I have now finished a week in Berlin, and we move inexorably towards finishing our time in Germany. On the 19th of October we will leave Berlin and head toward Jena, a significant town far in East Germany. There we will stay for a few days learning what we can about the East German culture and “Oster-gie,” nostalgia for the former DDR that exists in various degrees. After Jena, Aaron and I will depart on our journey towards and around Scotland.
Berlin is really a large, busy city, hosting approximately 3.5 million residents. The public transportation system is wonderful, though, and when combined with Wien and even the transport system in comparably tiny Marburg, it makes one wonder what the United States does with all its money. I guess we don’t pay 40% taxes, though; I also guess we’re spending enormous amounts on our military. Speaking of money, I never thought I’d have to worry about banks loaning money to people in the States, but as the dollar moves relentlessly towards only two-thirds of the euro…I wish that several years ago I had purchased a few thousand euros when they were only half a dollar each. Here in Berlin the food is thankfully cheap enough that our dollar-funded program can continue to eat. I live in a large, East German apartment complex with a woman who has lived in East Berlin since 1949. In the morning I take a “rinse-soap-rinse” shower to conserve water and then eat toast with Nutella spread, tea, and fruit; by 0900 I am at our language institute after a short bus ride and walk and then I have class where we focus on speaking and language utilization. In the afternoons we eat – mostly Falafel sandwiches, my new favorite - and explore Berlin. I admit that here in Berlin I have allowed myself to become a Coca Cola and chocolate junkie, but we all have our vices. When I get back to the apartment after dinner and another bus ride, my host is usually in bed and I stay up until about 2300 working on homework, reading, or working on my novel. This last Saturday we spent a few hours in Dresden, and the architecture there is really impressive; a lot of it, of course, is relatively recent thanks to the US’s firebombing of the city during World War II. Overall I find Berlin a very different – certainly much more multi-cultural – experience than the others I have had, but it has also made me realize the extensive differences that exist between small-town living and city life. I do, however, feel safer in Berlin than in Muncie, or in Marburg; a very similar feeling to the one I had in Wien. I also found out a few days ago that Aaron and I will be living with the same family while we stay in Wien, which is great for me (hopefully he feels similarly). This Wednesday is both my birthday and a national holiday, marking the passing of my 20th year out-of-womb as well as celebrating the reunification of Germany after the Wall fell. There is a large free concert at the Brandenburger Tor, where I am sure almost every single Berliner will hear the Fantastischen Vier and other bands play all day long. I am particularly interested to see how Germans of the former DDR celebrate – or don’t – the reunification.
I have now finished a week in Berlin, and we move inexorably towards finishing our time in Germany. On the 19th of October we will leave Berlin and head toward Jena, a significant town far in East Germany. There we will stay for a few days learning what we can about the East German culture and “Oster-gie,” nostalgia for the former DDR that exists in various degrees. After Jena, Aaron and I will depart on our journey towards and around Scotland.
Berlin is really a large, busy city, hosting approximately 3.5 million residents. The public transportation system is wonderful, though, and when combined with Wien and even the transport system in comparably tiny Marburg, it makes one wonder what the United States does with all its money. I guess we don’t pay 40% taxes, though; I also guess we’re spending enormous amounts on our military. Speaking of money, I never thought I’d have to worry about banks loaning money to people in the States, but as the dollar moves relentlessly towards only two-thirds of the euro…I wish that several years ago I had purchased a few thousand euros when they were only half a dollar each. Here in Berlin the food is thankfully cheap enough that our dollar-funded program can continue to eat. I live in a large, East German apartment complex with a woman who has lived in East Berlin since 1949. In the morning I take a “rinse-soap-rinse” shower to conserve water and then eat toast with Nutella spread, tea, and fruit; by 0900 I am at our language institute after a short bus ride and walk and then I have class where we focus on speaking and language utilization. In the afternoons we eat – mostly Falafel sandwiches, my new favorite - and explore Berlin. I admit that here in Berlin I have allowed myself to become a Coca Cola and chocolate junkie, but we all have our vices. When I get back to the apartment after dinner and another bus ride, my host is usually in bed and I stay up until about 2300 working on homework, reading, or working on my novel. This last Saturday we spent a few hours in Dresden, and the architecture there is really impressive; a lot of it, of course, is relatively recent thanks to the US’s firebombing of the city during World War II. Overall I find Berlin a very different – certainly much more multi-cultural – experience than the others I have had, but it has also made me realize the extensive differences that exist between small-town living and city life. I do, however, feel safer in Berlin than in Muncie, or in Marburg; a very similar feeling to the one I had in Wien. I also found out a few days ago that Aaron and I will be living with the same family while we stay in Wien, which is great for me (hopefully he feels similarly). This Wednesday is both my birthday and a national holiday, marking the passing of my 20th year out-of-womb as well as celebrating the reunification of Germany after the Wall fell. There is a large free concert at the Brandenburger Tor, where I am sure almost every single Berliner will hear the Fantastischen Vier and other bands play all day long. I am particularly interested to see how Germans of the former DDR celebrate – or don’t – the reunification.
