Real life, you're making it hard for me to get used to you. You make me feel like a baby - sleep and eat, sleep and eat, sleep, sleep. I slept most of the day yesterday, but I think I'm back on track.
It's been a bit interesting trying to readjust. I forgot what it was like for the sun to bake my skin, and I didn't know how to dress to go to the movies with my mom. I was getting annoyed at my usual amount of text messages, and it seemed weird to have a phone for the first time in two weeks. For now, our TV isn't working, but it's not like I watched that much anyway. I'm waiting for the DirecTV people to arrive while mom is at work before heading off to lunch with Megan and Shesh (wooot some cheese dip in my future), so it looks like I'll be on the path to normalcy soon enough.
Ready for story time? I don't have many pictures to catch you up, so it's going to be a long book as usual. If you tire of reading, I'm sorry, but I'm doing this partly for myself anyway :)
So anyway, Friday wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Besides the fact that I didn't wake up early enough to say goodbye to almost everyone (that really sucked), the day turned out quite well. Lauren, Kelly, Lara, Kevin and I stored our bags in the hotel and went to lunch at the Thai restaurant for the last time, and then Lauren and Kelly went off on their adventures to Paris. Kevin did his laundry and mailed some items home while Lara and I went off to figure out how she'll take her Eurorail pass to Brussels tomorrow. Then I stopped by the Fat Tire Bike shop to actually buy postcards ... who knew that would be so difficult? I thought of the people I wanted to buy postcards for and kept feeling dissatisfied with the ones I was looking at. They meant nothing to me, so why would they mean something to the people I gave them to? I should just make postcards out of the pictures I took. But anyway, I gave in and bought some that featured places I visited. For those I promised a postcard to - don't worry, it's coming. The postage rate in Europe wasn't the price I was expecting, so I'm saving some money by mailing them today in the states. I know it's not quite the same, but the money was better spent on food I needed. I promise I wrote them in Berlin. I just haven't sent them yet.
Anywho, Lara, Kevin and I wasted more time in the hotel lobby and then went to a store at Alexanderplatz so they could buy a tent for a Couchsurfing "beach camp" they signed up to do - it's a four-day thing where Couchsurfers meet at a local lake, pitch tents and just hang out. When the three of us got dinner and I started thinking about sleeping at the airport, Lara talked me into joining them for the night, and the plans were set. We headed to the place and met another Couchsurfer from the Netherlands on the subway and then another from France before we got on the bus. Once we got off the bus stop, we had to walk about a kilometer down a wooded road, which just made me laugh. I probably said "this is surreal" about five times, and when I commented how the road made me think I was walking through my best friend (Amy Abel)'s backyard in Senoia, Ga., they were impressed at how wooded parts of Georgia were.
Once we finally got to the camp, it was 9:30ish and the sun was starting to set. The three of us spent about an hour laughing as we set up a tent in the dark and then ran through the sand to meet people - everyone was so open and nice, but I guess you have to be to go to a hippie camp like that. Ha. We met some girls from the U.S., a couple of guys from France and plenty of people from Germany.
I had a blast running around in the sand, playing on a see saw with Lara and swinging on swings. I convinced them to stick their feet in the lake with me, and we walked out onto a dock. We then wandered near some tents where music was playing, and it was oldies American rock, which was too funny. At one point, I think they played an entire AC/DC album.
It was probably around midnight and starting to get really cold - so we were lobbying for some blankets for Lara and Kevin, and spent the next few hours just standing around heat lamps - like the ones you see outside of bars in Athens. We were all starting to drift off because the three of us went out until 5 a.m. the night before, but Lara and Kevin promised they'd walk with me back up the road to the bus stop, and they were kind enough to stay true to their word. Even though the bus wouldn't come until 4:50, we decided at 3:30 to head out early because we were all falling asleep. Once we got to the bus stop at 4:10, we fell asleep again. It's just crazy to think about. When the bus pulled up, I didn't even hug them goodbye, which is kinda sad. I guess I thought the bus would leave me or something, so I grabbed my bags, said "tchuss" and "ciao" and got on. I stumbled into a seat, turned around and waved goodbye until I couldn't see them anymore. I bet they're having tons of fun there. I think they both leave tomorrow - Lara to Brussels and Kevin to who knows where. I don't think he made any plans.
I took the bus to the subway and then the subway to another bus that took me to the airport. I bet I looked like a mess all day. At any rate, I got to the airport in plenty of time to make my 7 a.m. flight. As I went through security, a guard walked me across the airport to another security checkpoint because apparently my camera bag with three lenses was "two much electronics" that they had to scan another way. I checked out OK, of course, so then I sat at the gate and almost fell asleep multiple times. I slept so hard on the flight to Paris that I didn't get a snack. I was so mad when I woke up in Paris and saw the couple next to me had empty drink cups because I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink since the night before.
I hate the airport in Paris. It's designed terribly. Once we got off the plane, we had to take a bus to another part of the airport, and to transfer to my gate, I had to find the terminal and get on yet another bus. When I went through security there, they made me take out every single item in my camera bag and put it in a bin. I had no idea my lenses and microphone would be such a problem, especially because nothing happened with it on the way to Berlin. After security, I was even more irritable and thirsty, but I could only find two drink stands between the overwhelmingly strong perfume stores. At one posh drink stand, a Coke was 5 Euros, so I stomped away. At the other, it was 3.5, and I only had 2.3, so I bought the cheapest drink possible - a really cheap bottle of water for 2.1. I drank 3/4 of it right then and then found an uncomfortable chair to sleep on and off in for the next seven hours of my layover. At least the decor in the terminal was nice.
I then discovered the worst feeling in the world: Being awake and antsy and realizing you're captive in one place for five more hours.
And then four and a half.
Then four.
Three.
Two.
I'm probably exaggerating, but it really was an awful flight. Because I slept so much from Berlin to Paris and then in the Paris airport, it was hard for me to sleep on the 10-hour flight to Atlanta. I specifically remember looking at my watch with five hours left to go in disbelief and thinking, "Only half of this trip is over? How can I possibly sit here for five more hours?" I was in a funky state - my iPod was out of batteries, I didn't want to watch what was on TV, the radio stations weren't that great and I could only read a chapter or two in my book before I couldn't concentrate anymore. I finally made myself sleep for 20 or 30 minutes at a time until the flight was over.
I did write a few observations on the plane:
"I can already eavesdrop on conversations, and I can see a difference in people. We're so clearly American - fatter, tanner, we have certain faces. English is being spoken first again during directions from the pilot."
It's almost as if I was afraid to reflect and be sad. I still am, in a sense, because I know that that part of my life is already over - now it is just memories. And I can't be there to share it with them. But it is interesting to think about the relationships that I developed, who I was during the trip and wonder if we will all keep our word and actually keep in touch and visit this fall. We'll see, I guess.
I did start to watch and appreciate the Americans around me. I think that's the one thing I gained the most during the trip - a more developed sense of observation. I enjoyed the moments when I couldn't talk to anyone, when I had to be quiet, when I just took it all in and thought. I hope that stays with me. I know most of what's going on right now in my head will switch back to the Carolyn I was, but I sincerely think my new found sense of observation could really help my stories (and relationships) in the future.
"Yes Man" came on again, so I figured I'd watch it to my favorite part again and start to get excited about going home, but they cut it off about 30 minutes in because some other people couldn't hear it in their headphones. They were going to turn it off for 10 minutes and restart it, but instead restarted the system and put on "Marley & Me," which I have vowed to never watch because I know it'll make me sad. So what did I do? I watched it. I had nothing better to do. And then I was sad. Duh Carolyn.
But I did think quite a bit. When I would doze off in light sleep, I would think about the rest of the summer, the fall, newspapers in general, my life in general. It was interesting, and I hope I can get most of those thoughts back.
I did get to eat, and I did observe some funny things around me - like the old couple next to me that kept ordering vodka tonics. And at one point the guy kept staring at me, trying to read what I was writing. What a creeper. Ha.
As I'm typing this up, I'm listening to music (once again, nothing else to do. I bet those DirecTV suckers won't come until I need to leave for lunch with Megan and Shesh) and thinking about how much music touches me. It really does move me, and I want it to continue to. I want to take music with me back to Athens and just feel it. I want it to comfort me as I work in Gainesville, and I want it to unwind me during my stressful days this fall. That's the biggest thing I learned in Berlin, I think -- My life can be so stressful. I knew this already, but to relax with Berliners and hear that they get three or four weeks of vacation per year and their other social benefits makes me realize how much Americans kill ourselves. I like capitalism, for sure, but what are we seriously doing to the least of us who really need to just get by, just live and have health care, a job, a place to sleep in and help?
Geez, my thoughts are seriously winding all over the place. They're not organized at all, but I'm over it. As the Tom Petty song says that I'm listening to, "It's time to move on," so I need to do that. I've been reading the blogs and Facebook updates of my classmates during the trip, and it's like I have to quit it cold turkey, which is probably good for me. Most of those who I got closest to are still traveling and can't really talk, and the others who are home aren't updating their blogs much yet.
At any rate, you can see how much I've thought and how much this trip has opened my eyes. I wish everyone could go on a trip like this, and I hope I can go on many more.
So I've taken many things from Berlin, and I left a few things as well - plenty of money, five pounds (somehow, I guess I should walk more in the U.S. ha ha) and a piece of my heart, it seems.
And now I have some goals (expressed simply here): I want to be a better storyteller, and I want to shoot better photos. I want to be a better writer and editor, and I want to be enthusiastic with all that I do this summer, fall, and in the future with my craft. This is my craft. This is my future. I want to enjoy it.
Once I got into Atlanta, the customs process was a little irritating. I didn't go through customs in Paris or Berlin the entire trip (kinda weird). I had to declare everything I had with me (uhhh three scarves and some postcards ...), claim my bags and then recheck my bags before going to actually claim them. A little bizarre, Atlanta. But it was good to meet up with Mom and for all the headache flying gave me, it was all worth it when I saw a man near baggage claim holding balloons, roses and a large sign:
"Mrs. Stewart: Welcome home. Happy anniversary to my beautiful wife."
Humanity is great sometimes.
Mom and I grabbed some French fries, a Frosty and a Dr. Pepper as my first meal home request, and then I talked as we drove home. I actually stayed up until midnight and then slept until noon yesterday. We saw Angels & Demons, which I thought was pretty good. It's funny how I evaluated parts of it through my recent trip, as far as the stereotypes of the different cultures and whatnot. All I can say is, it must be fun to be Ron Howard. And the salty popcorn was really good.
Once we got home from the movies, I napped for three hours. I woke up to eat and then went back to sleep at 9 p.m. until about 5 a.m. this morning. I had a hard time convincing myself to go back to sleep, but I dozed off until 8 a.m. and then mom left for work. The DirecTV guy is finally here, and now I'm full circle once more.
I hope I didn't bore you too much. It's time to get goin, time to reflect but get back into my real life. I want to keep posting, but it'll probably be less frequent and only when I have a funny story or an interesting photo. Thank you, Berlin, for all you've done for me. Here's to my next summer adventure.
Love,
C
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Solo Act
I started the trip alone, and now I'll end it alone.
My flight leaves tomorrow at 7 a.m. from Berlin and (because of time changes) will land in Atlanta at 8 p.m. It's going to be a crazy long day, and the waiting starts now. I'm running out of money, and I have a 7-hour layover in Paris - with nothing to do. I won't be able to take a taxi or transportation into town to see anything.
But that's once I actually get to Paris. Today is also fun. I basically don't have anything to do but still have to carry around all of my bags because the check out time was noon. Maybe I can ditch my bags in a locker somewhere or the airport and just milk my transportation pass for all it's worth. Most of the students left this morning, and Lara and I didn't wake up in time to say goodbye, so that makes me feel especially rotten - also because I woke up from a dream that I was saying goodbye to everyone. I won't see most of them again, and I really wanted to say goodbye to Abigail because she lives in Washington.
Thus ends my trip. But never fear - all of this free time has already lent to some reflection, so expect two or three posts when I return about what I like about Europe/Germany/Berlin, what it's like to wander around with nothing to do, whatever else I decide is important to reflect on. I'm pretty tired because last night Abigail, Lara, Kevin and I went to Kilkenny (the Irish bar) one last time and then out to a dance club until 5 a.m. I don't envy Abigail leaving the hotel at 7 a.m. for her flight. What can I say, though, Berlin has been excellent. I've left out plenty of details - like the early dinner we had a a lakeside restaurant yesterday afternoon with more authentic German food and other reflections on how I've grown to be a part of Berlin the past few days but also distanced myself so I can go home happily.
Sorry to be down. I'll pep it up again later :)
See you when I get back to Atlanta.
Tchuss,
Carolyn
My flight leaves tomorrow at 7 a.m. from Berlin and (because of time changes) will land in Atlanta at 8 p.m. It's going to be a crazy long day, and the waiting starts now. I'm running out of money, and I have a 7-hour layover in Paris - with nothing to do. I won't be able to take a taxi or transportation into town to see anything.
But that's once I actually get to Paris. Today is also fun. I basically don't have anything to do but still have to carry around all of my bags because the check out time was noon. Maybe I can ditch my bags in a locker somewhere or the airport and just milk my transportation pass for all it's worth. Most of the students left this morning, and Lara and I didn't wake up in time to say goodbye, so that makes me feel especially rotten - also because I woke up from a dream that I was saying goodbye to everyone. I won't see most of them again, and I really wanted to say goodbye to Abigail because she lives in Washington.
Thus ends my trip. But never fear - all of this free time has already lent to some reflection, so expect two or three posts when I return about what I like about Europe/Germany/Berlin, what it's like to wander around with nothing to do, whatever else I decide is important to reflect on. I'm pretty tired because last night Abigail, Lara, Kevin and I went to Kilkenny (the Irish bar) one last time and then out to a dance club until 5 a.m. I don't envy Abigail leaving the hotel at 7 a.m. for her flight. What can I say, though, Berlin has been excellent. I've left out plenty of details - like the early dinner we had a a lakeside restaurant yesterday afternoon with more authentic German food and other reflections on how I've grown to be a part of Berlin the past few days but also distanced myself so I can go home happily.
Sorry to be down. I'll pep it up again later :)
See you when I get back to Atlanta.
Tchuss,
Carolyn
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sweet dreams are made of these
Last night was surreal. It's almost as if Berlin was preparing me to say goodbye.
The whole group got dressed up and ate dinner at the TV Tower, which really did remind me of my childhood and the Peachtree Plaza Westin in Atlanta. It rotates as you eat dinner. It was a nice restaurant, but apparently some of the dishes were questionable. Several people ordered an eggplant lasagna, which sounded good, but it ended up being merely eggplant, feta and peppers - no noodles. I got the sea bream with oninions, potatoes and artichokes, which was incredible. I also ordered "poached" chocolate cake and mango ice cream. We laughed the whole time about what "poached" cake could be, but it was tasty. The waitress forgot my coffee for the longest time, which just made us laugh. She seemed a bit clueless about our orders at different times. Lara asked her what one of the butter spreads was that came with the dinner rolls, and she just said she didn't know. At any rate, it was interesting. I took photos all around, especially of the places we had visited the past two weeks and that I recognized. I was already reliving my memories ...
After dinner, most people who went to the concentration camp had to finish up projects, but Vince, Lara, Emily and I went out night shooting with Steine, the same girl who spoke with us earlier in the trip and has been helping several people with their projects. We visited the Holocaust Memorial and took plenty of photos, which is something I had been craving to do since the first time we visited. I took a lot of random photos, many of them blurry, and many of them artsy. The part I enjoyed the most was just sitting in the middle of the memorial, the blocks towering above me, the traffic noise dimmed, the rain sliding down the blocks, almost like blood. I sat and thought about the many people who suffered. It was sobering.
We then headed to the Brandenburg Gate and took a few photos. I had fun shooting in the rain for some reason, and I refused to use a tripod the whole time. I'll probably regret that and not having any useable photos, but I wanted to do some funky, smeary stuff. After the gate, we were tired and wanted to head home.
That's when the surreal part truly stepped in. Steine, who zoomed along at what I'm sure was higher than the speed limit, drove us around and around different parts of Berlin, basically wrapping up everything I'd seen during the past two weeks. It was the culmination of my trip, and I saw the wall, the Reichstag, the TV Tower, even Kreuzberg and the first U-Bahn stop I got off to stay with Chris, all while listening to a random mix of great radio stations. It was maddeningly similar to some kind of movie scene, I felt like. Vince, Lara and I crammed in the back, Emily and Steine in the front with Steine driving around, speeding, turning around in the middle of the road and Lara and I harmonizing to songs that meant something to me at some point in my life, all tied to certain memories back home - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) by the Eurythmics, So What by Pink, Kryptonite by Three Doors Down, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham, Mad World by R.E.M. Home was calling to me, Athens was calling to me.
As I said, it was surreal. Then again, my whole trip has been.
I've reflected on how I'll feel when I return. This has been a rewarding trip, but I'm ready to see people back home, too. It has felt like another Governor's Honors Program experience - it's a journey, and only the person who returns home from it can really understand it. So I'll want to talk about it, and I hope you'll want to hear about it. If you don't, please stop me from blabbering. Other than that, the memories will slowly dwindle from the forefront of my mind until they are just a part of my life experience. But I have some great photos and some great friends. I'm jealous most of them get to return to Gainesville with each other.
By the way, I'll add photos to this later. It's time to pack and spend time together.
See you soon,
Carolyn
The whole group got dressed up and ate dinner at the TV Tower, which really did remind me of my childhood and the Peachtree Plaza Westin in Atlanta. It rotates as you eat dinner. It was a nice restaurant, but apparently some of the dishes were questionable. Several people ordered an eggplant lasagna, which sounded good, but it ended up being merely eggplant, feta and peppers - no noodles. I got the sea bream with oninions, potatoes and artichokes, which was incredible. I also ordered "poached" chocolate cake and mango ice cream. We laughed the whole time about what "poached" cake could be, but it was tasty. The waitress forgot my coffee for the longest time, which just made us laugh. She seemed a bit clueless about our orders at different times. Lara asked her what one of the butter spreads was that came with the dinner rolls, and she just said she didn't know. At any rate, it was interesting. I took photos all around, especially of the places we had visited the past two weeks and that I recognized. I was already reliving my memories ...
After dinner, most people who went to the concentration camp had to finish up projects, but Vince, Lara, Emily and I went out night shooting with Steine, the same girl who spoke with us earlier in the trip and has been helping several people with their projects. We visited the Holocaust Memorial and took plenty of photos, which is something I had been craving to do since the first time we visited. I took a lot of random photos, many of them blurry, and many of them artsy. The part I enjoyed the most was just sitting in the middle of the memorial, the blocks towering above me, the traffic noise dimmed, the rain sliding down the blocks, almost like blood. I sat and thought about the many people who suffered. It was sobering.
We then headed to the Brandenburg Gate and took a few photos. I had fun shooting in the rain for some reason, and I refused to use a tripod the whole time. I'll probably regret that and not having any useable photos, but I wanted to do some funky, smeary stuff. After the gate, we were tired and wanted to head home.
That's when the surreal part truly stepped in. Steine, who zoomed along at what I'm sure was higher than the speed limit, drove us around and around different parts of Berlin, basically wrapping up everything I'd seen during the past two weeks. It was the culmination of my trip, and I saw the wall, the Reichstag, the TV Tower, even Kreuzberg and the first U-Bahn stop I got off to stay with Chris, all while listening to a random mix of great radio stations. It was maddeningly similar to some kind of movie scene, I felt like. Vince, Lara and I crammed in the back, Emily and Steine in the front with Steine driving around, speeding, turning around in the middle of the road and Lara and I harmonizing to songs that meant something to me at some point in my life, all tied to certain memories back home - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) by the Eurythmics, So What by Pink, Kryptonite by Three Doors Down, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham, Mad World by R.E.M. Home was calling to me, Athens was calling to me.
As I said, it was surreal. Then again, my whole trip has been.
I've reflected on how I'll feel when I return. This has been a rewarding trip, but I'm ready to see people back home, too. It has felt like another Governor's Honors Program experience - it's a journey, and only the person who returns home from it can really understand it. So I'll want to talk about it, and I hope you'll want to hear about it. If you don't, please stop me from blabbering. Other than that, the memories will slowly dwindle from the forefront of my mind until they are just a part of my life experience. But I have some great photos and some great friends. I'm jealous most of them get to return to Gainesville with each other.
By the way, I'll add photos to this later. It's time to pack and spend time together.
See you soon,
Carolyn
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A hard day(s)' night
Work hard and play harder has been our motto, it seems, for the past few days, which is why I haven't had time (or motivation) to post my adventures. But adventures they have been.
Last time I updated, I left you hanging at the beginning of our girls' night. It had its successes and failures. I jotted down the names and addresses of two dance places from a guide book, and we set out. We had to take the tram and subway, and once we finally got there, we walked into "King Kong Club," with only about five people there. That wasn't going to work, so we left in the spirit of find place #2.
Apparently, I wrote down the wrong address, which sent us wandering around that part of Berlin for some time. We finally decided to take a taxi close to home (which only cost four Euros, that was nice) and ended up at Hackeshr Market, which is near the Irish pub, and decided to go there. As we crossed the street, we were handed a flyer to the club we just tried to find. So bizarre. We stood in line at the club and got tired and went to the Irish pub anyway, which was packed. We walked to the back of the bar to find seating and ended up at a table near four military guys. As a part of our "girls' night" pact, I was helping them scope out guys, so I made eyes at the table until one finally came over. The other three joined, and we had some good conversation. They were from Hamburg. We found out the one who first came over was married, which I thought was funny - the married guy and the girl with a boyfriend brought the groups together for our friends. They were nice, and we finally headed back to the hotel around 3 a.m.
The next morning, Kevin, Lara and I went to a huge festival at the Brandenburg Gate.
It was a celebration of 60 years since the fall of East Germany. I swear half of Berlin was there, and it was like a gigantic spring festival I see in Sharpsburg all the time (minus clogging and antiques), but it was great - food, music, rock walls for kids and huge stages. (Here, Kevin is doing some kind of "trust" game where the dressed up women lower him into a chair. It was pretty weird...) We stayed for a bit and then left so I could do an interview for my Soundslides project. The subject was really slow about e-mailing me, and when I returned to the hotel, he still hadn't e-mailed the address or directions to me - he was as vague as could be in the first place about me interviewing him. The Web site about this hospitality place for travels had a photo online, which showed the apartment right off a U-Bahn stop, so I memorized the buildings and headed out. I got to the right place, stood outside the door, then couldn't find the right button to buzz myself in. So then I trekked back to the hotel and sunk into desperation. I e-mailed Ian again, urgently asking if I could profile him. I'm so thankful he said yes. A large group of us ate Thai, which took forever. They forgot to even put in an order for my wonton soup, so I was the last person sitting there eating.
That night, Abigail, Kevin and I went with Lara to her subject's apartment and then out to a "drum and bass" dance club. He was really nice. Brian is from Tampa and went to University of Miami, but when he studied abroad in Spain, he decided not to go back to the U.S. but move to Berlin. He is trying to get into a university here and now tutors German students in English. He took us to this underground club - way out in an abandoned warehouse in Kreuzberg - where there were about five rooms separated by curtains, and each had this funky, grungy electronic music. In what we called the "hardcore" room, it was pitch black and had a crazy projection on the wall. It was so loud in there, I could feel the music moving the hair on my arms. We spent most of the night dancing in that room! One of the Hamburg guys from the night before tagged along, and he was really nice. Because there aren't any words and the music bleeds from one song to another, you don't realize how much time passes. At one point, I walked out of the room at 4 a.m. to get some air, and the sun was already up - it rises pretty early here. So I walked back in, and we were some of the last dancers to leave the floor at 6 a.m., bringing us back to the hotel around 7 a.m. That was one crazy fun night. I've got to find a place like that in Athens. Ha.
Somehow, around 11 a.m. Sunday (because the sun was burning through the windows and the birds were really loud - we always leave our windows open), Lara and I were able to get up and grab some breakfast. We spent most of the morning doing laundry just down the street, which was fun. You know me, I'm too proud to ask for help, so I just threw my clothes in and pushed a few buttons. It worked out just fine, but I did have a minute-long panic attack when I thought I may have put bleach detergent in my load of color clothes instead of regular detergent. I asked a guy who spoke German, and it was OK.
I felt really excited when some Americans (yes, they looked iconically American) walked in and tried to figure it out and asked for help when they heard me speak English. They were from Pennsylvania on a study abroad trip, and we talked for a few minutes. Lara and I went back to our neighborhood Doner Kebap place and got a schnitzel kebap, which was tasty. The rest of the day fades away a bit into uneventfulness ... Lara and I napped to catch up on sleep. Abigail, Kevin, Lara and I ate at an Indian restaurant on our street, which was divine. We all had a buffet, and the waiter treated us to a sample of some mango drink. I hadn't had real Indian food in several years, it seems, so that was a treat.
Later that night several girls went out to a bar. Abigail, Kevin, Lara and I wanted to go but left a bit later, so one of the trams stopped running before we could ride it. We decided to stick closer to the hotel and wanted to go to a roof bar, but it was gay night (which made Kevin uncomfortable), and the guy at the door was a real jerk. He made fun of how young we looked and kept picking on us for being Americans. All I can say is, his shirt said, "Bangcocker." Pff. And the guys walking in were ridiculously flamboyant - two of the guys looked like they were going for Robert Pattinson's hair in "Twilight." Crazy.
Anyway, we decided to return to our second home in Berlin - the Irish pub. Of course, once we got there, it was closed early on a Sunday. So now that it was two hours later, we trudged home in defeat, craving snacks. Even our nearby "late" store was closed. We went to bed.
Yesterday morning, I woke up with the business mindset.
This was the day to get all my work done. Ian and I had a noon appointment, so I arrived a bit early and took some cool photos around the subway, including one of a girl who was playing the violin on one. It's cool to watch the sequence of photos and framing as the door closes. I spent the afternoon annoying Ian (as I would say) - I took pictures of him playing his keyboard and editing at his small studio in Tacheles, an old squatter building full of graffiti, artists and musicians. It's a staple in Berlin.
We then headed down the street to the same bit of river we sat by the first time we met, and I took a few photos of him "resting." We then took a few pictures in his small apartment and stopped at a restaurant for lunch. It was great to get to know him more, and I was confident I had good audio and photos to work with. I was able to really use my 50 mm for the first time, which made me happy. I took 350 photos of him. Whew.
When I got back to the hotel, I got to work on the audio. Professor Freeman realized he had a bit of extra money and took us all out to dinner at a place called Delores, which was kind of like Moe's. I had been craving Mexican, but I still haven't had my cheese dip. That's on my to-do list for when I get home. The chicken quesadilla was excellent. Freeman had an optional activity open - go to Dr. Pong, but many of us wanted to do our projects. Once several people started talking about the Tuesday deadline and how they wanted to go to a six-hour concentration camp tour today, he decided to push back the deadline to noon on Wednesday. Most of us celebrated by going to Dr. Pong.
Dr. Pong is a hole-in-the-wall hangout with one ping pong table and a bar, where locals play round robin style, circling around the table. When you miss, you're out, and it keeps going until you end up with two people. Those two play to five points, and the winner hits the table with the paddle three times, and everyone joins back in again. It was pretty cool, and it's great to watch. When there are about three or four people left, they have to run around the table to get to their turn in time, which creates a nice wind tunnel effect. (Freeman posted a video on his blog - berlinblog2009.blogspot.com if you want to see.)
Abigail, Lara and I danced, too, and took some weird photos under a blue lightbulb near the bathrooms. There was one creeper we called "crazy eyes" who would stare at all the girls with really big eyes and then get in our faces and talk in German. Even when we'd obviously lean away or walk away or ask him to speak in English, he would just keep leering and talking. He was either drunk or out of his mind or both. Several times, Freeman would rescue us by just walking up and getting right in the middle. He was a great dad figure last night and a lot of fun. We grabbed a tram back near the hotel, and Freeman made a "that's what she said" joke after I did, which made the night complete. We stopped by a late night store, and everyone but me grabbed some ice cream. Lara also bought a can of "hemp juice," which we thought was hilarious. She and I split it earlier today, and it tasted like an energy drink. Weird.
Most of the group went out to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp. A few of us (Abigail and Lara included) stayed in the hotel today to do our projects. I'm completely finished - Soundslide, five standalones from the trip and a brief story from the Soundslide project - which makes me feel grand. I'll try to post those at some point. Freeman is also compiling all of our projects onto a Web site, which I'll link.
Tonight we head to a nice dinner in the TV Tower, which is a huge building that can basically be seen all over Berlin. The restaurant in the ball near the top rotates and makes me think of my trips to the Peachtree Plaza (Westin) building in Atlanta with my mom when I was younger. I want to take some cool pictures there, so I hope it stops raining today.
I apologize for not having photos of some of the fun events (dancing, bars), but sometimes it's better to live life in person than through a lens. I plan to take more "fun" photos during the next few days, now that my work is done.
I also promise to update more this time, but there are only a few days left! It's hard to believe.
-C
Last time I updated, I left you hanging at the beginning of our girls' night. It had its successes and failures. I jotted down the names and addresses of two dance places from a guide book, and we set out. We had to take the tram and subway, and once we finally got there, we walked into "King Kong Club," with only about five people there. That wasn't going to work, so we left in the spirit of find place #2.
Apparently, I wrote down the wrong address, which sent us wandering around that part of Berlin for some time. We finally decided to take a taxi close to home (which only cost four Euros, that was nice) and ended up at Hackeshr Market, which is near the Irish pub, and decided to go there. As we crossed the street, we were handed a flyer to the club we just tried to find. So bizarre. We stood in line at the club and got tired and went to the Irish pub anyway, which was packed. We walked to the back of the bar to find seating and ended up at a table near four military guys. As a part of our "girls' night" pact, I was helping them scope out guys, so I made eyes at the table until one finally came over. The other three joined, and we had some good conversation. They were from Hamburg. We found out the one who first came over was married, which I thought was funny - the married guy and the girl with a boyfriend brought the groups together for our friends. They were nice, and we finally headed back to the hotel around 3 a.m.
The next morning, Kevin, Lara and I went to a huge festival at the Brandenburg Gate.
It was a celebration of 60 years since the fall of East Germany. I swear half of Berlin was there, and it was like a gigantic spring festival I see in Sharpsburg all the time (minus clogging and antiques), but it was great - food, music, rock walls for kids and huge stages. (Here, Kevin is doing some kind of "trust" game where the dressed up women lower him into a chair. It was pretty weird...) We stayed for a bit and then left so I could do an interview for my Soundslides project. The subject was really slow about e-mailing me, and when I returned to the hotel, he still hadn't e-mailed the address or directions to me - he was as vague as could be in the first place about me interviewing him. The Web site about this hospitality place for travels had a photo online, which showed the apartment right off a U-Bahn stop, so I memorized the buildings and headed out. I got to the right place, stood outside the door, then couldn't find the right button to buzz myself in. So then I trekked back to the hotel and sunk into desperation. I e-mailed Ian again, urgently asking if I could profile him. I'm so thankful he said yes. A large group of us ate Thai, which took forever. They forgot to even put in an order for my wonton soup, so I was the last person sitting there eating.That night, Abigail, Kevin and I went with Lara to her subject's apartment and then out to a "drum and bass" dance club. He was really nice. Brian is from Tampa and went to University of Miami, but when he studied abroad in Spain, he decided not to go back to the U.S. but move to Berlin. He is trying to get into a university here and now tutors German students in English. He took us to this underground club - way out in an abandoned warehouse in Kreuzberg - where there were about five rooms separated by curtains, and each had this funky, grungy electronic music. In what we called the "hardcore" room, it was pitch black and had a crazy projection on the wall. It was so loud in there, I could feel the music moving the hair on my arms. We spent most of the night dancing in that room! One of the Hamburg guys from the night before tagged along, and he was really nice. Because there aren't any words and the music bleeds from one song to another, you don't realize how much time passes. At one point, I walked out of the room at 4 a.m. to get some air, and the sun was already up - it rises pretty early here. So I walked back in, and we were some of the last dancers to leave the floor at 6 a.m., bringing us back to the hotel around 7 a.m. That was one crazy fun night. I've got to find a place like that in Athens. Ha.
Somehow, around 11 a.m. Sunday (because the sun was burning through the windows and the birds were really loud - we always leave our windows open), Lara and I were able to get up and grab some breakfast. We spent most of the morning doing laundry just down the street, which was fun. You know me, I'm too proud to ask for help, so I just threw my clothes in and pushed a few buttons. It worked out just fine, but I did have a minute-long panic attack when I thought I may have put bleach detergent in my load of color clothes instead of regular detergent. I asked a guy who spoke German, and it was OK.
I felt really excited when some Americans (yes, they looked iconically American) walked in and tried to figure it out and asked for help when they heard me speak English. They were from Pennsylvania on a study abroad trip, and we talked for a few minutes. Lara and I went back to our neighborhood Doner Kebap place and got a schnitzel kebap, which was tasty. The rest of the day fades away a bit into uneventfulness ... Lara and I napped to catch up on sleep. Abigail, Kevin, Lara and I ate at an Indian restaurant on our street, which was divine. We all had a buffet, and the waiter treated us to a sample of some mango drink. I hadn't had real Indian food in several years, it seems, so that was a treat.
Later that night several girls went out to a bar. Abigail, Kevin, Lara and I wanted to go but left a bit later, so one of the trams stopped running before we could ride it. We decided to stick closer to the hotel and wanted to go to a roof bar, but it was gay night (which made Kevin uncomfortable), and the guy at the door was a real jerk. He made fun of how young we looked and kept picking on us for being Americans. All I can say is, his shirt said, "Bangcocker." Pff. And the guys walking in were ridiculously flamboyant - two of the guys looked like they were going for Robert Pattinson's hair in "Twilight." Crazy.
Anyway, we decided to return to our second home in Berlin - the Irish pub. Of course, once we got there, it was closed early on a Sunday. So now that it was two hours later, we trudged home in defeat, craving snacks. Even our nearby "late" store was closed. We went to bed.
Yesterday morning, I woke up with the business mindset.
This was the day to get all my work done. Ian and I had a noon appointment, so I arrived a bit early and took some cool photos around the subway, including one of a girl who was playing the violin on one. It's cool to watch the sequence of photos and framing as the door closes. I spent the afternoon annoying Ian (as I would say) - I took pictures of him playing his keyboard and editing at his small studio in Tacheles, an old squatter building full of graffiti, artists and musicians. It's a staple in Berlin.We then headed down the street to the same bit of river we sat by the first time we met, and I took a few photos of him "resting." We then took a few pictures in his small apartment and stopped at a restaurant for lunch. It was great to get to know him more, and I was confident I had good audio and photos to work with. I was able to really use my 50 mm for the first time, which made me happy. I took 350 photos of him. Whew.
When I got back to the hotel, I got to work on the audio. Professor Freeman realized he had a bit of extra money and took us all out to dinner at a place called Delores, which was kind of like Moe's. I had been craving Mexican, but I still haven't had my cheese dip. That's on my to-do list for when I get home. The chicken quesadilla was excellent. Freeman had an optional activity open - go to Dr. Pong, but many of us wanted to do our projects. Once several people started talking about the Tuesday deadline and how they wanted to go to a six-hour concentration camp tour today, he decided to push back the deadline to noon on Wednesday. Most of us celebrated by going to Dr. Pong.
Dr. Pong is a hole-in-the-wall hangout with one ping pong table and a bar, where locals play round robin style, circling around the table. When you miss, you're out, and it keeps going until you end up with two people. Those two play to five points, and the winner hits the table with the paddle three times, and everyone joins back in again. It was pretty cool, and it's great to watch. When there are about three or four people left, they have to run around the table to get to their turn in time, which creates a nice wind tunnel effect. (Freeman posted a video on his blog - berlinblog2009.blogspot.com if you want to see.)
Abigail, Lara and I danced, too, and took some weird photos under a blue lightbulb near the bathrooms. There was one creeper we called "crazy eyes" who would stare at all the girls with really big eyes and then get in our faces and talk in German. Even when we'd obviously lean away or walk away or ask him to speak in English, he would just keep leering and talking. He was either drunk or out of his mind or both. Several times, Freeman would rescue us by just walking up and getting right in the middle. He was a great dad figure last night and a lot of fun. We grabbed a tram back near the hotel, and Freeman made a "that's what she said" joke after I did, which made the night complete. We stopped by a late night store, and everyone but me grabbed some ice cream. Lara also bought a can of "hemp juice," which we thought was hilarious. She and I split it earlier today, and it tasted like an energy drink. Weird.
Most of the group went out to Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp. A few of us (Abigail and Lara included) stayed in the hotel today to do our projects. I'm completely finished - Soundslide, five standalones from the trip and a brief story from the Soundslide project - which makes me feel grand. I'll try to post those at some point. Freeman is also compiling all of our projects onto a Web site, which I'll link.
Tonight we head to a nice dinner in the TV Tower, which is a huge building that can basically be seen all over Berlin. The restaurant in the ball near the top rotates and makes me think of my trips to the Peachtree Plaza (Westin) building in Atlanta with my mom when I was younger. I want to take some cool pictures there, so I hope it stops raining today.
I apologize for not having photos of some of the fun events (dancing, bars), but sometimes it's better to live life in person than through a lens. I plan to take more "fun" photos during the next few days, now that my work is done.
I also promise to update more this time, but there are only a few days left! It's hard to believe.
-C
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wake me up before you go, go ...
It's catch up time again. I've started embracing the laidback mentality here. It's weird not worrying about my phone or stressing about the paper. I've already started thinking about returning home and to work and thinking about what I'll miss and not miss here. But that'll be another post :)
To catch you up ...
After I interviewed at the Olympic Stadium, I came back and wandered around with my small group of friends. I then met up with Felix, another couchsurfer, and we picked up some meat, bread, cheese and OJ at a grocery store and ate at a local park that's popular with students. (He's in the picture here.) It was fun and felt very bohemian. I want to head back to the park on Sunday, where students have a flea market. When I returned, Lara, Abigail, Kevin, Vince and I all went to an Irish pub nearby, which was also fun. There are some silly pictures on Facebook of us laughing if you care to check.
Yesterday we went to Der Spiegel, a really popular newsmagazine in Germany. We talked to two English speakers who run the online section of the magazine. They talked a lot about multimedia and the industry - basically what we're all dealing with in terms of advertising and revenue problems. They seemed optimistic and worried at the same time. We'll always need news, but we need to figure out how to present it and get paid for it, as soon as possible.
After the paper, Professor Freeman, Kevin, Lara and I went to Germany's parliament building, the Reichstag. It has a crazy swirl on the top that people walk around, so we walked. (See here?)
Some kids seem pretty interested. They were pointing out things and then looked up at me and got embarrassed that I was taking their picture.
Then again some weren't so interested. This is great.
And it rained. And rained. And rained. We tried to wait it out but decided to walk in the rain to a cafe Freeman knew about that has excellent desserts. We walked to the bus stop and were drenched, and my shoes were full of water. The cake (Lara and I shared a chocolate and raspberry slice) was definitely worth it. We also got to know Freeman better in a smaller group, which I really liked because I've never ahd him as a professor. He has some great stories about previous visits to Germany - when he and his wife visited in the '80s, they knew they couldn't take East Berlin money back to West Berlin and left a large chunk of change on the table for waiters, he thinks in the same cafe. It was decked out in Titanic-esque decor and musicians. Fantastic.
We came back and changed and then headed out as a group to Kevin's assignment. He's featuring a bassist in a band that played on the street a few days ago, but this gig was in a private college. It was pretty good, and we met some fun people our age. When we walked in, they played "Sweet Home Alabama," so that was funny.
This morning, Lara and I woke up and went to the Turkish market (which I went to at the beginning of my trip) and met up with Ian. We bought all kinds of fruit - strawberries, cherries, grapes, raspberries - all for about 5 euro. We've been deprived and craving fruit. Lara picked up some olive spread so we can make sandwiches for a few days next week. I was restless today and didn't want to stay at the hotel, so almost as soon as we got back, I gave Amanda's shoes back to her and was invited to go with her and Jessie to some boutique shops. My mentality was the same as in Athens - fun to shop, but the price isn't right unless it's on the sale rack. I didn't buy anything, but we bonded by walking the wrong way a few times, buying ice cream and walking in the rain. The rain pops up out of nowhere here.
Once we got back, I met up with Lara and Abigail again, and we decided it's time for a girl's night out. Lara napped, and I took a long shower. The three of us went to an Italian restaurant across the street and laughed our heads off. I'm so glad I get along with these girls and that we're so close after only a week. As I pointed out at dinner, it's hard to believe I won't see them again in about a week. And now we're getting ready to go out. What can I say, some nights the girls just have to dance.
I'll update you on that tomorrow. Here's to Friday night!
Love,
C
To catch you up ...
After I interviewed at the Olympic Stadium, I came back and wandered around with my small group of friends. I then met up with Felix, another couchsurfer, and we picked up some meat, bread, cheese and OJ at a grocery store and ate at a local park that's popular with students. (He's in the picture here.) It was fun and felt very bohemian. I want to head back to the park on Sunday, where students have a flea market. When I returned, Lara, Abigail, Kevin, Vince and I all went to an Irish pub nearby, which was also fun. There are some silly pictures on Facebook of us laughing if you care to check.
Yesterday we went to Der Spiegel, a really popular newsmagazine in Germany. We talked to two English speakers who run the online section of the magazine. They talked a lot about multimedia and the industry - basically what we're all dealing with in terms of advertising and revenue problems. They seemed optimistic and worried at the same time. We'll always need news, but we need to figure out how to present it and get paid for it, as soon as possible.
After the paper, Professor Freeman, Kevin, Lara and I went to Germany's parliament building, the Reichstag. It has a crazy swirl on the top that people walk around, so we walked. (See here?)
Some kids seem pretty interested. They were pointing out things and then looked up at me and got embarrassed that I was taking their picture.
Then again some weren't so interested. This is great.And it rained. And rained. And rained. We tried to wait it out but decided to walk in the rain to a cafe Freeman knew about that has excellent desserts. We walked to the bus stop and were drenched, and my shoes were full of water. The cake (Lara and I shared a chocolate and raspberry slice) was definitely worth it. We also got to know Freeman better in a smaller group, which I really liked because I've never ahd him as a professor. He has some great stories about previous visits to Germany - when he and his wife visited in the '80s, they knew they couldn't take East Berlin money back to West Berlin and left a large chunk of change on the table for waiters, he thinks in the same cafe. It was decked out in Titanic-esque decor and musicians. Fantastic.
We came back and changed and then headed out as a group to Kevin's assignment. He's featuring a bassist in a band that played on the street a few days ago, but this gig was in a private college. It was pretty good, and we met some fun people our age. When we walked in, they played "Sweet Home Alabama," so that was funny.
This morning, Lara and I woke up and went to the Turkish market (which I went to at the beginning of my trip) and met up with Ian. We bought all kinds of fruit - strawberries, cherries, grapes, raspberries - all for about 5 euro. We've been deprived and craving fruit. Lara picked up some olive spread so we can make sandwiches for a few days next week. I was restless today and didn't want to stay at the hotel, so almost as soon as we got back, I gave Amanda's shoes back to her and was invited to go with her and Jessie to some boutique shops. My mentality was the same as in Athens - fun to shop, but the price isn't right unless it's on the sale rack. I didn't buy anything, but we bonded by walking the wrong way a few times, buying ice cream and walking in the rain. The rain pops up out of nowhere here.
Once we got back, I met up with Lara and Abigail again, and we decided it's time for a girl's night out. Lara napped, and I took a long shower. The three of us went to an Italian restaurant across the street and laughed our heads off. I'm so glad I get along with these girls and that we're so close after only a week. As I pointed out at dinner, it's hard to believe I won't see them again in about a week. And now we're getting ready to go out. What can I say, some nights the girls just have to dance.
I'll update you on that tomorrow. Here's to Friday night!
Love,
C
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