Wow, it has been such an adventure already and we’ve only been here for two days. There has been so much excitement and activity since the first hour we all got together; it’s hard to believe that the hostel can contain all of our energy. For many of us it is our first time in Germany and it may even be our first time in Europe. The moment we have been excitedly telling our friends about from the first day we knew where we were traveling has finally arrived. The worries and anxieties about the hostel have finally been put to rest seeing as though it really is quite lovely (I don’t know if lovely or quaint is the EXACT word to describe it, but nonetheless, it’s a great place). After having lunch at the delicious Vietnamese place, we went to the Turkish market to look around. The diversity that is found in Berlin is quite extraordinary; admittedly it is a little difficult to be in a place where the majority of what people say I cannot understand; however, I truly do feel as though I am immersed in the Berlin culture, and it is constant reminder that am in Germany and not just at a Wednesday night honors event (not to discount the amazing-ness that is a Wednesday night Honors social). Alongside being in a different country, the group that I am with keeps things fun and exciting. Who can forget the conversations that we had about graffiti being art or a crime, the many stabbings we received from Darth Vader aka Aydin (I hope I spelled that correctly), the sugar in Leslie’s hair, or even the time Niiang forgot her train ticket. But it has not all been fun and games, I have learned more about Berlin in these two days than I have in a whole year sitting in World History. While I knew that the Berlin Wall obviously separated Berlin, I had no idea how oppressive it was and what a symbol of liberation it must have been when it was torn down. Being at Checkpoint Charlie and recognizing the seriousness of the wall and what it meant for people to be quarantined in this one little area has truly been an eye opening experience for me.I apologize for this picture not having reason it was taking (the main sign of Checkpoint Charlie, but ask Niiang if you desire that copy, my photographer didn’t seem to understand we were at a historical monument and that the sign was a little important – woops).

I also learned even MORE about Berlin at the Berlin Airlift memorial; embarrassingly, I had no clue that what the Berlin Airlift was referring to and that it took a great deal of money to support a whole city through cargo plains (I should have probably brushed up on my German history before this trip, but that’s why we’re here, right? To learn).
Here is a picture of the memorial and I believe the three pillars at the top represent the three airplanes that were flying into the city (see, I’m getting good at this whole learning bit).

I have to say my favorite part of our escapade thus far has been the Sehitlik Mosque. Not only was it beautiful, but our tour guide did a fine job of explaining a lot of the basic Islamic beliefs. I think a lot of the symbolism found in the Mosque itself and also the significance of the prayer movements and other Muslim traditions were made clearer. I gained a lot of insight from that tour and I’m always interested to hear why certain religions participate in the practices they do; I thought it was an informative and eye opening experience.

This picture doesn’t even BEGIN to show the true beauty and majesty of this house of worship, but it does scratch the surface… BARELY. *sigh* look at all the color. Gorgeous.

The Jewish Museum was and experience. I love the architecture and the meaning of the structure itself.

The Memory Void memorial shown in the picture above was touching because I believe it truly captured the essence of the Jewish void in Germany for so many years.

Lastly, we went to the TV tower for a little fun and excitement; unfortunately, we didn’t want to wait two hours so the picture below is the full extent of my experience with the Berlin TV tower.





Well, we’ve reached the conclusion of my blog. Thank you for reading. And family if and when you read this I miss you, I love you, and I’m having a great time. Take Care.