Not in too much detail here (mainly to jog memory when reading back for future reference, but there were quite a few running jokes/themes from the second half of this trip).
“Oh my god” (a Shashank addition to the lingo of the group; basically a way to lead into complaining about something; said with a drawn out vocal fry)
Allan had some good quotes (“I feel like I… 🇵🇱”)
“Elizabeth is an alcoholic” become a bit of a joke (she didn’t want to drink unless we were to have more than 3 🤡)
Bluff: A version of BS that Omar taught us, where instead of increasing the cards (i.e. one Jack, two Queens, ….), each “round” of the game stays on the same card until someone calls BS or everyone since that last person to play a card passes. So far, the gender split (men/women) on whether this game is fun has been 100% to 0% (n=~13)
Ryan had never been to Europe before, and his packing was funny. Arriving in Berlin, he asked why the outlets were all weird, and he also packed a huge suitcase (like the XL checked bags), which looked a bit ridiculous when we were transiting between cities.
Ryan likes the gym, and spent a good amount of time looking for ways to get more protein (mainly through protein shakes). The phrase “I’m gonna stop in here and look for some protein” was almost daily (though he struggled to actually find any protein drinks in Berlin oddly).
Roger, who spent more time in Europe (as he has a bunch of time off before starting med school at the end of the summer), was trying to save money on his trip, and part of that meant he was mostly eating only pb & j before dinner every day.
Grunge luxury: A term Ryan coined about our Prague Airbnb
Elizabeth’s earbuds often went in both ears during a lull in conversation (as opposed to the usual one bud in to prevent too much boredom)
Allan forgot to zip his fly a few times (usually occurred after a couple of drinks).
We mapped New York neighborhoods onto Berlin neighborhoods, and it was easier to refer to their New York name than to try and say the whole German name.
“The Pissoir” - Mainly Shashank, but he enjoyed using this word when he needed to use the bathroom.
Benton’s “performative” reading: Benton doesn’t read much, but has been trying to make it more of a habit, and he started with a James Baldwin book that he got as a gift from his family, which the rest of the group found amusing.
Allan and Shashank both have a sweet tooth, and they ended up making many runs into convenience stores for gummies, ice cream bars, or other garbage (“gar-bahj” as was pronounced during the trip)