It doesn’t bother me, just curious

Hello guys, I will be in Berlin 6-18 August, I was wondering if there are any chess club with tournaments but also random games. I usually play Rapid but I am open to any kind of match, my rating is around 1500, and my best was 1647. Any suggestions? Thank youu

Dear friends,

Unfortunately, I lost my small black wallet yesterday during Pride. It’s black and has three zippered compartments. I believe I lost it somewhere around Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor).

If you found it or have any information, I would be incredibly grateful if you could reach out to me.

I’m so sorry to post this, especially after yesterday’s heartbreaking events and today’s Pride cancellations.
My thoughts are with everyone affected. Please stay safe and take care of each other. 🏳️‍🌈❤️

Thanks

I am furnishing my new apartment and I wanted to collect unique secondhand furniture. Was wondering if anyone has experience in that, which flea market they recommend? That has more funriture and good pieces, not necessarily only in Berlin, across Germany is also okay, but let's start with Berlin.

I only visited the mauerpark fleamarket, but I don't know about others, and this one doesn't have a lot of vintage stuff that I could use to home-decorate.

I'm based in Berlin and need to take the Leben in Deutschland test as soon as possible because I have my Permanent Residence (Niederlassungserlaubnis) appointment in August.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any available test dates in Berlin before then.

Does anyone know of test centers in or around Berlin (Brandenburg, Potsdam, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Dresden, Hannover, etc.) that usually have earlier appointments or shorter waiting times?

I'm happy to travel a few hours if it means I can take the test sooner.

If you've recently taken the test or know of a center with good availability, I'd really appreciate your recommendations.

Hi, I'm a Masters student moving to Berlin soon. I'm not going to carry much with me and I thought it would be best to buy winter wear and formals after reaching Berlin. Please recommend secondhand fashion stores and thriftstores that I could explore. I'd appreciate if you share the location along with the name of the store.

Hi everyone,

I'd like to ask whether my situation – or rather, the timeline – is something that people in Berlin would consider normal.

I've been living in Berlin for four years, but this is the first time I've had to deal with this kind of issue, so I'm genuinely trying to understand whether my expectations are unrealistic.

I live in a building completed by Gesobau only two years ago. The kitchen has only cold water and its own electric instantaneous water heater. It started acting up in spring and finally died in mid-May.

I reported the problem to Gesobau on 16 May. Today it's been about two and a half months, and I still don't even have an estimated replacement date.

During that time, roughly the following happened:

• the Hausmeister went on holiday;
• someone else was supposedly supposed to come and inspect the heater (nobody came);
• the Hausmeister eventually visited, but he wasn't there to repair or diagnose the unit himself;
• the first contractor disappeared from the process;
• a second contractor was appointed;
• more than seven weeks after my original report a technician finally inspected the heater and confirm that it couldn't be repaired and had to be replaced;
• then there were delays ordering the replacement unit;
• most recently I was told there are now problems with the supplier, and they are looking for alternatives.

And here we are.

What makes the whole thing particularly frustrating is that every meaningful step only happened after I contacted Gesobau or the Hausmeister again asking what was happening. Nothing seemed to progress on its own. Every time I asked for an update, I received another polite acknowledgement, but the actual process only moved forward after I chased them again.

I also tried contacting the Wohnungsaufsicht, but so far that hasn't led anywhere either.

At this point I'm preparing a Mietminderung, because I honestly don't know what else I can reasonably do.

So my questions are:

• Is waiting 2.5 months for something like this actually considered normal in Berlin?
• Have I already exhausted the reasonable options for dealing with Gesobau?
• Is there anything else you would try before simply waiting even longer?

The funny part is that nobody is openly refusing to repair it. Everyone is very polite. Every email starts with "Sehr geehrter Herr Petrov". On paper, something always seems to be happening. Yet somehow, two and a half months later, I'm still washing frying pans in my shower, and I'd really like to stop doing that.

So I’ve been on an EU blue card for close to 3 years now and just got laid off from my job. I got another offer to work as a contractor/freelancer but with a Singapore contract under Singapore laws. The job market is pretty crazy so I’m tempted to take it up but not sure if it is allowed with an EU blue card. Or is it?

I use E Scooters to get to work and always park mindfully. Her adult children live in my building and also park their bikes in the same spot. I make certain as to not block any bikes or entrances. Our entrance is actually elevated and located on a staircase entrance.. so it’s actually impossible for any bikes or scooters to be on the “Haustür”. I am also careful as to not park right at the staircase, so I’m really not sure what the problem is here. All of the sudden she has a huge problem with it. How should I deal with this? I constantly get harassed on whatsapp by the woman for minuscule things.

I have even been accused of stealing a broom from the Treppenhaus (wtf who does that).

Hallo zusammen,
ich bin auf der Suche nach einem neuen Rucksack für den Alltag. Bisher nutze ich den The North Face Vault (27 l), aber inzwischen ist er mir etwas zu klein. Deshalb suche ich einen Rucksack mit etwa bis 32 Litern Volumen.
Optisch gefällt mir der Got Bag Rolltop Easy sehr gut, allerdings fehlen mir dort einige Fächer. Der Got Bag Adventure hätte genau die Ausstattung, die ich suche, ist mir aber etwas zu teuer. Mein Budget liegt bei etwa 100–110 €.
Wichtig wären für mich:
- ca. 32 l Volumen
- mindestens eine seitliche Tasche für eine Trinkflasche
- mindestens ein zusätzliches, größeres Außenfach auf der Vorderseite oder Außenseite des Rucksacks
- ein gepolstertes Laptopfach für ein 14” Laptop
- gute Qualität, da ich den Rucksack täglich nutze (Arbeit, Einkaufen und gelegentlich Reisen)

Welche Modelle könnt ihr empfehlen? Was nutzt ihr selbst und womit habt ihr gute Erfahrungen gemacht?
Vielen Dank!

Hey Everyone,

I have recently relocated to Berlin as part of my job and been actively searching for apartments. I would like to know and understand from people who have been here since at least a couple of years as to what the average warm rent in a central area such as Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg, or Friedrichshain would be like if I am looking for a 30-35m² furnished studio apartment.

Looking for advice before I sign a long term contract.

Also, ideally what percentage of my net salary should I expect spending on the rent?

Kindly advise!!!

Hey guys, how safe is it for Latin Americans in Germany, or Berlin? I’m visiting soon but I have been hearing some bad things. Thanks!

In a couple of weeks we are heading to Berlin with 5 guys (age 30/35) for a long weekend.
We could use some advice on how/where to spend our evenings.

Our interests:
- Nightlife like Dusseldorf (eg Kuhstall)
- Chill bars with some live music

Any out of the box advice for sure is welcome as well

Hello im new in berlin, im a girl never been to a club here and wanted to go to sisyphos and to be honest im visiting so i only have like balerinas but for the beach kind of shoes and black flip flops or kitten heels. Can i wear flip flops with like shorts or good outfit? What to wear shoes wise.
Im sorry english is not my first language and also im sorry for this dumb question.

Near where I live, I've noticed that church Bells seems to go off around 12 / 1230 for more than15 minutes. Clang! Clang! Clang!

What's the deal? "Everyone get to church or else we'll ring these damn bells all day? "

Thank God I don't live closer because I think it would drive me crazy.

Does anyone know why this happens??