Weekly Reflection

What a whirlwind the past few days have been. It’s difficult to know where to begin discussing my experiences so far in Berlin since I have barely taken a moment to collect my thoughts and process all that I have seen and done in the last few days. Since I had taken German as an elective in high school for two years I thought I would be able to get by in Germany without too much problem. Though my previous exposure with German has certainly been useful since I’ve been here, and my German is picking back up, I quickly realized that my German is sub-par. I can’t keep up with any conversations and I have to ask at restaurants for the people to speak English so that I can understand their questions. I’ve been trying to push myself to keep trying to speak German, even though more often than not the Germans will revert to English as soon as they hear me butcher the pronunciation of German words or street names.

The culture shock goes beyond the language barrier though. There are so many things that are just done differently in Germany than in Washington. The cars and bikes don’t slow down for pedestrians, there are no crosswalks, and the bike lanes are more part of the sidewalk and not the road. It seems that meals are really meant for people to sit down and have genuine conversations, and not the quick, rushed meals that I am used to in Seattle. In general people seem to be much more relaxed, and they take time to relax and hang out in the grass, or go on a walk, or ride their bike, or do whatever it is they want. I’m so used to going from one task to the next and rushing from one place to another that I’m having a difficult time slowing down to the average pace of German culture.

There are also things about Germany that I have found to be surprisingly similar to the U.S. For example, there are still McDonalds and KFC’s and Starbucks coffee and other coffee shops that sell artisan coffee. It rains on and off with sunshine intermittently, and the temperature is very similar to that of typical Seattle. And though I have heard German music, I have heard a lot of music in Germany that is or was also popular in the United States. In fact I am currently sitting in a coffee shop, using the free wifi to do this blog post while drinking a coffee and listening to alternative music.

Although I have been trying to be open to new experiences and trying new activities and see all the attractions around Berlin, it’s been nice sitting here in this coffee shop in a place that is more similar to that of home. I will continue to explore Berlin and push myself with my research, though at the end of the day, nothing is nicer than curling up in my bed and reading a book like I would do in Seattle so I can relax and recharge for another day of adventuring.