chapter four: the final countdown

Would you look at the time? It's already November!! And since Germany doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, it is really the Holiday Season here! Christmas decorations everywhere, ugly sweaters purchased, and gloves and scarves are in full swing.

As in the case of most study abroad bloggers, by the final month I have too many things to blog about and too little time to do it in the face of term papers, impending finals, last travel plans, and the "I meant to go there weeks ago"s. But goodness so much has happened since my last post about Oktoberfest. I will do my best to sum up the latest happenings and conclude with some reflections about the past week and the weeks ahead.

For our midterm break my friends and I decided to travel to Brussels, Bruges, and London to see a little bit more of Europe. A quick synopsis:

Brussels: chocolate, waffles, beer, The Grand Place, Mannequin Pis, so many cute streets and shops, Atomium, ruins, cathedrals, palaces, too many pictures.

Belgium waffles in front of Mannequin Pis

Sablon Cathedral, Brussels (don't mind the awkward pose)

Bruges: more chocolate, more beer, Market Place (main square), gardens, and great food

Garden Cafe, Bruges

Market Place, Bruges

London: so expensive, so beautiful, so busy, Picadilli Circus, Oxford Street, Big Ben, London Bridge, London Eye, indian food (true story), Apple Market, Platform 9 and 3/4, British Museum, Globe Theater, Buckingham Palace, more great food

Big Ben, London
(and one of my favorite pictures)

Okay so two weeks after this whirlwind trip we were back on a train, heading to Poland; Krakow and Warsaw to be exact. Picture the excitement, terror, debacles, and adventures of 75 American students running around Poland together for a week. I loved Krakow! It was a sweet little city with plenty to see and a small-town feel. Our visit to Auschwitz was an incredibly powerful day too. We toured the Auschwitz camp as a group and then went on to Birkenau, the death camp portion of Auschwitz, for self-guided tours of the massive space. With snow on the ground and heavy hearts it is a day I will not soon forget.

Birkenau-Auschwitz at sunset

The first time I've seen snow falling! 

Conversely, I will not be visiting Warsaw again if I can help it. From police corruption to creepy people, my experience was more negative than positive there despite visiting some exciting historic sites and seeing a lovely piano concerto. It wasn't my favorite city though. I did enjoy the day trip we took to the medieval city of Torun--small, but historic and complete with mulled wine and a game of chess.

Copernicus statue in Torun, Poland

On our way to a Chopin piano concerto in Warsaw

So that brings us back to this past week. Our last day in Warsaw I received some rattling news from home and since then have been grappling with the feeling that I need to hug my mom as soon as possible. This week has been one of reflection, little sleep, and a deep understanding that despite the beauty and wonder that awaits around the globe and the roots that we can put down there, the word "home" is reserved for where your heart hangs. I have 28 more days until I fly home and am more thrilled than ever to be back in California, despite the wonderful time I am having in Berlin and Europe.

This final month brings: Istanbul, Fussen, Nuremberg, Christmas markets, (and final exams)--we're at the FINAL COUNTDOWN.

oktoberfest 2012

Let's talk about Oktoberfest.

At the beginning of this month, Camille and I hopped on an 8 hour bus ride down to Munich to see what all the fuss was about. How crazy could a beer-carnival-festival be? Well this happens to be one of the oldest, most well-known, and largest festivals in the world. This year attracting around 6.4 million visitors who consumed approximately 7.3 million liters of beer (each beer is a liter, called a "Maß"). And at 10 Euro a beer, that is some serious consuming for a 16 day festival.

Camille and I went during the final weekend of the festival and had a splendid time! We tried our hand at Couchsurfing for the first time (if you don't know about it, look it up, it's rad). And despite our fear of having all of our organs harvested in the night thanks to multiple U.S. stereotypes about travel abroad and the begrudged sighs from our parents, everything went off without a hitch. We were originally going to stay with a student from Munich, Lydia, but due to a timing conflict, we ended up staying with her boyfriend, Ben, who is also a student, and meeting up with Lydia later in the weekend. They were both such splendid hosts!! The normal harshness associated with the German culture (at least in Berlin) was a complete 180 from the hospitality offered by our Bavarian friends. We got drinks at a local restaurant and were able to chat about so many interesting topics. Unfortunately, at this moment my iPhoto isn't working (a mystery of catastrophic impact while traveling around Europe) but I will post the adorable picture of Ben and Lydia after I figure out how to fix my iPhoto app. They were really just the cutest little couple and Camille and I are so grateful to have had a great place to stay and lovely people to show us around!

Now on to the festival: first things first, the traditional Bavarian garb for the event was, in our minds, essential to a true Oktoberfest visit; especially because 1. we look German enough and 2. we speak German enough (Camille more so than me). The dresses we bought are called dirndl (the men's are called lederhosen) and it was just too fun and hilarious to wear them around the city!

Dirndl and Maß beer at the Paulaner tent.

The real question on everyone's mind: How much beer did you drink?

Well Camille is more of a champion than I am (no surprises there) and on Sunday while at the Hippodrom tent, she finished about 5 liters over a 6 and a half hour time period. I was struggling after 1 liter, but by the end of the day had finished at least 2 and half liters (I cheated and bought a Radler for my second beer though). But there was no getting lost, separated, or losing of possessions so by the end of the weekend I would call it Jordan and Camille: 1, Oktoberfest: 0.

On both days that we visited the festival we met some really exciting people! The first evening we were seated at a table with 4 visiting Americans from Florida, a German couple and the boy's brother, and a little Bavarian man who spoke no English and as it turns out is a florist at the train station in Munich (how adorable is that?!). My terrible but coherent enough German was sufficient to small talk with the little Bavarian man and I really had the best time practicing and communicating. Everyone else at the table spoke English and the Americans from Florida didn't speak any German so it was an all-around good time of miscommunications, Prosting (traditional German "cheers," but taken more seriously), and merriment.

The second day (our only full day at Oktoberfest) we got to the tents at around 11 a.m. and sat down with a German family: 2 brothers in their 40's, the 10 year old son of one brother, and a cousin of one brother. At first they were not thrilled that we didn't speak much German, but by the end of the day we were all good buddies. I've never seen anyone drink as much beer as 3 grown German men. It's just incredible. The Hippodrom tent was amazing inside! So much color and music and cheering! We went home the next morning exhausted, broke, and entirely happy.

My final thoughts about Oktoberfest:

1. I would love to go again someday
2. German beer is the absolute best
3. YOU should go at least once in your life, you won't regret it!


Much love <3 p="p">

chapter three: the tipping point

Its those moments you live for; the til your head back, breathe deeply, and raise your hands up in exaltation kind of instances. Its moments of pause and retrospective understanding; happiness, contentment, excitement, completion; feeling full and hopeful and distinctly, nearly indescribably, alive.  

I will be the first to admit that I thought I was over my head when I stepped off the plane in Germany over a month ago. I couldn't read or communicate or understand or pick up the phone to call anyone. Its a unique kind of loneliness to squirm at the thought of ordering coffee or asking for directions. Of course I employed my favorite and most resiliently tested trick taught lovingly to me by my high school mock trial coach: "confidence hides all sins," or less eloquently, fake it until you make it. And it has yet to fail me, even in Berlin. 

Its impossible not to love this view.

Last weekend I was sitting on the train watching the last brisk days of September hustle past when my friend turned to me and said, with some relief, "I actually love this city." Huh. After weeks of overwhelming adjustments, fearsome exploration, and the busiest of busy days, I had only previously been thinking about how the babbling of the city was enough to knock you off your feet. I exchanged glances with her and said, "you know, yesterday I don't think I loved Berlin, but today, I love this city too."

It is a paradigm shift when you hang a piece of your heart somewhere. 

On Friday night, contrary to my usual snuggling up in wool socks and tea, I went out with Camille and Stephanie to a little mexican restaurant (where I was carded twice..who gets carded in Berlin??), then to an Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Berlin, and then to an Irish Pub. If you've never tried a Bailey's-colada, I highly recommend it both for the humor of ordering such a funny drink and for the quirky taste. We met up with some friends at fake Oktoberfest, and then before we knew it were on a walk to The Oscar Wilde Irish Pub. Camille and I almost immediately signed up for the karaoke that was happening and ended the night with a beautiful rendition of Wannabe by the Spice Girls. The striking level of globalization is notable here: to be singing a British song, in an Irish Pub, in the middle of Berlin, with a group of American students. In a word: fabulous. 

Fake Oktoberfest, Berlin

Camille and our classmate, Dan, at the Irish Pub
in Berlin (how do you like that cameo Dan?!)

  And although it was not a particularly crazy or outlandish evening, it was the first time, really since landing here, that I felt completely content.

The feeling has continued into this week, which happens to be midterm week. Thankfully for the sake of my painful senioritis, the tests have been easy. I have one more in a few hours (totally not blogging to procrastinate) and then the week is practically over! Tomorrow (Oktober 3rd) is the anniversary of German Reunification and is thus a national holiday and then Thursday I have German class until noon. After that I am hopping on a bus to Munich for Oktoberfest and then jumping on a plane to Belgium and then London for our midterm break. I can't believe the semester is already halfway over!!

In other news, I had the chance to see the finish and bits and pieces of the Berlin Marathon of Sunday. It was spectacular! I am so inspired to revisit Germany someday and run it! Any of the fab five races; New York, Chicago, London, Boston, and Berlin would be fantastic. Talk about motivation. Camille and I searched for these wonderful lakes we had heard about and they are gorgeous! I can't wait to run here more (to offset the pastry and chocolate intake afforded by German food). 

Krumme Lanke Lake--my new favorite running spot!

Finish line of the Berlin Marathon through Brandenburger Tor

And finally I would like to end this post with two things: 1. a picture of the jacket that literally every female in the entire city is wearing right now. Its insane how popular this same jacket with this cut and color and synch waist is. And 2. a meme that my younger cousin, Joseph, sent me recently and I thought it was great! Thanks for the smile cuz!

The most popular jacket ever.

The beautiful German language.

 I'm sure I will have a million pictures to share after this upcoming week of travel! Until then, stay beautiful my friends. 

heavy things

It is a bit overdue, but I have two very important and impressionable sites that are notable in a blog about Germany. These were both sites for my program "excursions" and they delve into some of the most emotional periods in Germany's history. We visited the Stasi Prison a little over a week ago and then the former concentration camp, Sachsenhausen, this past Friday.

The Stasi Prison was in commission from 1950 to 1989 and was an intermediate prison for suspected enemies of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)--which ruled over East Berlin behind the "Iron Curtain" when the Berlin wall was built in 1961. Once the boarder was sealed, any citizens of East Berlin who were even suspected to be in any way against the Stasi could very well end up in the torturous physical and mental rooms at the prison for questioning and to await trial. Various accounts have pointed to the padded isolation rooms and some form of water-boarding to be among the most mentally and physically terrorizing events in addition to the earlier days when as many as 11 people would be stuffed into a 12'x12'x12' room.

We toured most of the facility there and listened to the stories about the changed within the GDR and how once the physical conditions were forced to adhere to slightly better standards in the late 60's and 70's, the details to mentally breaking prisoners became more intricate.

The cells on the left and the offices on the right
--prisoners could not see out from the "glass brick" windows

Basement cells housed the most sought after prisoners like
political leaders, anti-GDR writers, and influential community members

 Perhaps the most striking aspect of this site was the fear and control the government was able to instill into its citizens. And, of course, it is extremely difficult to grasp how this was happening until 1989, the year my sister was born! Our tour guide was only in his late 20s and was a former resident of East Berlin during GDR power. He remembered his parents putting strands of their hair over the doorway to their apartment so they could check to see if the Stasi had broken into their home while they were away. It was not unusual for the Stasi to break into a home and rearrange the pictures on the wall, or fill the ashtray with cigarettes just to let a family know that they are watching. Hard to believe such organizations existed, to say the least.


The next site we visited was even more difficult to bear. The Sachsenhausen concentration camp is located on the outer rim of Berlin in Oranienburg and was open from 1936 to 1945 under Nazi control. After liberation by the Allied forces, Sachsenhausen was taken over by the Soviet Union as Special Camp Nr. 7, where they detained Nazi functionaries, anti-Communists, and Russians, including Nazi collaborators, before the close of the camp in 1950. After extensive excavations starting in the 1950's, over 12,500 bodies have been recovered, and the ashes of many more were discovered surrounding the camp's four-oven crematorium and mobile oven trucks.

I have taken courses on history, human rights, political action, and even took a class called "Genocide in the 20th Century," but none of it really prepared me for the intense hallowed feeling of walking through the camp. It would be disrespectful and naive to assume that I will in any way be able to convey any kind of "coming to terms" with the overwhelming quiet that exists at the site. And what is, perhaps, most difficult is that this was not a death camp at all. It was a labor camp, and a small one at that. Located in the center of a town. There isn't a whole lot more I can say that doesn't delve into existentialism in its entirety after visiting Sachsenhausen.

Grove of trees outside the labor
 camp with scattered memorials

"Labor Frees" on the front gate

Site marker #25: Execution Trench

"And I know one thing more--that the Europe of the future cannot exist without
commemorating all those, regardless of their nationality, who were killed that
this time with complete contempt and hate, who were tortured to death,
starved, gassed, incinerated and hanged..."
~Andrzej Szczypiorski, former Sachsenhausen prisoner

I would like to end this heavy post with one of my all-time favorite quotes that grants me piece of mind, at the very least, when I need it the most:

“The first is that the struggle for justice should never be abandoned because of the apparent overwhelming power of those who have the guns and money and who seem invincible in their determination to hold on to it. That apparent power has, again and again, proved vulnerable to human qualities less measurable than bombs and dollars: moral fervor, determination, unity, organization, sacrifice, wit, ingenuity, courage, patience—whether by blacks in Alabama and South Africa, peasants in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Vietnam, or workers and intellectuals in Poland, Hungary, and the Soviet Union itself. No cold calculation of the balance of power need deter people who are persuaded that their cause is just.”
~ Howard Zinn, “Failure to quit: reflections of an optimistic historian,”The Optimism of Uncertainty

Thanks for reading, I have another post that I am working on and will update again soon.

Viele Liebe! [much love]

word to the wise

Here is a list of do's and do not's along with some tips I have picked up on during the first month of my stay in Berlin. Some of these are observed and some of them are experienced.

Do Nots:

1. Don't try to jump onto the train (U-Bahn or S-Bahn) at the last minute--it's not like BART, the door is not going to open and your arm is going to be guillotined.
2. Don't stand in the little square next to the rear door of the bus because the door won't shut and if you have your headphones in, you're going to get hit by moms with strollers standing near you
3. Don't assume anyone will speak English at the post office. They won't.
4. Don't trust the arrows on your map. They might actually be pointing in exactly the opposite direction.
5. Don't put off e-mailing your mom from your hostel...she'll call internationally.
6. Don't use sarcasm with German people. It's not going to work 99.9% of the time.

Do:

1. Definitely leave with time to spare. Lots of it, you can go from zero to lost in an instant.
2. Go running to see what is in the neighborhoods around you (and not have to talk to anyone because when you're a runner you are no longer conspicuous)
3. Try to order everything in German, even though 9 times out of 10 the cashier will respond in perfect English
4. Expect that your clothes will be wet for 2 days after washing them because dryers do not exist in Germany--plan outfits accordingly and don't wash all of your pants at once
5. Buy a million post cards and send them often. A hand drawn heart means loads more than a "less than three"
6. Always dress in layers. Rainstorms to heat waves to frozen tundra to dry and cold in one day. Scarves and cardigans, all day.

Assumptions/Fun Facts:

1. It is safe to say at this point that most German women over age 30 don't shave (or at least not often). An extra layer for warmth I suppose?
2. Germans subsist off of pastries, chocolate, and beer. Don't tell my thighs about all those calories though
3. The German language does not sound mean all the time. Although when a mother yells at her child in German, it explains a lot about the adults who refuse to smile at you on the street.
4. Top knot buns, leggings, long army-green coats, mustard yellow everything, and infinity scarves are all the rage here
5. Almost none of the brands you know and love in the U.S. are here. I was lied to about that one.

And finally, a few of my favorite pictures so far:

Club Mate tea and a sunflower from the open market

My two adorable friends, Camille and Steph

Schloss Sanssouci

TV Tower

museum island

Tapas and Coffee

Berliner Dom

Gelato at the weekend market

"Make Love Work"

Cookie Monster

TV Tower

the cutest little coffee maker ever (in a department store in Berlin)

Thanks for reading! Wednesday marks my official one month in Berlin. Down to less than 3 months, let's make it count!

Much love,

Jordan

chapter two: museums, wine, and many photos

Hello loved ones!

It has been a busy two weeks since my last post. We have been to many more museums, on more adventures around the city, and to Potsdam, a city directly adjacent to Berlin. Here is a recent chronology of events:

First off, my school group had our first excursion last Friday (September 7th) to see Schloss Cecilienhof and Schloss Sanssouci, both of which are located in Potsdam. I absolutely loved that city! It was really what I expected "authentic" German streets to look like; the cobble stone streets with little shops, arches, and cafes galor. In a word: charming. Schloss Cecilenhof was incredible to see because it is the mansion where the Potsdam Agreement was negotiated by Stalin, Truman, and Churchill post-WWII (Berlin was too far destroyed from the war for the conference to conviene there). This agreement determined the division of Berlin (East and West), divvied up the remaining undeclared territories, and formed the basis for the reconstruction of Europe.

One of the entryways to the main conference room for Stalin, Truman, and Churchill

The outside of one wing of Schloss Cecilienhof

After Schloss Cecilienhof, my friend Camille and I walked around the adorable little streets of Potsdam and settled into a little cafe for lunch before heading to Schloss Sanssouci.

Espresso & hot chocolate on a chilly September day in Potsdam

Schloss Sanssouci was built in the mid-18th century and was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. It is well esteemed in Germany as a landmark in architecture and grandeur and the yellow exterior is one of my very favorite colors. We toured the interior and each room was gold leafed, hand-painted, sculpted, imported, and carved from the finest materials around the world--even by today's standards. Certainly a sight worth seeing, but I enjoyed the history and significance of Schloss Cecilienhof a great deal more to be honest. Nevertheless, Schloss Sanssouci was breathtaking.

Outside Schloss Sanssouci

Schloss Sanssouci entry hallway chandelier

After our adventures in Potsdam, my friends and I visited a wine garden (outdoor wine bar generally with gardens and outdoor seating, similar to a beer garden). The pangs of winter's approach are already in the air here, but it is the start to my favorite fashion weather: big knit scarves, sweaters, and cardigan layers (soon to be hats, gloves, and boots too). There were too many wines to choose from and I wish I could have read everything on the menu! But we made some sweet selections and lounged on the garden benches enjoying the crisp air and beautiful day.

Red and white wine galor! 

After an eventful few days, we decided to start whittling down the long list of museums we need to visit for our classes. Camille, Steph, and I visited the Deutsches Historisch Museum (German History Museum), visited Ritter Sport (famous German chocolate brand), and then I headed to the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie. I enjoyed all of our day's activities (including the tapas we ended the day with), but I have to say that Checkpoint Charlie was by far the most interesting and heartfelt museum I have visited. The mix of artwork, personal accounts, artifacts, and timeline set a hopeful and striking tone--presenting the materials in a very powerful way. It was very touristy and covered a vast range of personal stories and historic milestones.

Camille and Steph at Ritter Sport Chocolate

Protest signs from the Deutsches Historisch Museum

"The Fraternal Kiss" from Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie

"You are leaving the American Sector" famous sign

Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie

Camille and I also took a walk around Berlin on one of the last very nice days and took pictures of the TV tower and Berliner Dom. These are some of my favorite pictures of the trip thus far, and it was such a fluke of a photo shoot in between studying on a Sunday.

TV Tower

Berliner Dom

TV Tower through the Berlin anniversary monument 

I have some grains of wisdom I would like to bestow on any future Berlin visitors, but they are still in the works at the moment--I will try to post them tomorrow though! In the meantime, know that I am loving my time here, missing my wonderful boyfriend and family severely, and looking forward to the adventures to come.

Much much love. 

chapter one: a whole new world

I officially have my feet on the ground in BERLIN! It was no small feat ending up here after dragging my huge suitcase, carry-on, and backpack through the ICE train station, U-Bahn, and S-Bahn stations (similar to BART, U-Bahn is under ground and S-Bahn is above ground) to finally end up at my hostel, The Three Little Pigs. It was, of course, the hottest day of the summer on the day I arrived with humidity at 91% and when I got off at the final station, naturally it began to pour for my walk over. Exhausted was an understatement.

Since then, the time has flown by and I have been here for almost 2 weeks. I think a list of updates is in order:

1. Host family: I opted for staying with a host family as sort of a leap of faith into the language and culture of Germany. The payoff has already been immense. My family consists of a mom, daughter (17 years old), and another student living in the flat. The other student, Pamela, is finishing her masters degree this year and is originally from Cameroon, but has been with my host family for about 3 years and in Berlin for 7 years. They are all incredibly sweet and very trusting. My host sister, Johanna, is a vegan, so all of the food is really healthy and very good! We just finished a dinner of cauliflower and ginger soup--very tasty. I really lucked out on this one. We live next to a church, kindergarten, and retirement home so it's pretty quiet, but right near a busy street. I'm only a 10 minute bus ride from a huge shopping mall center and a 20 minute bus ride from school. I could not be a happier camper.
2. Classes: We started class this past Monday and have no class on Friday's. I'm taking an intensive German language course for a total of 12 hours each week, excluding homework and studying. I'm also taking 2 courses in English: Integration, Conflict, and Security in Europe and Environmental Politics and Policy in Europe. They seem like very thoughtful classes from the EU perpective, which should help to round out the Western perspective courses I've already taken. 
3. Social life/exploration: I have met 2 very sweet girls, Camille and Stephanie, both also from California (Cal and UCLA, respectively). We are already 3 peas in a pod--a saving grace from the chaos that is this city. It seems like we are always on the go, trying to get to the heart of what Berlin is all about. It is a vast city and could easily fit the surface area of Munich, Vienna, and Hamburg inside its boundaries--incredible! So we are never short on adventures. We've already toured the River Spree (running through Berlin); went to Lange Nacht der Museen (Long Night at the Museums) where museums around the city open at 6 pm and don't close until 2 am--a beautiful night to see the historic city museums, including Berliner Dom; navigated the open air markets (wanting to buy everything); struggled, but eventually conquered buying go-phones, school supplies, and toiletries mostly in German; and did a walking tour of Brandenburger Tor (Berlin historic center) to see Brandenburger gate (my favorite picture from the day below), old Berlin wall memorials, buildings where the Nazi party ruled, and even the spot on the street where the Nazi bunkers where located--the place where Hitler committed suicide in 1945--a very sobering place to stand and only a block away from one of the larger Holocaust memorials in the city.  

   

   Brandenburger Gate, Berlin 2012
4. Latest news from today!! Steph, Camille, and I just booked tickets today to visit London, Brussels (Bruxelles in German), and Bruges (Brugge) over our fall break from October 8th to the 14th--we are currently compiling lists of places to go while we are there, if any of you have suggestions. AND we are very excited that we will be in Turkey on Turkey-Day! Late November we will be on an adventure to Istanbul to soak up all we can in a short time before finals begin--from the blue mosque to the Grand Bazaar to possibly so hot springs (google image search Turkey hotsprings, you won't regret it). Thanksgiving day with be spent on our way to the only city in the world that is on two continents!! Housing is in the works for all of our travels, and a trip to Oktoberfest is also planned for October 4th-7th! We are busy bees and so thrilled to travel!

Finally, there is a list of things that I miss from back home. I'm still transitioning and it is a bit silly to make a list, but I really miss...

1. being able to read street signs
2. calling my dad to ask questions and coordinating family dates with my mom
3. dollar bills (1 and 2 euros are coins)
4. my iPhone--especially map apps, taking pictures, and texting
5. Justin--including being in the same timezone, date nights, his tiny apartment, and eating Chinese food from the containers on his futon
6. game days at Cal
7. understanding people when they talk to me
8. toilet seat covers
9. ordering coffee correctly
10. reading menus and food labels
11. Trader Joe's and Berkeley Bowl
12. my sorority
13. Berkeley farmer's market apple juice
14. California weather (I realize this feeling will not go away and will only get more intense as it gets colder here)

My heart hangs at home, but I am proud of all I have learned about myself, navigation (with real life maps), travel, and being versatile in adjusting to a new space, language, culture, and social pattern.

Sorry this post is so long! I will have to make these a more frequent habit. Feel free to email me at jordanpwight@gmail.com or facebook message me if you would like my address here to send letters :)

Tschüs!