Living in Berlin, at least for a little while

Just chillin' in Berlin's coolest hostel, Wombats City Hostel.

Hi,

So here I am. In Berlin. If you read the random update from a few days ago, you must know by now that I was starting to look for a way to live in Belrin. And you know what? I’m mostly there! In fact, the reason I wrote that last post is because I was feeling kind of low. I’d just ended a too-short visit with my parents and a lot of things have been going through my mind for the past few months.

So, after being left alone in Berlin with this idea of moving here for a month, I naturally panicked. I’ve been abroad a long time, and I’ve definitely been anxious to find a place to call home…at least for a little while. So I spent two days frantically looking at apartments, all the time switching hostels in search of the cheapest deal, and it all started to add up. I started doubting myself. What was I thinking? How could I live in Berlin when I don’t speak a word of the language? What am I even going to do here? Can I honestly afford it? What if I don’t make any friends? 

The thing is, I’ve done this before. When I visited Israel last July, I basically fell for the place as well and decided to stay longer. (Read Slow Travel: Two Months+ in Tel Aviv) And maybe because that was near the beginning of my trip, it was a bit easier. I was excited, but less anxious. This time, in Berlin, I’ve also been incredibly excited since deciding to stay longer, but much much more anxious. I suppose that’s because I’m not at the beginning any longer.

Anyways, I was needlessly panicking. After no more than two days of searching for a room to rent, I found exactly what I was looking for. A nice, comfortable bedroom in one of the trendy areas of Berlin, and with cool, sociable roommates—all at a decent, affordable price as that. Maybe I’m lucky, but really in just two days time I had exactly what I was looking for. Mixed in with a few good (errr…exceptional) nights out and meeting several people, I’m beginning to feel quite comfortable. This city is definitely for me.

Check out my new digs! Loft bed, beautiful workspace & lots of room for myself.

A new beginning

I’m excited to spend a month here, maybe more. After my four months in Tel Aviv ended last October, I wrote a few quick words on how to live abroad successfully. Looking back at it now (go ahead, you should have a look, too) I realize I’m doing the exact things I suggested for successfully living abroad in a completely foreign country. Good to know that I’m consistent, at least! I’ve got a plan for how to occupy my time, a bed to sleep on and I’ve already met several people here in Berlin. And though I don’t want to sound too optimistic, I think I’ll have an easier time of making friends here than in Tel Aviv.

So with all this on my mind, I’m pretty freaking happy. Last night, what with meeting friends for an 11pm happy hour, cheap wine, trying to find a club hidden in the back of another club, dancing to Joy Division, and coming home after 5am, I really can’t complain. And today, after waking up hungover and with my contact lenses still in, I managed to get outside while it was still warm & sunny. Figured if I want to really make it in Berlin as a hipster, I better stock up on some new clothes from H&M, notably underwear & socks. Berlin, I’m ready for you.

Expect more posts about my summer as a hipster Berliner :)

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New to travelsofadam.com? Adam is a graphic designer who left behind a job in Boston to travel around the world…in search of creative inspiration, new knowledge, tasty food, different cultures & interesting people.  And apparently he didn’t need to go all the way around the world, because it’s all in Berlin. Become a Facebook fan or subscribe to the RSS feed for regular updates.