Berlin Blog Question Four

Q. What was your favorite thing in Berlin and how did the language barrier effect your experience?

I love Berlin, even with its numerous faults; heat, hostel, ice (none), internet (in a storage room), classes, Coca-Cola. I loved being alone there, I loved chilling with everyone. I love the inside jokes and our extroverted behavior. Right now I'm in a limbo of some sorts, because I can tell my friends here are already sick of hearing about my European adventures and I still want to keep going. While I have told the most about my Polish outing, there aren't words to describe how Berlin was. Sure, I have rambling blogs and random quotes, but the atmosphere is starting to fade and I feel my impatience rising back to average-American-level. It's odd that a city so bogged down with past oppression has been the place I have felt the most free.
Forgotten favorite moments are coming back now as if they were a movie still, a moment caught somehow in time that vanished in the scrambling fury of those three weeks. From the first day, "Sightseeing! You are young, you can walk; sight seeing!," finding Otto Von Bismarck finally, and eating fantastic meatballs. I walked alone a lot the first week, nervous of saying something offensive, and the best moment from there is just walking, finding a park bench, and eating my lunch while I watched rain gently hit the cars on the street. I loved the relief of finding a restroom in the Reichstag and dancing to Spice Girls in the laundromat. Finally, my only regret from Berlin is that I chickened out and didn't steal the squeaky bear from the Bike Tour.
First actual group day was the scavenger hunt where teenagers were dropped off in a foreign city and left to fend for themselves, as I view it. My group was the best group ever--Ashley, Vickie, Staush, and I. We took our time and wandered at our collective will towards "pretty buildings." It was, actually, a very great way to get comfortable with the city, as well as with each other. While we were at the World Clock, a very excited old man came up and started speaking languages at us. Finally, he landed on English and we started talking. It turns out he is a very adamant supporter of sightseeing, walking, and youth; since those were the only three phrases he repeated. With that, our team is already on a high, which would continue for awhile. All was well, but then Otto Von Bismarck had to ruin everything. Our group wandered into a park, part of the Tiergarten as it would turn out, on the way to see the Victory Column. Instead of continuing onto the Victory Column, we decided to look for Bismarck. For over an hour. Before finding him, we would have walked passed an entire group we should have asked, found out that Germans love telling people to go to the left, and locate a playground. With dashed hope, we chose to go to the Victory Column and give up on Otto; however, it is pretty much you find one, you find the other. So a joyous cry erupted from us as we claimed victory over Otto.
Traveling is a fantastic experience that everyone should do. While there were some difficulties with different languages, this was nothing like France. Our scavenger hunt day's experiences are a stark contrast to when I had walked up and inquired "Parlez vous anglais?" and then get lectured at for three minutes in French. Obviously, hiccups along the way made me wish I could speak at least a little bit of German; like the moment of panic I had when I got lost or ordering food because "ketchup only" in Berlin means everything but ketchup. With knowing German, things would have been much easier, but then who is to say the scavenger hunt would have been so much fun. The highlight of that day, and possibly the trip, was the random man saying "Sightseeing!" repeatedly, which just wouldn't be as funny in Deutsch. Also, every person I approached with a question spoke at least some English. Yet even if they didn't, communication is still possible and I have heard no stories of a German getting mad at one of our group for speaking English. Although, I think those first days of confused frustration are part of the experience. The best part of not speaking the native language, other than ignoring newspaper salespeople on the train, is you are out of your own element and you cannot forget that. I'm, basically, the biggest cheerleader of America, but going to Germany (or anywhere) shows you other view points and opinions. I still love America, however being exposed to a different culture, language, and history reworks your mind and reminds me of why I do love America, even with its (extensive) faults. I believe you have to be familiar with other things to fully appreciate the greatness of the first one. As much as I loved Germany, it taught me to love the English language, the quickness of American fast food, and updated television shows. No one wants to watch Step By Step anymore, especially not in German. As long as you actually get out and interact with Germans and Berlin, then knowing the language becomes a back burner concern.