A couple of days ago, my friend asked me to "describe Berlin in nine words." With a city as complex as Berlin, this was not as simple as it might seem, but I think I've succeeded in doing so with some alliteration to help guide me through (3 words for each).
The Food: Bier, Bretzeln, und Bröt (beer, pretzels, and bread). While these are certainly not the only foods to be found in Berlin, I would say that these "food groups" are probably about 60-70% of what a daily Berliner ingests. "But, Doria," you might say, "pretzels and bread are pretty much the same thing!" And you would be correct, my friend.
The Society: Prompt, Purposeful, and Practical. Berliners (and here I would extend these traits to Germans in general) say what they think, they do what they say, and they are on time. Berliners do not seem to be a people of hyperboles or excess; rather, they do what they need to do in a timely and orderly fashion with the utmost efficency, sometimes to the point of hyper-regulation. In terms of looks, this city is not gaudy, nor is it completely, socialistically utilitarian - there seems to be an aesthetic of practical beauty. Things work and if they happen to be eye-catching, then all the better. Things start on time, which is a problem for someone like myself who consistently runs on JST (Jewish Standard Time - about 10 minutes later than everything else). For example, a group of about 6 Stanford students (myself included) arrived at the Berlin Philharmoniker at 8:01pm (I swear!) on Thursday night and were told that we were late and would have to wait until the short prelude was completed before we would be seated. The concert started at 8:00.
The Atmosphere: Creative, Controlled, Currywürst. Berlin is a very cool city. There is a very creative, progressive attitude towards art, music, public discourse, and the intersection of all of those things. Whether it's street art, gallery openings, or spontaneous physical theater performances in the Tiergarten, Berlin lives up to its reputation as a place that uses its fascinating history to create a dialogue around the human experience - in whatever form available. This creative side of Berlin is somewhat off-puttingly challenged (in my mind) by a kind of subdued control, or perhaps regulation, that I've experienced a little bit here. One example might be that there is no law against drinking in the streets here. In fact, people pretty much drink everywhere. However, DUIs in Berlin are extremely rare. I've been told that, if you are pulled over while intoxicated, your first offense lands you 3 months without a license. Your 2nd offense means that you are without your license for a year, and if you have a 3rd offense, you ain't getting behind the wheel again. Other oversimplified examples include jay-walking (very frowned upon) and not separating your garbage into recycling (green glass, brown class, clear glass, paper, plastic, and compostables). Both of these things are very regulated and people will tell you off if you're not doing what you're supposed to do. As for the Currywürst, I feel like it exemplifies a little bit of the mix of societies here. On the one hand, Würst is very German, so to speak, and the addition of curried ketchup is the influence of a migrating population. It is also extraordinarily accessible - meaning it is everywhere and super cheap and eaten by just about everyone (except for me).
I've also found that there are many different aspects, or tracks, of life here that seem to converge and intersect in interesting ways. For example, Berlin is a very young, vibrant city with a huge youth population, yet it is also an aging city with many elderly Germans as well. From what I've read and observed, this can create both political and social tension, as is evidenced by the most recent election here (the (young) Pirate party won way more seats in the Bundestag than most people anticipted). Similarly, the lives of "ethnic" Germans and German-immigrants seem to intersect far less than I had anticipated. My host father, himself an immigrant from Turkey, describes this city as "a world with parallel universes." I haven't really had the time to attest to this fact personally; however, from what I've seen, there is a lot less integration and acceptance of non-ethnic Germans than I would have hoped. Finally, I have been surprised and interested to see and experience how the Berlin Wall (or lack thereof) has contributed to a change in culture/society here. While Berlin is defintitely unified today, there are still emotionally palpable and visually striking differences between West and East. All the more reason to do some more exploring.
If you have stuck with me and continued reading through all of my ramblings, you deserve a mdeal, although I hope that you will accept some German chocolate instead. I do not have school tomorrow due to "Tag der Deutschen Einheit" (German Unity Day), so I will hopefully be able to engage in both festitivites and Hausaufgaben (homework). Happy Monday, friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment