Broken German

Broken German: what is spoken when Cathryn attempts to speak German.

I'm now in Prague, after a fantastically busy (or do I mean fantastic and busy?) week in Berlin. I found Berlin to be very gritty - posters caked onto the walls, different types of people, lots of colourful buildings. Some cities have big skylines and tall buildings, but Berlin is very eye-level, with lots of graffiti, as well as lots of cool bars, and public spaces. I think I came at a good time - spring - as lots of Berliners seemed to be out and about, enjoying the weather, which added to the 'happening' kind of vibe I was feeling.

 Bubbles in the Tiergarten

Graffiti, south of Kreuzberg.

 East Side Gallery on what remains of the Berlin Wall, Frierichshain.

Whilst enjoying the city, I was also hit with surprising bout of homesickness. I was surprised by it because I see this 7 week backpacking trip as the separate ‘last leg’ of my 6 months away. I thought it’d be easy: I’m on my way home, I’m travelling and going to places I’ve always wanted to go to. I figured I'd be too busy/occupied to be homesick. But, obviously, that was not the case. I found (and sometimes still find) myself daydreaming about coming home; what it’ll be like arriving at the airport, spending time with my boyfriend and friends, going to parties, having conversations with people at home, etc. I’ve had this all along, but, particularly late last week, it was really, really strong. I'd be walking along the street and not taking anything in because I'd be daydreaming. Probably because I’m so close to coming home. Like, when you need to pee really bad and then after waiting for ages the urge to pee is most intense just as you’re locking the toilet door. Anyone else get that? Anyway, to be honest, catching myself daydreaming about this (the arriving home bit, not the peeing) really bummed me out. I didn’t want to not be present, and then get home later and realise I’d wasted my whole time in Europe wishing I was home.

I think I was also a bit flat while in Berlin because I felt like I wasn’t experiencing all that I could. My days consisted of going to art galleries, museums and tourist spots, and then my nights mainly consisted of going out drinking with some cool Canadians I met in my hostel. I mean, none of those things are bad, they’re really good – but I thought, ‘isn’t this what every tourist in Berlin does?’ I was feeling dissatisfied – with myself. I’d come to this fantastic city, and all I was doing was letting myself feel down, and like I wasn’t making the most of it.
Two things helped changed this. 1) Skyping a loved one at home. Seeing a friendly, loving, beautiful face really helped reaffirm a few things for me. 2) Couchsurfing! I couchsurfed on my last weekend in Berlin, and I got to do and experience a lot of things I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Verena (my couchsurfing host) and I rode bikes to Tempelhof, which is an abandoned airport. It's pretty much just a huge park now - so many people were out, tending to little garden plots, skating, flying kites, kite-boardings, playing Frisbee, flying miniature toy planes. It was so cool to ride down the length of the runway too :)

 Then we rode to the Karneval der Kulturen. Saturday was the market/fair day, with lots and lots of stalls selling clothes, accessories, food and cocktails. I even found an Australian stall, which was selling (amongst other things) 6EURO jars of Vegemite. There was also a lot of performance/music stuff happening as well.

 On Sunday there was a parade, with lots of music and dancing.

The photo above is of the Electro Swing Berlin float - it looks like a stage in the photo, but it was actually a big truck moving along the parade route, playing awesome music! The crowd followed behind, dancing to the music. I joined in :) It was such a friendly, fun atomosphere.

I also met some really cool people at a vegan dinner I went to later on Sunday. I think it was at that point that I felt satisfied - I wasn't just scratching the surface of Berlin, I was actually meeting people who lived there, and having experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. I think that's what's important to me when I travel - I like to feel I'm doing the kind of things I would never and could never do in Perth.

Thanks for reading!

Sending lots of love home.

-Cathryn