Hallo! Thanks for following! Well, I have officially made it to a new continent!! I've been waiting for this for a very long time, and I am living it up to the fullest! I have had a little under a week so far to explore and experience the amazing city of Berlin. My first day was really interesting. We made it to our hostel. We stayed in a quiet part of town called Mitte. Berlin has the same charm as I have experienced before in other places, but is also very distinct. Chris, Taylor, and I went and explored the town. My first challenge, was figuring out what I was ordering at restaurants. The names are always new to me and I just try to do my best to remember for next time. A few nights ago, a group of us went to a play at the Schaubühne called "Ein Volksfeind" and it was great. It was a play about politics affecuting a town, and the implications of the actions of that town's people and politicians. I got a front row ticket. A short time after sitting down a woman came over and asked if I spoke German, to which I responded, "Ja," as I tried to look as Deutsch as possible. The people next to me who she was also addressing asked her to speak English. She then turned to me and asked me if I spoke English. SUCCESS!!!! my hope is that she assumes I am German (because the only thing she heard me say was "yes"). She told us briefly that we were basically in the "splash zone" and to grab the tarp on the floor to avoid getting paint all over me. I mostly forgot about the tarp soon after the show started. The best part of the show was near the end. The scene depicted a town hall meeting of sorts. The interesting art is that the stage consisted of a solitary white podium facing the audience. WE were the towns people, and suddenly we were thrown in the story and asked to voice our opinions either for or against the ideas presented. They passed around microphones and heard audience members' members opinions, and responded as their character would have, never breaking character. They really transformed the room, changing the atmosphere. Suddenly strangers were discussing the issues at hand. A very cool experience over all. I didn't know what to expect from German theater, but after my first show, I can't wait to see more!! Until next time, Tony C.

A Day of Art and MOveMent , 06.05.2014

If you don't know who I am, my name is Teryn. (Der Teufel in the play). You'll get to see that I am the "selfie" goddess. (Selfie taking is one of my favorite hobbies, and it is certainly not limited to just taking selfies of my self...)

Tuesday, bright and early, 9am here in Berlin (3am in Detroit), we headed out to a private tour of Boros Collection, which is an art gallery in the Berlin Bunker that was built in 1941. After years of serving different purposes from textile storage to fruit storage (once known as the Banana), and even as one of the hottest techno clubs in the 90s until it was shut down by police probably because of all the illegal fetish parties, it is now home to Christian Boros and his family who had a penthouse built on top of it and opens the Bunker as an exhibition of his private art collection. It was honestly one of the most interesting, and fun collections I have ever seen and experienced.

This is the Bunker and the penthouse on top:

This is the layout of the Bunker:

Later, we had our first movement workshop.  Another thing about me...I absolutely love dance and the art thereof so this was absolutely pure heavenly intoxication for me. I just love to use movement as a way of release of tension and expression. It was a great part of my day. 

A few of us even went to see a play last night. It incorporated some really cool beat-boxing and (which was also pretty great and thought provoking...we were all having a mini debate..mostly Chris, Toni and me).

  And here are some pictures of the day from start to end:

   

Thoughts on the first day

I've only been in Berlin for half a day and I already know this is going to be a far greater adventure than I ever expected. In 12 hours, I've enough of the city to fall in love with it and eaten enough incredible food to know I'll be fat when I leave. In my opinion, totally worth it. 

We (Kat, Katreina, and I) arrived at Berlin Tegal at 7:10 am and met up with Janet, Sarah, Erin and Teryn a little later. It was then that I realized I had been awake for over 24 hours, and I couldn't help but look forward to getting into a bed at the lodge. Of course, Berlin had other plans.  

Everywhere I looked, some fascinating scene grabbed my attention and spiked my curiosity. Despite my exhaustion, I tried to pay as close of attention as I could to Janet as she answered my questions. Once we had ran a couple errands and scene just a hint of the city, we arrived at the lodge. 

The lodge is incredible. It's in a fantastic location with dozens of delicious little street food type cafés and loads of neat looking shops. There are tons of people on the streets, mostly young and hipster/punk looking. It's clean, comfortable, and spacious. But, needless to say, I doubt we'll be spending much time in here. 

After a couple of us grabbed a short nap, we went to an authentic German restaurant (surprisingly hard to come by in Berlin) and talked about some more of the details of our program. I won't give anything away, as future posts will do a better job than I, but I will say that we are going to be very busy. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Until next time,

Kenny H

What's to come...

The feeling of returning to a fond memory. That's not something that you get to come by very often, but it's exactly how I feel. I have been to Berlin before, but I'm not sure if that counts (because I was so young, I hardly remember it); and that's not what I mean. I had travelled to Munich with Deutsches Theater before - the sister to this year's Berlin excursion. So I have an idea of what to expect.

Except I don't really. When you take on a trip like this, you dive head first into a new culture, as Janet guides you through a crash course of the best places to see, the best people to talk to, and the best food to eat, based on her decades of experience. You end up seeing ways of living that make you question your expectations for life, and you look through arts and ideas that give you a fresh glimpse of wonder at the unknown.

I signed up for the trip because I wanted to experience more of that unknown. In Munich I had the chance to explore arts I hadn't tried since grade school. We saw theater that blew what I knew about the art - one that I thought I was particularly familiar with - right out of the water. We explored places that you don't get to see on regular tourist passes, and talked to people that were firmly planted in German culture.

That's tough to beat, but I don't think this trip needs to. But I wouldn't have made the trip if I thought that it was going to be more of the same thing as before. I signed up because I know that every performance we see will be groundbreaking for my perception, and because Janet knows how to keep us on our toes. I signed up for my first opportunity tutoring children, and for my first chance to walk through the monuments that I had only read about from Ann Arbor. Having done the Munich trip before means I know this: that I can hardly fathom how much I will gain from these next three weeks in Berlin.

Everyone is here!

Let the fun and learning begin! All students arrived in good spirits and after a nice group meal (German fare) some of us will go explore Berlin by night while others get a good night's rest. This is such an interesting and nice group. Can't wait to see what all we experience together and to read the students' blog posts. This is true both for the first-timers to Berlin and to those who fell in love with it last year already! We'll be writing every day, so hope you all enjoy our blog.

Returning home

It feels so good to be in Berlin again. After a year of being away, walking the streets, seeing familiar landmarks, and hearing the omniscient disembodied voice telling me to "zurückbleiben, bitte" feels like coming home after a long trip. As I traveled with Tony from the airport to the hostel where we'll be staying for these first couple days before the work begins, I kept seeing places that I was excited for everyone to see. I'm sure I got on his nerves with my endless "You HAVE to see this here"'s, "You should stop by this station and see this when you have time"'s, and "and at this station there's"'s.

After having our first experience of the trip tracking people down with limited communication, we managed to get our month subway passes and finally get some rest for a couple hours. Then we enjoyed a pizza dinner and a walk together to the part of town where we'll soon be living. Everyone was excited to see the street musicians right outside the train station and all the hustle of young and eccentric people in Friedrichshain. Despite my jet lag, I was still overflowing with anticipation for all the things we'll be doing and seeing while here. A trip with Janet is always an adventure, after all.

Today, after I enjoy a delicious German breakfast, I think I'll head over to one of my favorite places in Berlin, the Tiergarten and maybe hit up a museum with my still valid year pass before seeing the first play of the trip at the Schaubühne. It's good to be back.

Anticipation

As I (Benji, the one with the fringe jean jacket in the cover photo) sit here in the airport, I am in shock that the summer is finally here.  Sitting here by the gate will be the last time that I am on American soil for fifteen weeks, and I could not be more excited.  Berlin is my first stop.  I have never been to Germany, and I am always interested in going somewhere for the first time.  It is a very unique feeling doing something for the first time.  It's one thing to see pictures and movies of the city, but it is another to actually be in the city and be immersed in it.  The sounds, smells, visuals just hit you from the moment you walk off the plane (hopefully 18 hours from now), and the rush doesn't stop there.  It is the feeling that makes me want to travel and see new places.  For the next three to four weeks, I will be able to see so many new things and explore a city like no other.  I'll even be able to understand the locals (somewhat) speaking in their native tongue.  While I look forward to tutoring, exploring the city is what I really can't wait to do.  I don't necessarily want to see everything (gotta have a reason to come back), but I do want to experience as much as possible.  I know this trip is going to be unreal, and I just want it to be there already.

Getting excited about the majority of students in the group arriving on Monday. I mean, I'm excited about all the students arriving and a majority of them is arriving on Monday! I LOVE to show people around Berlin--feel a little territorial about it (as if it were "my" city). I just love it here. I've already attended a long but good performance at the Theater Treffen. Some images still linger in my head from it. And I am eager to take students to their first show and to break some bread with this fun group of students that is going to be here soon! Still putting finishing touches on plans for our program. It's like Michigan weather was when I left--a little too cold. But Spring was here earlier so all the trees are green, the birds are out in full force (as Taylor noted)--but that's nothing new. Christopher Isherwood even talks about the birds in his writing. I'm hoping to hear soon from some of the students anticipating what their time here will be like. Sorry no photos yet. I didn't have a way to post them, but will after the group arrives.

I believe I (Taylor) am the first one in Berlin. So I'll break the ice with a first post. Here's a transcription of some writing in my journal from yesterday, if you're into that sort of thing...

FRIDERICVS GVILELMVS III STVDIO ANTIQUITATIS OMNIGENAE ET ARTIVM LIBERALIVM MVSEVM CONSTITVIT MDCCCXVIII.

            —so reads the inscription on the facade of the Altes Museum, in whose courtyard I am in fact sitting as I write. Translation: “Fridericus Guilelmus III, out of his zealous interest in every kind of antiquity and the liberal arts, founded this museum in 1818.” The birds are around me in this courtyard are extremely aggressive. They all but hop into my lap. (The city seems to be covered with the same little sparrows that fill the streets of Ann Arbor, but of a more fearless variety. One took food right out of my plate last night.) To my right there also stands a massive church. Behind that, the River Spree. And it’s a nice 65 degrees or so.

            This morning at 7:30 I had my first breakfast at a place just outside my hostel. And a very nice conversation with a Turkish woman who works in the shop. My first real-world German exchange! She gave me the load-down about “One-May” (today), that it’s a workers’ holiday, commemorating / continuing protests for workers rights. Although she had to dumb a lot of it down because of my total lack of vocabulary. She told me about how her kids apparently started rebelling against her own authority when they themselves learned about the holiday. And she gave me some tips for my German. Nice ways to order food or ask to use the rest room. Etc.

            The food was also delicious. There was only one option for breakfast at this little cafe/bake-shop: the Frühstück. My plate made for a nice arrangement. An egg in the center, circled by five little stations: 2 kinds of meat, 2 kinds of cheese, and sliced tomatoes and cucumber. And a basket with bread and jam. Myself and my server (who’s name I have forgotten!) both sat outside the shop—I ate and she smoked.

            Right now, as I sit before the Altes Museum, I have a rented bike and have no plans. The weather is perfect. I guess I’m just gonna ride around for a few hours until I am too famished to continue…see the May Day festivities…At which point I will eat, grab coffee, do some reading on the porch of some cafe. A nice day of lazy unproductive sight-seeing.

Welcome!

Welcome to our Berlin Study Trip 2014 blog.