I’m already back in Berlin.

It’s a funny thing about blogs, they remind you where you’ve been and where you come from, at the same time reminding you of pace at which time passes, never slowing no matter how much you really intend to write as soon as you’ve a moment, or how many meaningful events have occurred since the last entry was written.

The conclusion of my Marburg experience left me with decidedly mixed feelings. Both the Marburg language program, and already the city of Berlin, now that I’m back, have occupied a lot of mental energy as my mind strains to make these experiences fit something in my past; the six week Marburg course – the six week language course I took last summer at Middlebury College in Vermont, and Berlin, so far – the few months I spent alone in Bethlehem. Comparing the Marburg language course to Middlebury’s, I certainly learned less German, simply because, unlike Middlebury, we were allowed to speak English. The relationships I made in Marburg in the end had exploded in a cacophony of friendships, resentments, and should-have-would-haves, an unwelcomed diversity when I compare it to last summer… perhaps, this too can be attributed to speaking English rather than only German. Overall, the Marburg experience was positive. Certainly better than the alternative of idling in Glendora for the remainder of the summer and arriving in Berlin now attempting to hit the ground running. Easing that transition made it worthwhile in and of itself. Berlin, in my mind’s eye, is still Bethlehem. The sense of solitude in this very tidy and handsome apartment, which I have to myself until my roommate returns from Spain, and its place in a great city whose language is foreign, buildings derelict, and walls covered in art/vandalism has been an iterative reminder of that same dichotomy of comfort and discomfort I knew then. Berlin itself, what a surprise. Hardly a surface is without a dozen autographs scrawled upon it, most every sidewalk and storefront feels out of order, and the sense of griminess about most of the city (and many its inhabitants) was, upon a moments reflection, the most surprising thing about it. It also seems that everyone here is used to it, if not embraces it completely. From experience alone, I tend to consider myself adept at navigating disorientating situations and places such as this, but the visual noise here is deafening. I hope I can soon find a way to live in this city rather than merely survive, as I feel I’m doing now. Winter is fast approaching and will bring further difficulties with it; the sky disappeared a week ago into a grey miasma and, I'm told, so it will remain for months.

Travels so far

As part of the six week stay in Marburg, Fulbright also paid for us to travel to a few nearby cities for daytrips and guided tours. It’s been so many weeks ago now, and shame on me for not keeping up with writing, that they’ve become nearly mixed together. Frankfurt – we arrived during a museum festival so I spent most of the day museum hopping, three in total before my feet could take it no longer.

Kassel - as I recall, we spent most of the time visiting a tremendous water/fountain system running a good half mile, adorned with various sculptures and flowing ultimately to the lawn of an impressive former palace. This water/fountain system (I’m not really sure what to call it) is a newly recognized UNESCO world heritage site.

Wiesbaden – we were mainly occupied with observing an election related event here; Wiesbaden is the capital of the district of Hessen and the German elections took place just this past weekend.

Finally, Cologne (Köln is the German spelling) I visited not with the entire Fulbright group, but with two other students over a 3 day weekend. My favorite site so far in my time in Germany must be the Cologne Cathedral. I’ve never seen any edifice combine such intricacy with such immensity. It’s the most visited tourist destination in Germany, and I can see why. The construction began in the 1200s and not until the 1800s was it completed (it spent a few hundred years half-finished along the way). By one of apparently several competing measures, it’s the largest and tallest church in Germany and above the Alps in Europe. In the skyline of the city it abides as the central and greatest structure, if not in physical size then certainly in impression. In total we visited it three times or four times in our three day stay; I was able to attend a mass there which was quite a treat as well.