Things I miss

There is plenty to love about this city, and Germany in general, but it is undeniably lacking in a few material aspects. Since it is a Saturday night (obviously not breakfast time but please don't hold it against me), and I am home alone studying, I feel I am entitled to be nostalgic, and share a few of those wistful moments. And also a few appreciative observations about Deutschland because on the whole it is a pretty cool place and one should always count her blessings.

• You Tube. It doesn't work. You cannot watch the official music videos from most artists, due to some licensing issue which I probably should understand because I'm a law student but don't.
• Coffee. According to my very unofficial but highly conclusive research, Australia has the best coffee.in. the.world. By comparison, it costs almost nothing and you can go crazy with your milk choices - skim, soy, full-fat. Germans aren't terribly into low fat products, although I have to give credit for the BIO versions of everything in the supermarkets and most eateries.
• Sushi and other foods. Sure, you can get sushi here but it's pricey. I've found myself yearning for a fresh tuna roll with sesame seeds many a time. Other noteworthy groceries I've pined for include low-fat crunchy peanut butter, Weetbix and buck choy.
• Stuff in English, especially uni classes. It takes me around four times longer to read a page of a German textbook compared to a page of English, which is a major drag. Plus, doing stuff like going to a hairdresser or doctor or buying an electrical appliance require hours of prior mental preparation and a dictionary or a willing translator.
• Credit cards. You can pay with them everywhere in Australia and stroll around cash free. Here, even the major supermarket chains don't always accept them and send you across the street to search for an ATM.

Things I do rather enjoy:

• Lower rent prices. I pay less than half the rent here than in Sydney for a beautiful room that is more than twice as big. Other bonuses are that the flat has no cockroaches (they are almost non-existent here), it is insulated and because tenants here actually have rights, mostly you don't have to worry that the landlord is going to sell the place from underneath you or put up the rent every year just because they can.
• My student transport ticket. I did resent forking out 150 euros at the start of semester for the ticket, but I have to admit, being able to step onto any local trains and trams without thinking twice is pretty damn convenient. And it's totally true what people say about German trains - they really are (almost) always on time.
• Turkish food. What take-away Thai is to Newtown, Turkish cuisine is to Kreuzberg. Having tasted the freshest falafel, the softest bread, the tastiest gozleme, and those sirrupy, buttery sweets on a regular basis, I am sold.
• Beer and other beverages. The beer here does not disappoint. There is something to suit almost all tastes, it is cheap and you can drink it on the street, on the train or in a hospital. Also, the relatively low taxes on alcohol in Germany mean that I can buy bottles of decent Australian (Cassella's) wine here for less than what I pay IN AUSTRALIA.
• Being able to get to other countries fast. Obviously a major plus point for European cities, from Berlin you can spontaneously drop into to Poland or Denmark and return flights between Berlin and Milan cost as little as 30 Euros. And yes, I am taking advantage - trip to Croatia, Italy and the UK in August already booked.