Temperature Varience

We are getting cold. Not snowing cold yet- but nearly. That is not, however, what worries me. I can do cold, I do Idaho winters on a regular basis. What does worry me, is the lack of variance in high and low temperatures. Berlin has a startlingly small variance in these key numbers. Tomorrow has a high of 40° forecast, the low? 33°. Today was very similar, and while next week promises a slight increase in the temperature- the 7° to 10° difference promises to hold true. What does this mean for the cold, hard winter before me? If the low and high temperatures are so close- I am fearful of the future. And I don't scare easy.


I have a very nice pair of radiators- but I live by a simple winter motto- Suck it up, put on another sweater! I am saving the environment, one pullover at a time!

Beyond the apartment- German buildings and public transportation are like most public spaces- amazingly overheated. I don't quite understand how Germans manage to stay bundled up inside and while riding the subway (they rarely loosen even a scarf), but they do and I can only imagine it has to do with the dreaded European fear of a sudden change of body temperature. This is the reasoning for avoiding drafts like the plague and always wearing a scarf wrapped around the throat. Tomorrow is a snow/rain mixture, ugh!

Jetzt Geht Los!

For you unfortunate souls that do not speak German, that means "Here we go!" Classes have finally started. Here's a brief rundown of what I'm taking (with their corresponding English titles):

Jüdische Theologie im Spiegel des jüdischen Gottesdienstes - Jewish Theology as Seen Through the Mirror of the Jewish Worship Service

Mütterlichkeit- Motherliness (about constructions of motherhood in literature)

Mordsfrauen- Death's Women (about women as murderers in literature/film)

Frühhöfische Epik und Spielmannsepik- Early Courtly and Minstrel Epic

Bilder der Apokalypse in Mittelalter- Images of the Apocalypse in the Middle Ages

I have visited all the courses so far, with the exclusion of the exciting Middle High German class which does not start for two more weeks. I think my favorites will be the theology course and the middle high class, which has not yet started- but I guess we'll see. The theology building is in a beautiful location- behind Hackisher Markt, next to the Spree and close to the Berliner Dom. There is a little green spot next to the Spree and it is very picturesque.


It was a very charmed first class to go to. Now, because I need a grade for any classes I take, or Berkeley thinks I just played in Berlin, I have to go up to every professor after class and introduce myself and say hey- want to give me a grade? It is a bit nerve racking, but I seem to be doing fine. The classes meet about half as often as classes at Berkeley (2 hours once a week), so that will take some adjusting, but so far I am just excited to be in classes again.

Outside of school, it is very much fall. Leaves are falling everywhere and it smells like autumn- that slightly molting scent that fills your lungs as you walk down the street. A few days have been sunny, but for the most part we are looking at clouds and more clouds. I am not too cold yet, but I have taken to using my heater! It works pretty well, and when I have laundry drying in my room it dries much faster. That and my warmth seem to outweigh the dryness my mouth experiences each morning from the lack of moisture.