Adeus, Lisboa. Hallo, Berlin.

I'm in Berlin, having left Lisbon this morning at about 11:00. I was obviously really, really sad to go - of all the places on my trip, Lisbon was one that I had relatively low expectations for. But I had an absolutely incredible time, made some friends I fully plan on seeing again, and learned quite a bit in the process. Now I'm back somewhere where I don't speak more than about four words of the language. Awkward!

But Berlin actually seems, from the little bit I've seen of it, to be pretty cool. It's a lot more like the States than Lisbon is - flying in, it actually looked a bit like Indiana - and it feels familiar in a way that the places I went to in Spain, at least, did not. (Lisbon felt familiar for the simple fact that it felt a lot like Brazil. Probably because everyone was speaking Portuguese. Surprise!)

In any case - it's 5:00 but it feels later, and I'm pretty wiped and my contact lenses are bothering me, and I really desperately need a shower. But the hostel is really quite nice - a little less welcoming than the Traveller's House in Lisbon, but it had an elevator and I'm sleeping on a real bed (rather than a bunk bed) for the first time in recent memory, so I guess it'll do. I see Clara (exchanger last year to Muncie, currently on a week off of school) tomorrow, which should be cool. And as soon as I get my shit together I'm gonna go attempt to figure out where I am and where food is and how I can arrange to have the two be the same place.

For the record: all of you should go to Lisbon. Seriously. I will most certainly be back.

OH! And for those of you wondering about Teach for America - I'm through to the last round of interviews. Mine is on October 30th in New York City, and I'm currently working on some stuff I have to do for that. A little shameless begging and I now have transcripts waiting for me at the Registry in St. Andrews. Of course this means I'm gonna have to do a detour through Scotland after I leave Liverpool but before I go down to London to catch my flight. But that's fine, I can manage that. Plus I get to see people again before I leave, which will be lovely.

But yes, I'm really nervous/excited about the interview. And I have a huge long to do list while I'm in NYC, including my Brazil visa. A month from now I will be landing in Sao Paulo. And considering how much better my Portuguese has gotten over the week I've been in Lisbon, I cannot wait to see what four months in Brazil does to it.

Did I mention I'm going to miss Lisbon?