Gedenkstätte Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz & Marlene Dietrich

Both of these were a part of my German course, and I thought I'd share them since they're not really anywhere tourists would think of going but places I'm glad I had a chance to see.

Das Gedenkstätte Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz was the site of the Wannsee Conference of 1942 where top Nazi officials decided on a "final solution to the Jewish problem." The memorial and museum is split into many rooms, each with a different theme.

The Nuremberg Laws set forth laws that began the persecution of Jews.

Wannsee is a bit of a trek from the city but nevertheless lovely, undoubtedly particularly so in summer. The history is a bit of a shame though.

And I visited a couple of spots around Berlin commemorating the life and career of Marlene Dietrich. I already shared a couple of photos, but these were taken a bit later.

The cemetery where she is buried:

I believe these are some of the earliest grave sites, mostly dating from late 19th century to pre-WWI.

People were taking walks with friends and their babies in strollers through the cemetery, which I found kind of odd. But then again I was there taking photos!

And Marlene's place of birth. Apologies for the lackluster photos but 1) a lot of people actually live here and it was kind of embarrassing trying to take photos of the entrance to their building and 2) it wasn't very bright out by the time I got there, plus the weather of late doesn't help that one bit. You can find it at Leberstraße 65 (formerly Sedanstraße 53) in Schöneberg.

The Big 2-1 and Farewells

It sucks to celebrate a birthday away from friends and family, and it sucks even more when that birthday is your 21st. This is the day you get to go to a bar and get really drunk with the friends you planned on celebrating with 3 years ago.

But that doesn't mean you can't still celebrate and have a great time with friends you met 3 weeks ago.

I woke up to a cake and card made by my splendid host mom Silvia and lovely host sister Alicia. They are two of the most incredibly kind and patient human beings I've ever met, and I am so lucky to be staying with them for many more months to come - I simply can't say this enough!

Alicia also made me a shirt to commemorate my time in Berlin. It features the Bear of Berlin and my favorite German word, Klugscheißer.

It was a long weekend full of debauchery, Jäger, bier, and tropische Getränke; that is all I will (and possibly can) say. Coincidentally the 23rd was also our last day of class, and there were a lot of celebrations for that reason too. I went out basically every night from Thursday to Saturday and came home on Sunday morning at 6 AM. It's gonna take me a couple of days to sleep all of that off, but it's been wild introduction to Berlin.

Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to some wonderful friends that I've met since they were only here for the three weeks of our program.

When you've traveled home with someone at 3 AM while having no real idea of where you're going, you know you've got a friend.

My favorite new international friends, Youn Seung from South Korea and Daniel from "Rio," Brazil. Together we suffered through a 3-week course together where we had no idea what the hell was going on and what our instructor was on. Two amazing, hilarious, fun individuals that I hope to visit soon and will miss dearly.

Vincy from Melbourne, Australia. The only person I know who gets worse Asian glow than my friend Robert at home. She is such a joy to be around and so down-to-earth with a fantastic attitude! I also hope to see her again, whether in Australia or elsewhere on our travels.

And lastly, "always down" Doug from Chicago (but not really) and Emmanuel from New York City. Doug's nickname comes from the fact that he was, well, always down to do whatever, whenever. And as a Midwest native, he finally got to ask an Asian all the questions he's always wanted to ask Asians. Emmanuel stayed 3 weeks with a homestay near the Onkel Toms Hütte (yes, that is translated as Uncle Tom's Hut) U-Bahn stop, located painfully far from most of the places we wanted to go, but he was almost always there with us, if not at a museum. And how can I forget that wonderful day we had with our friends near the Berliner Dom?

Vielen Dank for all these wonderful people who made the beginning of my stay so memorable!

Reichstag

We had a change to visit the Reichstag and die Kuppel, which is the glass dome on top of the building. Admission is free, but you must register ahead of time and bring your passport! Everyone was right when they said it offers the best views of Berlin, which unfortunately are very difficult to capture with a camera.

FYI: The dome is outside (read: not enclosed and no heaters!!!) and I wouldn't really encourage visiting it in the winter. It's pretty high up and temps are already sub-freezing on the ground. I look forward to booking an appointment for the summer though, and during the day next time! It was already dusk by the time we got up there.

We also got to see the plenary chamber where the parliament meets.

Random fun facts:

• The color of the seats is patented by the German government. You can't find it anywhere else, supposedly. I personally think it looks strangely reminiscent of the color of evil Minions.
• Bullet holes from when the Soviets overtook the building have been left to serve as a reminder of history.
• The seats and chairs are fully adjustable and are changed every four years after the election such that each party has exactly the number of seats as elected members in their little slice of the crescent. (Very German.)

On a kinda related note, two random photos of other gorgeous landmarks in the evening...

First Snowfall

I am a little behind on posts - apologies!

Berlin saw snow for the first time this year yesterday, which is unseasonably late. Someone who was here last semester said that it only snowed once, so Berlin's been having a pretty "warm" winter.

Uhhhh... OK #caligirlinberlin

And just as exciting as the snow, my host family just began fostering two cats, Jofi and Ari. They are absolutely beautiful and such a delight to see everyday :) I have never been able to keep a large pet like a cat or dog, so this is amazing! Speaking of which, I will be seeing a lot more of both cats, as I have decided to stay with my host family until the end of my program here in Berlin. I'm so glad they're willing to let me stay, and this really resolves a loooot of issues I was encountering in finding a place to live.

Jofi, constantly running around and thus blurry. Ari and I got into a bit of a scuffle and he is not very happy with me right now, but hopefully he'll forgive me soon!

The other hugely exciting recent development is that I finally decided on all the countries I want to visit in February and I am taking a month long solo trip to the UK, Ireland, and France. All my transport has been booked and now I'm looking into hostels and specific destinations.

Coming up: an Überblick of some of the other random stuff I've been doing, primarily regarding some interesting places I visited while working on a presentation about Marlene Dietrich and a trip to the Reichstag & die Kuppel.

East Side Gallery Revisited + Solo Adventures

We get Fridays off from classes and originally I had planned on heading out to Dresden for the day. I didn't end up going because I didn't feel up for being out for 12 hours, much of which would be spent on the round trip bus ride. The jetlag has been quite cruel; the first week, I could barely sleep and now that's all I really want to do.

Somehow I dragged myself out of the house and decided to start early on my presentation for Monday. I had to visit and take photos of a few places where Marlene Dietrich lived and worked when she was in Berlin. Today, I only managed to see Kaiser Wilhelm's Memorial Church (where she got married) and Deutsches Theater Berlin (her first theater performance).

The church has actually been left in its post-WWII condition, but I believe those panels are there as they are in the process of restoring it. Unfortunately in Berlin, many things were damaged if not destroyed during the war, and most of what looks in good condition now is not what it historically was. Most of these old buildings are really not more than 100 years old if you take into consideration the extensive work that was undertaken to get them to their current state.

Somewhere in between the church and the theater, I got overwhelmed by a huge street of shops. We are talking Zaras on both sides of the street, one per block, like Starbucks back in the States. Lots of stores from low end to high end to Apothekes to grocery stores.

Shops on both sides with the church ruins in the center

The theater is in the cutest little location. There's this lovely city square and people taking strolls and biking around. The street leading up is quite serene with some random bars and restaurants in the basements of the buildings.

I had a chance to go back to the East Side Gallery in the afternoon in broad daylight and saw all of the favorites.

I will say the real shame is that people keep writing their own dumb shit on otherwise very amazing street art, as you can see above. No one asked for your input, thanks.

And here's a photo of me on the other side of the wall, where there's a quaint little river.

It was a long and tiring day. Everyone under 30 in Berlin is probably going out since it's Friday night, but I want to stay in my very toasty room. Ultimately, I will probably suck it up and drag my butt out the door after my laundry is done.

For the record, I only have a lot to share at this point since the city is still fairly new to me and sometimes I wander off at a bus or train stop with no idea where the hell I am and start walking. I'm sure the plateau effect will kick in at a certain point ;)

Tomorrow, I really need to get some (preferably cheap) gloves and finish taking photos for my presentation on Marlene Dietrich with visits to the building where she was born and also her grave, both of which are very close to where I'm currently staying.

One last photo to leave you with, again from the East Side Gallery with a handy English translation...

Dinnertime Observations

When you don't really know a language too well but you're sitting at the dinner table and have nothing better to do than to listen to all these conversations going on around you for the next three hours, it really forces you to take down a few mental notes about cultural differences.

1. Germans are very, very, very, very, very warm (warmherzig auf Deutsch!). I think there are misconceptions about them based on history and stereotypes, but they are some of the nicest people I've met. No, they do not appreciate small talk in grocery stores and on public transit the same way Americans do, but if you have even the remotest connection to them (for me in this case, via my host mom and sister), they treat you like their own kin.
2. Speaking of which, I personally find Germans to expect the same amount of personal space (Abstand) as Americans do while in public places with strangers. However, when with friends or loved ones (or some random Asian girl they just met through a friend or loved one), that space can suddenly become very small. I think I made almost three faux pas tonight in greeting and bidding adieu, especially because I met many people for the first time tonight. Here, when everyone else is hugging while saying their goodbyes, that's what you gotta do too, even if you just met the person. Don't be me and end up shaking hands when the other person was in the process of initiating a hug.
3. This point doesn't have much to do with culture, but damn do some of the older generation have great stories to tell about all the changes they've experienced in this country.
4. They really do know a lot about cars.
5. Americans need to get their shit together and learn more languages. It's basically a given here to speak fluent English, and even the older generation speak English better than I do German. 
6. Unlike in the U.S. and China, splitting the check is not at all awkward. Everyone pays for whatever they ordered and directly tells the server exactly how much they're paying, including any tip you can choose to give or not give (!!!), when handing over money. There's no bullshit with tax and compulsory tip for parties of 7+ or whatnot.

I had a lovely evening, although after a glass of prosecco, I was exhausted for the rest of the night. I met the rest of my very modern host family and overall it was quite the experience.

It's about time I take a shower and get to sleep. It's absolutely insane how much going through an entire day having to think constantly about a foreign language can drain you. And everyone keeps telling me I'm going clubbing or to a bar today or tomorrow or the day after that, if not the day after that. This city only gets wilder.

Gute Nacht!

Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe serves as a reminder of the atrocities of World War II and the Third Reich. A few days ago, I took a tour with a guide who lauded Germany for trying to make amends for the terrible crimes against humanity committed by ancestors. I have to say that I agree. It takes a lot to own up to a genocide that killed over five million people, and there is not a single attempt to disguise the truth. In fact, by the end of the underground exhibits, I didn't want to see or hear the word "murder" one more time.

In my opinion, the toughest part was learning about individuals and families that perished during the Holocaust. It's all very distant until someone makes it salient by putting a face and a name to what you already know. The real shame is that there were so many more victims whose identities may remain forever unknown.

I wasn't able to stay very long because after a while, it really becomes unbearable. I hope to return at least once more during my time in Berlin.

Die erste Woche

I can't believe it's been a week since I first landed. For a granny at heart like me, it's insane how much I've done. This city has already taken me through an entire whirlwind of emotions, and I've got another 6 1/2 months to go.

I started classes on Monday of this past week. To my surprise, I was placed in a B2 level language course. We're asked to have some pretty complex conversations and to voice opinions on some rather difficult topics. It's quite draining to be in class for 4 1/2 hours everyday and think very hard about each word the teacher is saying. To be quite honest, I've been quite disappointed in myself. It's only been a week, I know, but I feel like I'm regressing most of the time. I'm learning a lot of vocabulary, but it's not that easy to use. My primary weakness is (and will probably forever be) in speaking the language. Germans speak so damn fast - I believe second only to Spanish speakers in talking speed - and it's so hard to keep up with them since they separate their participles and verbs regularly. When I get put in the spotlight to answer a question, I'm like a deer in headlights. When it comes to following conversation though, I think I'm slowly improving.

Okay, now on to something a lot happier... FOOD. So many sweets and pastries, many of them with a hazelnut chocolate filling. This is a donut. With aforementioned filling. GET OUT.

 

My host sister says this bakery near the apartment is bad, so I'm really curious as to what good tastes like. I've tried a boulette, a pastry, and two different brötchen thus far, and I'm not disappointed.

On Wednesday, the university organized a karaoke night for us at an Irish pub. I didn't end up performing despite two beers. Here I am with my friend Phoebe, whom I shared a pitcher with. No deeper comradery exists.

Photo c/o my friend Youn Seung from Korea

And after the pub on the same night, I ended up going to a hotel/restaurant/bar in Friedrichshain to meet up with my host sisters and their friend visiting from Canada. He spoke only a little German, so I got to relax a bit and only speak English for the rest of the night. Then we walked to the East Side Gallery. It was beautiful in the evening, and I'm planning a return trip during the day.

On Thursday night, I found a super awesome hole-in-the-wall bar in Charlottenburg. Some of us ended up having a little too much to drink and being a bit embarrassing on the U-Bahn ;)

And yesterday, Friday, we had no class so a bunch of us went on a free walking tour which took us through most of the historical tourist spots in Berlin including the Brandenburger Tor, Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas, former Luftwaffe headquarters, Berlin Konzerthaus, several lovely city squares, and ruins of the Berlin Wall.

We learned from the tour guide that this city square is called Pariser Platz after the Germans took the Quadriga at the top of the gate back from the French, renaming it from Eirene, goddess of peace, to Victoria (victory) and naming the city square after Paris to show that Germany had defeated France.

Some remains of the Berlin Wall

Konzerthaus Berlin

 And finally, a visit to the beautiful Berliner Dom. CRAY. We climbed to the top and had a lovely view of the city including the Fernsehturm.

And at night, I went out and stayed out a little too long... Not sure how much I care to elaborate on this point but I did learn the hard way to get my butt back on public transit early enough instead of walking alone in the dark to get home.

In summary: a badass first week and looking forward to more like it!

I leave you with this photo of the cutest dentist's office near my uni. STOP BEING SO PRECIOUS. I want to walk up to it and give it a hug every time I see it.