The Berliner Dom, famous Protestant Church
Hitlers Bunker and office (He committed suicide in the Bunker, and his office is now a children's playground)
The same hotel MJ held out the baby over the Balcony
Potsdamer Platz
Holocaust Memorial
Humbolt Box (a temporary replacement until a castle will be rebuilt)
Bradenburger Tor (gate that separated East and West Germany)
and much much more! The weather was horrible; it started to pour rain but that didnt put a damper on the beauty of the city.
I was fascinated by the scenery. But also found myself annoyed. There are about 140 students participating in this program, so excursions such as this need to be broken into smaller groups. Dirk, our program adviser and
tour guide for the day, was trying to explain the historical significance of the majestic buildings we were seeing.
"This was an important reference in the war because, 'OMG I WAS SO DRUNK LAST NIGHT'."
Many of the historical backgrounds I was trying to listen to were drowned out by students chattering about their previous night.
Sure, it is ok to come to a foreign county and experience with the more flexible laws.I find myself doing the same. But I am also under the impression that many students are here to get a semester of binging. I by no means wish to sound snooty or pretentious, but I did not work as hard as I did to be here...just to drink and hang out with a bunch of Americans. I have met many students from the program, some awesome people I might add, but Americans are very keen on their "clicks" and "groups". I believe it is very easy to stick to a comfort zone, especially with the factors of culture and language barrier, but comfort "zones" are exactly that, a zone or small space, a limitation or restriction. I believe those who know me could describe me as sociable, but I think I am also particular in how I do things, which can be intimidating to others. When I know what I want I am definitely a "go getter" and when I know what I don't want, I also avoid it. Not just for the means of studying abroad, but for anyone who walks on the land different from their home, should it be seen as a vacation, or an enlightenment? Feeling a little frustrated, I head back home after the tour and try to brush it off. After all, I am in Europe, so I should be having fun, right?
Later that evening I was supposed to meet up with Paz and one of her friends for "Lange Nachte der Museen."
http://www.berlin.de/kultur-und-tickets/events/lange_nacht_der_museen/index.en.php
It is an event Berlin puts on every year: over 100 museums are open to the public free of charge. The museums are not only open, but there are also street performances, choirs, and shuttles between the museums. The event happens from 6pm until 2am, really emphasizing the "long night". I meet up with Paz who I hadn't seen for a few days, and meet a friend of hers, Anna, who is a grad student studying in Berlin.
(she spoke more German than Paz and I, which was awesome because we could communicate a little more with the locals!)
This night really lightened my mood, and I can now say that Berlin is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. I am honored to live in such an environment. We went to a few museums that were in the same area I had ventured earlier this day (listed above). But the night view was gorgeous! I learned so much about Germany, not just historically but socially. For example,
Germany is the third "oldest" country, with over 60% of it's population being "elderly"
Germans are fascinated with Native American culture.
and much more.
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| Berliner Dom at night |
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| High view of the city! |
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| Inside the Dom |
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| Potsdamer Platz |
There will be more pictures soon, Paz took some awesome ones of her and I in front of the Dom! This was a perfect way to spend my first Saturday in Berlin. The next day, I realized I had not exercised in 2 weeks (y'all know I can't live without my exercise). So I decided to jog around Krumme Lanke, not too far from my house. It reminded me of Big Bear in a way, but smaller. It was gorgeous and a refreshing run around the lake was just what I needed. When I got home, Christine invited me to the Max Liebermann museum.
Quick wiki to enlighten yourself ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Liebermann
His house and garden were destroyed during the war, but due to copies of his paintings, the house and garden have been restored. The museum was located close to Wansee, which is a much larger lake next to Krumme Lanke. Christine invited a friend along, they spoke German most of the time ( zu schnell fur mich) but this allowed me time to get lost in the garden and take photos.
The Garden
A Friday over recovering and bar hopping, a Saturday of sight seeing and exploring, and a quaint Sunday stroll was a perfect weekend in Berlin. Speaking of the idea of vacationing vs learning, I should probably start to prepare for school. I start classes this week and need to be prepared. After all, I did come hereto STUDY abroad ;)
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