World Cup

One of the coolest experiences to have in Germany is living here during the World Cup. Now, I actually was in Europe during the 2006 World Cup and got to experience the craze that is football in Macedonia (my first summer project). We even had an outreach where we projected the championship game on a big screen. But even that interesting experience doesn't compare to what it's like here in Berlin. During the normal year, you hardly EVER see a German flag or any kind of patriotic paraphernalia. But once the World Cup starts, it's EVERYWHERE! Every balcony, every car, every bakery. And during the games, everything shuts down (even schools!) and every German packs themselves into every bar, cafe and biergarten around, often overflowing into the streets and sidewalks, to watch the game on big flat screens or projected onto screens and sheets (depending on how fancy your venue is). The cheers, whistles, horns, chants and fireworks that happen after a goal are almost deafening in the midst of these crowds. But it's SO fun. The excitement is just huge and it really bonds people together. I've had a few people just randomly talk to me about the game on the U-bahn. Yesterday, I even saw/heard a guy singing the German national anthem in his apartment above me while I was walking down the street and a girl in her apartment on the other side of the street joined in. (It definitely helps when the weather is perfect and everyone's windows are open!). Go Deutschland!

Culture

The more I travel and the longer I live in a foreign country, the more I realize I actually know very little about this phenomenon known as "culture". I remember in my several sociology and religion classes that we defined this word many times. The truth is however, that it is very difficult to define something from the inside. We are never outside of culture and the very action of defining it implies much about the "culture" this action is coming from. I just got back from Sardinia on Mon. and I'm always fascinated by Italian culture, their friendliness, hospitality and curiosity about foreigners. Their loudness is such a contrast to the German quietness, honesty and time/trust earned loyalty. And even as I've adapted to German culture, I'm more aware of my American-ness, the way I'm hypersensitive to awkwardness and my tendency to sugarcoat a negative comment. But I'm continually baffled as to the fact that every person, no matter their place of origin is SO different than any other. What a strange human race God has created!

Peacock Island and other mysteries

Berlin never ceases to surprise me.

In order to bring closure to my two years here in Berlin, I have created a "Berlin Bucket List" of things I want to do/see before I move back to the states. Included on this list was a visit to Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) in the south of Berlin. It was probably one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had. Really. And there's a reason for that. Some royal family in history decided they had nothing better to do with their riches than put a bunch of peacocks on an island and turn it into a menagerie of merriment and en escape from the "common people". The island included it's very own 30 peacocks, peacock castle, museum of elusive animal exhibits (totally fake, but presented like they were real), giant concrete acorns, ladders that go to nowhere, benches slanted into the ground, costumes, spinning tops with a whip, bowling, etc... It was kind of like a mix between the Twilight Zone and Lost. Yikes.

Speaking of mysteries, we just returned from our weekend debrief trip where we talked about how our years went and how to transition well back to the states. I call this transition a mystery, because it's so strange to me how we culturally adapt and re-adapt to our surroundings. There's all sorts of havoc that can happen when people have wrong expectations as to what it's going to be like to return to their home culture after a significant time abroad. But this is why we talk about it and prepare to deal with it before it happens. I'm so thankful we get this kind of training. I can't imagine how difficult this transition would be without it!