Don't walk alone through the dangerous streets of Zehlendorf....

But not because they're at all dangerous. When I was there earlier today, it wasn't even dark out yet! And, if you know Berlin at all, you know that Zehlendorf is actually one of those nice suburban areas outside Berlin where there are lots of trees, family houses, bakeries, and nice shoe stores.

My particular difficulty was that I went to Zehlendorf on my way home simply to go to the bank- and came home an hour later with an eclectic assortment of parcels under my arm, including, but not limited to three Clementines, a cucumber, a pair of brown socks, nail polish remover, a package of dried mangoes, and a take-out box of fried rice with vegetables. The good news is that I only spent money that I had before I went to the bank and, I had actually been meaning to get all of them for a while. Except the fried rice. That was a spur of the moment decision, based on the knowledge that it was 7pm and that my shelf of the fridge at home had nothing particularly appetizing on it. It was good fried rice, incidentally.

As long as I'm sharing words of wisdom acquired in the past week or so, I would also advise against trying to buy a ticket from Prague to Krakow while you yourself are in Berlin. Apparently, as Deutsche Bahn has informed me via a person at the ticket counter, internet alerts, and three failed attempts to use an automatic ticket machine in the train station, this is impossible. In fact, no one seems to know how anyone from Berlin can get to these places, unless it is by taking a round trip to each in succession (ie. Berlin to Prague to Berlin to Krakow to Berlin). If you look at a map, you'll see that this is hardly a logical itinerary for a weekend trip. If I ever get a ticket, I'll be sure to let you know how it's done.

In other news, this week has been a particularly cultural one (or it will be, once we get to the end of it). On Wednesday, the entire program went to a performance of Mahler's 3rd Symphony at the Berlin Philharmonie, which was stellar! (See photo below; I suppose a clip of the music would be more interesting, but I don't think you're allowed to record the orchestra unofficially...)

Today, we visited the house of Bertolt Brecht (most famous as the author of "Mother Courage" and "The Three-Penny Opera"). We have just finished reading the German language version of "The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui," which is a satire on the rise of Hitler. He appears in the play in the character of Arturo Ui, who is the head gangster of a group of mafia men in Chicago. His underling-gangsters masquerade as harmless cauliflower vendors, but are secretly trying to overthrow the honorable mayor of the town, Dogsborough. In the play, Brecht presents the main events of the rise of the 3rd Reich, such as the burning of the Reichstag and the annexation of Austria, through parallel happenings in Chicago. The culmination to our week of culture will be this Saturday night, when we attend the play. Tomorrow we are also visiting the house at Wannsee- practically in my backyard, actually- where the Final Solution was decided upon.

Other than these, the most exiting events in my life have been the brief threat that I had swine flu (which thankfully came to naught), progressing on law school applications, and seeing a giraffe made entirely out of legos.