Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas

Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas, Berlin

I watched a German film called Victoria this week about a Spanish girl living in Berlin. The whole film is shot in real time and in one take, and follows her meeting a group of Berliners over a night. I don't want to give anything away - my only advice is to watch it, even without subtitles if you prefer, so you can really go into the mind of Victoria.

I've spend most of my evenings after class going to the gym, cooking dinner and then studying two hours of German. It can be lonely sometimes, but there is something refreshing about routine and having enough time for myself to do things that I always skip for a social occasion back home. I really cherish the free-ness I have in Berlin, the lack of commitment I have to many things, the idea of living life a little slower but more enriched. My boyfriend is coming in two weeks, so maybe that will change things a little bit, but I'm excited to have company again.

Neue Heimat

Neue Heimat, Friedrichshain.

Life in Berlin is going pretty damn splendidly at the moment. A year ago I was a mess; I almost failed a couple of exams, I was crying a lot, nothing seemed to be going right whatever I did and I spent a lot of time leaning on my wonderful friends shoulders. But now, I can't even imagine what I felt like back then. Everything has changed so much. My biggest problems right now are - my pan is too big too cook scrambled eggs, I can't finish a loaf of bread by myself before it goes stale and I miss my boyfriend. But he'll be here in a month, and I'll have someone to venture with to the abandoned airports, military stations and all the cool things that are in Berlin.

This week I've been going to the cinema a lot in an attempt to watch all the films nominated in the Oscars. Brie Larson has been one of my favourite actress' for a while now, and I cried so much when she won her well-deserved Oscar. I stupidly watched Room on the plane to Berlin, not realising what an emotional rollercoaster I was in for and cried for most of the journey. It was such a raw experience. The film didn't pity the characters, nor did it portray the experience as a sick circus show for its viewers. It was very much a show about love, connection and survival. I have never seen another film quite like it. Other films I've seen this week include Brooklyn, Carol, Spotlight and The Revenant. Brooklyn and Carol satisfied both my love of the 1950s fashion as well as my passion for a well written love story. Spotlight was intriguing for the whole two hours despite knowing the ending (because, well, its history). I found The Revenant, however, boring, lacking in a major plot line and dragging on for way longer than it should have. Other films I hope to see this week include - Amy, Victoria (a German thriller that I've heard rave reviews about here), The Hateful Eight and Anomalisa.