So, I'm part of a bunch of different ex pat groups trying to make new friends and connections that will hopefully lead to a job. The first group I joined was Internations. It's a very serious/business related kind of ex pat group. I've been to a couple of events that they do. They're always really big 50-100 people and usually just at a big bar that is in a theater. It's a cool venue, but a little too spread out to really get to know people easily. Some of the people are just theater patrons, too. So, you might just end up talking to someone not in the group, which is sometimes better. And it's a little too "business casual". Most people are in their power suits and like to talk about their careers. *yawn*
Then, I finally went onto MeetUp.com. I had totally forgotten about this for a few months. So, I set up my profile and joined every group I could. So, I'm in a English-German Stammtisch group, an English Stammtisch group, Hamburg International Women's Group, Hamburg Dining Out Group, Hamburg English Speakers New In Town Group, Indoor and Outdoor Activities English Speakers Group, and Hamburg Professionals MeetUp Group. And I tried to set up a LGBT and Friends group, but I found out in the last set up page that it cost $75. F that. I'm unemployed and I could use that $75. I mean...really. = I searched long and hard for gay groups, but they really don't do that here. I've been to the gay part of town....St. Georg - pronounce -GAY-ORG. Not joking. Really. (Think Sound of Music, the dad's name was Georg - GAY-ORG, too. I just realized that during a recent viewing. Yes, I made her watch it with me........TANGENT.) In St. Georg, we picked up EVERY gay/lesbian magazine, postcard, zine, flier and sticker that was sitting out at the gayest bar we could find. I only found
So, this was a English-German Stammtisch (it kind of means regular's table...)
Anyway, a lot of these groups are called Stammtisch-es. This one was run by this woman, Petra, but goes by Peti - like Petey. She was a real...... go-getter. It was a very.....interesting.....time. I sat with her and another German woman for the first bit until a new Indian guy Raki came along and I offered him my seat. Then, I tried to go say hi to a German woman I know and she's a lot of fun, Kerstin, but there were no seats at her table. So, the other table offered me a seat. I'm calling this the Ukrainian table. Yes, only 1/2 of them were Ukrainian, but .....make it so. They were a really weird table...and very passive aggressive. After a bit the P-A people left the table after I started talking about lesbians and the Camino de Santiago. Guess they didn't get it. Whew.
I've been to three events by the E-G Group and it's all been VERY different. The first one was at an Indian Restaurant, Maharaja, in the Kiez (Red Light District/ Reeperbahn ). This picture makes it look really tame. It CAN be, but Thursdays through Saturdays, it's nuts. Lots of "alternative" people, meaning gutter punks, dirty drunk old men, hookers galore, homeless people sleeping on the streets while drunk dudes piss right next to them. It's a fiasco on wheels. I don't even like riding my bike on the street past the craziness. One of our neighbor/friends told us that it's getting really bad there. Ok. Anyway, that night turned into tons of funs. The whole group (a few Indians, a couple of Germans, a bunch of Asians, an Australians and I) decided that we should go to the Christmas market in the Reeperbahn (across the street), after a few Glühweins mit Schuss (shots of liquor - rum for me), a smaller group of us headed off to find somewhere warm with more booze. We ended up at this disco...mainly for teenagers, but it wasn't too crowded on a Saturday night and wasn't too expensive. We stayed there for hours shouting over the music. After more and more and more drinks we decided that we should just stay up and go to the Fischmarkt that starts at 5am. It was already around 4am. So, we decided to start walking over there. By this time, it was only me, a funny Irish chick and a cute German dude. On the way, we wandered into a tiny dive bar that I have always wondered about. It's right by the Fischmarkt and is AWESOME! It felt like a combination between Brady's in Santa Cruz and the Cozy Inn in Culver City. Shitty, punk rock, stale beer smelling, cheap ass drinks-a-havin' wonderful place. Everyone was, of course, shit-house-drunk, by the time we arrived. We ended up sitting with a guy from Denmark and one from Norway. They insisted that we speak in English. They were hilarious and bought us some drinks. We sat and drank and smoked away a few more hours. Finally around 7am, we ended up at the Fischmarkt. Grabbed a coffee due to the intense swerve we had acquired and I proceeded to do buy a crapload of sausage and cheese. Mmmmmm.....
Anyway, this English pub was pretty rad because.....I found this on the internet and the owners were REALLY NICE.
"Yes, its pretty interesting if you like The Beatles. The owner, Gibson Kemp replaced Ringo Starr when he left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to join The Beatles. Also Astrid Kerscherr, the photographer who is portrayed in the film Backbeat is a regular customer. I think some of her early photos of the band are on the walls in there."
But, my favorite so far is the Hamburg International Womens Group because we go to the English movie theater. For 7 Euros we get a glass of champagne, chat and then watch a flick. Good times.
Ok. Now, I'm supposed to leave with Burgleinchen to another expat event with the Womens group meeting at a cute French cafe in the Hafen (Harbor). It's the new old part of town. BUT it's really cold and we would cycle there. Soooooooo..........we'll see.
