During a niveous day of winter break, my friend from BCB, experienced racism at a bar in Berlin. Let’s pseudonymously call my friend Sam. Sam told me that they were out with a friend touring the city when they decided to stop by a bar for a beer. So stop they did, in a bar
CategoryDays in Berlin
The Pierre Boulez Saal: Tracing a History
I walked into the Pierre Boulez Saal on a chilly Saturday night, I found my music class among the crowd and exclaimed to them, “Everything around here looks so new!” I’d just walked over from the U2 stop at Hausvogteiplatz and was surprised by the tall, modern buildings, smooth concrete, and shops that seemed to
Remembering in Place: Reflections on Berlin’s Memorials
I have often wondered if places hold traces of the past beyond the past’s material inscription. If the pain or joy of a family who has moved out of a house still resides there in some ineffable way. If tragedy stays somewhere in those walls. If memories float through the hallways. Or maybe, the presence
The Familiar Photo: Reflections on Friedlander’s ‘Pomona, New York’
A photographer ventures into the woods to capture the façade of a sweet little white house. The house belongs to a friend, and it’s his first visit and he’s immediately attracted to its postcard geometry, and how, in some strange way, the posture confirms something about his friend’s character. Turning back to the house, his
42, One For Each and Every One of You
A conglomeration of 25,000 people stood together early on a Sunday morning, working to process a complicated set of emotions which only they could really understand or feel. Any attempt to explain what was going through their minds at that precise moment would most definitely fall short. There was excitement, for sure, unlike any they
Dancing on Stages, Dancing with Friends
My friends have long made fun of me for how I dance. I have long lanky arms that swing when I move. I have a strange habit of shifting my elbows in robotic motions to the rhythm of a song. My legs stay firm while my upper body moves. I look like some odd machination.
A Day am Tegeler Fließ with Hiking Club
Over the summer, my friend Helene and I were sitting in my backyard in upstate New York talking about the importance of feeling connected to nature. After spending the first month of my summer in Berlin, and Helene having been on the road with their family, it was wonderful to reunite and catch up under
A Mindful Stroll Through The Neighborhood Forest
Today, on another cloudy day in Pankow, I decided to take a walk. With the start of the semester feeling like coming out of a summer induced snooze, I’ve been trying to remain grounded by going outside and wandering. Sometimes these walks take me towards the city center—all noise and delightful people-watching. But other times,