After sitting down for a drink in the Berliner-style Oktoberfest while seated around Potsdamer Platz, I waited for a few of the other students to give a call back. I had been waiting to meet for the debate, and head off for a tavern in a seperate part of the city which might be open late into the night (due to the time change, this would be necessary). It was at this point that a local spotted me, and hopped over the rail in my direction. At first I was apprehensive, but I simply stood, and kept my guard.
"Wie schmeckt das Bier?" he asked. How does the beer taste? I shrugged, "So-so." He looked closer at the bottle, and laughed. "Naja, das ist Franzozisch" (No wonder, it's French). I shrugged a sigh of relief, and laughed myself. I offered him a try, and he didn't think it to taste very well, either. At this point he asked me my name, trying out his English. I responded, in German.
Up until this point, I have been enjoying myself very much in the big city at the heart of Europe. However, I have felt a bit insulated from cultural immersion out on the town. I must admit my grammar and vocabulary still needs some improvement, and so I am not yet an active participant in fluent German conversations. But this was my chance to dive right in and see what a couple years of classes and a summer at the Goethe Institute in Boston had prepared me for. I knew that I was able to step away from the interaction and join with my fellow student friends at any point, regardless of when they gave a call. I knew also that taking chances while venturing off into mysterious locations with strangers, as well as you think you know your location, is always taking a risk. I know that this does not provide a good example of said precaution. If I have said it before, forgive me for repeating myself; Berlin is a city where you do not want to get lost, because it can cost a great amount to get yourself back on the right track. In hindsight, I am glad that things went as well as they did that evening.
The attitude on the downtown streets of Berlin is surprisingly lively. But I believe that because everyone tends to keep to their own space, moral and ethical obstacles can be avoided. I would not say that the expression allowed to Germans in media or on the streets in accordance with the law is less restrictive and thus more dangerous in comparison with America, but I would argue that it may be a bit more liberal. There is noticeably more nudity here, but also a smaller percentage of the population carries firearms. So there are some cultural differences which are no longer as noticeable to me as when I first arrived.
You know, I have already spoken about this topic in general, but not to a specific point. Homeless beggars and gypsies are a common sight on the streets of Berlin. I have thus far walked past a number of talented accordion and keyboard players whose object was to entertain the passers by. In Hamburg, I saw a very talented chalk artist drawing out on the sidewalk, and made a small donation. These efforts, I believe, have taken devotion and practice. But when I see a 25-year old lady with dyed hair and a puppy sit down at an intersection in a U-Bahn station, at a first glance it appears that she is attempting to catch suckers with holes in their pockets. Individuals such as this do not make passers by feel positive as they offer a token of appreciation, but play off the human sense of pity. By contrast, the most difficult cold shoulder I have ever had to deliver was to a gypsy Indian woman near the Brandenburg Gate. She caught me off guard and asked, "Speak English?" I nodded, hoping to help her. But she handed me an index card which read that she and her daughter were refugees from Burma. A little girl hung by her side, and I nearly broke down with remorse. After reading the card I took a deep breath, looked up and handed it back to her. "Please," She insisted. I felt filled with shame having to walk away.
I had to remember, early in our tour, the advice we had been given. For many tourists in the area, it was so easy to be taken advantage of by gypsies, that the cash in our pocket would seemingly disappear by the next day. Later, a friend told me that all people in need have a similar craving for money. A person in Philadelphia once asked her for some spare change after she had spent her last dollar on a sandwich; she offered the food in its stead, but it was thrown back into her face.
I do not feel like generalizing by offering a guess at the percentage, because I know that different countries have different welfare systems. It would be unfair of me to be so biased by saying that hard work pays off, because education matters too. Whether the poor may be out of work, out of a job, with illness, or suffering from an addiction, I believe individual situations vary with the political and economic climate around the world. As part of a later edit, I felt a bit stronger when the same lady approached a crowd of tourists the following weekend -- on the day of reunification -- and I didn't feel good about telling her no, but there are other things she could be doing to help herself, rather than living in that position.
We students should especially be careful with our loose change. It is ever more important right now, with the exchange rate as it stands. What I mean to say is that our education should take priority over feeding the cyclical habits of the homeless or the workless. I have mentioned before that the state subsidizes shelter for the registered citizens. I should worry about keeping myself healthy; that is a big enough challenge, with a large city like Berlin being the first metropolis inhabit for more than a week or so. I don't want my immune system to struggle in adapting to this new environment. Well, I suppose a cold may be expectable for a few days, but nothing out of the ordinary.
It was a breath of fresh air, to really be able to reach into my memory and extract some German vocabulary (and grammar) which I was then able to piece together into full sentences. I felt pretty bad for sleeping late again on sunday morning, mainly because it was such a nice day, and the Berlin marathon was run on the street that went right beside my apartment building. I'm sure I'll be able to wake earlier on future weekend mornings to enjoy the day.
Sunday night a couple of my fellow IES students and I returned to Potsdamer Platz to see a movie, subtitled in English. The Baader-Meinhof Complex tells the story of the RAF (Red Army Faction) in Germany during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but it didn't seem like much but a potent, explosive mess, void of a cohesive plot. Of course it was history, a story with which most if not all Germans living in the area are familiar as part of their background. It seems very interesting, all the learning I am tying in from outside of the classroom and connecting into the studies from inside our courses as well.Anyways...
Following the movie we had a short talk with a couple of students from the German area studies program (the alternative IES or International Institution for the Education for Students, located in the same building). It was fun to be sitting in Potsdamer Platz, a colorful architectural masterpiece.
This afternoon, I booked my travel plans for a November circuit around central Europe. I have to say I'm pretty excited. More news to come.
Bis nachher [biss knock-hair]
(Until later)
"Most of us are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be."
William Adams
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