DAY 3 – Berlin Wall

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
berlinwall

Some visiters tracing their hands on the East side of the Berlin Wall. The dates on the hand prints were mostly 2012 and 2013.

 

Today was another chalk-full day. I woke up to my roommate, Carson, complaining about serious pain in her foot.

Despite the end result, which is possibly a torn ligament and doctors’ orders to stick with the crutches for a few days, she has a great attitude about it. I wish I were more like that! She even met some interesting people at the hospital. All my prayers go out to her for the rest of the trip.

A group of us then went to see the remnants of the Berlin Wall.

On our way there in the train, we were above ground and were able to see parts of the former east side of Berlin. It had a very European feel to it and it felt much more cultured and unique than the area we were staying in the west side. I couldn’t help but notice all of the beautiful cobblestone streets.

Once again, there were people from all over the world taking photos of the artwork. The west side had the typical graffiti, but the former east side had beautiful murals stretching as far as the eye could see.

Not to be cheesy, but some of the murals “spoke” to me. Some of them I did not understand at all, and some of them were just plain frightening. But I can tell that a lot of emotion went into the creation of each and every unique one.

Deutsche Welle was our next media stop. Fabian von der Mark was such a nice and eager host. Some highlights from his lecture about the public broadcasting station were that it looks to be the voice of the German people, but yet not its public relations department. It also caters to many different languages, which presents challenges for advertising and general organization.

He also took us up to the top of the building to see the view. And what a view it was. It was so beautiful. It seemed as though we could see for miles. What is interesting about the Berlin landscape is that there are not clusters of skyscrapers but huge old buildings are speckled throughout the city and stick out among the rest.

We then separated again and some of us went shopping near the hotel. For these past few days I noticed that Germans probably look at Americans so strangely because of our dramatic expressions. Now that we are all closer friends than we were before, we laugh easier and talk more. In the metro stations I notice that other groups of young people are not like us at all. Americans stand out because of our flamboyancy.

Tomorrow is another long day. Time to get some sleep!

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DAY 2 – Media overview

May 14, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

 

marinaandcarson

Carson and I at the Brandenburg Gates (notice the German boys watching us in the background!)

DAY 2

These past two days have been completely packed full of things to do. There is so much to conquer in so little time.

On Monday we had a wonderful introduction into German media and academics from Dr. Elfriede Fursich at Freie University.

She explained to us the status of all the mediums of media and its relationship to the United States. Radio is keeping steady as well as TV because it is a passive medium. Some fun facts were that Germans use subscriptions more and about only 72% of Germans use the Internet. Also, local bookstores are very big here.

It was extremely interesting to see all of the students at the University because of what they were wearing and how they acted.

We all noticed that they do not use their phones half as much as us as Americans. Aimee noted in her short lecture that it is still not known why exactly. An assumption might be because of all the social pressure Americans feel to use them. Our tour guide said that it could be because Germans like don’t feel the need for it because they are environmentally oriented people and after working at the office they want to socialize in person and stay away from technology. All is very enlightening.

For dinner, a group of us decided to “wing it,” and we found a very cute place on a corner tucked away under a small awning. The tables were very skinny and the room was slightly cramped. The waiter also did not speak English – but the food was fantastic. The best schnitzel I have ever had. And it was for a good price, too. Andrea’s rudimentary German language skills got us through the dinner.

My feet were tired and it was starting to get cold, but we passed through the Brandenburg Gates on our way to a festival. It was such a cool scene: people from all around the world gathered in this center to take photos of the gates and socialize while some rode group bicycles tied together.

We were taking photos when Andrea decided to ask someone our age for their hat so she could take a picture with it. Soon all of their group plus our group joined into the picture. It was such an awesome surprise. But then something slightly creepy happened: two young German boys (around 16) asked to take their photo with me. Can they really spot Americans from that far away? Anyway, put that cigarette down, son!

We spent a few hours trying to figure out the bus system in order to get to a festival, and in doing so I feel as though many of us bonded…even though we never made it to the festival (it was too late by then).

We also tried out a very cool German techno club that was once a warehouse. We found that Germans have a very different style of dancing. We also found that Andrea is pretty fluent in German as it turns out because she carried on a conversation with the taxi driver about American politics!

A lot of unexpected things happened on Monday, but it made it so much better – it is just part of the adventure.

 

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DAY 1 – Start of an adventure

May 12, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
jewish mem

Me standing in the middle of a Holocaust memorial in Berlin

 

What a day. I am exhausted. But it had to be done. We had to push through today even though many of us were sleep deprived and slightly off-put by loss of luggage.

Despite crying babies, delayed flights due to lightening strikes and emergencies and rain, today was beautiful.

It was beautiful because of the wave of culture we just dove into.

It started with Paris. Even though we were just in the airport for a transfer, the fashion, the language, the poise and even the modern bathrooms were such a delight to behold.

Both of our tour guides went above and beyond to make us comfortable and to engage into the history and culture of Germany at the same time.

Half-dazed, I could still appreciate the fascinating and mysterious memorial for the Jews of the Holocaust in Berlin.

I managed to take as many photos as possible of all of the magnificent buildings, monuments and even relics of the Wall while on the bus and walking through Downtown. It was a wonderful hands-on history lesson.

Berlin is a different world. Modern architecture stands near aging cathedrals. Bicyclists speed past pedestrians on the sidewalk. Men wear bright blue skinny jeans with sweaters around their necks. It’s a little bit of a culture shock, and I love it.

As Americans, we are always searching for the antique and the ancient – where we came from – how were things back then. It is a yearning I am finding that will probably never be satisfied. But some Americans who tour Europe and other places bring upon themselves a bad reputation because they fail to respect these old cultures while they seek to expand their own.

My hope is that we not only diverge from following in the footsteps of those tourists, but also that we change the minds of some natives about Americans.

I’ve waited my whole life to come to Europe and I have rehearsed through my head many times what I would probably be doing and seeing – but never in a thousand years would I have guessed it would be anything like today. But that’s OK because something different is never necessarily something bad – it’s just the start of an adventure.

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What to know about Marina

May 8, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Neuschwanstein castle

Neuschwanstein castle on a foggy day

This trip has been a long time coming.

Growing up in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania, I’m itching to explore the world outside of camping, elk-watching, kayaking and hiking.

It’s time for some culture.

Coming to Point Park University in downton Pittsburgh for journalism and multimedia was my first step. I will graduate next spring.

Now I can spread my wings, not only outside of my city, but also outside of the U.S.A. Shout out to the John E. Fallon Jr. travel fund for making it happen.

Germany is a great choice because – as many of us are – I am a little German. My dad is all about it. He has been researching late into the night places we can see if we have time and showering me with stories about sneaking into castles without a tour guide when he was a lad studying abroad those many, many years ago.

 

I have to admit, I am ecstatic to visit Neuschwanstein castle. Not only because I am already a fairytale/fantasy buff to begin with, but because I just think it’s down right fascinating. But I don’t think there will be any sneaking around for me.

But I’m also pumped to put my research into action when we visit all of these media organizations. I’ve been reading up on some of the places we are going, and I am pretty impressed. I know I am going to come out of this a cultured individual and confident journalist.

I still have to take a trip to the St. Marys pit stop (Walmart) and plan out everything I am going to wear each day – because I am a meticulous list maker – and if I don’t, I will end up bringing way more than the 50 lb limit. (I still have no idea how I am going to make that!) Who knows if the bugs bite in Germany? Maybe I will need that bug spray!

We aren’t traveling as much as the Italy trip last year, but I think that’s OK, because there might be more time to take-in everything that there is to see around us. And it’s a lot. Berlin and Munich are fabulous places to be, especially as a young person.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am going to make these two weeks last forever by making marvelous memories.

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