On Turkish Markets, 'handys', 'WGs' and haus projekt hip hop

My a lot has happened. There are markets here that you just happen upon. Huge markets. At first it seemed small enough. I barely noticed it walking along the canal. Was it the Spree? Methinks not. But I had to see for myself. And then you enter this thronging throbbing slow moving everyone touching snake. Any kind of produce you could want. Beautiful shiny fabrics used for head scarves and dresses. Things frying with spinach and cheese (I had one: kais mit spinat). I was almost sold a bicycle as well. White hard cheeses that all seem very salty and very foreign and very mysterious next to buttloads of olives and oddly shaped breads. I wish I had some photos of it all. I eventually made my way out with some sweet oranges, tomatoes, apples and 3 avocadoes (3/1Euro). I found my way home and still Katherine hadn't arrived.
Katherine was to arrive that afternoon, back from Chicago but she took a little longer than expected. She's here now though. Everything is fine.
The day before the Turkish excursion (which had really just started as a long winding aimless walk - the kind I really like), I managed to go check out a WG in the neighborhood. A WG (vay-gay) is a Wohngemeinschaft {thanks jean}, or living community. They vary in nature from the super communal - holding dinners regularly, open showers, sharing food to a somewhat less entwined community. That seems to be what I checked out. Its this 5 or 6 story building in Kreuzberg that was squatted back in the '80s when tons of these 100-year old buildings were empty because no one wanted to live in the neighborhood. It was West Berlin but so close to the wall that it was on the outskirts of the city basically. You can see the area here: 23 Sorauer Strasse: Meine neu haus? The wall was just over the river Spree there.
So anyway, long story short I'll be living in a 340 sq foot room thats painted all white (including the woods floors). There are around 6 other people in the building including a mother of a 1.5 y.o. baby. Everyone's in their 30s and is a student of some sort. Since school here is basically free and employment is basically nonexistent, the former is a good option and many people are pursuing a few subjects. So I'll be in that house for 2 months (when my sublettee returns) and then who knows? Is that even a word? I have no idea. If it is, its probably not spelled like that.
Kreuzberg is a vibrant place to be and I'm happy to be here. Being the area that Mary and I crashed in a while ago, its the one I know best in Berlin yet its also kind of offputting sometimes to be in all these same places. But its about making them new again I suppose. Already I feel like I know the city much better and things make some sense. Plus I love the graffiti:


Coming soon: my 'handy' adventure and voyage to 'subversif': haus projekt hiphop, fussball tables and the smokiest basement ever.