One exemplary reason of why I miss being home is because I miss family, most especially new family. My cousin Molly, who lives in Belmont Massachusetts, was pregnant with twin girls up until a few days ago. When they were born, I was emailed soon afterwards. I rejoiced from afar, knowing I would return around the holidays to find two infant little girls living in the region.
It's interesting how time can do that to you; when you're not paying attention, a year can pass, and your hair has gone all salt-and-peppery. Maybe your younger sister just graduated from college -- when you remember attending and watching as she wore her dress robes and collected her high school degree. So many distractions keep our minds hidden from what's really important. And I think that before I go on with this entry, I'll list off what I miss most in the United States, which I have only occasionally given a glance of a thought towards, now I am distracted by the majesty of Germany.
First of all, I miss peanut butter. That's right, they don't make peanut butter over here in Europe like we know it in America. Sure, they have candy bars -- no need to send any uber-expensive care packages full of snickers, Mom. I'm all set. But it's different here, the nutritional system. I'm not saying it's bad, not by a long shot. Just different. It might take me a little while to figure out this complex. I was raised to savor meaty sandwiches for lunch, and an oven-baked dinner. Potatoes are quite common here, and I love those, but I'll have to avoid the expensive restaurants and head over to LIDL or Kaiser's, the supermarkets, for my day-to-day necessities. I actually just stopped by LIDL tonight, although all I could think of were American style meals. Meats, cheeses, and plenty of orangensaft with apples by the side. Let's not forget the pasta. That will definitely help me keep the extra euros in my pocket for later on.
Another thing I miss is my home shower. I don't know if this might be the case all over Europe, or just in Germany, but the nozzle releases out of a spigot that the person in the shower must hold by hand. Without getting into too many details, I'll also include the fact that my guest-mother anticipated that I might not be accustomed with this fashion of bathing, and so went searching for a shower curtain... no luck. They call it "walrus-ing" around the bathroom, what I do during my shower. I always make sure to clean up the water that has bounced off and splattered everywhere else. It's really no problem, it just takes more time.
The last thing I miss is the warm, welcoming scent of a New England autumn. I almost forget I'm in Berlin sometimes when I think about the falling maple leaves, turning from green to red and gold before fading with the brown dirt and dust of the path beneath my feet. I would always walk along the grass or between the trees to reach my destination back home, but here in Berlin, almost everything is covered in stone or concrete. It's a little bit of a bummer, but I'll get over it.
On friday I made my way around Wilmersdorfer Platz, a nice shopping center right around the corner, and I purchased some bread and orange juice, as well as a new water bottle. My host mother Sabine showed me a local fish market known as Rogacki which also serves as a restaurant. It is well-known around Berlin, but unfortunately it had just recently closed. I will have to make plans to try it out some time soon.
So we went to Hamburg on saturday. It is truly a beautiful city, located in a very well-to-do area towards the east, by the mouth of the Elbe River. The inhabitants had worked to rebuild much of the architecture which had been damaged during the second world war. One friend from home who has helped me with contacts around the Berlin area hails from Hamburg. After our morning tour, we took a walk through an art museum featuring works by American Mark Rothko. Immediately afterwards, we took a walk over to a nearby dock and boarded a tourist ship, which made its way out through a couple of locks and canals into the commercial harbor of Hamburg. I did not know this fact previous to the tour, but Germany has the world's largest GNP. I was able to observe a large number of frigates and tankers making their way into and out of the bay.
After lunch I counted the cash in my pocket. I had only spent about forty euro, and only on food, because the rest of the trip was taken care of later. Could I really be that frivolous? I had already learned by saturday that Berlin was probably the best place in Europe for the euro. But with the state of the American dollar, including the Lehman bankruptcy, I feel exceptionally glad that I don't have to worry more about finances than I already do.
After an incredibly fast (90 minute) return trip to Berlin, I decided to head over with a friend who lived near Checkpoint Charlie. He showed me points he recognized from his studies during a previous semester; the marks where the Berlin wall began and ended, now marked by stones on a busy blacktop street. Near his apartment were a few of the brass-colored marks dug into the earth, engraved with the names of jews who had died during the holocaust. Hard as I try during my studies here, I don't expect I will ever come to understand the genocidal masque of the swastika. I only try because by now, it has become a part of German culture. So fresh in the past, with so many deaths... but everything here in Berlin, both good and evil, has its own memorial, without exception.
I tried not to think too hard about it. We walked on towards a nearby bar, called Bierhimmel (beer-heaven). Inside, we both ordered Hefe-weizens and listened to the speakers play oldies from a vinyl, spinning directly behind the tap. I had to take a deep breath and remember how full this city was with landmarks that still exist from hundreds of years ago. They all matter to me, not only because I'll be studying here for the rest of the semester, but because I'm growing here, and this experience is becoming a part of me.
To continue, today was my first day of classes. We discussed a good deal of history, architecture, and music of contemporary pop-culture. I'll include more details as they come, but to offer a brief look at where I'm headed, the two cities of St. Petersburg and Berlin were both analyzed in one class, in addition to their style of architecture in relation to the ruler or social system in command. I will find some pictures to post, and that will certainly help all readers keep up.
"I see the path of progress has never taken a straight line, but has always taken a zigzag course amid the conflicting forces of right and wrong, truth and error, justice and injustice, cruelty and mercy."
Kelly Miller
