Time to analyze, and dig a little into the more subtler changes and learnings that I've had here in Bonn and travelling around Germany.
First off, everyday life in Bonn... I think not speaking the language has had an impact on how I interact with others (how could it not?), but I know that I could definitely handle it better. I don't say anything when I'm buying food at the grocery store, I just mumble 'danke' (thank you) as I grab my change. Instead of smiling, saying hello and asking how the cashier is like I do in Canada. My friendliness factor is far lower in these everyday interactions where I feel kind of uncomfortable. And I DO know a few basic phrases, I could say hello and smile, but I find I'm so insecure about sounding dumb, as everyone here speaks some English so my trying to speak their language and failing seems worse somehow as we could talk in English. But at the same time, I'm in THEIR country, and feel presumptuous assuming that they can converse in my language, so I don't say anything. When someone talks to me in German I freeze and my automatic repsonse is 'Sorry I don't speak German.' Whereas I could ask them, in German, if they speak English. I sometimes plan to try and say something in German and then I chicken out at the last second or the words just come out in English. This language insecurity has been a struggle through learning french as well, though I'm getting more comfortable speaking French... I've only been studying it since grade 4...
So this is an area I need to work on. Just bite the bullet and speak some German! And smile. Even when you don't speak the language, a smile will get you far...
Something I've noticed travelling around Germany a bit is that when someone does something nice, I'm surprised. I suppose coming from Canada, when I'm IN Canada I don't notice the small things, like how people try and get out of your way on a crowded sidewalk, or hold the subway doors for you when you're running and about to miss a train, or when a server comes back to ask if you like the food. Occurrances like that are rare here, and I find my mannerisms are changing as well. In a crowded shop for example, if 2 friends are talking and blocking the aisle, and you need to walk down it, you can stand there waiting for them to move for 5 minutes, or you can say excuse me 3 or 4 times and see if they acknowledge you, which doesn't even always work. The personal space concept here is a bit confused. And when you squeeze by them, in Canada I would say, if I were blocking the aisle, 'Oops sorry' and try and make myself as small as possible to let the other person through. Here they ignore you for as long as possible (I'm not sure if its on purpose or not...) and then shift about a millimeter for you, and look both irritated and surprised that you have pointed out that they are not the sole occupants of the store aisle. And I find myself doing the same thing. It's like my spatial awareness is slightly altered. I don't move for people when I'm in the way until they ask me to, like my Canadian radar for being an inconvenience to someone else has turned itself off or something.
More superficially, the way that I dress hasn't changed, though I so seem more out of place than in Toronto. Style here is different. Very different. And maybe it's beacuse I am in a smaller city that is more conservative, but on hot days when I'm sweating in my smallest, shortest summer dress, most other people are still wearing jeans or long skirts. Not as many women wear noticable make-up, I have't seen one pair of fishnets... the style here is just a little more, tame I guess than inToronto where my weird style actually fits in while simultaneously standing out. People notice, but no one cares in Toronto. Here, people notice and seem to disapprove. But maybe that's all in my head. Maybe I'M uncomfortable beacuse I always seem to be wearing the shortest skirt on any given street, and the most makeup, andthe most accessories... But this hasn't changed how I dress - I don't have the money to buy new stuff that I will never wear in Toronto!
All in all, I think that I have had experience that have changed my perspectives (such as Berlin), and made me think in new ways. I have had to break out of my comfort zone just to get around here, which has been really good for me, as a previously painfully shy individual. (And this is years ago that I was so introverted, but its still with me I am just better at ignoring it). I think many of the changes and things that I have learned have been very subtle, and I might not even realize some until I get back to Canada, but I will continue to think about it and post more as they come to light!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
BERLIN and FRANKFURT
Berlin was an absolutely amazing experience. I went there last weekend, for 4 days (my boss was nice enough to let me work overtime so I could have a couple days off to go!), and it was INTENSE. I haven't seen anywhere close to everything that Berlin has to offer, but I think I made a pretty good start. And I took a crazy amount of pictures, so I thought I would post some of them to share Berlin with anyone who is bothering to read my blog.
This is the Wall Memorial, left standing with the "Death Strip" intact (the area behind the Wall, between East and West Berlin where, IF someone was able to get over the Wall, which would be a feat in itself, they were met with guards, dogs, trip wires, barbed wire, and the list goes on). It was pretty easy to understand why so many died in the attempt to escape East Berlin. They were in process of building a new memorial and museum to commemorate those who did give their lives in an attempt to find freedom.
This is the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km long stretch of the Wall left standing and restored to showcase graffiti art from artists around the world. It is the longest open air art gallery in the world, and it has some pretty outstanding art on it. I took so many pictures of it (1.3km is quite a long stretch to get on film, especially when everything was so great I wanted close-ups!!)
More of the East Side Gallery, here someone offered to take a picture of George and I, and took this one by accident which I like better than the posed one.
The start of the East Side Gallery.
The graffiti art in other parts of the city were amazing as well. This one apartment building has dozens of portraits like this one painted on it. What I loved was that graffiti seems to be encouraged in Berlin, it is seen as a form of true art and as enriching to the city and its culture / subcultures. I wish Toronto saw it that way, I think it adds character... I know I would rather walk by portraits like this one than by plain cement walls.
This is one of the views off the top of the Reichstag, the German parliament building. The construction going on in Berlin was never ending, there were cranes everywhere, as this picture shows. It makes sense, Germany has only had 20 years to try and rebuild a city that was devastated by war, trying to recreate and preserve some things, and build meaningful memorials for others.
This is the top of the Reichstag, the centre looks down into German parliament and the mirrors that run up the column in the middle are angled so that the German parliamentarians can look up and see the people in the dome, apparently to remind them who they are working for - the people.
Another view off the Reichstag.
The inside of the dom... the architecture was amazing. It was crazy to have this modern glass and mirrors dom on top of the historic parliament building.
The Holocaust Memorial.
The Brandenburg Gate, a Berlin landmark! The gate stands at the entrance to PariserPlatz (yes, as in Paris). I was wondering why Berlin had its most prestigious square named after Paris, given the historic animosity between Germany and France, and I found out that the Germans have a rather wry sense of humour. The statue on top of Brandenburg Gate is of the Goddess of Victory, and so she stands, Victory over Paris, her eyes looking towards the French embassy which stands across the square, resembling a bunker more so that an embassy.
The Berliner Dom, a magnificently restored cathedral on Museum Island.
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The view from the top of the Berliner Dom (so many stairs!) You can see the TV Tower which dominates Berlin's skyline, it was built by the Soviets while Berlin was split. They wanted to build it to showcase their technological superiority, and to demonstrate to the world how advanced and awesome life in East Berlin was.... but they didn't even have the technology to finish building the Tower. They had to secretly fly in Swiss engineers to help them get the dome on the top... I thought that was kind of an amusing story.
This is from the Aqua Dom, which was a million gallon aquarium with an elevator that runs right up through the middle of it. Very cool.
This is another piece of the Wall, and behind it is an exhibition called the Topography of Terror, becuase this is where the SS and Gestapo headquarters were located. It was bombed to the ground during the war, and when excavation begun to build something in its place, the foundations of the HQ were unearthed, including their holding cells and torture chambers. So they left it the way it was, a standing testament to the horrors of WW2.
This is another memorial, to those who lost loved ones during WW2. It is a scupture of a mother holding her dying son, a soldier. A powerful piece of artwork.
Berlin was an educational, humbling, and inspirational trip. I varied between awestruck by the architecture, inspired by the artwork (the graffiti as well as the Museum of Modern Art and the Dali Museum), and shocked to my core by what I learned. The Jewish Museum had a special exhibition on medical experiments during WW2, including the forced sterilization program for "undesirables" - words completely fail me to describe what I learned and how I felt in that Museum and looking at certain parts of the city, such as the Wall Memorial, Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror. I will never forget what I learned, saw and experienced in Berlin, there was so much beauty, and so much hope that was channelled through the restorations of this glorious city, and yet so much history of a dark era for the entire world. I admire and appreciate the effort of Germany to try and remember instead of forget, and offer what reconcilation they can through this acknowledgement of wrongs done and horrors perpetuated. Berlin represents the variances of humanity and history - war and peace, right and wrong, hope and destruction.
FRANKFURT
I was in Frankfurt a couple weeks ago for the weekend, and though I had to delete many of the pictures to make room on my camera for Berlin (I was an idiot and didn't upload them to my computer before going to Berlin). But I will be back in Frankfurt for a day in a week or so, I am going to retake some of them!
This is a rally against Iranian President Ahmadinejad in front of Franfurt's City Hall. There were similar rallies, organized by Amnesty International, happening in Berlin, starting on July 4th and continuing every night until some sort of resolution which respects human rights is reached.
Lots of anti-Ahmadinejad posters, you don't have to speak German to know what this says.
I was glad to see rallies and protests against both what looks like blatant election fraud and the suppression of a people through violence. I know these demonstrations are happening around the world and, I hope that goverments listen to the voices of their people. As Iranians around the globe show solidarity with Iran's people, not its government, I was honoured to stand with them.
This is the Wall Memorial, left standing with the "Death Strip" intact (the area behind the Wall, between East and West Berlin where, IF someone was able to get over the Wall, which would be a feat in itself, they were met with guards, dogs, trip wires, barbed wire, and the list goes on). It was pretty easy to understand why so many died in the attempt to escape East Berlin. They were in process of building a new memorial and museum to commemorate those who did give their lives in an attempt to find freedom.
This is the East Side Gallery, a 1.3 km long stretch of the Wall left standing and restored to showcase graffiti art from artists around the world. It is the longest open air art gallery in the world, and it has some pretty outstanding art on it. I took so many pictures of it (1.3km is quite a long stretch to get on film, especially when everything was so great I wanted close-ups!!)
More of the East Side Gallery, here someone offered to take a picture of George and I, and took this one by accident which I like better than the posed one.
The start of the East Side Gallery.
The graffiti art in other parts of the city were amazing as well. This one apartment building has dozens of portraits like this one painted on it. What I loved was that graffiti seems to be encouraged in Berlin, it is seen as a form of true art and as enriching to the city and its culture / subcultures. I wish Toronto saw it that way, I think it adds character... I know I would rather walk by portraits like this one than by plain cement walls. 
This is one of the views off the top of the Reichstag, the German parliament building. The construction going on in Berlin was never ending, there were cranes everywhere, as this picture shows. It makes sense, Germany has only had 20 years to try and rebuild a city that was devastated by war, trying to recreate and preserve some things, and build meaningful memorials for others.
This is the top of the Reichstag, the centre looks down into German parliament and the mirrors that run up the column in the middle are angled so that the German parliamentarians can look up and see the people in the dome, apparently to remind them who they are working for - the people.
Another view off the Reichstag.
The inside of the dom... the architecture was amazing. It was crazy to have this modern glass and mirrors dom on top of the historic parliament building.
The Holocaust Memorial.
The Brandenburg Gate, a Berlin landmark! The gate stands at the entrance to PariserPlatz (yes, as in Paris). I was wondering why Berlin had its most prestigious square named after Paris, given the historic animosity between Germany and France, and I found out that the Germans have a rather wry sense of humour. The statue on top of Brandenburg Gate is of the Goddess of Victory, and so she stands, Victory over Paris, her eyes looking towards the French embassy which stands across the square, resembling a bunker more so that an embassy.
The Berliner Dom, a magnificently restored cathedral on Museum Island..JPG)
The view from the top of the Berliner Dom (so many stairs!) You can see the TV Tower which dominates Berlin's skyline, it was built by the Soviets while Berlin was split. They wanted to build it to showcase their technological superiority, and to demonstrate to the world how advanced and awesome life in East Berlin was.... but they didn't even have the technology to finish building the Tower. They had to secretly fly in Swiss engineers to help them get the dome on the top... I thought that was kind of an amusing story.
This is from the Aqua Dom, which was a million gallon aquarium with an elevator that runs right up through the middle of it. Very cool.
This is another piece of the Wall, and behind it is an exhibition called the Topography of Terror, becuase this is where the SS and Gestapo headquarters were located. It was bombed to the ground during the war, and when excavation begun to build something in its place, the foundations of the HQ were unearthed, including their holding cells and torture chambers. So they left it the way it was, a standing testament to the horrors of WW2.
This is another memorial, to those who lost loved ones during WW2. It is a scupture of a mother holding her dying son, a soldier. A powerful piece of artwork.Berlin was an educational, humbling, and inspirational trip. I varied between awestruck by the architecture, inspired by the artwork (the graffiti as well as the Museum of Modern Art and the Dali Museum), and shocked to my core by what I learned. The Jewish Museum had a special exhibition on medical experiments during WW2, including the forced sterilization program for "undesirables" - words completely fail me to describe what I learned and how I felt in that Museum and looking at certain parts of the city, such as the Wall Memorial, Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror. I will never forget what I learned, saw and experienced in Berlin, there was so much beauty, and so much hope that was channelled through the restorations of this glorious city, and yet so much history of a dark era for the entire world. I admire and appreciate the effort of Germany to try and remember instead of forget, and offer what reconcilation they can through this acknowledgement of wrongs done and horrors perpetuated. Berlin represents the variances of humanity and history - war and peace, right and wrong, hope and destruction.
FRANKFURT
I was in Frankfurt a couple weeks ago for the weekend, and though I had to delete many of the pictures to make room on my camera for Berlin (I was an idiot and didn't upload them to my computer before going to Berlin). But I will be back in Frankfurt for a day in a week or so, I am going to retake some of them!
This is a rally against Iranian President Ahmadinejad in front of Franfurt's City Hall. There were similar rallies, organized by Amnesty International, happening in Berlin, starting on July 4th and continuing every night until some sort of resolution which respects human rights is reached.
Lots of anti-Ahmadinejad posters, you don't have to speak German to know what this says.I was glad to see rallies and protests against both what looks like blatant election fraud and the suppression of a people through violence. I know these demonstrations are happening around the world and, I hope that goverments listen to the voices of their people. As Iranians around the globe show solidarity with Iran's people, not its government, I was honoured to stand with them.
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