look, i'm sorry i haven't been posting.

my last month before leaving berlin is literally flying by and i am being forced to work on essays day in and day out. in case you're interested, writing two papers in german feels a little like dying.

i'm getting freaked out about leaving berlin although i am obviously excited to see certain people (you know who you are.) though i'm a bit nervous that things will have changed a lot at home, i'm also scared that they will be the same and either way, i'm worried that it will not be an easy transition. i tried to make a list of things that i hate about this city in order to convince myself that i want to leave it, but compared to the list of loves it really does come up short.

in the end though, it's the people that matter and i can't wait for all of you. you're on my mind, in my heart [sorry but i am just that cheesy], and well: get ready for me.

i'll be in nevada city on august 8th and in berkeley on august 19th.

and suddenly, i can't wait to be back.

i'll probably post before then, just not until these papers are done.

but in order to leave you with a smile on your face (and also to de-schmaltzify this post):

1)berlin during the world cup is AH-mazing. i am really glad that i got to be here during this time; the germans are crazy into their futbol and it's so fun whenever there's a german game. they're playing argentina on saturday. GO GERMANY.

2) here's me at my best:

(doing my thang, poking at my friend's left over eisbein (aka pork leg) which had all manner of interesting things still attached: skin, bone, fat, veins, HAIR. disgoooosting, but i should obviously have been a surgeon.

greece

and someday when i've finished my three papers and it's not the world cup and i'm not trying to eek out every last bit of happiness i can out of my berlin time, i'll write about it. though i'm sure the words will come very soon as it is sometimes necessary to procrastinate. for now, you can try to see it as i saw it.

DISCLAIMER: some pictures are stolen from hannah [just giving cred. where it's due]

(photo cred hannah)

(pchannah's cam by way of lily)

(pch)
(pch)
(pch's cam by way of me)

(heart)
(pch)
(photo cred hannah's cam. by way of me)
(pch)
(pch)

(pch)

out of order

brussels (day 3)
bruges (day 2)
bruges (day 2)
bruges (day 2)
antwerp (day 1)

a poem about a poem about you

• if you like beer, you will like belgium.
• if you like shopping, you will like antwerp.
• if you like venice but wish it were colder and that the official language spoken was flemish rather than italian, you will like bruges.
• if you want to visit a city that represents the european union but which is itself the capital of a country that is considering disbanding, you will like brussels.
• if you like traveling through countries in the span of three days while still managing to see three famous cities within it, you will like the belgian train system.
• if you have strong thighs and a desire to burn calories, the medieval tower in bruges' central square was made for you [366 narrow narrow tall tall steps to get to the top. and then all the way down as others try to get up the same tiny little staircase].
• if you have been in europe for five months and miss urban outfitters and your first name is jennifer, you will go to the three story urban in antwerp and purchase a heart necklace with a j on it [oh god, but i havent taken it off since]
• if you like watching fit and not fit people [30,000 of them] run 20 km through a city, you will like brussels on a certain sunday in may.
• if you like cobblestone streets and chocolate and thinking and hostels that are attached to bars [actually the only thing i didn't like about belgium was this hostel/bar. it was lamelamelame], go to bruges.
• if you like waffles with toppings [many different ones, your choice] or street waffles with sugar in them, belgium will make you drool on yourself.
• if you like buying espadrilles for 3.50 [and even though you will ruin them a week later in greece during a freakish rain storm], bruges will make you sing.
• if you like light, sweet, delicious beer that gets you quickly tipsy [heyy, 9% alcohol], try a belgian beer on a terrace in antwerp with a friend.
• if you like thinking about the dynamics of nationalism, the reasons for statehood--like, how can this state that has two national languages even consider surviving its inability to keep a stable government in check? and if it can't do that, how does the european union even think it stands a chance??--definitely talk to me because i am obviously interested. but talk to me about it when we're in belgium together, duh.
• if you have two friends in belgium, you should visit them there. if you don't have friends in belgium, you should go anyways.

i bet you'll like it.

watch this video.

i'm in greece for 15 more hours, been mostly offline for ten days and let me just say, life would be simpler if the internet did not exist.

byfornow,
love,
jenny