New Experiences: History and Culture in the City

             

         One of the first realizations that I made upon entering Berlin is that it is an intensely historical city.  Not only are there museums and buildings all around us documenting different histories- art history, natural history, religious history- but it almost feel as though history is simply in the air.  As I walked through Alexanderplatz I was reminded that had I been here thirty years ago, I may not have been allowed, or it would have been very difficult for me, to do so.  During our trip to the Reichstag we were shown cards lining the walls with every single member of the German Bundestag for a certain period of time.  Our group happened to stumble across Josef Goebbels, and it struck me that he isn’t just someone I’ve read about in history class.  There was his name- right before my eyes, between hundreds and hundreds of other unknown parliament members.  Seeing something like that makes history feel so much more real.  After seeing Goebbels, of course, the group had to search for the even more infamous name, Adolf Hitler. Upon finding it, history was given an even greater sense of weight and realness to me.  I look forward to trips to concentration camps and Holocaust memorials/museums because it will truly push this realization to the limit.  In a city like Berlin we are walking through history each time we go to class, lunch, or a park.  It gives one a truly incredible feeling once this is realized.

          On a less serious note, I also had the privilege of a completely new experience: attending a concert in a foreign country.  On Thursday night, I went to see St. Vincent and The National, two of my all-time favorite artists, live at the Zitadelle.  Not only was it fascinating to me that so many German people were in attendance of this concert put on by two American bands, but also that they knew all the lyrics and sang along quite a bit in English.  This made me chuckle because in the United States, if a German band played a show I doubt so many people would show up or know the actual German lyrics.  Some other major differences struck me at this concert- first of all, the Zitadelle is a massive preserved Renaissance Fortress.  I found that to be absolutely intriguing.  Never in the United States would you be able to see a concert in a place with so much history and beauty.  Another major difference was the number of people smoking, which is something I have noticed all over the city.  At one point during the concert I was completely surrounded by people smoking.  I could never have imagined that it would be so vastly different than in the United States- but it really is obvious that a lot more Europeans smoke.  Lastly, I did not get carded when I bought a beer.  This is another factor about Germnay that I’ve noticed everywhere.  Obviously I look older than 16, but in the United States I have seen my parents carded many times- and they are in their 40s!  Germany is much more laid back about drinking, even more so than I had imagined before coming here.  I had an extremely fun time at the show, and also got some very interesting insight into cultural differences by attending this concert.