Hello, Again
I haven't updated since before London! My sincerest apologies, it's been a busy and exciting time around here. London was fantastic. We went to a few museums (the Tate Modern and the Clink Prison), did some dancing, bought some vintage denim, had some delicious Italian food (and bagels, a delicacy not found in Berlin), and relaxed in a home for the weekend. It's surprising how much having a living room that isn't also your kitchen and bedroom changes how you spend a day! It was exactly what I needed, and with my good friends too! The days following London involved turning in massive piles of terribly written papers and stressing about German tests--the usual.
Since Halloween, it's been Christmas in Berlin. Lights hung up everywhere, candles and pines laid out at markets, and Gluwein being sold all over. I love it. It makes the cold weather more tolerable, and makes gray days a little cozier.
I Don't Like Clubs?
After a few weekends out at small Berlin clubs, I had determined that I am not a fan of clubbing. In Berlin particularly. Which is weird, because it's known as the clubbing capital of the world. The thing is, techno music doesn't exactly lend itself to dancing, just swaying aggressively. You wait until 12 or 1AM to get into an empty club filled with smoke and swaying Germans (wearing only black and making you feel odd for wearing dark blue). If you don't have cash to check your coat (which I happened to not have one night), you just hold your winter coat and continue to sway aggressively. I am excited to go back to Santa Cruz where people know how to dance.
We Got Paid Off
As I mentioned at the beginning of this journey, I had bedbugs in my apartment for two weeks in August. The program housed me in hotels, and switched my room eventually. However, it's come out that someone in the program has scabies (EW EW EW), which prompted a panicked reaction from the program director--200 Euro for each student in an apartment. So I am 200 Euro richer, and excited about it.
Impossible to Avoid
At this point, the end of the program is looming over everyone's heads almost all the time. My three months here have seemed like years, but also like three days. I'm becoming more confident in the city and the language everyday, and just as I'm finding my feet here it's time to go back. I've gained knowledge about what I want to do with my life after school (and during school), and what is important to me in my day-to-day. In Berlin, there's constant adjustment. We're always solving new problems, coming up with solutions to Germany issues with America minds. I feel myself making conscious decisions to challenge myself, especially in social situations, which I didn't expect from time abroad. At home, school has always come first. But after being out of commission last Spring quarter, I realized that my formal education will always be waiting for me. Here I've learned how to prioritize self-care, and how to include others in that process. I genuinely believe the people here have made me a better Maya, and I'll miss them a lot come December.
I'm endlessly grateful to have been here, even if for a short time, but still excited to come home. It's bittersweet, as a good ending should be.
Friday, November 22, 2019
Sunday, November 3, 2019
stuff is happening i am busy
Gettin' Busy
After the midterm break things have definitely picked up in schoolwork (and in fun). We have two research papers coming up, and outlines were due this week so everyone was either very freaked about it, or completely forgot. The program here is weird, in that our classes have basic content that isn't difficult to digest, but the professors don't understand how to teach it or engage students, and the FU-BEST program requires a 10 page research paper for every subject course, regardless of the teacher's desires. Anyways, I've finally focused my topics for both papers (Austrian Holocaust memory and music in female-led Weimar cinema) and am really excited to be writing them.
Random Bits and Bobs
On Sunday after getting home from Paris, I went to the symphony with a ticket from FU-BEST. I was so tired from my trip home I basically watched the whole thing asleep, unfortunately. School was relatively uneventful; on Thursday my German class took a field trip to interview strangers at 9:30AM about the history of their area. This went about as well as you would expect, we spoke to multiple Americans and no one knew any of the answers to our questions. Afterwards, we went to the Graffiti Museum. It was pretty small and nothing really stood out to me, but it was good checking it off the Berlin tourist list.
Sachsenhausen
The long awaited field trip to Sachsenhausen on Friday morning was meant to begin at 10:15, however I didn't double check the time when getting ready, and was pretty late. There were other students running late, and as we were on the longest S-bahn ride of all time I GOT FINED FOR NOT HAVING MY STUDENT ID ON ME. The one day of the entire program I didn't have my card on me is also the one day the BVG security are checking. So as I'm running late to my field trip at a CONCENTRATION CAMP, I get fined SIXTY EUROS. It was a rough start.
The field trip itself was really interesting, we had a walking tour of the grounds which are partially recreated and partially original remains. It was incredibly humbling, more so I would say than Treblinka. Being able to trace where a person would go in a day, what structures were enforced to keep them imprisoned, as well as how they were killed and buried, was moving. When you read history so often, it's easy to distance yourself from the reality of the past.
Other Things Also Happened
I had a little adventure afterwards to pick up my package from America (THANKS MOM). I was really nervous about navigating customs in German, but there was actually very little speaking. That night I went to see the new Joker movie which was very good and very disturbing. On Saturday morning my friends and I tried to make bagels from scratch, and I would say it worked like 70% but we ate them anyways.
Backdate This Post
It took me two weeks to put this up somehow! That might give ya'll an actual idea of how busy I am. I finished one ten page research paper, and will be working like crazy this week to get the other done before my trip to London on Thursday. Hopefully my next update will be coming soon!
Random Bits and Bobs
On Sunday after getting home from Paris, I went to the symphony with a ticket from FU-BEST. I was so tired from my trip home I basically watched the whole thing asleep, unfortunately. School was relatively uneventful; on Thursday my German class took a field trip to interview strangers at 9:30AM about the history of their area. This went about as well as you would expect, we spoke to multiple Americans and no one knew any of the answers to our questions. Afterwards, we went to the Graffiti Museum. It was pretty small and nothing really stood out to me, but it was good checking it off the Berlin tourist list.
Sachsenhausen
The long awaited field trip to Sachsenhausen on Friday morning was meant to begin at 10:15, however I didn't double check the time when getting ready, and was pretty late. There were other students running late, and as we were on the longest S-bahn ride of all time I GOT FINED FOR NOT HAVING MY STUDENT ID ON ME. The one day of the entire program I didn't have my card on me is also the one day the BVG security are checking. So as I'm running late to my field trip at a CONCENTRATION CAMP, I get fined SIXTY EUROS. It was a rough start.
The field trip itself was really interesting, we had a walking tour of the grounds which are partially recreated and partially original remains. It was incredibly humbling, more so I would say than Treblinka. Being able to trace where a person would go in a day, what structures were enforced to keep them imprisoned, as well as how they were killed and buried, was moving. When you read history so often, it's easy to distance yourself from the reality of the past.
Other Things Also Happened
I had a little adventure afterwards to pick up my package from America (THANKS MOM). I was really nervous about navigating customs in German, but there was actually very little speaking. That night I went to see the new Joker movie which was very good and very disturbing. On Saturday morning my friends and I tried to make bagels from scratch, and I would say it worked like 70% but we ate them anyways.
Backdate This Post
It took me two weeks to put this up somehow! That might give ya'll an actual idea of how busy I am. I finished one ten page research paper, and will be working like crazy this week to get the other done before my trip to London on Thursday. Hopefully my next update will be coming soon!
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