This has been a very bright week with many marvelous things. One of my favorite things I’ve done this week is go on a trip to Dresden, about 2-3 hours away from Berlin by Flixbus. It was just a day trip, but it was extremely memorable. Since we only had a little bit of time there, we had to pick our atrocities carefully. But the first thing we did when we arrived in Dresden was get a cake there, specific to the region, called an Eierschecke, and it was absolutely delicious. Then we took a walk around the city center, which had beautiful detailed architecture, artwork (the image below is of a porcelain mural in the city), and cobblestone paths. Eventually, we arrived at the Zwinger, which featured a carefully manicured courtyard and three whole museums.
The museum was phenomenal. I particularly enjoyed the first exhibit, which featured Hercules, his feats, and the complexity of his character. I thought it was not created in a very accessible manner, with well written placards and lots of exposition, allowing the viewer to see the same patterns that a historian would examine in the displayed relics. Though, my favorite part of the exhibit was the exploration of different aspects of Hercules’ character through time, in seeing him both as a hero and anti-hero.
Museums aside, there was a thicker air of history in Dresden as compared to Berlin, which looks much more modern in comparison. Though, after a quick google search, I was surprised to learn (or perhaps unsurprised, given the war’s devastating effects) that the city had been largely rebuilt following World War 2. It was eye-opening to see another city in Germany, and get a fuller picture of German culture overall.
As for Berlin, I’ve been spending a lot of time at various parks as of late, since many things to do close soon after I’m done with work, but I still want somewhere to go. Viktoriapark was particularly memorable, because I happened to find a stranger’s phone on the steps and had to figure out how I was going to get it back to the original owners. The situation overall gave me a bit of a panic because Ive never been in that scenario before, and I know how stressful it is to lose your phone, but I ultimately ended up consulting these two women talking in English, who seemed wise and trustworthy, so I went up and asked them what they would do to in my scenario. I ended up chatting with them for a while as I held on the phone, when eventually the owners of the phone called and picked it up. It was a very sweet interaction, because it was proof that even in a foreign country, there are many people who are on your side, and are willing to talk and help you.
While many people have been helpful; however, I still find a few things here and there that have been difficult to assimilate to. The culture of dining out, in particular, always trips me up. I’m very used to automatically getting the check when I’m done eating so it’s subtly confusing. More than dining out, though, eating in can also be difficult. This week, I forgot that stores are closed on Sundays, thwarting my plans to go grocery shopping for the week ahead. I believe the culture in the United States tends to be a lot more fast-paced, and we take less time for relaxation, which means that while living in Germany , I have to remind myself to slow down a little.
Luckily, I haven’t had many difficulties in the workplace, as my supervisor is very familiar with having students from the United States, so there haven’t been difficult transitions thus far. In fact, today I went to a conference examining “Nature-based Solutions in urban and rural contexts in the United States and Germany” and had a good time listening to speakers in the environmental policy space talk about their work. I’m excited to learn more about that space in my next four or so weeks here and this about applying it to my studies at the University of Pittsburgh.
That’s all for this week, tschüss!
