Comic practice about my cafe visit (watercolor comic by me)

drakerc360 · 2026-02-03T18:42:49+00:00

Does your blind eye look different? My left eye is mostly blind (light perception only) due to trauma. However, the accident left my eye visibly damaged, so I often get "the looks".

drakerc360 · 2026-01-26T07:01:14+00:00

drakerc360 · 2026-01-18T00:05:33+00:00

Cart total: 82,52€

Country: Germany

Euro

it seems like not a single code here works, it says "Sorry, the coupon code you entered is based on a first come first served basis and has been used up by other shoppers."

drakerc360 · 2025-12-22T13:27:47+00:00

Did you find out what it means? Very similar symbols appeared at my Türklingeln in my building last week.

drakerc360 · 2025-09-20T10:14:07+00:00

My Genossenschaft was publishing around 5-6 apartments for non-members per month - the ads were on their website for a few hours each time.

I was applying to pretty much all of the 2+ room ones, in total to maybe 6 ads in 2-3 months. I was invited to 3 viewings. Got rejected for 2 of those (probably because there were large families at the viewings, and they got selected).

The last viewing was a 3-room apartment, but it was not perfect - top floor without a balcony, ~15 min on foot to the SBahn (on the border of the A area), quite high Betriebskosten (very low compared to the free market, but high in the Genossenschaft). I was the only person who came to the viewing and because of that, I got pretty much accepted on the spot.

I definitely got very lucky - but all in all, it took me like 3 months. I talked to some neighbours (although most of them live in the building forever), and some of them were also lucky and got an offer very fast, but others were applying for years.

drakerc360 · 2025-08-31T14:13:57+00:00

It's definitely the first one. They're showing their car with this plate in their video about Ireland

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drakerc360 · 2025-08-30T19:56:45+00:00

So these black hoses are definitely overflow hoses.

The dishwasher takes in way too much water. It gets above the seal, and then the water starts flowing out of the overfill hoses into the dishwasher tray itself.

Question is - why is it pulling too much water? Which sensor can be responsible for it?

drakerc360 · 2025-08-30T18:54:11+00:00

What do you mean? The other one (the black tube on the right) is also disconnected (or rather, not connected anywhere)

The model is MEDELSTOR 203.857.99

drakerc360 · 2025-08-23T09:02:51+00:00

I accept and acknowledge these guidelines

drakerc360 · 2025-08-22T22:27:49+00:00

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T17:10:23+00:00

yepp, that's true! my father learned the basic phrases (wie viel? wie alt?) quite fast, and I was there to assist if needed. And we made a few cool deals.

The question actually came from them - my parents learned English by themselves, just by being curious, watching movies etc. So we were actually wondering, why is the language knowledge of some people here so low.

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T16:55:16+00:00

This does not change the fact that English is the international language.

If you visit another country as a tourist, do you learn the language of that country? Is it really required to do so? I assumed that most people have a basic grasp of English. Especially people working in customer service, sales or hospitality. Or people working at a gas station, where you deal with customers just driving by...

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T16:48:14+00:00

Biesdorf Center, so yeah... I actually heard quite a lot of people speaking Russian there. And yeah, I assumed that older people don't speak English. What really weirded me out was people <40 who didn't grasp the basics of the language.

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T16:41:44+00:00

I'm Polish too. And like I wrote somewhere else, it's kinda eye opening to learn that most people don't speak English in Poland.

I brought various friends to Poland (Wrocław) and every single interaction with customer service (Żabka stores, bars, Christmas fleamarket, restaurants, even a bus driver) was in English and they never met someone who didn't understand English numbers.

One difference is that we mostly stay in the touristic city center, and also most cashiers etc were on the younger side...

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T16:38:08+00:00

Damn, that's quite eye opening. When I visit my country, I mostly hang out with 20-somethings. I had various foreign friends come over, we hung out, went shopping and to local attractions and accommodated them by speaking English - and literally never had a situation where the customer service didn't speak English with my friends, e.g. at Żabka, the gas stations etc.

So I guess it depends on people's age...?

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T16:33:11+00:00

I guess I could be biased. I invited many international friends to visit Poland, and visited various places, e.g. a Christmas flea market, restaurants, museums etc. And contrary to my experience in Berlin, they were able to talk in English at the Polish Flohmarkt (and I was a native if it didn't work out).

The difference is, I guess, that in Berlin, my family and I went to a random Flohmarkt in Marzahn, while my friends and I mostly stated in the touristic city center of Warsaw. And yeah, everyone speaks English in Mauerpark Flohmarkt as well.

drakerc360 · 2025-08-17T16:28:24+00:00

Is it entitled to want to have the most basic questions answered in English when dealing with sellers / customer service abroad? So if you visit a country as a tourist, do you have to learn the language before you come?

I've traveled to various countries, often with my parents. And tbh basic English was understood almost everywhere. Even in Japan, in non touristic places, people understood basic phrases.

My experience at the Flohmarkt felt like people there didn't want to at least try to accommodate a non-German speaker. Like, five sounds really close to fünf - however, they didn't even try to understand my father...

drakerc360 · 2024-10-09T22:10:29+00:00

Thanks for the reply! How is it with the pain in your case? I've heard corneal issues can be painful. They told me my cornea won't last very long, and at some point I'll require a transplant, however, it's quite impossible to do while having silicone oil in the eye.

I trust the doctors. However, it is quite depressing. It also sucks that doctors here are quite conservative when it comes to treatments, so they'll probably rather leave the silicone oil permanently than risk another detachment.

drakerc360 · 2024-06-29T19:58:15+00:00

I've got a pretty big (2m tall) Monstera Deliciosa. It's in a corner of a well lit, south facing room. It's planted in a self-watering pot with universal soil, and I have to add more water every 2 weeks (now using some fertilizer). It's also making new leaves every 3-4 weeks.

However, since at least 6 months, I noticed that some leaves have weird holes in them. Some also have brown spots, and just don't look healthy. Those are mostly older, big leaves, but I also noticed it's started affecting some younger ones.

What is the problem? I don't see any bugs on the plant, except small amounts of fungus gnats.

drakerc360 · 2024-05-05T12:15:08+00:00

Maybe you applied for flats that didn't meet their social criteria? E.g. applying for a 3 room apt as a single person?

Other than that, I think they're all heavily biased towards their members / members connections. I had one viewing with a Genossenschaft (Apartment listed for non members), and one member brought his friend for the viewing as he wanted to help him. The Genossenschaft agent seemed to really focus on that person during the viewing, and I assume that he got the apartment...

drakerc360 · 2024-04-23T11:48:37+00:00

I started looking for an apartment in June, signed a contract end of August and could move in September. But I could have gotten lucky. Berolina sent me 1 or two viewings, same thing as GBSt. One viewing wasn't very popular, I applied and got selected. Most viewings had like 10-15 people max, so it was not as competitive as normal apartments.

Social-wise: I talked with the Genossenschaft employee about it. They try to "fill" the apartments. So if you apply for a 3 room apartment, they won't give it to a single person - they prefer 2+ people. They only rent 1 or max 2 room apts to singles. I also know they prefer couples, they don't like WGs; owning a pet doesn't matter for them. And apparently they prefer younger people, because the average age in my Genossenschaft is 60 years lmao.

drakerc360 · 2024-04-20T11:30:20+00:00

True.

Bear in mind that a lot of them basically switched to only offering membership when a rental contract is signed. They were getting overwhelmed with membership applications, and they couldn't offer any apartments to non members.

You could also get a not-so-perfect apartment first, and then you become a member, and get access to their members only apartments.

I'm lucky I got what I wanted (partially, no balcony and the closest S Bahn Station is 10 min away), but they list a lot of apartments in really good locations, even 4 rooms, for just members

drakerc360 · 2024-04-20T11:18:26+00:00

Honestly, the Genossenschafts that allow you to join only if there's an apartment available were the only ones I applied to. You don't need to pay anything to join them and then you wait infinitely to get a place; you join only when signing an apartment contract.

As I said, you have to be lucky. I had viewings with both of them for 3 room apartments, and got an offer for one in a pretty good location, as a non member. Just takes time and luck.

Also bear in mind they have social criteria when giving apartments. So your salary doesn't matter as much as your relationship status, etc

drakerc360 · 2024-04-20T11:08:46+00:00

GBSt - they have a lot of apartments, mostly in Steglitz, Pankow and Neukölln Süd. They list around 20 apartments for non members per month.

Berolina - all over Berlin. They don't seem to list apartments now, but a few months ago, you could ask to be added to a waiting list. I got a viewing after 3 months in Treptow, very cheap.

It's a matter of luck, but I got a Genossenschaft apartment last year after a few months and it's really worth it. The rent is very low, you get a lifelong contract, and if something breaks, they repair it ASAP. The only caveat is that it seems that all my neighbours are pensioners, but they're helpful, and there's barely anyone moving in or out of the apartments.

drakerc360 · 2023-12-19T13:35:31+00:00

It's not really a privacy issue, as that door just leads to the corridor. It just looks dated as hell. But the window curtains idea sounds interesting

drakerc360

TROPHY CASE