Featured image: Me in front of the famous Berlin landmark, BrandenburgerTor. Fun fact: over the summer I could see the monument from my apartment. Berlin, much like myself, is a project under construction. I fell in love with the Großstadt Berlin during perhaps the most confusing time in my life to date. Let’s rewind a little. My choice to come to Berlin came alongside my Vassar acceptance letter. Like so many of my peers, I applied to Vassar because of…
“Berlin is a summer city!” they all say. “Nothing like Berlin in the summer!” Sure, I suppose when you’re resigned to 8 months of the year being gray and chilly, the warmth of the sun at last is a welcome repose. On the other hand, if you are a coddled American accustomed to air conditioning and screens on windows, the sudden heat wave and increasing number of insect visitors to your bedroom are not so welcome. I like a little…
Well, we had nice warm, sunny weather for a few days there. Otherwise, cloudy and cold as usual. Above is a perfect example of what you would likely never hear in a German conversation. There’s pretty much no such thing as small talk; why waste your breath talking about the weather when anyone can step outside and see for themselves? Besides, there are a lot more interesting things going on in the world. Namely, politics. It’s a particularly interesting and…
That long Vassar winter break is nice when all your friends at other schools are doing schoolwork and you’re still lounging in your pajamas, but imagine it dragging on to the end of January, then slogging through February, and spilling over into March…So naturally it was both exciting and relieving to finally be on a plane to Berlin. I love traveling, and am fortunate to be able to sleep on planes, but I always get antsy at the end of…
As I sit reflecting on my first month in Berlin, I can hardly fathom how fast the time has flown by. I know it’s cliché (what about having a travel blog isn’t cliché), but time really could not be moving faster right now. Living in a huge, bustling city like Berlin is such a dramatic and welcome change from life at Vassar, and I’m so grateful that I’m able to have this experience. I suppose I can begin at the…