Beginning of Week 2

This week was the first time that we took the UBahn to the studio by ourselves (not in a big mob of twenty-six people). The train system is really cool and funky because it is so fundamentally focused on its actual design. Each station stop has its own font, color scheme, and architectural layout and the train seats are benches that face each other so people can make small talk. I quickly learned that Berliners usually stay relatively quiet on the UBahn and don’t really talk loudly on the phone while in transit. A lot of times, we get on the train in groups and keep talking really loudly which draws a lot of attention so it is definitely better to go on and blend in with the crowd.

After getting back home from a day in the studio or out seeing the sights, the number one thing I seem to look for is a traditionally turkish food called döner. Our neighborhood Kreuzberg has a lot of Turkish influence so their food, clothing, and language are all sprinkled throughout the our sidewalks. Their food is really what gets me though! Döner is made of hot sliced meat, grilled vegetables, a special sauce, and then it is either wrapped in a fluffy tortilla or tucked in a crispy, warm slice of bread. Everything is just SO delicious and I have no idea what I will do when I go back home and can’t grab one of these on any street corner. Today I also tried a german junk food staple: currywurst with pommes frites, which are french fries. We stumbled into the food cart cart by the gallery our class went to today and inhaled our plates of food. It was pouring rain and super cold so this heavy traditional street food was perfect. It really just tasted like a hot dog with some spices on it, but it was amazing too. They give you a tiny plastic fork to eat it with so it is just fabulous and fun.

I have become a regular at the little deli and minimarket right below our apartment complex and the people at the small restaurants around the studio are starting to recognize us as well. Lunch spots do not seem to be too crowded around eleven in the morning, so I am guessing that lunch is also traditionally eaten a little later in the day. The younger Berliners eat dinner much later than we do in America and the pubs and bars that serve food are packed with people around nine or ten because the sun does not set until ten or so. People are out an about all the time and at all hours of the night.

Berlin keeps surprising me at how funky and worn-in it feels, and I can’t believe I will have to say goodbye to this city so quickly.