It’s a cold, winter night in Berlin – do you just stay at home, warm and cozy, or do you brave the cold and venture out into the city? We ventured out last night and what a great evening – from relaxing to underwater music in a warm, saltwater pool to eating Moroccan food in a cave-theme inspired restaurant to dancing it up in a Soju bar, we shivered along the way but still managed to discover a whole new side to Berlin!
Some days are better than others. I try not to lose it in my German class, I really try – but today, I just couldn’t take it anymore. When the Russian said Nazis were better than gay people, I just lost it. Okay, let me start from the beginning…
As much as I have complained about my quirky and sometimes annoying integration classmates, I have to say, sometimes I feel totally in awe of them and their lives…and I admire what they are doing and what they have overcome in their lives.
Case in Point: The Other Afghan
I still don’t know too much about him as he arrived in our class mid-way through September. He kind of looked like a hipster/skater dude with the VANS sneakers and wild, ruly hair so I was a bit surprised when he said “Ich komme aus Afghanistan”. I was so excited – I nearly clapped my hands with joy! We were getting out numbered with Iranians in the class so another Afghan was truly welcome!
During break-times, I have gotten to know him a little better – and I’ve grown to admire him – from being pushed around in Iran, to being jailed in Afghanistan to having his parents arrested (last week!) – it’s a life that I do not wish to know but need to be exposed to in order to be reminded of how much we should appreciate what we have and the freedoms we enjoy. Continue reading
As I mentioned, there are a lot of different backgrounds, ethnicities and languages in my class. I speak to the Chilean girl in Spanish, to the Afghans/Iranians in Farsi and to most others in English as our German does not always suffice for what we want to say. There is a girl from Cameroon in my class. She is around 30, has a daughter and her mother tongue is French. She and I immediately got along in my class as she is smart, witty and has a great sense of humour. But there are a lot of things she does that drive me crazy.
On one of the first days of class, as soon as she found out I was Canadian, she immediately asked if I knew how to speak French. I laughed and told her in my broken French “Oui, juste un petite peu” (which really is just a little bit because I’ve forgotten nearly all my French) – but this “petite peu” somehow translated to “I speak French fluently” to the Cameroon girl because from that moment on, she spoke to me pretty much only in French and kept asking me to translate from German to French! Geezuz!
I go to an immigrant integration course here in Berlin – a mix of all different kinds of people from different backgrounds – all of us mixed together for 4 hours every day trying to learn one of the most difficult languages out there: GERMAN. This leads to a lot of tense/interesting/funny/strange moments and comments that I thought I would capture here because it is truly a unique experience I am going through. It’s not every day that so many different backgrounds, ages, cultures, social upbringings, education levels, etc. are mixed in one room and forced to try to get along!
My background: I’m Canadian, ethnically Afghan and a lawyer in Canada. I have two university degrees and have lived in a few different countries. I speak English, Farsi, Spanish, a bit of French and now German. Generally, we Canadians are polite, non-confrontational and respectful of others’ opinions and personal space.
My classmates’ background:
Something new happens every day so I will just start writing about the interesting ones on here as they happen so you can have a taste of what I go through every day! Some incidents are funny, some are astonishing, some are racist, some are just silly…but this is real life…
A beautiful, October day – 20 degrees and sunny – and a perfect day to explore Potsdam, Berlin’s little, yet very pretty cousin, next door. We checked out royal gardens (in pic below -Sanssoucci), a Russian colony, the Dutch quarter and of course, to keep it exciting, a random Stasi prison.
I finally got tired of trying to work in Cafes in Berlin. I think people that actually think they get work done in Cafes are kidding themselves. There are way too many distractions to get any real work done – or you might be productive but probably only at 50% of what your potential is. Anyway, I digress. I decided to check out the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin – the only library I’ve ever been to that requires a paid membership and has security guards checking your library card before you can enter!
**Just a note that this is the newer Staatsbibliothek on Potsdamer Strasse – not the one on Unten den Linden.
I come from Canada, and to be specific, Vancouver. The reason I mention this is that, in Vancouver (British Columbia), we are used to some spectacular natural beauty: the mountains, lakes, hiking trails, beaches, etc. It takes quite a bit to impress me in terms of natural beauty, particularly in a city. Today, Berlin impressed me.
Now I know the lake doesn’t look too impressive but its location makes it amazing…
We were looking for a quick and easy beach getaway in Germany – super last minute. Yup, you read right – I said “in Germany“! Not many people associate beautiful, white sand beaches and tranquil ocean waters with Germany.. but just a hop, skip and a jump away from Berlin, we found our little paradise (and a bit of history – we got to see an eerie, crumbling Third Reich tourist resort)- all on the island of Rugen on the Baltic Sea (or “Ostsee”) in Northern Germany.
Beautiful Beach of Sellin on Rugen Island
Who would have known that a lazy Saturday morning bike tour in the former east side of Berlin would lead us to the heart of all evils in the former DDR (former East Germany)? The head of the former Ministry for State Security (MfS)— or Stasi, as it was more commonly known as, is located at Haus 22 Ruschestraße 103 in Friedrichsein. Now the old building has been turned into a museum showcasing the techniques this former secret service agency used to keep a close eye on DDR citizens. Some think that the Stasi was even worse than the Gestapo in terms of oppression of its own people.
A typical office during Stasi time – preserved pretty much exactly in the same condition as it was used in.
