I'm off on a new adventure on a trip sponsored by the Goethe Institute and Germany's Central Agency for Schools Abroad. Our journey began on Saturday with an orientation at the Goethe Institute's New York office. We learned a bit of German, discussed cultural perceptions and cultural differences to be aware of when traveling to Germany. Some differences we learned are that Germans are known for being more direct than Americans and don't always require as much personal space. Also, Germans prefer more in depth conversations to small talk and enjoy talking about politics. During our orientation, we also learned about Germany's outreach efforts and agencies worldwide. The Goethe Institute is a German cultural association which promotes the study of German and encourages international relations. There are 159 institutes in 98 different countries. I was so impressed by that and wished the U.S. made similar outreach efforts to connect with countries globally.
Before we knew it, we were off to the airport arriving in Berlin on Sunday morning. We arrived in Berlin to unusually warm weather and we immediately off for our first cultural activity. We visited the Berlin Wall Memorial. For those born after 1985, the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 during the Cold War. Berlin was in East Germany, but three-quarters of the city (West Berlin) was occupied by France, the UK and the US. The wall was put up overnight in order to contain citizens and prevent people from escaping East Germany through West Berlin. The Wall remained a symbol of the Iron Curtain until East Germany announced they would no longer restrict movement across the border in November of 1989. The Wall came down shortly after and the memorial started in 1990 as a way to commemorate the history and move forward with reconciliation. One thing that impressed me most about Germany was its efforts to reflect on its history and learn from its past. Often in the U.S. we choose to gloss over the more negative aspects of our country's story. However, following the German example of reflecting on these events allows the country to acknowledge and move forward in a new, more positive direction.
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| Our dinner view |
The Berlin Wall Memorial includes a 200 foot section of the Wall as it stood with the wall, electric fence, no man's land and guard tower. Throughout the 1.5 km there are steel rods showing where the wall used to be. When you look at them from an angle, they appear to be a solid wall but one can easily walk through them, symbolizing the freedom with which Beliners now move about the city.
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| Prost! |
After a guided tour, we had dinner in a lovely European courtyard and were on our way to see the final night of Berlin's "Festival of Lights". During this ten day event, Berlin's historic buildings are lit up each night in a beautiful and artistic light show. Despite our jet-lag and the late hour, this was an amazing event and I would highly recommend it if you're able to visit Berlin during the festival.
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| Festival of Lights |
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| Brandenburg Gate |
Before we knew it, we were off to the airport arriving in Berlin on Sunday morning. We arrived in Berlin to unusually warm weather and we immediately off for our first cultural activity. We visited the Berlin Wall Memorial. For those born after 1985, the Berlin Wall was built in 1961 during the Cold War. Berlin was in East Germany, but three-quarters of the city (West Berlin) was occupied by France, the UK and the US. The wall was put up overnight in order to contain citizens and prevent people from escaping East Germany through West Berlin. The Wall remained a symbol of the Iron Curtain until East Germany announced they would no longer restrict movement across the border in November of 1989. The Wall came down shortly after and the memorial started in 1990 as a way to commemorate the history and move forward with reconciliation. One thing that impressed me most about Germany was its efforts to reflect on its history and learn from its past. Often in the U.S. we choose to gloss over the more negative aspects of our country's story. However, following the German example of reflecting on these events allows the country to acknowledge and move forward in a new, more positive direction.
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