In Which I Am WAY Out of My Comfort Zone.

On my first day or so at the school, I found out that there was going to be a grand gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the school.  Apparently they have one each year anyway, but this was going to be even grander than usual.  Since RSVPs had already been made a while back, it was assumed that I would not be able to attend.  And, when I heard all the talk in the staff room about the formal attire people were scrambling to put together, I decided it was for the better anyway.

As it turned out, one of the teachers had an extra ticket.  And that extra ticket went to me.  Obviously, I did not pack my evening gown (not that I own one), nor was I in the mood to put any money towards fancy clothes when I have so many other things, like travel, I want to spend money on instead while I am here.  So, daringly, I pieced together the few things I had - a black skirt (I had taken a fancier skirt out of my suitcase at the very last minute back home), a satiny top, gold belt, flower-patterned tights, and a sweater with fancy buttons that I am particularly fond of.  I managed to pull my hair into a side updo with a few braids, put on some pearls, a few bracelets, and more mascara and lipstick than usual, and decided that that would be it.  One of the teachers was bringing a clutch purse for me to use, so the few items I brought along were stuffed in my coat pockets.

Thankfully, the principal of the elementary school had arranged a bus to pick up teachers and staff who lived in the area.  Traffic was horrible driving into Berlin and it took forever to get there, but it was better than dealing with public transportation in pouring rain.  I think those who were wearing heels and fancier apparel were even more thankful for the bus than I.

So, we arrived safely and dryly.  The event was being held at a an old train depot in a pretty posh area of town, fairly close to Alexanderplatz.  My first thought upon entering was that I should probably turn around and go home.  There were women were in evening gowns, gloves, and wraps.  Men wore tuxes.  My black flats, flowered tights, and sweater did not belong.  There was even a red carpet, for crying out loud, where people from the press were snapping pictures of guests arriving.  Plus, there was a place set up where people could get their hair and make-up touched up prior to entering.  I couldn't resist -- I had to take a few pictures:

I wonder if the "orbs" in these pictures signify bad lighting or haunted-ness.

Forget to do your hair?  These people can help you.

There were even token students to pose with.

    
Fortunately, I found a couple of equally amused/uncomfortable teachers to "walk the red carpet with" (I'm pretty sure our photo won't be ending up in any magazine).  Once inside, we made our way to the closest drink stand where we were able to laugh at the ridiculousness of everything.  And I have to say that part of our laughter may have stemmed from the fact that we are not, and probably never will be, among the ranks of these people, but I'm pretty confident in saying I am okay with that.

The U.S. ambassador (all of whose children attend the school) was slated to attend and give a speech during dinner.  However, he was for some reason unable to attend and we instead got some other guy, who mostly was making excuses for the ambassador not being there.  Quite frankly, I wasn't really paying much attention to him.  By this time I had had a lot of wine (the waiters kept filling it up), and my table (one of the teacher tables, reserved for those who did not pay to get in) was way off the the side, so we couldn't hear or see much of the action anyway.  Besides endless drinks, dinner consisted of  five courses, all of which were tiny.  This must be how the rich and famous stay so thin.

After dinner, things got a little less classy.  An Elvis impersonator got on the stage to perform and the dance floor opened up.  I saw the most extravagant of people, now more than a little tipsy, of course, make fools of themselves on the dance floor or slouch drunkenly at their dinner table.  It was not pretty.  At one point I made my way over to the smoking lounge where I heard they were pouring out pink champagne (It all sounds so retro!) but that meant  hanging around a lot of men smoking cigars, so I did not stay long.  Shortly after, I found out that two staff members who were heading the same direction as myself were getting a ride from one of the high school teachers (who wanted to make it an early night).  I wasn't quite ready to leave yet, but recognized that it was a very safe and responsible decision to go.

On our way out, we were given a gift bag.  I haven't looked through all the contents yet, but I do know it contains some fancy face cream and tiny bottles of brandy.  What a night.