just one of those days...

today has been... special.

after class i decided to go to the citibank ATM way on the other side of town so that i don't have to pay any finance charges. 1) it's a really really cool atm where you can do all sorts of cool things like transfer balances and 2) it makes me feel like i am seeing more of berlin. so i take the S-bahn (El-train) with two of my classmates. after one of them informed me that even if my return trip on the S-bahn is within 2 hours, i cannot use the same ticket (contrary to what i had thought). also, apparently another girl in our class tried to use the "i'm a foreigner" routine and got a 20 euro ticket when she had the wrong ticket EVEN THOUGH the ticket she had was the same price as the one she should have had. my classmate then asked me how much the ATM fee was, and since i would have felt really really stupid if it were less than my S-bahn ticket, i told her 5 euro, even though i don't know what it is. (a one-way ticket costs 2.10 euro) she agreed that since it would cost me 4.20 to go to the ATM, it would be cheaper than a 5 euro fee. neither of us pointed out it was only 80 cents cheaper. i then decided to walk home from the ATM. i left the ATM at 6:35 and figured i'd use the biggest streets per my map. at one point, i look up and there is barbed wire on top of a very tall gate. i think i found the berlin prison. kind of ominus. anyway, i stopped on my way home to get luisa some postcards she wanted from this one store, but it was a very quick stop.

then, i was thinking that i would walk quickly and make it to the store that is right behind my house. i didn't know what time it closed, but i was hoping 8. well, around 7:45, i realize that i am maybe not going to make it to the store since i have no idea how far along this street i am. i see a small corner store across the street that is still open. so, i cross and am about to go inside when a woman, seeing me holding a map, stops me and asks me for directions to hackeshar mkt, which i actually know where it is. however, i don't know if i told her the right way since we were on a street i wasn't familiar with. i'll feel bad if i told her the wrong way. if i happened to tell her the right way - good deed for me! after she left, this cute little asian boy comes out of the store and shines a light in my face. i didn't even get upset! i smiled - i think he thought he was giving me a light to read my map.

anyway, i go inside. it is just before 8 and they are obviously closing. it was a little shop owned by an asian family so half of the store was filled with things you'd find in the chinese grocery store in chinatown - that strawberry "pudding" and sesame toffee. no matter which way i went, i was in someone's way. they were bringing in all the fruit from outside and just putting it in the middle of the isle. then the woman was sitting on the floor putting prices on things and i almost stepped on her. well, i find what i am looking for (chicken and PRETZEL sticks) and go up to pay. the woman gives me my change and since i am trying to keep track of how much money i spend, i look how much change i get to see how much i spent (since i had my ipod on i didn't hear her and just handed her a 10 euro piece). anyway, i put the change away and turn around and say "tschus!" (goodbye) to the little kid. he smiles. as i'm walking by the men outside, now moved on to the veggies, i say "tschus!" and walk on. about 3 blocks away, i realize i don't have my food. what. an. idiot.

so i RUN back to the store, and once everyone sees me, the whole store, full of asian people, starts chuckling. the woman is saying something in german and all i can say is "danke schon. danke schon." (thank you very much, thank you very much) i leave happy that i have food to eat tonight. then, after i get 4 blocks from the store, i come to the store that is right behind my house. i probably would have, after all, made it to the bigger store by 8.