Berlin grows on me… Part Two
Piggybacking shamelessly on Vanessa’s previous post, I thought I would take the opportunity to present a few of my initial impressions and things I learnt about Berlin from the wonderful trial week we spent there.
Firstly, I would have to say that the title of this post is probably a bit misleading as Berlin didn’t need any opportunity to grow on me. I think I enjoyed the city from the very first moment I first arrived. Spending a week sampling life there and managing to discover only a tiny fraction of possibilities Berlin has to offer left me feeling very reluctant to board a plane and leave. For me, Berlin has a similar feel to Liverpool (my home town) and London. The city buzzes with activity and chances to do anything you want and be whoever you want to be. I have to admit that Liverpool currently wins out in terms of friendliness and openness of its people, but it seems Berlin is a close second.
Being abroad from extended periods of time can be an amazing adventure but without certain home comforts, the experience can be much more difficult than you would anticipate. I learnt this the hard way when living in Japan and not having access to an oven to make breads, pizzas, cakes etc. or just generally cook anything (seriously Japan, baking and roasting are EXCELLENT food preparation methods!). It left me wistfully wishing I was back in England at times so I could make and savour some foods I have grown up with, adore and need.
Getting to the point of things I learnt over our trial week:
- The oven problem (or lack of one) is certainly not an issue in Germany. They are a standard feature of all houses and a big part of the food culture. Bakeries can be found on just about any street corner and the selection of breads and sweets on offer is simply overwhelming (and cheap!).
- The biggest thing that made me realise living in Germany would be completely manageable was when I was grocery shopping one evening. I was strolling down one aisle of the supermarket opposite our flat and something caught my eye on the lower shelf. Something incredible…
Heinz Baked Beans.
- I was fortunate enough to meet and hang out with many Berlin locals over my short time there but one thing that really impressed me was how they would make a sincere effort to keep everyone in a group involved in conversation, even if it means two German natives speaking to each other in English, just so nobody is left out. It is something I made a concious effort to do in Japan when socialising with Japanese and English speakers – find the common language of the group and keep everyone involved. It can be surreal speaking to other English natives in a foreign language but once you get over that, it really helps everyone involved.
- As I have mentioned, I am studying German and am most definitely still in the early stages resulting in a severe lack of confidence to speak and make active use of what I have learnt. It’s a real struggle to follow conversations, especially in a group as the flow of conversation will go in strange tangents very suddenly with more people involved and it is a challenge for your brain to keep up with the train of thought. HOWEVER, I did give it a go where and when I could and to my surprise – the people are genuinely appreciative of any efforts to speak their language and are happy to see you trying, even if you are unwittingly butchering every precious grammar rule they hold so dear.
- It would seem that helpings of rum and vodka helps one gain total fluency when speaking a foreign language. Well, that’s not true but it certainly has the effect of stopping you caring whether or not you are making mistakes. I’m sure I continued my rampage of German language butchery with full gusto, but this time without the worries of screwing up. I had similar experience when I was studying Spanish and Japanese so it shouldn’t have been such a surprise but it felt good! Now I’ll just get back to studying and practising so I can gain the confidence the drink brought me that evening but without having to touch a drop of alcohol. A word of warning though to anyone thinking of using this unorthodox study tool, drinking a little too much rum and vodka loses all benefits and does not result anything pleasant as my aching head insisted on reminding me constantly the next morning.
2 Comments
Claire Usmar
I completely agree that the presence of Heinz Baked Beans in a particular country is a defining factor of it’s habitability (writes the Australian who has a suitcase full of them every time she returns to Japan).
Jason
I found some beans on sale once in Japan at some foreign food supermarket and they were about £5 per can. It didn’t stop me buying a few! Happy to hear I’m not alone with my bean obsession!