Exactly a week left in Berlin...

I know I've said this before, but I still can't believe it. Time is flying. Week 5 was a good one. In my EU class we visited the embassy of Moldova (in between Ukraine and Romania), which was actually really interesting. Why would a country like Moldova be interesting, you say? And the answer is, because it has so many problems/issues it is dealing with and/or needs to deal with. It's a former Soviet Republic that is one hundred percent dependent on Russia for energy and is caught inbetween the perceived "spheres of influence" of both Russia and the EU. Both pulling different directions and both demanding Moldova pick a side. Looks like the EU is winning right now. Also, it's the poorest country in Europe with it's major export being wine. There were huge protests after the recent elections were declared corrupt by outside observers, which lead to the deaths of several students and a cornucopia of other human rights violations. And did I mention there is a breakaway region in the east called Transnistria that still has a faction of the Red Army there that controls the territory? This area is a major entry point for smuggled goods. All in all, interesting place and not somewhere I'm dying to visit. Friday in class, we visited the Bundestag (kind of like the House of Representatives) and met with a lady from the Committee on European Affairs in the actual room they meet in. Really cool room, really interesting work she does. The committee doesn't produce much legislation, but is responsible for disseminating information about what's going on in Brussels in regards to the EU. So, therefore, what the other committees know and their preceptions of realities in terms of European affairs is largely dictated by this committee. Indirectly powerful. In German class for our excursion on Wednesday, we walked around Kreuzberg, a poorer district of Berlin, and met with a local political activist, I guess is what you'd call him, from the Green Party. Our discussion was entirely in German and I'm quite pleased with my level of comprehension. Yeah, me! I ate some delicious schawarma for lunch at a Lebanese place. What else... In preperation for the final stage of my European travels, I booked hostels for Paris and Brussels last night and figured out which trains I need to take. Kevin is responsible for the rest of the hostels. Hopefully he does it. Greece seems so long ago. I did spend quite a bit of time yesterday trying to decide what I was going to order and Los Dos Potrios when I got home. The Steak Los Dos Potrios sounded pretty good, but so does the Chile Relleno Plate. I just can't decide! Anyways, I'm off to walk around the city and do some souvenir shopping. I have haven't bought anything yet, so I feel I need to go find a t-shirt with some German on it. Have a great weekend everyone! Schoenes Wochenende!