1936 Olympic Stadium
The stuff below I wrote out in an e-mail and decided it summed up the last few days well enough to copy into my blog. If the format is screwed up, I apologize.
I am finally starting to enjoy myself here. I am beginning to bond
with people in my group and have had some great experiences with them
so far. Yesterday some of us went to the Olympic Stadium (Olympia
Stadion), which was the site of the 1936 Olympics in Germany and also
the highlight of Hitler's first TV broadcast. This I did not learn
from the site!! I actually remember that from the movie Contact.
Anyway, the stadium is insane and it is also going to be the site of
the World Cup finals. (?) In the evening we went to this lounge/club
thing, which was pretty cool. We met a few crazy German people and
some random guy from like the Czech Republic or Australia or something
thought it was appropriate to give me a noggie for about 30 seconds...
a bit awkward but I guess they were smashed. I was not bad at all
because I have maintained the same drinking habits from New York.
Today we went with our "Berlin Guides" (who we have to meet up with
every other week) to the Jewish Museum. The architecture is very
interesting and often they use unparalleled lines to create a sense of
disorder and desperation. The tour itself was a bit dry, then again
museum tours always are... I would much rather go around the museum
myself because I feel that I would learn more effectively that way. I
think the reading for this semester, which is hundreds of pages a week
for all of my classes combined, would be much better subsituted by
museum experiences as a learning tool. I can read hundreds of pages
anywhere, but actually EXPERIENCING Berlin is a different story.
I am starting to adapt myself to the life here and feeling much better
every night as a result. I am not missing any of you guys any less- but
I am beginning to understand that it will be okay and that this semester
will be rewarding beyond my expectations.
I am finally starting to enjoy myself here. I am beginning to bond
with people in my group and have had some great experiences with them
so far. Yesterday some of us went to the Olympic Stadium (Olympia
Stadion), which was the site of the 1936 Olympics in Germany and also
the highlight of Hitler's first TV broadcast. This I did not learn
from the site!! I actually remember that from the movie Contact.
Anyway, the stadium is insane and it is also going to be the site of
the World Cup finals. (?) In the evening we went to this lounge/club
thing, which was pretty cool. We met a few crazy German people and
some random guy from like the Czech Republic or Australia or something
thought it was appropriate to give me a noggie for about 30 seconds...
a bit awkward but I guess they were smashed. I was not bad at all
because I have maintained the same drinking habits from New York.
Today we went with our "Berlin Guides" (who we have to meet up with
every other week) to the Jewish Museum. The architecture is very
interesting and often they use unparalleled lines to create a sense of
disorder and desperation. The tour itself was a bit dry, then again
museum tours always are... I would much rather go around the museum
myself because I feel that I would learn more effectively that way. I
think the reading for this semester, which is hundreds of pages a week
for all of my classes combined, would be much better subsituted by
museum experiences as a learning tool. I can read hundreds of pages
anywhere, but actually EXPERIENCING Berlin is a different story.
I am starting to adapt myself to the life here and feeling much better
every night as a result. I am not missing any of you guys any less- but
I am beginning to understand that it will be okay and that this semester
will be rewarding beyond my expectations.