Did you know...

...that amaretto and orange juice tastes just like a spiked Orange Julius?

Well it does. And it's delicious.

Last night we had a farewell party for Mariusz, our friend from Poland. Or, actually, he hosted it and provided all the food and some of the drink. I can't say that he and I ever really hung out without the rest of the group, which is a shame, but I got to talking with him last night and he really is the coolest guy ever. Wicked sense of humor, super nice, and very smart. I mean, seriously - he moved to Germany a few months ago without speaking much of the language at all, enrolled in a course at our Institute, made friends and met lots of new people. Not just anyone can do that. And bam! now he's going home to work for a couple months.

Anyway, before I get all nostalgic and sad about how it's just the beginning of the farewells (my own included!), I'll just be glad that my time here has allowed me to meet an abundance of wonderful, caring people. As Woodrow Wilson once said, "[f]riendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." How true that is.

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In other, slightly more random news, I am booking my flight home today. I was a bit concerned because any of the flights I wanted to take home (i.e. the slightly cheaper ones) leave Berlin at approximately 7 in the morning. Now, as you may know, the train to Berlin doesn't run any earlier than 5 a.m., so you do the math. Thankfully, last night I asked all the natives for any tips they could give, and one of them has offered to let me stay with him and his girlfriend. So yay! No sleeping in the airport for me :)