This week has been draining but good. I am getting over being sick, and my sleep schedule pretty much blows, but other things are going well! My internship is starting to settle down and become more routine, and my assignments are becoming more defined. For three weeks I will be working solely with Digital, and then I will go back to Central Marketing. I am excited to get experience in both areas, and I have already learned a ton, but it will be so much easier to only work with one department at a time!
Last Thursday I worked on uploading content to the back end of the Company's new website, which is a major milestone in the corporation's history. Friday I got to work with the new website's wireframes and edit the English on a document depicting screenshots of the proposed website. It was great, but my eyes were bleary and tired from all of the squinting! Not only do I get to work at the Company during this landmark, but I actually get to be a part of and work on the website! How exciting!
The work so far has not been the most exciting, but it's not bad at all! Apparently I am a translator now (no, I don't actually know any other languages fluently), thanks to Google Translate. If you know me, you know how much I enjoy editing and polishing writing, and that is a huge part of my tasks working with the website. There are three levels: a Global page, which will be available in English, nine Regional pages, which will be available in both the local language(s) and English, and 57 Club pages, which will also be available both in the local language(s) and English. Yes, it is a huge job. Because I am one of the only native English speakers working on the website, I get to make sure that everything reads perfectly in English - what could possibly be a better or more exciting job for me, I ask you. I know what! I will actually kind of get to do some copy writing, too!!! Now that is more exciting ;)
As my time with Digital progresses, I will keep you all updated on all of my exciting (and not so exciting) tasks!
In case you were wondering, I have been going into the office, and I have not been going in naked. I have been a little under the weather, and honestly, rushed for time in the morning, so I have not been keeping my "Internship Style" page up to date. I promise, next week it will be back, and I hope to have some better quality pictures for you! I have figured out a little style-blogging secret, and being a little more organized will help me both with having time in the morning and keeping my style page updated!
This past weekend Tereza and I headed off to Vienna, Austria, and it was wonderful, but first you should read about the weekend before, which I spent in Berlin, Germany. It was ah-mazing!!! Enjoy!
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Ah, Berlin.
From the time I arrived, I couldn't wipe the stupid smile off my face. I WAS IN GERMANY!
Why was that so exciting? I have absolutely no idea. Sure, I love learning about Nazi history, the Holocaust, and Judaism, but why I was that excited for a quick weekend trip to Berlin, I'm not sure. My good friend KRose suggested that maybe I was from there in a past life, and I was so happy because it was like I was coming home. I think she might be right =)
The whole time I was in Berlin, which was absolutely not long enough, I kept thinking about how I wanted to live there for a while, if even only for a couple of months. I really hope to do that someday (and Cay and I made a pact to live in Germany together in this lifetime), but for now I am content planning another weekend trip during my time abroad. There are so many sights that I did not get to see, and I absolutely cannot leave Europe without going back to see them. Fantastic reason to go back, right?!
So, what did I actually do while I was there? I find it easiest to go in chronological order, so that is exactly what I'll do.
This whole trip was completely spur of the moment: I was chatting with a high school acquaintance, Alex, on Facebook about how neither of us knew the other was in Europe. He and his friend who has been living with him in Denmark visited Prague the weekend or two before, and then found out I was staying there. He is working on the second year of his master's degree, which is based out of Denmark, but he will be moving to Amsterdam soon to complete his second year of the program. He mentioned that he was heading to Berlin, and suggested we meet up there. At first I figured he was just being polite and inviting me because he had mentioned his trip, but he brought up meeting up there a couple more times, so I figured okay, why not?
Seriously. That was my entire thought process.
This was one of those moments that I talk to myself and say something like: "Stay here this weekend or go to freaking Berlin?! A million things could go wrong, the guys could not be there, I will be traveling by myself...blah blah blah." Then, I mentally slap myself and say, "GO TO FREAKING BERLIN!!!" So I went!
So, yeah, that's how I ended up there with a guy I kind of knew in high school (let's call him Alex 1) and his friend, also named Alex (Alex 2). It all worked out ;)
I took a bus from Prague to Berlin, about a five hour bus trip, give or take, which only cost me about $62, round trip. These buses are nice. Each comfy seat reclines & has its own TV screen on the back of the headrest of the seat in front. They have movies (in English & Czech, with subtitles), TV shows, games, music - pretty much any entertainment you could want! I was lucky enough to have a window seat both ways, so sleeping was comfy, too. The only issue I had was that my seat on the way back was so freaking squeaky. Squeak. Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaak. Ugh, it was horrendously annoying. At first I though it was just my seat making the noise, and I was really annoyed/embarrassed, but once I realized that all of the other window seats were doing the same thing, I didn't feel so bad. Alright, back to Berlin.
I arrived at the bus station without any issues. Our bus was even early - we arrived around 8:20, 25 minutes earlier than expected. I got off the bus, walked out of the bus station, and saw Berlin.
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| Funkturm Berlin radio tower right outside the main bus terminal, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof Berlin (ZOB) am Funkturm |
I use Google Transit ALL THE TIME to make sure I (kind of) know where I am going, and I had walking directions to get to the S-Bahn, then instructions on which train to take, when to transfer, how to walk to the hostel, etc. I really have no clue what I would do without Google Transit! I found the stop easily, bought a ticket from the machine - in German, might I add - and made my way to Mitte, Berlin, or the borough in the "middle" or "center" of the city. The ride takes about 40 minutes (which speaks to the size of the city), and I got to see Berlin all lit up and looking beautiful!
Because I took the S-Bahn instead of the U-Bahn (above ground and underground, respectively), I ended up at the station Hackescher Markt, which is about a ten minute walk to the Circus Hostel where the guys and I stayed. Believe me, I did not mind that walk! As I was walking through the city, my first impression was that Berlin is much more modern and much larger than Prague. I was also in the middle of the city, at a main train station, and there were tons of people around, music playing, just a lot going on! I only walked in circles for about five minutes before I found the way I was actually supposed to go - progress! There are some extremely cool storefronts along that walk, and one of the most eye-catching stores is Hugo Boss.
So, these aren't my pictures, but this is exactly what the storefront looked like, besides the clothes on display. The only thing the pictures don't show is how big the display is! It was so cool! This is just an example of the many eye-catching, interesting, and vociferous displays around Berlin. It was great! I think that part of the reason I was so excited to be there is that Berlin is a pretty big city. Prague is not nearly as big, and because so much of the city center is crowded around my flat, it seems even smaller.
Berlin, although incredibly historic, is completely "big city," with skyscrapers, modern buildings, neon lights, etc. The two cities are incredibly different, and I am completely and utterly enamored with both.
I finally found my hostel, checked in, and checked out the digs. This is the first hostel experience I have had, and it couldn't have been better! Unfortunately, that likely means that all following hostel experiences won't even compare, but we shall see. Not only was the Circus Hostel incredibly clean and secure, it also offered great amenities. The hostel features a David Hasslehoff themed bar in the basement, and each day there is some kind of special: free beer, free soup & bread, karaoke, etc. I didn't get a chance to visit the bar, but the guys did, and experienced das boot firsthand. I think they had a good night after that ;) The hostel also offered free charging for phones & ipods, free luggage storage, the free use of hairdryers, cheap towels, free WiFi, and iPad and Skype phone rentals. They had pretty much anything you could need. The lockers, which are right next to each bed, even had outlets in them to allow you to safely charge your electronics while you are out and about or sleeping. If you are ever in Berlin and looking for a cheap and incredibly nice place to stay, check out the Circus Hostel! I stayed in a 10-bed mixed room and had absolutely no issues, and even met some cool people (although there were weirdos, too).
After I settled in at the hostel, I checked my Facebook - Alex 1 only has a Denmark cell plan, so this was our only means of communication all weekend. We planned to meet up at the hostel that night, and his first message read, "We will wait for you at the bar in the basement then we can go out." However, the next message read, "We are going to the Matrix." So, what did I do? I responded, "See you there," rushed to get ready, looked up directions, and headed to Matrix....without checking my messages again. In my defense, I figured they were on their way to the club already, and wouldn't be able to respond. Yup. That's what I thought.
Being out in Berlin at night, even at 10:30, is great. There are tons of people around and just so much going on - people milling around, shouting, drinking, eating, vendors trying to get people to buy stuff. The only negative encounter I had on my way to the club was a girl on a bicycle hissing at me as she rode by. I'm thinking that was a personal problem on her part.Weirdo.
So, I found Matrix, went in by myself (huge milestone for me), paid the 6 euro cover, checked my coat, and commenced being awkward. Okay, I wasn't that bad, but I was kind of bad. The club had maybe five different rooms/dance floors and twice as many bars. There were booths, couches, tables, and other nooks and crannies where the guys could have been, and it was kind of dark. Okay, even I am giggling at the memory of me walking through the club (multiple times) trying to nonchalantly check everyone out. Finally I said screw it, I couldn't find them anywhere, and went and got another beer and sat down at a table by myself. I hate being by myself in social situations. Does anyone not feel awkward? I was just kind of sitting, looking around, and trying to build up the courage to go introduce myself to somebody, anybody. I get really anxious in social situations, and being by myself magnifies that anxiety by 100%.
So, basically, I was having a great time.
Finally, finally, I decided to go back to one of the quieter rooms with couches where I thought I had seen a couple guys sitting around. I figured I would at least be more comfortable sitting on a couch, right? I finally made my way over, walked up to the three guys, and asked, "Hey, do you speak English?" The guys said yes and said sure when I asked if I could sit with them. They were super nice, although probably wondering what weirdo of a girl just sat down with them, and I learned that they are all Turkish and studying in Berlin. It was nice to get to chat with them, and they started buying me drinks. I love when people buy me drinks ;)
I explained to them my friend situation, how I was supposed to be meeting people there, but I absolutely could not find them, and they were probably thinking, "Suuuuure, yeah right!" It makes me laugh to think about what they must have thought of this random girl coming up to them. They were really cool, though, and very interesting. I asked if they had ever been to Matrix before, and they had, but said it really didn't start to be a party until midnight. We hung out until then, and one of the guys offered to let me use his phone to check my Facebook messages. Lo and behold I had 5 frantic messages from Alex 1 telling me that they were waiting for me in the basement bar, that the plan was to go to Matrix at 1, that I better not be asleep in my room, that they went to my room and I wasn't there, and asking where the hell I was! I messaged him to hurry the hell up and meet me at the club, and then I went to dance with the guys.
They were right! The place was packed by midnight, and much much more fun than it had been when I was alone, nursing my beer and watching weird people dance. We had a great time! The music was older mainstream (read: American) music that one of the Turkish guys and I knew every word to, so we were dancing and belting out the lyrics to each other. Between dancing, singing, and repeated warnings from the guys to watch my bag, we visited the bar (apparently a lot, because where the hell did all my money go? Effing euro) and made fun of the classy girls dancing in the cages.
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| We all look pretty horrible in this picture (believe me), but these are my Turkish friends. |
The night pretty much continued as it had been. I introduced my Turkish friends to my other friends and we all had a great time together. At this point I was nearing being awake for 24 hours, so when the bouncers started kicking everyone out around 6:30am, I readily obliged. I had somehow managed to lose Alex and Alex again, but my Turkish guys invited me to go with them to get this Turkish soup they had been telling me about that they promised was absolutely sure to make you not hungover the next morning. Perfect. Exactly what I needed.
We headed out, hopped on the U-bahn (I might have kind of stolen public transportation for a greater part of the weekend...oops), and ended up in "Turkish Town." Okay, I made that up, but apparently the largest population of Turks outside of Turkey is in Berlin. I had no idea!
On a side note, all night the guys had been teaching me naughty words and how to basically flick someone off in Turkish. They were impressed at how well I could make their rude gestures, but when we got of the U-bahn, warned me not to do that gesture anywhere near this area. Makes me wonder what it actually means...
So, we arrived at a restaurant that I am pretty sure the guys must frequent often. We were, unsurprisingly, the only people in the restaurant at 7am, at least for a while. The guys ordered up our soup, which came with a communal bowl of garlic broth stuff and a bowl of spicy pepper stuff (yeah, those are obviously the technical terms). The soup is called kelle paça, and the guys had warned me that a lot of Turkish girls wouldn't even eat it because they think the garlic smells.
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| Not my picture, but a pretty standard serving of kelle paça, tin bowl and everything. |
Uh, not me. I ate two bowls, with the garlic stuff and the spicy pepper stuff. This stuff is money. It's served up with basically little pita breads, called pide, which were also delicious and perfect with the soup. The guys seemed pretty impressed that I liked the food so much, which was pretty entertaining. After our meal, they put me on the correct train home, and we parted ways with promises of keeping in touch.
When I got back home on Monday, I decided to look the soup up. I probably should not have. I found out that it is made with sheeps' heads and feet. Uh, what?! That kind of freaked me out, but once I thought about it, I really don't care. If the guys had mentioned beforehand that kelle paça has some sketchy ingredients, I probably would not have even tried it, and that would have been a shame! I would totally eat this again, and you should try it, too! Seriously, be a little more adventurous!
At this point, I was exhausted, and boarded the mostly empty subway car, sat myself down in an empty area, and smashed my face up against the window to get (very little) rest over the next few stops. Germany had other plans. At the next stop, four men boarded my car, probably in their late twenties, and definitely on their way back from partying. Pretty much the entire car was empty, but they zeroed in on me, came over, surrounded me, sat down, and made themselves comfortable. Immediately they started speaking to me in German (in a friendly way), and I just shook my head and told them I didn't understand. No matter! They spoke English!
I wanted to go back to my bed and just die for the next few hours, with as little human interaction between the subway ride and my bed as possible. I might have been slightly grumpy. These guys were pretty hilarious though, and were constantly making fun of each other while talking to me. The ringleader kept saying he must be funny because I kept laughing at him (I really need to work on this - it's like a nervous tic!), and another just told him that he was making me feel uncomfortable and I was only laughing because I didn't know how to respond. He was completely right, but it was still kind of funny! Thankfully, I only had to spend a handful of stops with these guys, and I soon made my way back into the world, into my hostel, and into my bed.
As aforementioned, this was my first hostel experience, and I was in a 10-bed mixed dorm-style room. I felt like the biggest jerk, coming in at 8am when everyone else was already in bed (wait, why was everyone else already in bed?!), making noise and being a problem. Okay, I really wasn't a problem, but still. You know how when people are sleeping, every little noise you make sounds like a freaking bomb going off? Yeah, that's what it was like. Fortunately, nobody seemed to really wake up, so I stumbled into my bed and half-slept for the next three hours.
My sleeping patterns pretty much suck now. When I first arrived in Prague, after an initial adjustment period, I was doing well and on a good sleep schedule. Now, I wake up early for work, sometimes get an afternoon nap, sometimes not, still stay up late, go to bed exhausted, sleep for not nearly long enough, and then repeat. If I go out, I usually try to get back home before 3am, go to sleep for 4ish hours, and do the same thing. Totally healthy. Back at home, almost nothing could get between me and a good night's sleep. Here, it's pretty much the last thing on my list (which is probably why I am fighting off a cold right now) because there is so much to do!!! What's the point of missing out on experiences for sleeping?! Okay, I know it's important, and I know you need it to be healthy, but COME ON!! I'm getting just enough, don't worry.
Back to Berlin. So, I got up after my three hour "nap," showered, got ready, wished my mommy a happy birthday (and accidentally woke her up at 5am, sorry, Mum!), and met up with the Alexs. We headed out to get kebab (kebap) and start our day. Kebab is all over Europe, and it's some tasty stuff. This place had beef kebab, and we got it served in a wrap. This was my first kebab experience, and the thing was the length of two Chipotle/Qdoba burritos. Yeah, I ate the whole thing. Smothered in Sriracha. I ate very healthy in Berlin =) The guys said they weren't impressed with this place, but I had nothing to compare it to, yet, and I was satisfied!
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| My kebab. This sucker was a monster. |
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| (That is Alex and Alex in the lower left corner, haha) |
We walked around to find the entrance, and even though we still didn't really know what it was, decided to go inside and see for ourselves. I am so glad we did! this place is incredible! My pictures just can't do it justice - it is too intricate, too beautiful to capture with my silly little camera, but I tried (and failed).
I could sit in there for hours, just look around, and not get bored. I really hope I get the chance to do that, someday.
Our next stop was Museum Island. We visited the Neues Museum and the Pergamon Museum, which house the Egyptian Museum of Berlin and reconstructed historically significant buildings, respectively. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was just listening to Alex 2 read excerpts from his Rick Steves guide and pelt me and Alex 1 with "fun facts." I am completely serious. It was hilarious to hear about the "snake leg" on the Pergamon Altar and try to figure out what the hell that is before actually seeing it (it really is a snake leg...look it up!) or about the mythical scorpion, eagle, snake, dragon creature on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon (I am definitely missing an animal).
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| This is the Altes Museum, which we did not visit, but it's architecture is beautiful! |
This will probably make me sound undereducated, but I had absolutely no idea that Berlin has such amazing museums! We only visited two, and I still can't believe how much we saw and the quality of the artifacts! It is absolutely incredible! The Neues houses more Egyptian artifacts than you could ever even want to see, and they are absolutely stunning. Just the bust of Queen Nefertiti alone is worth visiting for - she is exquisitely beautiful (why did I not take pictures?!?!)! The Pergamon is also mind-blowing, with the Pergamon Altar and, one of my favorites, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. This spurred an interesting conversation between me and Alex 2: how do people just decide that they can take entire buildings or gates or altars, move them around the world, and claim it as your own? Like, who gave you permission?! I know it doesn't work like that, but seriously, how do you just decide that you get to take an entire building, take it apart, and rebuild it inside another building?! We humans are strange creatures...
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| The Pergamon Altar |
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| Market Gate of Miletus |
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| Side walls of the Ishtar Gate of Babylon |
The Pergamon also houses many other exhibits, but one most interesting to me is the Islamic Art Museum. Oooooh my gosh. I want these people to furnish my house! This stuff is so beautiful - so detailed, so colorful, so intricate. The pieces are absolutely incredible! I will cherish the long & exhausting but visually stimulating hours we spent at Museum Island!
That was pretty much all we could handle that day, so after wandering around for a bit, we headed back to the hostel where I promptly fell asleep, slept through my alarm, and was late meeting the guys. Hey, I really needed that thirty minutes of sleep! They didn't mind, either. Alex 1 was entertained watching Alex 2 running around the hostel trying to find me (which he eventually did - in my room), and once I woke up, I was pretty much ready to go. We headed across the street to a burger place Alex 1 had spotted earlier in the trip. I told you I ate really healthy in Berlin! This place was great! The food was awesome, and it was very tiny and pretty popular - definitely a solid choice! I ordered a burger with cheese, bacon, jalapenos, and chili sauce, which ended up being more sriracha. This girl isn't complaining! Once again I managed to impress guys by what I was eating. Maybe it's time I reevaluate my eating habits...? Whatever, this burger was awesome. Even though I had a burger when Carly, Katie, and Jacqueline visited, that one was underwhelming. This was the first really good burger I have had since being abroad, and man was it appreciated!!
After our awesome meal, we headed back to the hostel, got ready to go out, met up, and headed out to meet up with some people from Alex's university who were celebrating for one of the girls in the program heading abroad somewhere. The girl hosting the "party" is a local Berliner, so the plan was for her to take us around the city, basically on a bar crawl of local places.
We might have had a few issues finding the first place, but we eventually did find it, and met up with everyone. They were all crowded around a table, so the three of us went to our own table, and commenced our awesome night.
Alex 2 ordered a Hefe, or Hefeweissbeir, which is a yeast beer, and I decided to try the same. He mentioned that it kind of tastes like bananas to him, and he was totally right!! How strange but delicious! I really enjoyed my Hefe, and I hope to have a chance to try some other German beers soon!
Alex 1 came back to the table with the bar's version of a Red Bull vodka, and I couldn't help but laugh - the drink was bright pink with a huge wedge of lime in it! I have to give him credit, though, the drink was really good - the energy drink was grapefruit - and both Alex 2 and I switched over for a couple rounds.
When we had first arrived, the place was occupied, but not crowded. By the time we left, the place was packed! I didn't even notice how crowded it was getting, as Alex, Alex, and I were having a great time catching up and talking about all of the people we all know. Who says boys don't gossip?
Eventually, we headed out and onto the next place. We walked back toward the U- and S-Bahn, but ended up in what looked like a deserted warehouse or train station with stairs leading up to the second floor. The club entrance was hidden behind a black drape, where we also found a bouncer and ticket "desk." The place was so tiny, but really crowded and pretty fun! The bar took up almost the whole place, but huge windows on the walls provided views of the S-Bahn station next door. We didn't stay here long, but it was really a cool place to get to see.
Apparently Berlin has a crazy, underground nightlife. When I first arrived at the hostel, I started chatting with three American girls in my room who were visiting Berlin from London, where they are studying together. They apparently have a couple friends who have lived in Berlin for several years now and who took them out the night before. They told me that there is a place in Berlin that used to be row houses, but that someone gutted the entire inside to make a huge club, although it still just looks like a row of houses from the outside. Apparently the club is not advertised, you can't hear or see anything from the street to identify the place as a club, and the bouncer decides who will and will not get inside the club. The girls' friends, who are now fluent in German, instructed them to absolutely not talk. I guess these places are pretty serious about being exclusive!
The third place we ended up reminds me a lot of the story the girls told me. From the outside, the place was completely unsuspecting, and we had to pretend to be in couples, rather than a huge group, to get into the place. Once we got in, it looked even more like a house-turned-bar. The "living room" was a dance floor, with steps leading up the the bar, and then steps leading down into the "basement" where there were bathrooms and a coat check. Again, this place was awesome, and we got some serious dancing in, but around 2:30, Alex 1 and I decided to head back to the hostel, as we all planned to start our sight-seeing early the next morning, because of my 17:00 bus back to Prague.
On our way back, we stopped at a different kebap place to get some late-night munchies. We ordered, and the older guy behind the counter kept telling me that he loved me. He wouldn't even take my money when I tried to pay (Alex 1 offered, anyway)! This kebap was in the typical pita and it was absolutely delicious! This time we got the spicy kind with chicken, and there were veggies and some kind of slaw in there, too. Yum! I have seen tons of these places around Prague and never stopped, but now I definitely will!! As we left, the guy who liked me so much waved and blew kisses ;)
I got a few more hours of sleep on Saturday night that I had on Friday night, but still not many. We started our day earlier than we had on Saturday, and immediately headed out to try to get our long to-see list completed. We first tried to find a Nutella crepe cart on our way to Potsdamer Platz, but were completely unsuccessful. No matter, we continued our sight-seeing, and I got to see where the Berlin Wall ran through Potsdamer Platz and the Sony Center, both of which are really cool. Next we planned to walk to the Brandeburg Gate and the Reichstag building, but we stumbled upon the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe along the way.
I had seen pictures of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (and now you have, too), but seeing it in real life is completely different. The memorial looks like a drawing, with its perfect lines and shadows. From inside the memorial, you find that the stelae are all of different heights, those in the middle towering hugely over you. The paths throughout the memorial are also different than I expected - hilly and wavy, not flat.
The memorial is an interesting topic, and I hope to provide you with my impression without being offensive. I also am going to try really really hard to make sense. Here goes.
I really like the memorial. I think it is haunting yet beautiful, stoic and sad, anonymous yet meaningful. Looking at it is almost unreal. The structure is so different from any structure that people typically experience, and it truly feels like you were dropped into someone's charcoal sketch. The sight is overwhelming and breathtaking, and it invokes a need to create connections between the structure of the memorial and the abominations it represents.
With this acceptance of this horror as part of humanity's history, this acknowledgement, comes healing. Nazi history, Jewish history, and the Holocaust are all uncomfortable to talk about. It still hurts to remember these things - it wasn't so long ago, not at all. We need to remember, we struggle with remembering, even now. As the last generation of those involved before and during the WWII era are passing, it will only become easier to forget.
As I walked through the memorial, I found it difficult not to play. Yeah, it seems really inappropriate, but until you have been there, I don't think you can understand. People sit on the stelae, hide behind them, pop out over them. The paths are wavy and hilly, and the entire structure is geometric, making it fun to run between the stelae and discover what is hiding behind the next one or to look down the many paths while running by. I think this represents the idea of acceptance of the atrocity that is the Holocaust and WWII into our history well. Nazism, the Holocaust, and WWII are part of our history and they aren't going away - they can't. Humanity needs to acknowledge these times and learn from them, but we also need to look forward and keep living. Life didn't go on for 11 million people, but it does for 7 billion others. We can't ignore it, nor should we; we can't pretend it wasn't what it was, murder; we should never, ever forget, nor can we; but we do need to continue to live. Whether intended or not, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe invites me to continue to live while reminding me of my un-erasable history as a human being.
This is a pretty incomplete analysis, and I'm not completely sure it makes sense, but it's a start. I hope this gives you a little insight into what it felt like for me to visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and maybe it will help you develop your ideas and opinions on the memorial.
After such an intense and emotionally charged rant, it's a little difficult to return to my sightseeing in Berlin, but shall we?
Just steps away from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is the beautiful and imposing Brandenburg Gate. It is incredible.
Next was the Reichstag building. It is ENORMOUS. Like, really enormous. You just can't tell from pictures. There is a really cool glass dome on the top, and you can go inside, but you have to schedule a reservation a few days in advance, and we, of course, did not. We had to stand so far away from the building on its front lawn to fit the entire building into the picture.
I had to see the Berlin Wall (not just Checkpoint Charlie) before I left, so we then headed to East Side Gallery. If you are ever in Berlin, you cannot miss this - you probably wouldn't, but you never know. The whole thing is completely covered in the most amazing art, inspirational quotes, and of course, some crap.
The guys mentioned that they really wished they could sign the wall, and, well, I keep a Sharpie in my purse (don't ask), so we all did!
I still had to go back to the hostel and collect my backpack, then make it out to ZOB am Funkturm to catch my bus, so this is the point at which I parted with the guys. They went back and ended up checking out a couple more museums - I think Checkpoint Charlie and the Jewish Museum - and apparently Alex 1 fell asleep! It was Alex 2's last day in Europe, and the guys didn't even go out that night! I guess if I had a 3am flight back to the States, I wouldn't go out the night before, either. Actually, I probably would, but that's just me!
I made it back to the hostel, took a little too long preparing for my trip, and just made my bus. I am going to give myself a heart attack from all of these close calls while traveling! I watched "How to Train Your Dragon" on the way home, and it was adorable. Highly suggested.
I got home, back to Prague, and promptly fell asleep, wistfully dreaming of the amazing Berlin and my return.
Czech medicine is great! After Berlin I was completely dead. I woke up with the worst sore throat (yes, Mom, I gargled with as-hot-as-I-could-stand-it salt water), a headache, and just feeling like crap, but I got some Coldrex and an OTC antibiotic throat and nasal spray (that looks like an inhaler), and those have done the trick! I am pretty sensitive to antibiotics - like, all of them - but apparently not this one. Go Czech Republic!
An OTC antibiotic, you say? Yep! Getting medicine here, any kind, is quite interesting. At home, you go to the pharmacy, such as Walgreens, where you can get pretty much any medicine your little heart desires, plus pretty much anything else you need. Here, the "Walgreens" type stores stock everything but the medicine, which apparently includes other things such as hydrogen peroxide. Strange, right? So, to get those, you go into a pharmacy, where you tell the person at the counter what you want, and they retrieve it from behind a locked glass case. Interesting. Whatever works!
In other good news, I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Austria, and I hope to have that post up by Thursday (wishful thinking) BECAUSE I AM GOING TO ROME THIS WEEKEND! I absolutely cannot wait! The trip couldn't have better timing! I have been making friends here, but there is nothing like seeing one of your best and closest friends! I miss my Carl!!
It will just give me fuzzy feelings to be around my BFF again =)
Lastly, I write this blog for my friends and family to keep track of me, but if you are reading this because you are considering study abroad, or even if you are my friends and family, I implore you with all of my being to travel! There is absolutely no experience in the entire world that compares. After only 5 1/2 weeks I have grown so much, learned so much about myself, about other cultures, further developed my understanding of the world and my place in it, and have started to (very slightly) figure out the direction in which I want my life to go.
On that same note, traveling with friends is an incredible way to spend time together, and will be an intimate and rewarding experience, but at least one time, go somewhere by yourself. Do something on your own, only you. I highly value independence, and I am definitely still very dependent on my friends and family for support, but I am learning to just need me (& God!) on a daily basis, and how to be alone. Funny, that we as humans need to practice being alone, but we do. We totally do. Try it out for yourself, and learn to be alone without being lonely. You're stuck with you for the rest of your life, so you might as well learn to enjoy your own company and to love yourself - I am trying!!
I will leave you with the knowledge that I get to research and find really cool stuff at my internship every day, and leave you wishing you were a French kid when Adidas did this "experiential campaign:"
I hope I didn't already share this one with you!! Apologies if I have!
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