Just another crazy Berlin night...

Friday, the 9th of August was in fact the most Berlin day I have ever spent in my entire life.  I have converted, they have taken me, I am now officially one of them.

Earlier this week I was shamed into buying a bike because almost everyone else has them, and they are by far the best way to get around.  So, on this particularly lovely day, after being classically lazy with my time and not doing anything, I left on my bike to meet a friend in Mitte, Berlin's central neighborhood.  We walked along through Museuminsel (Museum Island) to Alexanderplatz, discussing the merits and drawbacks of German and other international men before I buzzed east to the Warschauer Str area to go to an open air arts party.

Arriving around 7, I paid my one-day fee of €6 and milled around.  A maze of indoor and outdoor warehouse facilities confronted me, each passageway leading to another artistic exploration.  On one side, I went through a warehouse where a dj set up some beats for making art, and walking through I found myself watching graffiti artists tattooing the walls with their inspiration.  I watched for a while, impressed with their spray paint technique and design.  Then I moved back outside, where a band was starting to play on stage #1, grooving to chill sounds and leading the relaxed atmosphere of what in Berlin is considered a Friday afternoon.  Moving past the outdoor Foosball table and full bar to stage #2, I find myself sitting on a sofa outside as a singer-songwriter blends out her latest tunes while others chat and relax.  It is a simple day full of arts and inspiration, nestled in a warehouse but decorated with natural, real surroundings.

After a while without finding my friend, I return home to eat something, have a little rest, and get ready for the rest of the evening.  Berlin clubs don't start until midnight at the earliest, but a friend's band is playing back at this little mini-festival, so I return around 10 to hear them play.  After touring the now almost full festival and seeing what else is on display, we stayed for the band, which was in full Berlin style.  Berlin is home to techno - monotonous beats that are often enjoyed after a hit of Ecstasy and a looooot of alcohol, often while remaining high in a club for three days straight.  This, I do not generally participate in.  However, it did not surprise me at all to see a band that combined keyboard, beats dj, saxaphone, clarinet, violin, bass, bass guitar, and vocals in one handsome package.  As the band cleared the area for the hoola hoop artist to join them as they continued their jazzy beats, I realized how wonderful my life is here.  But not to worry, the night doesn't end there.

I had to leave before the end of the set to meet another friend at beach club on the other side of the city, but my close proximity to an sbahn stop sincerely helped.  The dj there played a mix of 90s, Top 40, and electronica, thankfully leaving out the endless techno that I find here, and with a joyful crowd we danced under the stars, surrounded by imported white sand and on the calm shores of the river Spree.  A completely Berlin night - if they could only teach me German, I'd be a national in no time. 

Tonight?  Another classic Berlin activity - Balkan Beats!

An Expat's Response to an Expat Article Written by...not an expat.

Opening up facebook this morning, as I rather pathetically do every morning, I saw a friend had linked to an article about what "the rest of us" could learn about expats: http://www.theage.com.au/travel/blogs/the-backpacker/what-we-could-all-learn-from-expats-20130711-2psde.html

My first observation was that the writer had never, in fact, been an expat.  Had never forced himself through the cavernous and jarring realities of looking for housing, employment, social environs, edamame, pears, or simply adventure in a new city, country, language, and culture than the one he or she had been initiated in through years of socialization.  I have, three times now, and although all of my experiences have been in Europe, they are none the less expansive or educational. 

To completely eradicate any myths that this article purports, we are not all people who act instead of dream.  I, and many of my other expatriate compatriots dream of trips we cannot take, adventures we cannot experience, and lives that we simply cannot live. 

Reasons why these experiences are not being had:
a) No money!  Teaching English, which is in fact at the bottom of the barrel of expat careers (righto on that one, Mr. Groundwater!), is also not very high paying.  Unless you are fortunate to have savings or another stream of income, you are sadly out of luck when it comes to traveling all the time. 
b) No time!  Funny thing - if you cancel a lesson to go on a trip, you also forfeit  profits from that lesson, which would have contributed quite nicely to said trip.  It's quite a no-win situation.
c) No teleportation!  Despite all the technological advances in international travel, and there certainly have been some, there is no magic wand that gets you out of the city to where you want to be, and then back to where you need to be.  Sometimes you just need to be where you chose to live, not elsewhere. 
d) No autonomy!  Your boss may not give you time off, you may need to go back to your place of origin for a family emergency, or you may need to take some personal time off because you need a break from all that expat life has thrown at you.  Sometimes it is simply out of your control completely. 
This is certainly not a complete list, and if you have more to add, I would love to hear them in comments! 

Other myths that I am here to refute:
-Just because you're adventurous to move to Prague or Berlin or even Taipei does not mean that you're going to be up for everything, eat insects, go on a dangerous excursion that could potentially have stupendous consequences, or risk everything for that big wave.  Not all of us are such amazing risk takers!  Some of us just wanted to be somewhere else. 
-Not all expats are friendly!  Just because they're at a couchsurfing meeting doesn't mean that they want to immediately become your best friend.  Sometimes people just want something from you, or in many cases in Berlin, some just want to get laid - not be your friend and travel companion. 

So...sorry kids, it's not always the dream it's cracked up to be.  But, I will say that it's always worth it, and that the tough experiences make your life richer, make your decisions easier, and generally contribute to the long list of awesome things you did with your life when you're thinking it all over on your deathbed.  I would highly recommend it to anyone, even if I have experienced all of the above.  Don't expect magic to come to you - you have to go out there and make it for yourself!

Sitting by the Spree-side

First of all, I simply cannot take credit for "Spree-side", I saw it on someone else's blog.  I should be ashamed, but it was so cute I copied it.  Sorry, internet! 

All the same, my Berlin experience was notched up to slightly even more Berlin-esque when I went to Badeschiff today with my lovely friend David.  Those of you who are familiar with Berlin may not be aware of this, but it is the most Berlin place that I have ever been to - that is, fully of the strange, contradictory, outdoor, and fun, but with rules of course. 

It all starts with the classic Berlin conundrum of the best places being the most difficult to get to.  Go past Club der Visionaere, one of the top rated bars in Berlin, which is open 24/7, constantly plays some form of techno, and is outdoors.  Follow the randomly placed signs through the sketchy looking warehouse area, and suddenly you find yourself at a rudimentary beach area. 

You have to pay to get in, which is par for the course in Berlin, but unlike other beach areas, you cannot bring in your own drinks or food - water, fruit, nothing.  I brought in my own fruit which I managed to hide in the nick of time, but unfortunately the water went into the large trough of confiscated water bottles that had to be disposed of by the staff.  Pay your fine (student discount!), and go in. 

At first sight, you are treated to a sandy beach that leads to no water of any kind, but instead to a look over the industrial sights of the Spree river, before heading downstairs to the open deck, chairs included, and of course, in Berlin fashion, a swimming pool on a river.  We are not in Kansas anymore! 

Darling David!

Berlin constantly surprises me with its obsession with outdoor everything in summertime, despite the ostentatiously cold winter, and its near worship of deckchairs by the river.  Not that I'm complaining, of course.  As a woman that originally comes from another city with a large, focal river and many lakefront beaches, however, I find it hard to do anything but rejoice that this city at least has fully embraced its ability to find warmth and joy in its few weeks of stifling summer heat.  Here's to you, Berlin, and may our parting be far off.