Becoming Fool of Love: Happenings and Observations

There is a lot flashing through my brains right now. 1) There was my encounter with the Basis Community Church woman. 2) There's the show last night. 3) There's my Sunday morning clown adventure with the Israelis and Harv. 4) and there are my every observations about walking the streets and taking the trains of Berlin. 5) oh, and of course, there's my existential outlook and everything and my place in it.

So what should I start with? I don't necessarily want to talk about the show last night. For now let's just say that we had an awesome time playing and fooling around before the place got full enough for the show to start. We played for over an hour, greeting and interacting with passerbys, speaking a gibberish made-up of random words in whatever language came to my mind, dancing in the window with Harvey turning the scene into some kind of surreal clown red light district!

HE @ Barbie Deinhoff's,
Kreuzberg, Berlin.

It was a good experience to free our characters in order to adapt to the space. The stage was at least four times smaller than what we have been used, so we got to go down in the crowd a lot more, and that was fun. Add to that a number of free drinks - served to us backstage by a super sweet gay guy from France, name Valentin- and 30Euros for each one of us, why would I complain?

Well I said I didn't want to talk about the show- which I failed to do, hehe - and I 'm not sure I want to keep musings over clowning for the moment. I have a lot stirring inside.. and I want to let it simmer a little bit.

Besides, I do want to mention my encounter of yesterday morning. I was going out, carrying my empty backpack (they just don't offer bags for you in groceries stores here!), to see if there was a farmer's market around, and to get some produce - and a couple missing props [which consist of edibles also] for the show. As I walked downstairs Michael said something to me in German: "inefansdpcoansdlaudbvladcjndlkz"
"Bitte?" I said with that mix of desolation and frustration in my voice.
He repeated (I do like the fact that he doesn't switch to English like most Germans do), and this time I got the gist of it: some free produce, right downstairs in the building! "Was?! Really?!" So I went down four floors to the hallway, and there it was: a cornucopia of vegetables and breads and fruits... up for grabs!
Amen!

Frei Gemüse: karotten, Radieschen, Petersille,
Kartoffeln, Weintrauben, Brot, Bananen,
Äfpeln, Zuchini...und Bavarian Preztel!

A woman saw me and I saluted her. She came by, so I engaged the conversation, asking her if it was really all free and where the food came from. She explained she was with a religious organization called the Basis Gemeinde/Community, and that the food was leftovers from the Kaiser, which is a chain grocery store. We chatted for a bit; I tried to express my wonder and gratitude, and explained that I was staying in Berlin for a month or so, although without working, so that free food came as a real blessing. I told her I would write a little something about the organization and this beautiful service to the people. I told her I had a lot of time on my hands and that I could perhaps help if I could. "Es ist gut nehmen... asì (an interesting phenomenon is how the Spanish language sneaks into my trying to speak German) aber ich möchte geben.. zürück?" ("I like to take, but I'd like to give... back?")
She invited me to their gathering next Monday evening. If I understood well, they make food and they talk together. I figure it would be a good way to practice my German while being amongst people who like to focus on something greater than themselves. There's also a Bulgarian choir gathering and a gathering of jugglers I thought I could check out. So we'll see.

There's actually a farmer's market, only one block away from the apartment!

Postal delivery in Berlin

Lovely facts and observations:

Berlin it is allegedly the major city with the most trees per capita! There are indeed green spaces everywhere, little and big parks, and people who enjoy them on any given day at any given time of the week.

DJ in Hassenheide Park, Neukölln, Berlin.

Their playgrounds are also phenomenal. A few days ago, Harvey and I rehearsed at a spot that is part playground, part cemetery, and part theater!

One of many cool playgrounds; this one featurs a terrace for parents to also have a good time.

I do want to investigate more about the supposed greenness of Germans, of which I've heard a lot but so far feel a bit ambivalent about. At the supermarket, a lot of the fruits and vegetables are wrapped in plastic. Toilets have a strange flushing system that lets you start and stop it yourself; it doesn't feel like a good conservation mechanism to me. And, well, it would seem that certain of my roommates - out of 7 - do not care about throwing whatever garbage in what I thought was the compost bin. What can I say? I am disappointed.
Show me a model somewhere. Show me a culture that gets it, and has its shit together...literally!

Not pretty, but present.
(Recycling, Biotonne, etc.)

And lastly for today.
I had the thought that I should make sure to check out a few places of touristic interest too! I believe that next week Harvey and I are planning on taking a guided tour in order to learn a bit of history. For it is, unquestionably, a land of such much history!