I’ve been in Berlin for just over a week. In that time I’ve moved into a new place, given notice on that same place, filed a lost baggage claim for my most prized possession (my bike), three days later reunited with my bike, started a new job, switched health insurances twice, traveled to Hamburg, and managed make some new friends.

I am loving the feeling of being on a new adventure. I purchased a subscription to babbel so that I could learn German. So far I’ve used it every day. Nein, Ich nicht spreche Deutsch. Don’t act like you’re not impressed, I did that without a translator. I also saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood without a translator, by mistake. Of course it should have occurred to me that the movie would be in German, but after 20 minutes of commercials and previews in German, it literally only occurred to me when Rick Dalton starts his interview with Allen Kincade… For one hour I tried hard to be that person who pays attention to context, body l.anguage, etc. and appreciate the experience of watching a film in another language. Then I took a nap for one hour. Then I woke up for the end…

I also purchased this AWESOME “gym” membership. I have access to over 6,000 gyms, studios, etc. in five countries – for only $90/month. I realize that relativity matters here… In the US this would still be considered expensive, but coming from Kenya??? This is unfathomable. I went to the gym on my first day of work, and tried to get in the pool. It’s a 17m pool, width of three normal lanes, but only one lane is delineated. There is (apparently) a strict 3-person per lane rule for circle swimming. Not wanting to mess up the flow, I went to the open area with loungers, water walkers, and breast strokers. The lady who came in after me tried to join the circle lane. All three swimmers immediately stopped, popped their heads out of the water and scolded her for trying, pointing to the clearly marked signage on the wall. The only word I recognized was entschuldigung, which surprisingly means, “Sorry.”

No one likes credit cards here. They don’t trust them and shops find them expensive. Using cash is really helping my budgeting efforts, as it’s easy to feel a pinch when spending and withdrawing. Big chains leave Berlin because no one wants them here. Even Google succumbed to pressure and moved neighborhoods after receiving aggressive resistance from its originally planned community. This has only presented problems after 10pm when I’m craving food delivery, and Uber and Deliveroo have apologetic notices on their websites that they no longer operate in Berlin. #keepitlocal #buymoregroceries #stopthemunchies.

I have not “gone out” in Berlin yet for two reasons: I’m scared, and I’m old. Berlin has no boundaries. And I respect that. But for now I’m still conservative, heteronormative, and in self-care/self-preservation mode. If these are not words that you’ve ever used to describe me, it’s not me that’s changed, it’s the context. Think on that. All of my roommates are U23. And none of them play football/soccer, it’s just a convenient way to categorize. They are shocked when I tell them I’m 32. They think I’m 25… I no longer look at this as a compliment… Thankfully Berlin is full of fun activities for everyone. On Saturday night, I bought a ticket to Lange Nacht der Museen Berlin. A one-ticket, all-night pass to the museums.

Work is cool too. My office looks like all of the tech start-ups you see in the movies. We’ve got crates of sparkling water, orangina, and beer and unlimited espressos, so I can literally feed my addictions while focusing on my work. We do not ride scooters around the office. The breakrooms are filled with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free snacks. All systems are app-based which makes working from anywhere encouraged and easy. Most people show up around 10am and leave between 6pm and 10pm. #noboundaries.

The last three days I’ve been touring our warehouses in Berlin and Hamburg. As an employee I get vouchers to ride our scooters. Last night in Hamburg I was flying through town on wet roads when someone who wasn’t looking stepped towards the bike path in front of me. I hit both brakes, put my left foot down to try and stop myself, and like all epic movie wipeouts, everything slid forward and out from under me as i landed flat on my back, scooter on top of me. In more shock and embarrassment than pain, I quickly got up, parked the scooter and walked away. I am confident all-weather safety is next on my optimization task list…

Come visit me (when I have a home) and for all you all-star friends who have introduced me to new friends here – I appreciate you risking your social credibility.