Bard College Berlin offers a myriad of classes dealing with questions of race, migration, and culture. This semester, I am grateful to be part of one such course, African Narratives of Migration and Globalisation with Dr. Fatin Abbas. Fatin is a writer and professor whose work lies at the intersection of African and Middle Eastern
Bonfire Night
“Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. We see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot!” The first verse of this nursery rhyme rings in my ears as clearly as it did the day my mother taught it to me. And this song returns once a year, as she and
On Mourning and Criticising Ruth Bader Ginsburg
To celebrate my eleventh birthday (which at the time I thought was an exceptionally important age), I convinced my parents to take me to the beautiful city of Jaipur in India. It was my first time visiting the Pink City and I was taken aback by its sheer grandeur. The city is full of architectural
Along the Panke River and Geoff Lehman’s Advice
I savored the obscenely long snooze I could afford myself on the Monday morning of Fall break. Successfully making my way into the kitchen and making coffee before noon, I texted Federica to see what she and Valentino were doing and within a short time, I was on my way to meet them at Schlosspark
Memories on the Train
On the train I move at birdish speeds. I see buildings blur into living embers, points stretched into foreign conversation and foreign frames and the infinity of presence upon my sight. And the train too is looking, spawns a second set of eyes, mirrors me in its glass. My doppelgänger in the window glides in
From the Archives: Alumni Interviews
Die Barliner takes a look back on some of our favorite Bard College Berlin alumni interviews from the past few years. We invite you to revisit not only the stories and paths these amazing former students have taken after graduation, but also their reflections on their education and time spent at BCB. August 2017- “Alumni
Encyclopedia of Stray Knowledge Gained During Quarantine
Locked up in my home for the last several weeks, I am missing the banal ecstasies of waking up next to the person I care about. Touch is impossible at the moment, as is casual conversation and the simple pleasure of being in a room together, quietly enjoying their company. Romance is replaced by the dull ache of missing someone: their bed, body, and self. Touch and companionship are gentle necessities, often forgotten or neglected until everyone in the world is feeling forgotten and neglected, and then we’re reminded how much we need each other.
The Best (socially distanced) Study Spots in Berlin
In the midst of Mumbai’s scorching hot summer under a strict COVID-19 lockdown, I found myself longing for an M1 tram ride across Berlin. So much so, that I started watching eight-minute long YouTube videos of the M1 tram going from Pastor Niemöller Platz to Am Kupfergraben on loop. This longing also prompted me to