Today marks two significant milestones. First, I am officially out of quarantine! Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, upon my arrival in Germany, as a traveler from a “high-risk area”, I was required to enter quarantine for 14 days. This time was subsequently reduced to ten days for me because the various German states and regions are allowed to establish their own quarantine requirements. The quarantine is part of the reason I haven’t posted much over the past week. There is only so much to report when I have been isolated in my apartment. And since the city is still on a lock down for the remainder of the month, there will still be very little I can do while most businesses are still restricted. But I am happy to be free to go outside, explore my neighborhood a bit, and do a little local shopping for essentials (versus ordering from Amazon).
Aside from being out of quarantine, the second significant milestone is, this is the longest period of time I have ever stayed in Berlin. Ten days is not very long, but whenever I have visited Berlin in the past, I would usually only stay for one week, with the exception of my first visit in 2004, which was for nine days. I am looking forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead as I continue to get settled in my new home city.
Next up on my relocation task list is registering my address so I can receive my Anmeldebestätigung, a document that proves I live here. This document is a requirement to do things like open a bank account, sign up for a cell phone contract, and get health insurance. I am still waiting for the necessary confirmation document from my landlord, who I’ve been hassling for the past week, but he assures me I should receive the document today. Then, my relocation agent will make an appointment at the Bürgeramt, which can be scheduled online for the same or next day.
Finally, my best friend Carsten and his partner Nico, who live in Switzerland, sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine to welcome me to Berlin and to Europe. They were delivered last week a couple of days after I moved in. It was such a sweet and unexpected gesture and the flowers have added a nice touch of color and life to my otherwise bland white apartment. Thanks guys! I love you, and I’m happy that we’re now living closer to each other and will be able to see each other more often once the pandemic restrictions have eased.
