No oversleeping for me today! I set two alarms and put both phones far far away from my bed, so there was no chance I would subconsciously turn off the alarms either. I also had time to go for a run in the Tiergarten, shower, and have breakfast =]

Our first session today was at the South African Embassy where we were able to meet with the Ambassador, Reverend MA Stofile. I really enjoyed his lecture, which was about the importance of understanding another country's culture and building trust before engaging at the political diplomacy level. I think foreign policy very often misses this crucial step, and we wind up making avoidable mistakes because we don't understand the cultural implications of our actions. Anyway... I guess what I'm try to say is that I really enjoyed the Ambassador's presentation and Q&A session. It was definitely the highlight of the day.

We had a pretty decent break for lunch, so a group of us went and grabbed some take out food and headed for the hill in Potsdamer Platz to relax for a bit. It was hard to believe that I passed out on that hill in a jetlag coma four years ago. This trip is definitely bringing back some nappy-poo-real-quick, strassenbahn-near-death-experiences, chicken-AGAIN nostalgia. Of course I had to grab a mocha at Balzac coffee. & of course that only makes sense to you if you were on the German class trip in 2007.

We had a lecture at the Australian Embassy after lunch. After a presentation from their public affairs officer we headed for the East Side Gallery, a close second for my favorite part of today. The East Side Gallery is about a one-kilometer long section of the Berlin Wall that was left intact where artists painted scenes that signified freedom. I think one of the reasons I love Berlin so much is how far the city has come not only since WWII, but also since 1989. It's like a city of proof that change and progress are both possible.

After I was done taking photos I began to realize how hungry I was! I had eaten a pretty light lunch and it was getting to be 8 or so... definitely time for dinner. Ashley and I met up with the guys and headed towards Warschauer Strasse in search of the infamous Turkish meatballs we had heard about at lunch. We didn't have a restaurant name or an address, but somehow we managed to find the spot. And they were absolutely delicious =]

After dinner I decided to head back to the hotel and call it a night.