Coming and Going Around Berlin

My long-term objective in Germany is to earn a degree in fine art at a university. Therefore I am now attending a language school and developing my portfolio. But rather than the academic-slash-visa-purposes, I would like to write about more short-term delights in Berlin that spice up my regular routine.

My very first impression of Berlin was that it is a city of ‚London-like weather‘ (I got here in December). Over time it has been replaced by ‚paragraphs and photographs on panels‘. Sure, every city has its own history and thus is a learning environment by itself, but Berlin – this one really lives up to that term. Wherever you go, these lengthy yet visually pleasant walls will educate you at the corner of your eyes. Checkpoint Charlie, Topographie des Terrors, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg-Museum (thanks to a Kapitel Zwei excursion!) are but a few. Contemporary, flamboyant and all „hip“ though it may have become, the city remains historically aware and thoroughly informative.

Maybe I can talk a bit about language outside the perspective of requirements. Not only does it take up a great part of my daily life here, but for me, if not for many others too, it is also a good mixture of leisure and necessity. Being able to articulate oneself in another tongue is a small step at a time, yet a huge sense of achievement. Although the famous „life is too short to learn German“ seems true at present, I still think it’s worth the time and even some stress. Kapitel Zwei has been helpful with adding the fun (which, to a lot of us internationals, Germany is known for lacking of) to the learning process, with its inviting community and focus on classroom engagement. Note Bene: the meetups outside classes are definitely to keep a keen eye for!

Finally, as a bucket list of sorts, I recently began to document every single subway station of the city. I can be anywhere I want to be with the U-Bahn, and the characteristic interior of the stations in Berlin fascinate me. I am also not the only one who finds joy in subterranean Berlin, as it turns out. Often my terrible sense of direction leads me to some random stops, but I try to make every stop I document as purposeful as possible. And yes, Berlin is THAT full of things to do.