Richelle’s Bio

May 15, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Hallo! I’m Richelle Szypulski, a recent grad of Point Park with degrees in Multimedia and Mass Communications. And I’m still not used to saying that. I went on the trip to Italy last May and it was such a life changing experience that I knew I had to sign up for round two. Last year, I stayed an extra week with a friend that lives in Munich and I’m really looking forward to returning and experiencing Berlin, as well.

The visits I’m most excited for are Freie Universitat and Axel Springer, because I would really like to study abroad for my Masters Degree and would definitely consider Germany as an option. Culturally, I can’t wait to see the art on the Berlin Wall and the East Side Gallery and the architecture in Berlin, which seems super contemporary, but without skyscrapers.

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Day Three and the Berlin Wall

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

“Never going out again,” the words I kept mumbling myself this morning when waking up after just hours of sleep. Those eternal words which many have said before me and many will continue to say long after I’m gone. Of course they are never honored, but they made me feel better at the time.

Tired and groggy I met with group members to visit East Side Gallery, a decorated part of the Berlin Wall left as a “memorial to freedom.” Though it took me a bit to comprehend the depth of what I was standing in front of, the moment I did, I realized the struggle that this wall presented and the amazing ability of the Germans to overcome and grow out of the ashes of a divided city. I stood for a moment and just stared at this piece of concrete that effectively split families, friends and an entire city for almost three decades. In my mind, I always imagined the wall as an impossibly high structure that was extremely thick. In reality, it’s 12 feet high and 18 inches thick. The idea that that could divide a city staggering. That this would be allowed to happen.

It stands as symbol of oppression and dispair, now beautifully decorated for all to come see and enjoy. I feel much more of an understanding of the Berlin wal than I did before. Not that I learned anymore facts or information, but just seeing it and being there gives a new understanding. The fact that artists use this as their canvas to promote peace, shows a beautiful awakening of a city that has been through so much.

 

 

Filed Under: Blogs, Zack Durkin ·

Universität und Brandenburger Tor Besuchen

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Visiting the University and Brandenburg Gate
5.13.13
This trip just continues to get better and better as the days go on. I know it’s the second day, but already I know that I’m in for lots more fun. Today we went to Frei Universität. To do this we had to take the U-Bahn. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn are basically a subway system. “Bahn” translates to “train.” I’ve been on the U-Bahn before so, it was nothing new to me, but I never had to use connections. I see the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn like a puzzle. Sometimes it’s very difficult to figure out how to get from point A to point B when you need to use connections. We took the U-Bahn to the University.

The University is in a more upper-class “suburban” community. I loved learning the history of the area it was in. The area the university was in use to be a Jewish area before WWII. Then they were unfortunately forced to leave. Then there houses were taken over by high-ranking SS officials. I learned a lot of interesting stuff that I would not have known otherwise. I learned that the radio is actually very popular in Germany. Personally, my household doesn’t even have a radio. Being an advertising major, I was very excited to learn about German advertising in relation to journalism forms. While in Berlin I have noticed advertisements everywhere. They’re in bathroom stalls and even on napkins! Wherever you look, there’s and ad… that is, everywhere except in newspapers. German newspapers have a lot fewer advertisements than American newspapers. Their ad revenue comes from inserts within the papers. At the university I learned about an Xchange program done in the summer with journalism/communication students who know a good amount of German. This is definitely something that I am interested in.

Another very fun thing we got to do tonight was visit the Brandenburg Gate! This was so much fun. I love the Brandenburg Gate and it is such a great symbol representing not only Berlin, but Germany. After walking through the gate and onto the other side, I saw a guy with what I think was a Soviet hat. I asked him in German if I could try it on and take a picture. He said yes but then asked if he could be in it. I said he could and after than and at an extremely fast pace, other random Germans and our group were running into the photo. It was hilarious. This was supposed to be a photo of just me but it soon grew to me and 30 other people!

Another highlight from tonight was when we were going out. We decided to check out the young adult night culture. We had to call a taxi to get to where we wanted to go. Naturally, I had to do all the speaking… which I love! It’s really good practice for me. So I sat in the front of this taxi and I had a full on 10 minute non-stop conversation with the driver in German. He understood everything I said and I understood everything he said. It really makes me feel good. I love that even though I told him that we are from America, he didn’t start speaking to me in English. I know that some Germans do that because supposedly they are as eager to speak English as we are to speak German, but I sometimes take it as an insult when Germans speak in English to me. I just want to practice! When we got to the club the bouncers told me that I spoke very good German and sounded excellent. I love hearing that because I really do want to eventually become fluent. You could say it’s one of my life’s goals.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be in this amazing country. It feels different the second time around. I feel so much more comfortable here than I did three years ago. That can probably be attributed to now having six years of German under my belt. I know I’m gonna cry when I leave. When I go back to Pittsburgh, it’s not really going to feel like going home. This is really cheesy, but it would be more like leaving home. I feel so comfortable here in Germany. I love the culture and the language.

-andrea

Filed Under: Andrea Karsesnick, Blogs ·

day three and still having fun!

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Tuesday May 14, 2013

Berlin, Germany

 

Each and every day we spend in Germany gets better and better.  I had another very exciting day today, all starting with a trip to the East Side Gallery.  This was a great place to visit because I really got to experience the art in real life.  The art on the walls was so colorful and meaningful.  My favorite wall art was the one of the car crashing into the wall.  I think that it really made a point that the East Berliners really did not want to be in the East and would love to drive a car into the wall to get out.  It was also a great experience because the group took the subway on our own!  We actually were not as bad at getting around as we thought we would be and got back with enough time to recharge our batteries for the second half of the day.

 

The Media visit today was another great experience.  Fabian van der Marc was so lively and happy to be with us and that really made the experience even better.  My favorite part of the media visit was when we took the tour of the studio,  Seeing the studio made me want to minor in broadcasting, even though that is totally unrealistic for what I want to do with my life after college.  Then Mr. van der Marc had a big surprise for us. . .he took us to the top of the building for an amazing view!  When we got up on the top of the roof I was instantly amazed. It was definitely a breathtaking view that I will never forget.

IMG_1074

 

Later in the night we were able to go out and explore again.  Andrea and I visited the Topographie of Terrors Museum, which was truly moving.  I am very into Holocaust history and it was interesting to read more about the events in the Holocaust.  I also loved that they had some of the wall near the museum.

 

After the Museum, Andrea and I decided to brave the S train ourselves and adventure out to Alexander Platz. We made it successfully without messing up!  We hungout in that section of town for the rest of the night, did some shopping, and just talked about how we were enjoying the trip so far.  Oh, and we bought some really amazing leather goods.  It was a great (and adventu

rous) night for the both of us!

 

xoxox

Katie

Filed Under: Blogs, Katie Pflug ·

Day three: Bumps in the road

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Day three:

I woke to excruciating pain this morning. Apparently my small fall from last night really hurt my ankle and caused swelling. So this morning was a balancing act of not stepping on my right foot and not waking my two roommates, Marina and Alexa.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. thinking my foot was cramping, but I woke up again at 6:30 a.m. and tried to move my foot. Bad decision. I looked at the foot and realized three things: 1) something is not right with this foot, 2) it’s broken, 3) maybe I’m over reacting and I just twisted my ankle. My next thoughts were along the lines of: “Really?! Why now? Am I’m going to be able to continue this trip? Are they going to send me home? I don’t want to go home! Please let this be a simple sprain!”

Now I have never, up until this moment, broken any bones or sprained anything. So this experience happening in a different country is a bit nerve wracking. I didn’t want to wake my roommates so I shuffle across my room with a combination of hopping and crawling. At 8 a.m. when their alarms when off, I told them the about my foot.

It was decided to contact Helen to see what could be done, since it was apparent walking wasn’t an option. Through a series of phone calls between Jan and Helen it was decided I needed to go to the hospital. I was really beginning to doubt my luck on this trip.

I was given ice and elevated my foot down in the lobby as I waited with Jan and Helen for Lorena to arrive. The rest of the group went off to explore Berlin and I won’t lie that I found it frustrating that I had hurt my ankle. The thing is, I trip and fall all the time and I have been lucky to say I never had damaged myself to this extent.

When Lorena arrived to help us with the translation, the three of us (Lorena, Helen and I) went to Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It was then the waiting game. I was eventually called in for my foot to be poked and prodded, which was not fun. The doctor decided I needed x-rays since it was possible to have fractured some bones.  Helen, Lorena and I waited some more before I was called for x-rays.

While we waiting again after the photos of my swollen foot were taken, Helen and I started talking with this man from Scotland. He was curious in how I injured my foot. He than proceeded to share with us a time when he broke both his legs after chasing a thief and accidently falling into a pit where he fell some 20 meters (20 meters = 65 feet). The guy was luckily to be alive. Then later a woman came in hobbling just as I had. A tram had hit her and ironically her right foot was the only damage. The woman then went to teach a class before calling a cab to go the hospital. All I can say is the waiting rooms in Berlin are interesting.

Shortly after the woman who was hit by the tramcar had arrived I was called to get the verdict on my foot. My little trip from the night before had ruptured a ligament in my right foot. I was given a compress and an air-cast. I was also given medication to prevent any blot clots and crutches. All of this happened between 8 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.

On top of the DW building, Berlin, Germany

On top of the DW building, Berlin, Germany

Helen, Lorena and I then grabbed a cab to get to the media trip for the day: Deutsche Welle with Fabian von der Mark. He told us Deutsche Welle was for the people and for the world to know how Germany was changing. Fabian von der Mark also gave us a tour of the studio and newsrooms. It definitely a calm atmosphere and we even got to see the beginnings of one of the news “presentations.” As a special treat he took us to the roof where we got an absolutely wonderful skyline view.

My foot prevents me from using public transportation and instead I had to take a cab with Helen back to the apartment. The rest of my day went to relaxing and keeping my foot elevated and iced. I also got pizza and ice cream to go with Aimee.

So my day started and ended in ways I couldn’t even imagined, but I made some good memories. This definitely wasn’t how I pictured my days in Germany. This trip has taught me so much about the differences in media between Germany and the U.S. and how to just go with it while traveling. I may hobble a bit now, but I still going to enjoy my time in Berlin and in Munich.

Here’s to tomorrow!

Carson

Filed Under: Blogs, Carson Allwes ·

Day Two

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

After some much needed sleep, I awoke in a beautiful hotel room in Berlin and ready to start the day. We ate some breakfast courtesy of the hotel, met up with our awesome tour guide and started our day.

We experienced our first German public transportation. It was much better than Pittsburgh to say the least. We made our way to Freie University with Dr. Elfriede Fursich. Freie University is the largest university in Berlin and that was very apparently during our small campus tour. To put it simply, the university was absolutely beautiful. We ate lunch in their cafeteria, which was a bit overwhelming. Students flocked the area, which made it hard to navigate. The signs were all in German so we were not able to understand what anything was. However, we braved through it and figured it out with the help of one another. After lunch we had the opportunity to listen to a lecture by Dr. Elfriede Fursich. She is such an intelligent woman and it was a joy to listen to her. She talked about the media in Germany and how it varies from the United States. I found it very interesting that Germans would rather listen to the radio versus explore the internet. It made me think deeply about how much Americans rely on the internet and social media. It struck me that it is very rare to see a German walking down the street, staring intensely at their cell phone. They just seem much more conversational with one another. They enjoy their time with their family and friends. When they are with someone, they are actually with someone. They do not need their cell phone sitting on the table next to them. I find this very inspiring.

Once the lecture was over, we were able to explore Berlin on our own. A portion of our group went to this tiny, authentic German pub. The tables were very small and narrow and the waiter spoke almost no English. With the help of Andrea, we were able to successfully order our dinner (which was absolutely delicious). After dinner we decided to get a better grip on German public transportation and explore the Brandenburg Gate. Later on, we ventured off to a night club called Tresor. It was so different from clubs in the United States. The Germans have a very interesting way of dancing. We all joined in with them and had a really great time. Our first day in Germany was definitely a success!

Filed Under: Blogs, Sara Tallerico ·

Tag Drie- Day Three 5.14.13

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Halo, Guten Tag!

I will star off by saying what an incredible day. I had the opportunity to cross something off my bucket list today! During our free time this morning we took a trip to East Berlin and went to the East Side Gallery. This is the east side of the Berlin Wall where there is artwork painted onto the one mile remaining section of the wall.

We took this time to take pictures and observe these paintings. All were beautiful in there own way. Some were deep with expression while others more comedic. I believe my two favorites include the very famous painting of a car going through the wall! The other an intricate painting by Peter Russell featuring rich blues, golds and oranges.

After our excursion to the Berlin Wall we went for a media visit to Duestches Welle. This was very exciting for me because it directly relates to the broadcasting world and gave our group and inside look at how this profession works in Germany. I was intrigued by their vast amount of programming in four languages across six channels. Deustches Welle prides them on being the voice of the German people not the voice of the government they walk the fine line of not being a public relations representative for any one person or ideal but to show all opinions involved in a situation. This is something that I feel is hard to find to do in today’s media and also very hard to do.

During this media trip I thought it was interesting to se the similarities and differenced that American and German television stations face. I really enjoyed seeing how everyone is effected by changing times and changing technology.

Filed Under: Blogs, Johnie Freiwald ·

Day One

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

I am very proud to say that I have survived my first plane ride and have safely arrived in Berlin. It was a very long, emotionally and physically draining day. However, I am in Germany and am about to experience a once in a lifetime trip so I refuse to allow any of today’s events to bring me down.

It seemed as if we were never going to arrive in Berlin. Our first plane out of Pittsburgh had gotten delayed after being stuck by lightening. The captain assured us it would be okay after he “threw” on some aluminum tape. Me, the paranoid freak that I am, naturally wanted to cry and refuse to ride the plane. I talked myself out of the paranoia and decided I would be okay. After finally boarding our flight and getting settled into our seats, we were ready for take off. I am so surprised as to how well I handled the flight. I was not the least bit scared. However, next time I will remember to bring ear plugs. Screaming babies are no fun to sit next to for 7 hours.

After our connecting flight to Paris took off, we were finally on our way to our final destination: Berlin. We arrived in Berlin, excited and ready to explore. Naturally, we discover that most of our group had lost their luggage. My worst fears had come true. Many people had assured me it would be okay and I tried really hard not to think about it. We had a full and fun evening ahead of us and I could not let lost luggage get in my way of enjoying Berlin.

All of my worries had vanished as soon as we began our bus tour of Berlin. Although short and fairly brief, we were able to see many vital German buildings and monuments from the bus. We also got out for a small amount of time and explored a very interesting Holocaust memorial. We also got to experience our first coffee shop visit. After a little bit of caffeine, I felt awake and ready for our first German dinner.

We ventured off to Sony Center as a group and ate dinner at a German restaurant. I am an extremely picky eater, however, I truly enjoyed the meal we were given. With a full stomach and heavy eyes, we all went back to our hotel (our very, very nice hotel) and fell fast asleep, dreaming of all the things we would be able to do the next day.

Filed Under: Blogs, Sara Tallerico ·

And the fun continues…

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Today was a new day, as most days are, and equally filled with the promise of learning.

To start off our day, the group headed to the East Side Galley this morning to look at the remains of the Berlin Wall. It was a surreal experience to say the least. I don’t know if it was my mindset and immersion into the history that made it feel so real to me or the fact that this area was steeped in so much hatred, but I felt the difference between East and West, which I will try my best to explain.

The West side of the wall sits right in front of a major road. It is loud and bustling and feels lively as well as populated. The East side, on the other hand, backs up to a sparse and empty field. It was quiet other than the wind which was blocked on the other side. Eerie because I was colder on the East side, much as it was when the wall was erect. It was odd to think that if this was the Cold War, I would’ve been standing in a place that would have found me shot by guards in a heartbeat. The hatred was still palpable to me, as was the angst with the idea that a government could actually inflict such atrocities on its people. Not to say I’m naive, I understand that this type of thing happens all the time, but my idealistic brain has trouble comprehending how people do horrible things to each other.

For our media visit today, we met with Fabian von der Mark at Deutsche Welle who told us all about the publicly run broadcasting station. The most interesting he mentioned was that Deutsche Welle, at it’s inception, was comparable to the Voice of America at the time. It was not meant to be a PR arm for the government to fix the reputation issue post World War II,  but a way to show the rest of the world what German culture is and reach people with little access to information. That seemed like a very noble and objective cause that I could identify with. Mr. von der Mark was such a warmhearted man who seemed quite excited that we were visiting, not burdened at all, which made the visit all that much more enjoyable. He even took us to the roof for a panoramic view of Berlin. Another amazing experience, in an amazing place.

I decided to stay in tonight. Honestly in real life, I’m kind of boring. My 90-year-old-woman-stuck-in-a-19-year-old’s-body self has not reacted well to all this activity and I was ready  for a nap and some alone time to reflect. All-in-all a good day.

Until next time.

Michelle

Filed Under: Blogs, Michelle Graessle ·

Deutsche Welle and a nice day for shopping!

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Hi everyone!

Today, May 14, we were able to visit Deutsche Welle I was exited for this visit because I have actually seen some of Deutsche Welle’s broadcasts in the US. In my German course at Duquesne we go on Deutsche Welle’s website and sometimes watch their Learn German tv webisodes they produce. I was excited to be able to go there and experience how much effort it take to put everything together.

 

Here are some of the highlights of what I learned at Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle was started to improve Germany’s image problem after WWII. It first was a radio station, which broadcastes to the world to let everyone know what Germany was doing. The radio program was in 31 different languages. Deutsche Welle stresses learning German. This is because Germany is extremely proud of its language. They see it as the best way to access the cultural heritage. One thing the guy we spoke yo stressed to us was that Deutsche Welle was unaffiliated with the government. We were also taken up on the roof of Deutsche Welle which offered a beautiful view of the city.

After our visit to Deutsche Welle, everyone was sleepy and didn’t want to do anything that night. This was extremely annoying to me. So, instead Katie and I ventured off on our own. We went to Alexanderplatz, which is personally one of my favorite parts of Berlin. There was lots of shopping and of course that’s what we did! We went into Liebeskind Berlin. Liebeskind is basically a purse store and a leather store. I was willing to spend however much to get a nice purse. Katie bought a pair of shoes. I bought a grey leather bag for 179 Euros. Ouch. That hurt my wallet, but trust me it was worth it. The leather smells amazing! We also went up to Bench, where we both bough 70 Euro fleeces. Another expensive purchase, but worth it. I love Bench.

Filed Under: Andrea Karsesnick, Blogs ·
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