I began my first week of classes this Monday, and so far I have been very pleased. On Monday, I only have one class, which takes place from 4:15-5:45pm. Therefore, Monday mornings will most likely be devoted to A) grocery shopping, B) laundry, and/or C) traveling back to Berlin from a weekend getaway. Since I only have one of my "Area Studies" courses on Monday/Wednesday, that means my Tuesday/Thursday schedule is pretty grueling. I begin every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday with my two hour German 101 lesson at 9:30am. Then on Tues/Thurs I also have class from 12:45-2:15, 2:30-4:00, and 6:00-7:30! I am not used to having classes so late in the day.
The courses IES offers can fit into multiple disciplines, which makes the material both multifaceted and interesting. My courses include:
-Introduction to German Language
-Literature and Film in the Modern Metropolis (English/Art History)
-The Politics of Gender: Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow (Cultural Studies/ History)
-Visual Culture and The Urban Landscape (Art History/ Urban Studies)
-Sex, Drugs, & Rock n' Roll: Pop Culture's Impact on the Metropolis (Cultural Studies/ History)
The German (which I already talked about in a previous post) is coming along slowly...very slowly. While my usage of the subways has become very strong, my lack of knowledge of the German language sometimes hinders my ability to successfully move from place to place. For example, yesterday the S1 line that I take home changed rails ONE stop from my stop. Supposedly the conductor announced this change in line over the loud speaker...hmm? But no worries, my S&U-Bahn expertise allowed me to make it back to my stop...30 minutes after my expected arrival time. Other than my lack of knowledge in the language, I am loving the class. My teacher Kirsten is very nice and has some great stories about growing up within the Wall of East Berlin.
The Literature and Film course is not what I expected, but I have found it interesting thus far. On the first day, the teacher (a Berliner who graduated from UNC Chapel Hill) had us all write about our first impressions of the city. We then read them aloud and analyzed how we would present them if we had the chance (i.e. in film, poetry, literature, etc). The class namely focuses on the city's role, effect, purpose, and meaning in literature and film. For example, today we discussed Henri Lefebvre, who believed space to be divided into three categories: natural, socially produced, and imaginary. Are you confused? Well think of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and how the city and social places are so explicitly and colorfully described. This course analyzes the meaning and reasons behind this use of the city.
My Politics of Gender course is one of the courses that I am most excited about, probably because I enjoyed Professor Berebitsky's Women's Studies courses at Sewanee so much. The teacher seems really interested in what she is teaching and is very approachable. During the course we will talk about gender as a social construction (i.e. cat, dress, flower, pink = female & dog, tie, football, and blue = male) through the Berliner, Parisian, and Russian lenses. We began the first day of class with images that were considered "scandalous" in their time, and briefly discussed the reasons behind the scandal. Tomorrow we will discuss the integration of women into universities of Germany, which did not actually occur until the beginning of the 20th Century!
The Visual Culture and Urban Landscape course also appeals to me greatly, because I will be studying material that I am not as familiar with/ have yet to study. This course is an integration of art history and urban planning; therefore, we will not only study the traditional art forms of painting and architecture but the actual layout and planning of the city as well. For example, we will compare the integration of public transportation (subway, train, and tram lines) in the cities of Berlin, Paris, and St. Petersburg, while discussing the importance of their existence. Also, one week of this course is dedicated to street art and graffiti, which is a major part of Berlin's history due to The Wall.
As for the Sex, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll course...I think Jay Bonner will be asking me for the syllabus and assigned readings. Hell, he may even talk to Headmaster Montgomery about starting this course as a senior elective at Asheville School! This class is by far the most popular of all the courses; how could it not be with a name like that? In this course we will take a look at...well...basically what the title says and so much more. If you stop and think how much pop-culture affects us as human beings, it blows your mind. I mean, I couldn't sing you one Justin Bieber song but I sure as hell can tell you that the Bieber hair side-swoop is all the rage. Anyway, back to the point. We will not only read literature and watch films on/about pop-culture, but we will also experience it as well. One of our classes is a "Rap & DJing Clinic," where we will have to write and preform our creations with the class. Another class will be spent at the Berlin Stadium watching a soccer game! Basically, I cannot wait for this class to unfold.
Every year Berlin hosts the "Grüne Woche" (Green Week) as a celebration of both the German and International "green" lifestyle. The event is held in a massive civic center-esque building, where each gigantic room hosts a theme. Most of the "food rooms" are divided by German state, where each state provides traditional food and beer from their region. As the saying goes, "It's all Greek to me." Well...no offense Germany but all the brats, sausages, meats, cheeses, jams, etc at the stations looked the same to me. On the other hand, the beers all looked very different--thank God for marketing designers!
My friends and I then wandered into a specifically Bavarian room and oh my Holy Lederhosen! Who knew there were so many different kinds of lederhosen--colors, fabrics, silver embellishments, etc. I am not going to lie, as an American standing in this room was one of the most surreal things I have experienced while living in Berlin. We all know the lederhosen tradition is more of a American stereotype than anything else; however, the Bavarian folk band playing the accordions and brass instruments combined with the traditionally dressed Southern Germans drinking out of huge beer steins led me to believe that I had somehow been miraculously transported from Berlin to Munich. I mean I was half-expecting Maria and the rest of the von Trapp family to run out on stage with their hands cupped together singing "Do, a deer, a female deer." (Yes, I know the von Trapp family is from Austria and not Southern Germany...but the two areas have similar traditions).
The next room we entered had farm animals of all kinds. Actually, I have never seen a bigger cow, bull, and horse in my life. Not to intentionally bring up another stereotype (sorry to the women of Eastern Germany), but I think those animals may be eating some steroid-spiked hay on the side. At one point my peers and I stood amazed by the enormousness of one bull, when all of a sudden the bull's tail lifted and we all ducked quickly and backed away in fear. You would have thought the bull was about to release a missile from the way we all moved! I guess that bull was only stretching, because his tail swooshed back down and he went on eating his food. We all turned to each other and made some "bullshit" jokes and then walked to the next station.
By the time I finished seeing all the mammoth farm animals, I decided I was exhausted and it was time to head back to the normal world of Berlin. I told my host parents where I had been when I returned home, to which Regina replied, "You went there? It is so bad! I hate it!" She said that it is overpriced, over-crowded, and stinky, but I explained to her that as an American is was truly fascinating!
The past two days have been crazy (in a wonderful sense of course). From the Reichstag (German Parliament building) to the Turkish Supermarket to the first day of German class, I am gaining the experiences of a lifetime.On Tuesday I went to the Reichstag with the rest of the IES group, where we were given a brief history on German politics and the building. After the presentation, we took an elevator up into the glass dome that overlooks the city from all sides. The views were pretty great and the reflective mirrors that decorate the central part of the dome that brings light into the building made for some awesome photos. Due to the recent terror threats, the dome was closed to the public for some time and is now only open to those who pay for a private tour. Our tour-guide told us that the Reichstag is the most frequented parliament in the world! Another interesting fact is that the famous photo of the Russian hoisting up the Communist flag on the Reichstag tower was not only staged but "photo-shopped" as well. The original showed one of the Russian soldiers to be wearing two watches, which was a sign that the soldier had looted the pockets and bodies of the fallen men. You can see the original, un-touched version above.After the Reichstag, I took the subway back to my neighborhood and decided to go into the Turkish Supermarket to look at the poultry prices. In German grocery stores once you enter, you have to exit through the checkout line after paying (otherwise, a small gate blocks the exit). I did not think about this until after I entered the store; therefore, I was stuck and there was no turning back without setting off the alarm. So I decided I would just buy the chicken breasts as a means to leave the store. Well, I of course only have 5€ with me at the time, which was not enough. I hesitantly approached a worker and asked, "Entschuldigung. Sprechen Sie Englisch?" ("Pardon me. Do you speak English?), to which the worker offered the "so-so" hand gesture. I explained my problem in the most simplified English known to man (caveman talk really) and he understood! WOO! Oh, but it isn't over. Here is the next part of the "conversation":
Worker: "Why you no buy?"
Me: "No money..cash"
Worker: "Plastic? Visa?"
Me: "At home" (I actually had my debit card with me, but I just wanted the hell out of there!)
...long pause...
Me: "I go home. Get money. Come back."
I still have not returned, but the meat did look the most promising there.
Today (Wed. 1/19) I had my first German lesson and when I say we jumped right in, I mean that we dove...headfirst...from 50ft...into a pit of sharks! Did we start with numbers, alphabet, days of the week, and simple hellos and goodbyes? NEIN (no)! Our German 101 lesson began with nouns and articles. Then we learned four tenses (I, you, he/she/it, formal you) of four different verbs (sein, kommen, heißen, and sprechen).
I was sitting in class at one point thinking, "Jeez, I have not taken a class like this since about middle school...And I thought Spanish was difficult!" Well, in my opinion Spanish is much easier to speak than German. The difficult part of German is the odd lump of consonants that must be pronounced in words. For instance, the you form of the verb "sprechen" is "sprichst." There is something about "chst" that just doesn't roll off the tongue very beautifully or easily. Oh, and I don't know how much time I spent learning how not to lisp the English language when I was young, but now I am learning how to lisp...only this time the lisp is more from the back of the tongue and not the front. The good news is that I am picking up phrases and practicing them in real life situations (which I believe is the best way to learn a language). Here are a few phrases:
-Ich habe hunger = I am hungry
-Ich auch = Me too
-Ein Kaffee zum mitnehmen = One coffee to go
...and a few more...
On Saturday, the group traveled to Potsdam (city in Berlin's Metropolitan area) where many Prussian palaces can be found. We went to the Sanssouci (French for "without worries"), which was Frederick the Great's summer palace. The King (who was greatly inspired by the French culture) commissioned the palace to be designed in Rococo style with gold embellished ceilings and walls as well as extravagant works of art on the walls.The palace was open to men only and had three guestrooms (including the famous "Voltaire Room" or "Flower Room" where Voltaire frequently stayed as Frederick's guest). Voltaire's room is a bright yellow room with exotic stucco designs of flowers, plants, and animals, and this room was by far most people's favorite room visited. (Definitely "Google" it to see pictures!)After the palace tour, we walked through part of the town where everyone noticed the plethora of dog poo piles everywhere. It was like a fecal minefield...who knew Germans could be so unclean! The beautiful pastel colored buildings/apartments made for a scenic walk through the streets; however, I had trouble deciding if I should look up and around at the surrounding architecture or look down at the poo-filled streets. Maybe one day Potsdam will have an Excrementstraße! Anyway, the town was an amazing place to visit and I hope to go back during the Spring when it is warmer and the gardens and vineyards are in bloom.
I have quickly picked up the phrase "wo ist..." or "where is..." during my first few days here in Berlin. There is nothing like a confused American in a highly populated, foreign city, and I am that American (though I have my fellow bewildered peers with me). "The South's" closest form of public transportation is the bus (MATA, MARTA, etc) and let's be honest, what young female wants to ride the Memphis, TN bus alone at midnight?
Well in Berlin, I feel safe riding the bus, subway, taxi, you name it no matter what time it is; however, my feeling of security is annihilated by my feeling of complete confusion. Have you even taken a gander at Berlin's public transportation map? There is the S-Bahn 1, S2, S3, S46, S75 (to name a few)...the U-bahn 1 through 9 with an U55 thrown into the mix...then you have trams with numbers, buses with numbers, and taxis with tariffs. I like the think of the "S & U Map" as an Etch-and-Sketch that a crafty toddler created.
I can say with great pride that I can confidently make the 25 minute voyage from my apartment to the IES Center; although, it is only a 10 minute walk to the S1, which then literally drops me on top of my destination. I could take the U-Bahn and change rails halfway, but I have not attempted this daunting task yet--I figure I should follow the Asheville School motto: "If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late. If you are late, you missed the train." I really don't want to miss a train (or subway for that matter).
I am sure as time passes the map will make more sense, the places will become more familiar, and I will become more confident. As of right now, I am still the confused American who gets lost, asks "wo ist...", loses her balance on the subway trains, and makes frequent stops to check her map. But at least I am in good company!
Oh the trials of traveling (especially when you have the terrible triad an international flight, Delta Airline, and Atlanta Airport)! Those three elements mixed with the winter storm that hit the south the day before I was supposed to leave developed into the most stressful sendoff of my life.
Delta informed me the morning before I was booked to leave that my flight (along with 4,000 or so others) was canceled due to the expected winter weather. As my dad scrambled to rebook my flight, I (in tears) stressed over the minuscule hurdle that I had no control over. My mom and I drove up to Atlanta before the storm hit on Sunday and then sat in the hotel room all Monday without stepping foot outside (the roads where closed due to the ice). Long story short, I arrived in Berlin a day late. As my roommate at Sewanee pointed out in a text, my tardiness allowed me to be the "mysterious girl that no one knows," which turned out to be true--I was "the one whose flight got canceled."
Anyway, after a lot of paperwork and busywork the entire program (32 students in all) went out to dinner at the Kartoffelkeller (Potato Basement). After dinner, I finally was able to go meet my host family (a married couple in the mid to late 50s) and unpack my belongings. My hosts (Regina and Eschi) got to know me a little and showed me around the "flat." The quaint apartment is located in an historic district of Berlin (Schöneburg), where I have not one, or two, or three, but four keys to get into the apartment (two of which are skeleton keys!). The positive is that my room is far larger than my past dorm rooms at Sewanee.
As I stood in my room figuring out where to put all my belongings, I listened to Eschi's music from the speakers in the other room. All of a sudden the music became increasingly loud as the first few chords of Lynard Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" blasted through the house. I was truly amused and of course felt like I was back in the "southland."
Today, I discovered that I may not have missed much during the orientation day, but I did miss some important information. As I was walking around Berlin with some of my peers, a woman walked up to me with what looked like a sheet of directions and asked if I spoke English. I, naively thinking she needed my help, stopped only to realize she wanted my money. After giving her 10 cents (the only euro coin I had at the time), two things happened simultaneously: my group began to yell "Maggie, come on!" and another beggar was at my heels asking me for her share. Realizing my group looked concerned and said no to the second woman and caught back up with my group. They explained that I missed the talk during orientation on "gypsy beggars" who seek out Americans for money only to relay the money back to a pimp figure. Damn flight cancellations!
While the missed orientation has caused some difficulties, I believe the language barrier causes me a few more at times. I studied Spanish up to the literature level; therefore, I constantly find myself translating words, phrases, and questions into my familiar foreign language. I even thanked one of the IES Abroad staff members with "gracias" and said "porfa" (abbr. for "por favor") to a waitress. I guess the upcoming four hour "Intensive German Sessions" will assuage my problem a bit.
Anyway, we will see what tomorrow has in store for me!
