As it’s my two-week anniversary here in Berlin, I thought it might be time to reflect on what Riga does better.
Um…
Ummm…
Right, moving on.
Sunday saw me kissing Hermie goodbye Hermie kissing me goodbye, and me clanking down four flights of concrete steps with a 30-kilo suitcase. So much for Quiet Sunday. Still, I made it to Bjorn’s place (now ‘our place’) in one piece and have settled in perfectly. Just to prove the point, I bought a nice pair of slippers, because nowhere feels like home without a nice pair of slippers waiting for your tired little tootsies.
In the mornings, I wake up to birds singing and this view from my window:
It might just be my imagination but I’d swear even the birds sound happier in Germany. I looked out just now and there were a couple of bunnies frolicking around the yard/forest… I mean, seriously, is this place for real?
Bjorn also seems happy to have me here. In the mornings, I’m greeted with ‘Hello, Sunshine’ (which I definitely am not), and in the evenings, when I get home, ‘Hello Pretty’, which I also definitely am not. Still, I guess it beats ‘Hello Demon Bitch from Hell’ and ‘Hello Roadkill’.
He says it’s nice having me around the place, which is just as well as it seems like we’ve already synchronised our peeing habits. This was evidenced by me, half-asleep, stumbling in on him in the loo in the middle of the night. He took it well.
He also hasn’t mentioned (or hopefully slept through) me waking myself up from a dream by shouting ‘NO, NO, NO’ at the top of my voice on my first night here. I might have been dreaming about Hermann, but then surely it should have been ‘NEIN, NEIN, NEIN’?
In other news, I started teaching today – and it went well. I’ve been offered five more groups starting from mid-October. Now I just need to get the red tape show on the road so I can actually get paid for them.
My new landlady seems to be having difficulty adding my name to the lease, which is holding everything up – so much for German efficiency. I might set Hermann on her…
Fluffy slippers!
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They are so cute 🙂 But not as white as they were!! White may have been a poor choice…
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Washing machine? Dye them?
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Or just keep wearing them 😉 I don’t really care what my slippers look like!
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Yep. Good point!
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And it’s not like I’m trying to impress anyone 😉 You should see my pajamas haha!
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Giving the world ideas now!
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Actually, I guess the world has already seen them – they were in the post with the pjs and heels 🙂
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I missed that one. Darn. Now I’ll have to look for it.
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Ah yes, the slippers outside the door thing. I’m used to it now of course but at first it was. What?! Why?! My feet are perfectly clean but obviously, not clean enough.
I sometimes freak out if I’m wearing an expensive pair of shoes for a cool party and I have to take them off! I’ve been known to either hide them behind a cheap pair or just wore them anyway. I use the “it’s OK she’s British card” when it suits me!
I like your slippers. They’re cute.
I used to have Goofy slippers, Piglet (from Winnie the Poo) slippers, and Sponge Bob slippers. I’m married now so I wear HIS slippers. I like them big and floppy!!
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Ha, yeah, I’m planning on playing the Irish card quite a bit as well! The Swede isn’t fussy about the shoe thing – I just like a nice pair of slippers 🙂 Hermann gave me a few funny looks when I trotted into my room in my trainers though 😉
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That’s what being “foreign” is all about. Taking advantage. When necessary. 🙂
A couple of girls and I decided to drive the wrong way after the LOVE PARADE festival. It was very late, and ‘cos we couldn’t be bothered to turn all the way around. It was a very long street…Anyway, we got caught of course. And that wasn’t the only thing. We were in a mini jeep and at least 3 of the girls were in the “boot”. They were all German and I was the only Brit so they nominated me spokesperson. I put on my poshest accent and feigned complete innocence of the fact that we were driving the wrong way. No problem! This is ze right way. Score! I don’t do all that stuff anymore of course, as they’ve cottoned on. Shame really!!
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Ha ha, yeah, I guess there are so many foreigners living here, you can only get away with that type of stuff for so long! To my knowledge, I haven’t done anything wrong yet, but who knows 😉 I’m sure there are plenty of laws I know nothing about!
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Ms. Roadkill? I used to know one, are you sure we haven´t met?
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Maybe you ran past me in Riga some day 😉
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Ah…Hermie gave you a good-bye kiss – now that must have made your day!! 😉 haha But you should have asked him to drag your 30 kg suitcase down the stairs!
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He stood at the top of the stairs watching me and apologising that he was too old to help 😉 Bless him 🙂
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Well hello little Miss Sunshine!
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It’s the all new me 🙂
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Sounds like Berlin is working out well. Love the bunnes and the birds.
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This morning I was woken up by a billion glass bottles being collected 😉 The honeymoon is over! 😉
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How lucky you are, you don’t have to take those bottles in the stadtbahn to de collection point and wait for sprint and the birds will make you crazy in the mornings. 🙉
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I guess they won’t be around for too much longer anyway! But the bottle crashing will be eternal… 😦
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Wow, two whole weeks and you haven’t yet managed to upset the entire country? Are you losing your edge, Miss Linda?
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I think I might be! Doesn’t seem like a bad thing though 😉 Think I’ll piss the Swedes off first…
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Except for the dream (and the red tape), it sounds wonderful! It’s good to read you’re settling in … and more teaching starting in October? Fantastic!
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Yeah, it’s great! I’m also on the ‘cover list’ now, so I’m covering a couple of classes this week and next for people on holidays/sick. It will all add up eventually! 🙂 I was chatting to another teacher yesterday (an American girl) and she was saying it took her four months to find work here so I really feel lucky!
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What was the dream about?!
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I think I was fighting off some bloke – just like real life 😉
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Where the cynicism and sarcasm?
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I’m sure it’ll come 😉 The next post might just be pure rage – we’ll see. I also have to fight the urge to slap tourists every day, if that helps 😉
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Boy, oh Bjorn!
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Ha ha! He just walked out of his room all sleepy 😉
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It’s room-mate honeymoon! Next: co-ed sauna…
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Now now, steady on! Although, for the sake of research, I guess I should give that a shot some time… urgh, the thought of it!
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Oh yes. Expect to get naked and then be swatted with birch branches, then plunged into ice-cold water 🙂
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I was hoping Germans just wandered around in nice warm rooms with their bits hanging out.
Your version sounds more Latvian/Russian! And that did NOT appeal!
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It’s Swedish! But yes, I suppose it’s common to all the northerly European cultures. And once you get acclimated to saunas, Olaf will start you on lutefisk (fish jello). Oops, I mean Bjorn.
I speak from experience, as the Long Suffering Husband is from all Swedish grandparents…
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Ugh, he was raving about this caviar in a tube thing you can get at IKEA. Ugh. 😉 I’ll make him eat it in his bedroom!
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New question: how do YOU greet the Swede?
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Don’t talk to me until after I’ve finished my tea 😉
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TEA?
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Well, what else would I be drinking in the morning?! The Balzams was only with you 😉
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I miss it. I want some black currant balsams. NOW.
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Sorry, I’ve only got the original one 😉 Giving it to my friend as a ‘gift’ tomorrow 😉 He might not be my friend any more after that 😉
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Cinderella slippers and happy tweeting birds all around…. Maybe they will get to the point of undressing you in front of the Swede sometime soon? 🙂
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Let’s hope not! I always knew birds were trouble 😉
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You passed from horror stories strictly made in LV to German fairy tales.
where’s all your cynicism gone??! 🙂
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I guess living in a civilised country changes you 😉
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I cheer you up with some Latvian gold when you’ll be safe (and bored) in Deutschland!
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No thanks 😉 You keep it – you’ll need it more than I will, trust me! 🙂
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You are safe for now, wait for sprint and you would love to have a gun 🙉
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Is that legal in Germany? I guess I could pepper spray them – I know that’s allowed… 😉
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Silvy is so right…..sounds just like Snow White over there…
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Makes a change from being the wicked witch 😉
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Bunnies frolicking in the garden. Are you suuuure you’ve moved to Berlin and not, say, that house in the woods where the fairy godmothers took Aurora? Although to be fair I once saw bunnies on a patch of grass in Frankfurt, and there are also some by the train station in Mannheim. All I’ve seen in Karlsruhe is squirrels.
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Don’t think I’ve seen any squirrels yet… The bunnies were just there again 🙂 I swear it’s Berlin and I’m not high!
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Awesome title 🙂 Hurrah, for ye moving in with the Swede, and here’s to Bjorn, who hopefully won’t come on you from the back with a NEIN, you’re doing this wrong. Or like Nej, that’s not a Swedish way of doing things 😉 But I’ll def miss Hermie, he was such a sweetcreep and that much fun to read about.
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He was blogging gold but I’m still happy to be out of there 😉
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Good grief, sunshine and frolicking bunnies…did you move I to a Disney movie…
I don’t trust Disney!
Your new living arrangement does sound awesome though…as long as it isn’t Disney 🙂
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Some mornings, I sing to my tea cup and it dances around… 😉
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Aaaaaargh! This is highly suspicious behaviour…keep an eye on what goes in to your tea…
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Luckily it’s only bunnies outside. I dread to think what would happen if a frog showed up… 😉
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Hmmm…I should monitor it if I were you…
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I will, I will 🙂
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😀 I shall expect a full report 😉
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Jeez, you’ve gone all ‘boot camp’ already 😉
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Hehehe I have to practice you know 😉
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It all sounds lovely so far – considerate flate mate, bunnies on the lawn, happy birds singing…
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Give it time 🙂
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Happy Gilmore – one of the many well known films I’ve never seen!
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Well, get on it! There’s a long winter ahead – probably 😉
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I will add it to my list… Is it your top ten films?
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It’s in my ‘top ten makes me laugh no matter what’ movies 🙂 It’s not high-brow but it does the job 🙂
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Perfect – I like films like that. 🙂
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Let me know what you think when you get round to it! 🙂
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First of all – I was gonna get all yelly again. You took so effing long with the post! Seconf – this all sounds ridiculously idyllic. I love it all. I want more. Also plz email me your new number. I have to call you. I might be moving to Berlin.
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And leave Moscow? You? Never 😉
But I do think you’d love it here! I think it’s the greenest city I’ve ever been in! Plus great nightlife, culture, food, people, and all that other good stuff 😉 And birds and bunnies 🙂
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I’m afflicted by a case of The German…
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Then surely, Berlin is the wrong place for you?? 😉
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He said he might commute. And we have discussed Interpol in Moscow…
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I think I’m afraid 😉
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you should be. I am.
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I’ve got a Madness song in my head – guess which one 😉
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I dont know any bc I dont know this band …
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You know ‘It must be love…’, right? 😉
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No?
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Sheesh. Youtube it 🙂
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Not… Miss… Sunshine…!
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The fool doesn’t know he’s playing with fire…
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I’m a damp squib at the moment – been up since 5am – so he’s safe enough! 🙂
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Ha ha! It appears we’ve come full circle 😉
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He’ll learn soon enough…
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He saw a bit of the dark side today… I went to IKEA. Good Jesus.
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Is that were you got him from? Flat-packed “Flåtmaten”?
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I wish everything Swedish came assembled like him 😉
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I’m sure you’ll be stripping him down to his constituent parts at some point…
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No, no, that could result in homelessness 😉 There are plenty of other, um, parts to strip in Berlin 😉
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I think I’ll let Anna pick it up from here…
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Ha ha! She’s got enough on her plate by the sounds of it! 🙂
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I’ve just read her comments… she’ll be blogging from Tallinn soon…
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Think a bit closer to home – my home 😉
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I can tell you’re very very scared right now…
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I’d move back to Riga but she liked that too…
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