Ich liebe Berlin

  

Although I’m only a short flight away from Dublin, I didn’t have a chance to go there for St. Patrick’s Day because of classes; that did not stop me from enjoying a Guinness and listening to Irish music though.  Instead of going to the museums like we planned, a group of Erasmus (European students studying abroad) students + an American (me) decided to follow directions we got from a Facebook invitation to Berlin’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. This event proved that Berlin is, in fact, a very eclectic and quirky city.  After joining the parade put on by the Irish Embassy, we proceeded into Glashaus where the event was taking place.  Sinead and I tried on stranger’s hats and took selfies that can never be reclaimed on their phones while listening to Irish musicians from around the world. 

That Monday marked the first day of my intensive German course.  Being surrounded by students who learned English in school, I felt humbled, as my education was predominantly in English—the same language this course was being taught in. While I understood everything the professor was saying (the English parts), I had no idea what all of the grammatical terms were--or are. What is an objective case?  Actually have no idea.  I also discovered that I find accents extremely beautiful, as they are a characteristics of a culture--or a person--that is open to change and to globalization. 

We decided it was a good idea to go out on a Wednsday night—it turned out to not be such a good idea. 

 A group of us ended up going to Magdalena, where we danced under intense strobe lights surrounded by a very eclectic group of people. Despite missing class the next day (and getting home at 6 am), the night was definitely memorable. Thursday I spent the day shopping and using the Internet at Starbucks. On Friday, we all went to the Erasmus bar crawl set up by our International Office.  We went to three bars, and ended the night at Matrix.  I lost my iPhone, but realized that much worse things could have happened and enjoyed my night anyways. Surprisingly, I am finding it quite easy to survive without an iPhone.

 On Saturday, I joined some of Mia’s friends from Norway, and with a group of Eichkamp students we went out (making it the fifth night in a row that we wouldn’t be getting any sleep).  We went to a Jamaican bar, which was probably the weirdest experience of my life. We also saw the city at night, and made a point to stop at the Brandenburgator, which was absolutely beautiful.

Begrudgingly, we got up the next morning and went to Mauer Park for their weekly Flohmarket; we explored the makeshift streets lined with tents, vintage clothes, WWII articles, and homemade snacks. Mauer Park is located in what seemed to be the "hipster" part of Berlin--the area that everyone refers to when they call Berlin a "hip" city.  Living in the residential neighborhood of Charlottenburg, it was awesome to venture into Northern Berlin and see how young Berliners live.  Following Mauer Park, I joined Mia and her friends from home to see the East Side Galleries, as well as Checkpoint Charlie; I plan on going back there soon to visit the museum.  

  

Even just spending a few weeks in Berlin, talking to people who have had so many international experiences has made me want to study abroad a second time, or intern abroad.  And while I have always loved traveling, I never actually wanted to live abroad--that is definitely changing, especially since I'm doing it at 19!  I've adapted to not having mega supermarkets like Walmart, where I can literally buy anything I would need; I've learned to navigate a new metro system, and how to ask for directions in German.  I never thought I would be able to do this. These past few weeks have given me the confidence to set out and achieve any goal I may set for myself, and I cant believe that that has happened in less than a month. I'm not even close to getting back to the United States, and I am already planning more trips abroad.

(Brief) Initial Reaction to Berlin

This is going to be a short one, but I am absolutely in love with the city of Berlin. I actually can't believe I am finally here, a place that I have been dreaming about for the past six months. I am developing a bit of a British accent because I spend most of my days with three new friends from Yorkshire/Manchester! Berlin is really a livable (and affordable!) city, and I couldnt be more excited to have picked this city to study abroad in, especially when I had the option of going anywhere in the world. There is so much (recent) history around me, and its fantastic to be able to experience it with so many other international students. There are about fifty international students living in the same student housing complex as me, and a few hundred at HWR--or the Berlin School of Economics and Law where I am studying.  Last night, the Erasmus students threw the first party of the year. It was amazing being in a room full of people from literally all around the world. I was with people from Brazil, the UK, South Korea, Hungary, the Netherlands, Australia, and France, and it was an amazing feeling.

After throwing away my flatmates food the first day I met him,  we have definitely moved past the awkward encounter, and have bonded over YouTube parody videos, learning each others' slang, and stealing a microwave.  My favorite part about Eichkamp is that we don't have televisions, and have a very poor internet connection. Although REALLY inconvenient at times, this forces us to interact with our neighbors, make new friends, and really get to know one another; instead of watching movies or tweeting about our day, we play pool and just hang out. This also forces us to go out and to explore the wonderful city which we are temporarily living in. And isnt that what studying abroad is about in the first place?


I cannot wait to see what this city has in store for me.

Scandinavia

Having a few free weeks before my classes started, I decided to visit Scandinavia. Just last week, I booked my hostels and flights to Stockholm and Copenhagen. After three short and remarkable days in Berlin, I boarded a flight for Sweden.  On the bus going into the city, I met a girl who is also studying economics in Berlin. Not only did we have similar education paths, but both of our parents immigrated from the former USSR and we both speak Russian! It was great getting tips about the city from a local. The hostel I stayed at in Stockholm was a bit sketchy. However, this only encouraged me to explore the city as much as I could! The medieval capital was charming, and paved with cobblestone roads and H&Ms galore! I found Stockholm to be very expensive, and ended up eating bananas, crackers, or Thai take out for most meals. After two full days in Sweden, I boarded an early flight to Denmark. Copenhagen is remarkable. Also having learned about Denmark in a history course this past semester, I was curious to visit the country's capital while in Europe; I was not disappointed. I spent my first day in Copenhagen taking advantage of the free National Museum. While it boasted international exhibits, I focused my attention on learning more about Danish history. For lunch, I found a quaint cafe that offered a filling weekend brunch, as well as draft Carlsberg beer. I was fortunate enough to stay at a great hostel and met quite a few interesting people that evening. I had two roommates from Australia that had been traveling for almost two years! Listening to them talk about their adventures was remarkable. One of them was backpacking from Beijing into Europe! I also met a few girls who were teaching English in France. I ended up spending my last day with one of them before heading back to Berlin. After a three hour long walking tour of the city, Heather and I climbed to the top of Church of Our Savior's spiral, one of Copenhagen's main attractions! The view from the top was phenomenal. We could see all of the city, it's canals and channels, and even Sweden! 

Afterwards, we went to Christianshavn. Christianshavn is basically it's own eclectic, self-sustaining community within Copenhagen. I'll leave it up to you to research it a bit more for yourself.   My second day in Copenhagen was a bit spontaneous, as I went back to Sweden! This time, I explored the city of Malmö, Sweden's third largest city, with two guys from USC who are studying abroad in London. Unlike Stockholm, Malmö is affordable for the traveling college student. It's charming, green, and full of quaint squares and parks. Accidentally, Bryan, Jack, and I, stumbled upon a working windmill; it was the most pleasant of surprises!  I had a great day exploring a city I had no intention of visiting (especially since I had left Sweden 24 hours prior to returning!)