Zürich, Berlin

I just returned today from Zürich, Switzerland, where I was visiting my relatives during a short break before classes start. Last week, the entire group was in Berlin, and this was incredible. It feels like many other big cities, but all over you can feel the presence of history. For example, in front of many of the houses, there are golden bricks in the ground with the names of Jews who lived there and were sent to concentration camps during WWII. There is also a huge gap between two apartment buildings where a building that was destroyed in the war existed. On the side of the two remaining buildings, the names of the people are listed in the place where their homes once were.

It was also incredible to see remaining bits of the Wall, especially since I wrote my Internal Assessment senior year on art in East and West Berlin and the symbolic importance of the Berlin Wall in determining the divergent artistic styles. Aside from the historical significance, Berlin is also amazing for art, music, second hand shops, international and cheap cuisine, museums and public transportation. I kept saying, "ich könnte hier gerne wohnen" - I could happily live here.

I saw one opera [Bertolt Brecht, The Three Penny Opera], one play [in Spanish with German translation projected on the wall], and one musical [Linie 1 about the subway and East/West Berlin in the 1980s]/ Really good, cheap food exists all over in Berlin, as well as fancy cafes. I ate so many Döners (like gyros) from a stand near our hostel in Kreuzberg (formerly the American sector during the Cold War), as well as raspberries, carrots, almonds and couscous from a cute market on the corner.

So Berlin is amazing and I really want to return. It is nice to be in Munich, though, and it was wonderful to be in Zürich just recently, as it felt more like home than ever before because I can actually speak the language. It is so incredible to speak with my relatives in German. I feel like I get so much more out of the conversation and can really appreciate their company.

Also, in Munich I have really started to make a life for myself. There are so many people to connect with and I feel like I am waking up and discovering life like I never have before. It is weird, to think that you have a firm grip on who you are and what you want in life, and to then realize that you are nowhere near finished deciding. I see now that I do not have to plan everything in this hyper-linear fashion and that no one is making me do anything. When a person is so internally driven and does not question why s/he does something but instead feels that it is both necessary and the next obvious step (e.g. college), it goes somewhat unquestioned. It feels odd to be in the questioning space again.