Save the Environment! (but let me take a guilt-free shower)

I'm sure most of you know the stereotype that Germans are extremely environmentally-conscious. Everywhere you see at least 3 or 4 different trashcans, which are color-coded to help you remember which bin to put your specific trash in. Yellow equals plastic, aluminum, or drink cartons; green equals paper materials; brown equals organic materials; and gray equals general household waste. You can see how an outsider can get very confused.

For me the scariest thing is having to throw something away in public. In the university cafeteria and even in the U-Bahn stations there are two or three bins. My fear is throwing away my trash in the wrong bin and getting evil stares from the eco-conscious Germans. It is also interesting to note that if you buy a soda or water in a plastic bottle (the plastic is much thicker in Germany) then when you are finished you can return the bottle to the vendor for 10-15 Euro cents. And sometimes beer bottles can also be returned for immediate money. I think that's a nice policy, especially if you're just short on a little cash.

My biggest beef with the "green" Germans is their attention to water consumption. Twice now I have come across this particular device, once in southern Germany and now in Berlin. It's really just a basic gauge and counter of how much water is being used at any one time. I took this picture of the water gauge which resides in my bathroom, right on the wall of the shower. Every time I turn on the sink to wash my hands.... BAM!.... the blue gauge on the right of the picture starts spinning and the numbers go up. Every time I flush the toilet....BAM!.... the blue gauge starts up again. When I wash my face....BAM!.... both the blue and red start spinning. There is no end to the count of my water consumption.

The worst part is showering. I know that Germans and Europeans in general bath far less than Americans and I have adapted this lifestyle as best I can. I don't shower everyday like I do in America, but my reasons aren't purely from my desire to adapt to the culture. My real reason is that I hate the way the red gauge spins, always looking at me so patronizingly. Once I turn on the hot water and sit in the tub to take my shower (that's another story I'll save for later), I immediately feel guilty because I notice the spinning dial eying me. How can you enjoy a shower when you actually see how much water you use and you know that that water corresponds to a payment at the end of every month?

I believe that the decision to place this gauge in the bathroom was formed from good intentions. And I know that I am saving more water because of the effect the spinning gauge has on me. But sometimes you just want a relaxing, hot shower.... right?

Lange Nacht der Museum

Last night I had the opportunity to participate in a very cool cultural event that only takes place once a year: Lange Nacht der Museum, literal translation: Long Night of the Museum. Almost all the museums in Berlin were open to the public from 6pm-2am for only a small lump price of 10 Euro. There were probably over 15 museums available for people to visit. Along with the special opening hours, there were also musical and cultural performances and exhibits at some of the different venues.

I was able to visit 4 museums before I had to call it quits for bed: The Museum for Film and Television, the Berliner Dom (gigantic church with catacombs), the Altes Museum (filled with ancient Greek and Egyptian artifacts and art), and finally the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German History Museum). All of these were fascinating and fantastic.

The Altes Museum is quite famous because it holds the bust of Nefertiti (shown here). This is a treasured piece of history that the Germans are very proud to own. The rest of the exhibits on Egyptian hieroglyphics was very interesting and it was amazing to see how well some of the things had been preserved. The ancient Greek pieces were also great. My freshman year of college I took an art history class on ancient art so these pieces always appeal to me because I understand a lot of the mythology and iconography involved with the pieces. I love trying to figure out what mythological figures are represented in vase paintings, it's like a puzzle or game every time you look at the vases!

We ended the night by visiting the German History Museum. This was by far the best museum I have visited while in Berlin. Everything was so clearly and beautifully presented and there was such a variety of pieces. The museum covers the history of Europe and Germany (which only unified in 1871) from about the 8th century to present. I got to pick up a shirt of chain-mail to feel its weight, see the famous paintings of Martin Luther and Cardinal Richelieu, and look at some of the clothes women wore in the 1600s. The museum contained so many important historically interesting items that I didn't have time to finish. We got too overwhelmed with the massiveness of the exhibits that we couldn't even get to WWII. I plan on visiting the museum again so that I can really appreciate all that it offers and I want to take the time to read the exhibits. I highly recommend this museum... I can barely describe how good it was.

It's so nice to be able to visit the little cultural gems of Berlin. Last night was a great experience and I can't wait to explore more. I still need to visit the Neuegalerie, the Pergamon museum, and the Altesgalerie. Too many things to do!

Settling In

What's great about living in a big city, going to class, and also staying with a host-family is that you develop your own rhythm and get accustomed to a schedule for your day. This is now my official second week of class and I have found my rhythm.

Each day during the week starts the same: wake up, get ready, scramble to eat breakfast in time (I always think I have more time than I actually do) , and finally leave the house flustered and in a hurry to be punctual. In many ways this is exactly the same way my school day starts at Mason. From there I catch the U-Bahn U3 south towards Krumme Lanke and get off two stops later at Breitenbachplatz. The walk from the station to our program house on Brentanostrasse takes about 5 minutes, which leaves me just enough time to stroll in and take a seat in my German class. The class is conducted only in German and is scheduled to run from 9am-noon. We usually cover material on one type of topic (we've been doing travel) and also some grammar. She breaks us up into pairs or groups a few times during the period and we work on little projects and exercises together. It's not so bad because we get a half-hour break during the class. And somehow learning German while living in Germany is so much more interesting than attempting to do the same back in America.

After German (which is mandatory for everyone to take during that morning period) we have a one and a half hour lunch break. Most of us go a few miles by bus to the main Freie Uni cafeteria and some also take the bus the opposite direction to the mall area to get doeners for lunch (a Turkish version of gyros). On Tuesdays I continue class at 1:30pm and then later at 4:30pm, and Thursdays I have one class from 4:30-7pm. So most of my school days are short, finishing by noon.

Most schools in Germany get out around 2pm or earlier. My host-mom is an English, geography, and politics teacher at a local Gymnasium, which is the highest level of school before university. There are three tracks for students in Germany after finishing basic grade school: Gymnasium, Hauptschule, and Realschule. Around the age of 10 or 11, students are placed into one of these schools based on their academic performance. Gymnasium is for those college-bound, Hauptschule for those headed towards trade, technical, or administrative professions, and Realschule is for those headed toward craft professions (Partners in Education). Students in Gymnasium typically finish around the age of 19 or 20 and from there pursue a college career. This system is very structured, yet places immense pressure on children to perform well at such an early age, even before they can make an informed decision about which career path is right for them.

I don't have the ability to perform a complete evaluation of the German school system in order to reach a conclusion about whether schools are better in Germany or in America. These countries have very different school structures and it seems to me that Americans enjoy more mobility and freedom in their education. When I was 11 years old, I could not have predicted that I would be studying international relations at a university across the country. For me, these important life decisions took years to shape and were molded by the level at which I studied in high school and even middle school. I know that I am grateful for the American system, but it is still very interesting to be an observer of the German way.

Returning to school life brings repetition and a greatly desired schedule for my day. I enjoy the structure of school and relish in the constraints of having class but still the freedom of having time to explore the rest of Berlin.

City Impressions

Although I have only been living in Berlin for nearly a week, I feel as if I fit in. Of course this feeling is probably supported by the fact that I am thoroughly enjoying living with my host family, but more than that, I feel like I have adjusted to the rhythm of Berlin. This is a very independent and international city. I can't quite place what American city I can compare it to. In some respects it is very like Washington DC, in that much of the population is originally from outside Berlin, or Germany. But the great thing about Berlin is that the people have a great acceptance and tolerance of foreigners.

I could also compare it to New York City where there is an energy you can feel in the air. Berlin has that same feel but has none of the cramped feeling of NYC because it is so spread out. In spring and summer, Berlin is considered one of the greenest urban cities in Germany. There are a multitude of parks, trees, and lakes, even within the middle of the city. The Tiergarten district next to Mitte is primarily a park. It is on the western side of the Brandenburger Tor and was once a place for royal hunting.

As you can see on the map, I live in Wilmersdorf, next to my school in Zehlendorf. Both these districts are primarily residential and have a great number of parks and lakes. The university who sponsors my program, Freie Univeristaet, is like most German universities because it does not have a typical American-stle campus. It has buildings spread out among the residential area instead of a centralized campus. The history of the university is very interesting. It was established during the Cold War as an alternative to Berlin University (also Humboldt Univeristaet) which was slowly being controlled by the Soviets. It was rightly named the "Free University" because students had the freedom to choose their courses, unlike Berlin Uni where the Communists started to determine the curriculum.

This is a picture (sorry it's not very good) of the Allied headquarters in western Berlin. This building is only a few blocks from Freie Universtaet. Many of the buildings in the area have historical and cultural significance, especially for West Berlin.

Each district in Berlin has a unique feel. My host mom was describing some of the different characteristics to me. She explained that Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Prenzlauer Berg were more "hip". The districts of Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, and Steglitz-Zehlendorf are more relaxed and have an older population. There is always something happening in Mitte, where you can find most of the tourist sites.

I really like the lay-out of the city. It's almost as if it is many little cities packed into one, except that everyone here feels distinctly like a Berliner. And I feel like I am indeed a Berliner as well.

Herzlich Willkommen!

At the request of many people, I have decided to use this post as a sort of catch up on what has happened to me in the past three days. So forgive me if this is less prose-oriented and more factually based. I am now in the evening of my second full day in Berlin. So far it has been a whirlwind experience but very exciting and energizing. It is all by God's hand that everything has worked out so perfectly. There are so many things that could have gone horrible wrong by everything went perfectly: even me lugging all my heavy bags from one side of Berlin to the other, using only public transportation! If I knew that it would be such a hassle to carry everything from Tegel Airport (north Berlin) to my school in Zehlendorf (south-west Berlin), then I would not have packed so many things. But being a girl that is always hard to do.

Fortunately being stuck in the middle of a foreign language-speaking country by myself has forced me to remember much of the German that I forgot. Yesterday I had to ask for bus tickets, find directions to the school, and speak to my host family. I have encountered some kind strangers along the way who helped me in different ways: a man helping me carry one suitcase up stairs and a woman finding the exact location of my school building. And on top of that I have the sweetest host family. For those who don't know: I am living with a woman teacher and her teenage daughter. Both speak perfect English and live in an enormous flat close to the school. They have been welcoming and engaging and so accomodating! As my host mom says, we will use English when we wish to discuss politics and important subjects and use German for everything else. My German is very limited but I am sure that once the program gets going I will be much more proficient.

Many of the other students in the program are either from California or Washington D.C./Virginia area which gives me a great advantage because I am familiar with both. Naturally I have sort of attached myself with the California crowd and have even met a girl from Mission Viejo. Small world. Tonight a group of us are going with the program assistants to a bar in Kreuzberg to meet some locals. And who doesn't come to Germany to experience the wide selection of beers?

As you will come to understand from future posts, Berlin is made up of several different districts. As I wrote earlier, so districts include Steglitz-Zehlendorf and Kreuzberg. Others are: Charlottenberg, Wilmersdorf (where my flat is), Mitte, and Schoeneberg. On Saturday I will travel to the Mitte and visit Unter den Linden which is supposed to be a lovely historic place. I am still planning out where else I should visit while I am in Europe, but first I must decide what to explore in Berlin. The city has been exciting and I can't wait to discover little cafes and historic places too.

Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends...

This is the big plunge. My flight for Berlin leaves in about 5 hours and I am nearly finished packing. I went from a state of dread and anxiety to a state of resoluteness and anticipation. This final plunge is all about courage.

Now while I am not King Henry V leading his army into battle, the words of Shakespeare always give me some sort of comfort:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood (King Henry V, III.I)

This gives me courage. I will stiffen myself and leap forward. I will "imitate the tiger" and embolden myself for what is coming ahead. I will cast all fear aside. And now fear is my only enemy. The thing that frightens me the most is the thought of landing in Berlin with no one by my side and then somehow managing to get myself to my hotel in one piece. Oh, and while having others expect me to speak German (if not at least initially). I need courage!!

But as King Henry calls out to his troops, I will indeed "summon up the blood." Here goes....