Highlights of Last Week!

Last week I met with Adam Goldman, a family friend, whose family lives on the Upper West Side.  I have only met him once or twice before, but it was really nice to meet him again! He is in his 20s I beleive and has been living in Berlin for the for Neuköln, on the border of Kreuzberg.  Neuköln is an interesting neighborhood- it has a combination of both hipsters and Turkish people.  Adam told me that the Turkish people who live their are very confused by these people who wear suspenders, pig glasses, and other hipster-like clothing! The hipsters live their because it's really cheap. We went to this really great Belgium beer bar- what I found out was that Belgium beer has a very high percentage of alcohol! We had a really nice time and talked of New York, being a Jewish in Germany, and many other things.

With the program, we went to the GDR History Museum which was very interesting; however I really lost steam after 1945 and unfortunately walked right through every thing! It was really helpful because I feel that I really only know Germany history during the time of WWII, it was good to get an overview of pre-WWII. I do wish that I had spent more time going through post-1945.

Me in the U-Bahn (train) at Alexanderplatz

I've gone out a bunch on the weekends and had really fun experiences! Fashion Week in Germany was here last week so me an a couple of friends went to a Fashion Week party at a clothing store in Mitte.  Then we went to Kreuzberg (the  hip neighborhood) and went to this basement bar.  It was really nice and relaxing atmosphere- my friend wanted to go because she is concentrating in college in High Life, West African music- and they had a DJ who was playing a lot of High Life.  I had a really great time just dancing.  This weekend I went to the Yelle concert, a french band/singer.  I didn't realize, but apparently she is pretty famous! Here is a link to her most famous song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU0YFzGkli8. I couldn't take any pictures because the Germany body guards came up to me and rudely said I could't take pictures because my camera was too big. BUT had I had a small camera that would have been fine. Does that makes ANY sense? NO.  But I did get some pictures of the band before Yelle!

 

Oh, and I am studying lets not forget! My classes seem to be going well. I am taking a German class that seems to be too easy but the one above it, the one I should be in, is two levels combined, and it way to hard for me. I am taking an art history class, which I was really excited about, but I can barely stand the teachers accent/rhythm of his voice! My architecture class seems to be really fun. The professor is actually originally from the Upper West Side and went to Harvard architecture school. I like him a lot he has a very dry sense of humor. He gave us a  tour of all the Shinkel (the main German architect in Berlin during the 19th century) architecture in Berlin and then we went to a Russian tea house- it was a lot of fun! I am also taking a class on European Identity which is really interesting. My last class is the most fun one! It's about pop culture in Berlin. We watched this really interesting movie on the Berlin techno scene called "Berlin Calling." The professor is also taking us to a soccer game and a DJ is coming to teach us how to DJ!

The Reichstag

Inside the dome

In the dome

Last Tuesday, IES, my program, went to the Reichstag, the German parliament.  It was very monumental! In 1933, it was severely burned, and during this time, the government declared a state wide  emergency- because, all laws were suspended,  Hitler was appointed chancellor.  At this point, the Nazi regime started.  Only in the 1990s was the Reichstag renovated and now the modern German parliament, the Bundestag sits there. The original dome and the entire inside was completely destroyed; therefore, although the outside is the original facade, the entire inside and the dome at the top was redone and modernized.  We got to go into where the parliament sits and had a man talk to us about the Bundestag and the history.  We then when up to the dome which is really quite spectacular in its modern medal spirals pathways, which lead up to the top, giving impressive views of Berlin. I really liked the juxtaposition between the old and the new architecture!

Me and a couple of friends fooling around in front of the Reichstag!

Dome with some friends

Bundestag

Finally Settling In!

Sorry it's been over a week since I have posed. But a lot has happened and I am excited to share!

Last weekend, our program went to Postdam, Friedrich the Great's/II of Prussia, the  summer home. Potsdam is only 20 minutes outside of Berlin so it was really nice to get out of the big city and go to a small and very beautiful city.  Potsdam, is a relatively small palace, where Friedrich and his friends would go to spend their summers. Interesting rumor that I think is definitely true: Friedrich was gay.  One of our staff members told us right before our tour about this and said that our tour guide will not mention this and we were right! We asked her at the end about him being gay and she said there is no evidence for it, so therefore, she doesn't believe it is true. The reason why there is no evidence for him being gay is because he was one of Hitler's role models. Hitler obviously did not want anyone to think that one of his role model's was gay so he erased all evidence in history of this fact. As a result, today it's just a rumor that Friedrich was gay. Anyways, the palace was abosultely beautiful.  Friedrich loved the French and their culture so the whole palace is done in rococo style.  Additionally, Friedrich had a personal room (which is truly magnificent) for Voltaire who came regularly to his palace. The grounds are also queit nice. I can't vouch for it, but in the summer the grounds are supposed to be gorgeous with tons of flowers, shrubberies, and sculptures. The sculptures were to my disappointment, all boarded up because the sculptures are delicate and the cold could ruin them! Bottom line, everything was beautiful, but it will be more beautiful in the Spring/Summer, so I will have to return again! Petra and Arnold suggested that we could do a bike trip to Potsdam and have a picnic- sound great to me!

Voltaire's Guest Room

Saturday night, I went with the family to Avital, the cantor's house for dinner. They live far out in East Berlin, in a neighborhood that apparently has a lot of Neo-Nazi residents. But the reason why they live there is because their apartment is really something special.  It is from the Art Nouveau period circa late 1800s.  The design of lobby and the stairwell was in this really beautiful wood design and their apartment was massive. I have never been in such a big apartment before and the decor was very simple, minimal, and modern. Fun fact, that I did not appreciate when that much when I was there.  German dinners go on for HOURS and HOURS! Usually dinner last in my household for 1-2 hours, tops 3. We go there around 6 and did not leave until 11!  Avital's husband every 10 minutes attempted to try to pour me another glass of wine. If you know me well, I love red wine, but this guy was a little too much for me to handle! He was really sweet though and wanted me to join the Jewish German soccer team in the summer. He even gave me a jersey from the team, even though I tried to tell him that it was ok and I didn't need it! But he mentioned I had to have it and that I probably should wash it. I just call it vintage!


On Sunday, a bunch of friends and I went to brunch, a typical Sunday activity. These brunches can last anywhere from an hour to 10 hours. We just did the 1 hour one.  After brunch we went to the biggest flee market I have ever been to in Mauer Park in Prenzlauerberg. It basically had anything and everything. They had food stands on one side and a lot of objects on the other. We probably spend a good three hours walking around and did not even get to see all of it! I ended up buying beads (for the jewelery I made), a cowel (a circular scarf, that is keeping me very toasty), and a second hand sweater. I was very excited about my purchases. I also got this amazing pastry- it was basically a lot of butter and almonds- my mouth is currently watering. I gave my friend Robin a bite, and completely forgot she was allergic to nuts and, when I remembered, I yelled, "Robin it has almonds!!!!" and she quickly spit it out. That was a close one!

My friend Robin, trying on a pair of 80s glasses at Mauer Park

My program saw a great movie called "The Lives of Others." Everyone should see it! It won an Oscar for best foreign film in 2006. It was about the Stasi, the GDR's secret police, which monitored the movements of the culture art figures of East Berlin. It really opened my eyes to the history of the 1980s in East Berlin, the place that I live right now.

A lot more happened this week, but this post is becoming too long so tune in tomorrow for another post!

My First Week in Berlin!

So you might be wondering why my blog is called "Amira is a jelly donut."  Well, as some of you know, the story goes that in JFK's speach in in West Berlin in 1963, showing his support of the US to West Berlin, he stated "Ich bein ein Berliner."  He was trying to say, "I am a citizen of Berlin (ich bin berliner- with out the "ein"); however, what he really said was, "I am a jelly doughnut" because in fact a berliner is a type of jelly doughnut made in Berlin!

Now, for my experiences so far:

I arrived on Tuesday and my host family which I found through the Massorti Jewish community of Berlin, The Dreyblatt's (Arnold, Petra, and their 7-year-old son Noah Lior) picked me up from the airport!  The are so gracious and hospitable and their son Noah, is really adorable.  They really have been treating me like their daughter and are extremely considerate.  They live in East Berlin in a neighborhood called Prenzlauerberg, a hip and young place with lots of little stores, coffee shops and restaurants. It is only 10 minutes on the tram to Mitte (the center of the city)! The Dreyblatt's live in a nice apartment and Arnold, an artist has a beautiful studio loft next door, which is where I live! It's really nice that I have my own place in a really cool loft! The only small issue is that the shower is in their apartment! So everytime I want to take a shower I have to unlock 3 doors and go outside into their apartment to take a shower! Sometimes its a little chilly, but its an experience!

The students on my program are really nice and everyone gets a long really well so far, and there are only 32 students, and only 7 of them are male....enough said. The staff are also really nice and are very helpful in helping is acclimate into Berlin society.

On the second night, Wednesday, a bunch of us went out to a student bar which was really a nice chill atmosphere! What was intersting to expereince later when we were walking outside, were the tens of prostitues that loitering on the streets! I at first did not realize who they were, and was quiet confused why women with ridicously high boots, with a brazeere, a vest, and a fanny pack, were all over the streets! Every time a man passed they would talk to them for a couple of minutes, and then the men would walk away...And it turns out that in Germany prostitution is legal. It's considered a profession! Another thing that I noticed is that Germany has a open bottle policy. Therefore, you see people at all times of the day, in the trains, trams on the street, people of all ages and classes just drinking beer walking as if it was water! 

There has been a lot of German manners and etiquette that is very different than American mannerisms and etiquette. Such as, Germans are sticklers for following the rules.  If their is a red light they will never cross the street! As a New Yorker, this has been hard for me to watch and follow! The first few days I said to myself, I am going to try to act like the Germans and follow the rules, but it was WAY to hard for me, so now I just jay walk and people stare. No big deal. Apparently though it's an absolute
no no to jay walk if on either sides of the street is a child. It is known that the mother will yell at you if you jay walk because you are setting a bad example for your child. Also, if you ask a person "hey, what's up," or "hi, how are you," they really think us Americans are asking them how they are, and are genuinley interesting in their well being and do not understand that it is just a phrase or greeting. As a result, they tend to go on these long monologues about how they are and their day! It's nice but often get a little long! I found this hilarious and does not affect me at all, but men in private homes when going to the bathroom to pee must sit down. They can't stand up because Germans don't like when men spray their pee! Also, on public transportation (which happens to be absolutely amazing, quick, and efficient) people either do not talk at all, or whisper! You can spot an American far away if their talking in a normal voice!

On Thursday night my friend's Germany friend took me and a couple of my friends to Ostkreuz, a neighborhood in East Berlin to a special bar called Wilden Renate. This bar had a labyrinth inside! It is quite hard to expain but basically at the back of the bar there is a haunted labyrinth and you pay 10 Euros (kinda a lot but totally worth it!) to be taken by actors into this labyrinth and they leave you their to find your way out. It was such an unique experience! It was quite scary actually! There was scary music and all these weird and dead looking things all over! It was kind of like Alice in Wonderland. It is very hard to explain so you must just go!!! Although I did not take any pictures inside the maze I took a picture of the bar!

Friday night for services I went with a friend from my program, Jake, to Oranienburger Synagogue or the New or Neue Synagogue in Mitte, a Massorti/Conservative shul. Arnold and Noah joined us as well! I met Gesa Edenberg, the Rabbi and Avital, the cantor. There also happened to be a group of JTS (Jewish Theological Seminary) rabbincal students visiting Germany for a special trip.  As usual, I recognized one of the guys on the program and realized I had met him before and had a mutual friend. Surprise, it's a small world! The service was really nice and pretty similar to what I am used to, however the community member are very different! There are a lot of converts and mixed marriage couples. Gesa, the Rabbi, herself is a convert. Additionally, although Oranienburger Synagogue is an extremely beutiful, ornate, and monumental synogogue, almost taking up a whole block and can be seen from far away, the community is so small that they only use a small room there for services. To give a little background to the synagogue, It was erected in 1866 and was the largest synagogue in Europe holding 3,200 thousand seats and a was reform congregation. However, during kristalnacht, it was partly destroyed and only in the 1980s did the East Berlin government do a huge renovation to restore the synagoge to its orginal luster. In the early 1990s Gesa faught to have a massorti service in the synagogue.

That is it for now! I will write more soon!

Amira