Ruffian, and More Rain

Me and Ruffian, summer 2009.

I received some bad news a few days ago. My beloved Ruffian, a horse I've worked many years with at CARD (the therapeutic horseback riding centre I volunteer at in Toronto), has fallen very sick and has been put down.

That's an old photo of Ruffian, although horses don't change so much with time. Ruffian, despite what her name might suggest, was a big scaredy cat when it came to cameras, so it was always difficult to take her picture. That photo was taken several years ago when I spent a summer working at CARD--a blissful summer when I got to hang out with fun people and play with horses and some very special kids all day. That was right before I flew off to Vancouver to do my Masters, but I've known Ruffian for a lot longer than that. She was a staple at CARD, and had been there for over a decade--certainly ever since I started volunteering there in high school. She's always been my favourite, but over the last few years I've had the chance to work closely with her. And after some persistent love and toughness on my part, she began to shed some of her stubbornness and began to demonstrate her trust in and respect for me. It is an amazing thing, to have an animal like that decide to trust you. I will be thankful to Ruffy forever for giving me that gift.

I'll also be thankful to her for helping me get through a tough time over the last year or so. After graduating from my Masters in the summer of 2011, I moved back home, a degree richer but still rudderless. I had no real direction and was feeling the stress of having to figure out my life, which, as all mid-twenty-somethings in my generation can attest to, really sucks. Being able to go to CARD every Monday night and getting to work with those inspirational riders and my fellow volunteers was a very important thing for me. CARD became a peaceful place for me, and Ruffian was always at the centre of that. Strengthening my relationship with her over these last few years has been amazing--so fulfilling and wonderful--and I'm going to miss her. A lot.

As a result of all this, I've been feeling pretty low this week. The weather hasn't helped, either. It's been cold and rainy for almost two weeks straight now, which makes exploring this city not nearly as inviting. I went to the Reichstag on Wednesday (photos below) and besides that enjoyed some pretty good meals with friends here. Mostly I've been eating a lot of Thai food, which seems to be pretty vegetarian friendly here (which is not always the case at home--but here they're pretty good about noting when dishes contain fish sauce, etc.). Future visitors, I've found some pretty good restaurants to go to!

The Reichstag, seat of the federal German government, on yet another rainy Berlin day.

Graffiti by Soviet soldiers, left when the Red Army took Berlin at the end of the Second World War. Preserved as a reminder.

Another memorial in the basement of the Reichstag. Each box contains the name of a German member of parliament.  Some boxes have a black bar beneath the name with a date of death, indicating those who fell victim to the Nazis as political opponents (mostly communists and socialists).

Inside the main hall.

On the roof of the Reichstag, with its famous dome. You can see through the dome into the main hall of the Reichstag below, signifying transparency in government, or something.

Inside the dome.

At the top of the dome, looking down into the Reichstag below.

Views of the city from the Reichstag roof. Construction is booming in this city.

Berlin has a legendary night scene, and I went out to my first (and perhaps last) Berlin club last night. Somehow we ended up at the over-30 crowd where everyone danced like my parents (if my parents danced--love you, Mom and Dad!). Not so fun. Also not so fun: getting home at 3 in the morning. It took me an hour to get home with public transit, with trams running 40 minutes apart. Some people at the Goethe Institut go out several times during the week and I just don't understand how they can possible manage it.

Today, after a slow morning, and still feeling melancholy, I headed out on a walk in the rain to visit my favourite Weißensee Cemetery. It was worth the walk, of course. I really ought to try to go there more often while I'm still in Berlin. As always, my visit there left me feeling peaceful and calm.

Moss everywhere.

Weißensee in the rain.

Each time I go to the cemetery, I discover a new part of it. Here, a rare clearing in the trees.

Unfortunately, we've also had some chaos at school this past week. Our teacher, Martina, had a bad bicycle accident and unfortunately is not able to teach us anymore, as she needs to stay at home recovering. So yeah, not a good week. I'm upset about it, not only because it sounds like it was a pretty rough accident, but also because Martina is a great teacher--endlessly patient and kind. We had two different supply teachers this past week and tomorrow are going to get our new teacher, who we should have for the rest of the course. It's hard to believe I'm halfway through it already!

So. Hopefully this first week of June will bring sunnier days and happier news.