Berlin Changing

Today I was checking the new building we are moving into in few weeks. The visit was to check accessibility and make sure everything is right.

I later went with a colleague to have lunch in the newly opened Mercedes-Benz arena. It felt like one of the Egyptian malls in Sheikh Zayed. They even had a fountain. But it wasn’t as dancing as the Egyptian ones. It had a changing rhythm but no music. Probably there is some regulation that prevents playing music out loud.

There were tons of restaurants. We went to eat at 5 guys. It is an American chain and this is their first branch in Berlin. My coworker being from Canada was excited about it.

While we are ordering, the lady asked as where are you guys from? I said Egypt. She started asking what do you in Berlin. I said I work for Zalando. She joked that we are taking all her money to give her shoes.

This wasn’t expected. Me and my coworker even discussed that probably she was trained to do this to bring the American way to things. Because no one asks in Germany even how are you. 

Berlin is changing. It is getting more international, diverse, and more open. And this is good.

The message I use to search for apartments

Finding an apartment is a tedious process. I hate it.

One of the things I gave a lot of thoughts to is the message I send to landlords to get a viewing. I used to write quite lengthy messages until Khaled Kandil gave me the following one.

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Mostafa Naguib, working as a Product Manager for GoEuro in Berlin.

Would you please tell me when can I visit the apartment for viewing?
Looking forward to hear from you.

Best Regards,
Mostafa Naguib

The message above I would say converts very well. At least in Germany. Feel free to use it. You are welcome.