Ups and Downs

Writing from the DJ office:
*On the downside: Refrigerator broke Sunday night, causing my freshly-purchased groceries to spoil. This morning, the maintenance man told me he’ll bring a new one “next Monday or Tuesday.” I said ‘What am I supposed to do about food until then?’ His reply: “OK, maybe Friday.” Grrr.

*On the upside: Shout-outs to all of the many friendly people I’ve met in the last few days. Matt from AP and his wife Ali were extremely warm and welcoming and have invited me to hang out at their place regularly.

*And last night I experienced my first “stammtisch,” the German name for the tradition of meeting weekly at a designated restaurant for drinks and discussion. This was at a pub in the Nordend, a quiet but trendy neighborhood north of where I live. I tried my first apfelwein (“apple wine”), a local Frankfurt specialty – not quite like cider, more bitter, but not bad when served as a “spritzer.” I joined this group thanks to Tibet, one of the German journalists I met during orientation who’s now working in Portland. He put me in touch with his friends. Thanks to Susann and the others for making me feel so welcome.