Indiana University School of Journalism

Courtesy photo

Kaylyn Easton, right, and a fellow RIAS scholar dine near the Spree River in Berlin. Easton says she’s fallen in love with the city.

I was walking through the main shopping district, drooling over the Louis Vuitton bags and Gucci shoes, watching girlfriends laugh as they bopped into H&M, and admiring the couples eating ice cream while strolling hand-in-hand. The buildings were modern and new. I was so comfortable, at ease. Suddenly I saw the German flag waving gently in the city breeze, and it finally clicked… we’re not in Indiana anymore.

Remembering I’m in a foreign land is hard when everyone speaks English. Germans are taught English from a very early age, with most beginning the language in kindergarten. When Germany was divided between communism and democracy, those growing up in Eastern Germany were taught Russian. This makes plenty of the former GDR Germans tri-lingual, as most have learned English by now, too.

I was eating dinner with a German journalist the other night and chatting with her five-year-old daughter. She spoke English very well for such a young child, and I kept thinking to myself, “you’re in Berlin, not America.” Her mom spoke great English as well, making dinner feel all the more like home, especially since we ate spaghetti and chatted about boys, family, school and life… basically my typical dinner conversation with my own mom.

The English fluency of the people is impressive. They enjoy practicing their English with visitors and seem to be thrilled to chat with an American (especially now that the former President Bush is no longer in office). At Starbucks, the guys behind the counter said, “Please keep talking. We like to listen to you speak.” I tried to appease them, but their smiles made me blush, and I could barely keep from giggling.

As I keep walking through the shopping district. a Lady Gaga song catches my ear. In the next store, Britney Spears is playing. I keep walking. A car drives by, and I hear a familiar techno beat blazing through the speakers. All songs we would hear in America every day. On MTV, the majority of the tunes were by American artists. All in English, all familiar and all fabulous.

This whole week, I have been amazed by how at home I feel in Berlin, and by how comfortable I feel in the city. The subway is easy to use, the streets feel safe, and the people are very friendly. The skyscrapers don’t look any different from the United States, and the energy of the city reminds me of any big city.

While there are so many similarities to America, living in Berlin has some slight differences. For starters, the summer hours in Berlin are much longer. The sun sets around 10 p.m., and then rises again at 3:30 a.m. When a few of us fellows went dancing at a club one night, we noticed the sun rising over the tall skyscrapers very early in our escapade. You might think it was 5 or 6 a.m., but no, just 3:30 in the morning, practically the middle of the night by my terms.

Another drastic difference: the cars. There are way more BMWs and Mercedes and Porches in Berlin than I have ever seen (although, I hear there is a lot of money in Munich… so maybe the number of luxury vehicles will increase as my travels continue southward). All the previously mentioned companies are German, and gee-whizz do they support domestic industry. Even the taxis all seem to be Mercedes. It’s great for a car enthusiast like me to see some of these high-powered engines put to good use, especially on the Autobahn, where speed limits don’t exist.

There is one more major reminder that my new home is foreign: the vast amounts of history in this city and in this country. I’m a big history buff; in fact some of my dear friends have affectionately called me a nerd, but I’ll be the first to argue that the pervasiveness of history, change and development Germany has seen is far greater than anything America has ever witnessed.

The empires and kingdoms date back to the early centuries of time, the large influence the culture had on the turmoil of the 20th century and the incredible strides the German people have taken to redirect and re-establish their spot in our future amaze me. The monuments, cathedrals, palaces and testaments to times gone by all astound me. I could get lost in all the history and be perfectly content.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

Easton says she has been charmed by Germans’ PDAs, or public displays of affection.

There’s just one more thing I’d like to add to the mix. I’ve noticed that in Berlin, along with the other European countries I’ve visited, “personal displays of affection” are all around. Couples hold hands, kiss intimately, cuddle, touch, embrace, canoodle and openly love one another in public. I’m not saying everyone is trying to make a porno, just that affection is openly accepted and welcomed in all public places.

I applaud the Europeans for their PDA and their courage to not be prudish. It’s such a nice change from the United States to see couples together acting openly passionate and attentive to one another. It is a very loving characteristic and a nice change from our “not in public” American culture.

It’s the same for Berlin as any other country in the world. There are similarities, and there are differences, positives and plenty of negatives. Not everyone would want to live there, and a lot of people already do. The charm a city holds is always a personal opinion, but I decided this about two days into my trip, and my conviction still holds strong: Ich liebe Berlin. I love Berlin.
 

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

The gates of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp read, "Work Makes Freedom." Easton has been learning — and thinking about — Germany’s attempts to reconcile its past.

For many of us, admitting fault is a hard concept not easily employed. For many democratic countries, including the United States, the ability to learn from leadership failures and mistakes abroad is a foreign concept all together.

Deutschland is admirable. The culture, politics and lifestyle of present-day Germany are a long and arduous lesson it has been learning since World War II. The Germans accept it. They welcome it.

Children of Nazis and the Third Reich felt an extreme guilt post-World War II, realizing their parents, loved ones and trusted guardians had participated in one of the most appalling conflicts of all time.

Although, there were two sides of the story: Hitler was an amazing orator and propagandist. He used extreme measures at times to enlist troops, often threatening families with deportation to concentration camps if they did not cooperate. He promised a downtrodden and depressed Germany fortune and superiority. Hitler lifted their confidence, boosted morale and lied.

On the other hand, mass extermination of 7 million people is horrid and intolerable. The Third Reich was a heinous organization, ready to annihilate the rest of the world in order to create more lebenstraum, or living space, for their own ayrian race.

Then add in communism. Germany is divided by four world powers; the city of Berlin is a hot bed for political unrest and is divided by a wall. The economy of the West is booming, while the East lags behind. Germany left one war, only to find itself in the middle of another.

Yet, the country has emerged as the No. 1 exporter in the world and a main player on the current stage of politics and foreign affairs. The European Union looks to Germany for leadership, and President Obama has visited with Chancellor Merkel multiple times since his inauguration in January. Germany has come full circle since World War II.

Here’s why: Young German school children tour remaining concentration camps routinely. They are educated from a young age on German history, their history, and what they must do to continue peace. In high school, they have a one-year intense study on the Nazis and Germany’s past. Education is key to prevention.

All over the country, especially in Berlin, is the reminder of darker times. The holocaust museum and monument are considered a main attraction. Throughout the city, one can see the doorsteps of apartment buildings and businesses with the names of Jewish families taken from their homes to concentration camps. The family name is inscribed permanently for commemoration.

The German parliament has enacted polices to protect itself from further tension. When the Berlin Wall finally fell, reunification began. The bridge between the East and West needed to be restored, and with that came the need to advance East Germany to the same standards as the West. Since 1990, hundreds of billons of Euros have gone to East Germany for construction and industry.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

"Germany is a changed country," Easton writes. "Soon the German stereotype won’t reflect a destructive past, but will reflect a progressive future."

Free speech is limited. It is illegal to speak out against any type of race and against democracy. A person can easily be arrested for such an act. The same goes for religion. A group of people gathering in a mosque to speak out against Jews is illegal. It is the same vice versa. Germany won’t allow another leader like Hitler who can sway the populous masses and inflict harm on those who are different.

Germany is extremely pacifistic. It doesn’t want to be a flashy country. It relies on European unification for existence. It attempts steady relations with all its neighbors, including Russia, which held the country captive over four decades.

Germany is a changed country. Soon the German stereotype won’t reflect a destructive past, but will reflect a progressive future.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

The State Opera House draws Berliners, who support the arts with tax dollars.

See the difference? Both cities have three opera houses, but one city has less than half the population of people. To put it straight, Berlin has a lot of opera.

As I have been told, the Berlin opera houses are state-funded through taxes from the public. Many times, the city has attempted to close one or more of the opera houses in hopes the taxpayers would want to reduce their fees and open more land within the city.

Berliners want none of that. Each time their city government tries to shutdown an opera house, they unite to form a major outcry and coalition, prompting the city to back off and let the opera house continue production.

Opera, needless to say, is very important to the Berliners.

When attending Salome at the State Opera House, I saw a variety of ages among the audience. Middle school boys taking their dates to the opera, so refined and cultured. Little girls, with their parents, jumping in glee at thought of attending a show. Senior citizens, children, teenagers, adults –they all attend the opera, seem to enjoy the opera and to support the opera.

Courtesy photo

Kaylyn Easton, far right, took in a performance of Salome with three other RIAS fellows.

The people of Berlin hold a special appreciation for the arts, especially music. There are schools for jazz, music festivals, out door concerts, symphonies, chamber choirs, folk music and much more. And from my experience, it seems everyone is a fan.

Just the other night, I attended a little jazz concert near the museum district of the city. The concert was sponsored by a local radio station and featured an American jazz professor and her band. The band was very international: a drummer from Finland, a guitarist from Belgium, a bass player from Berlin, and the American teacher who sang. This professor used the concert to showcase three of her best jazz performance students (from Germany, England, and Yugoslavia).

Again in the crowd were people of all ages enjoying the live, free music. Young men just off of work still in their suits drinking beer, older couples moving to the classic tunes, younger romantics canoodling, small children dancing, and middle-aged adults drinking wine while eating cheese.

The age diversity in the audience thrills me. In Indianapolis, at the Jazz Festival, I didn’t see that range. Sure, there are people of every generation attending, but not in the over whelming numbers as I find attending opera and listening to artistic music in Berlin. It’s the cool thing to do, no matter what age.

Wouldn’t it be nice if those same cultured sentiments were valued for the arts and music within our own country?

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

Easton says the Loeb building, which looks like auto engine cylinders, is a metaphor for working toward democratic government.

The country was formally ruled by imperial government, then torn apart by fascist regimes of the Third Reich during World War II, and finally split into a partially communist nation during the Cold War. It wasn’t until 1990 when the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviets relieved control of the country that a democratic government could prevail in Deutschland. In essence, the Germany of today is less than 20 years old.

To give an example of Germany’s modern government, let’s look at the architecture of one of the federal buildings located in Berlin: the Paul Löbe Building. This building stands along the Spree River on the former divide of East and West Berlin and is used for the work of the parliamentary committees, whose two story meeting rooms are housed in eight rotundas.

When looking at the interior of the Paul Löbe Building, one might notice the resemblance of an automobile engine containing eight cylinders. This design is not with out reason, as it is a metaphor for the work the party committees do in order to progress and continue driving the car – or, in reality, the democratic government.

The design is modern, with reason, and not what a visitor would expect when visiting a nation’s capital. Think of our own Washington D.C. with its buildings dating back to previous centuries.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

The Marie-Elisabeth Luders building complements the Loeb building, Eason says, and demonstrates the joining of East and West.

Directly across the river from the Paul Löbe building, sitting on the opposite side of the former east/west Berlin divide, is the Marie-Elisabeth Lüders Builidng. The roof of this building is the exact opposite in shape of the Paul Löbe Building, so if the two were joined, the roofs would fit perfectly together. This demonstrates further use of metaphor within German architecture. Where the symbolic joining of these two buildings represents East and West Berlin uniting to form a solid government and national capital.

A majority of the federal buildings in Berlin are newly constructed and renovated. When the Allies bombed Berlin in World War II, this area near the river was completely destroyed. In fact, the only building to survive air raids in this part of the city was the Swiss Embassy, which is still occupied by the Swiss government. Because of the destruction from war and the communist divide within the city, much of the federal campus had to be rebuilt.

Now to be fair, the Reichstag Building, where parliament meets to pass legislation and make government decisions, was constructed in 1894. However, after two wars devastating the heart of Berlin, the building had to undergo extensive renovations during the early 1960’s. It wasn’t until Oct. 4, 1990, that the first Bundestag (parliament) elected by the whole of Germany held its inaugural sitting in the Reichstag Building, making it old and new at the same time.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

The Reichstag building brings the old and new together.

It is interesting to note that this building was built around the idea of transparency. There are hundreds of large windows, a tall glass dome on the roof (where a visitor can get a great view of Berlin), and plenty of open space within the interior. The Reichstag Building represents the German parliament and government. Never again does Germany want to have a fascist or dictator-like ruling system. Therefore, this idea of transparency is very important to the politicians and the people. The government wants to demonstrate their willingness to be open and honest with the public, thus designing this building specifically to symbolize their intentions.

Germans are proud of their modern architecture, representing a modern government willing to learn from history and continue on as a democratic nation. From 1990 on, Germany’s history will no longer bear resemblance to the skeletons of its past. From what I have witnessed this week, the German government is prepared to continue democracy, and the citizens are prepared to defend it.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

What’s left of the Berlin Wall now boasts art and is a place for self-expression.

Immediately, my mind is thrown back to a different time, when this unique city was divided by political conflict. Two separate cities, one East and the other West, close together in proximity, yet so divided. It’s my first day in Berlin, and already I find myself reflecting on the enormous amounts of history that this city preserves.

At Checkpoint Charlie, we [the RIAS group] learn about the courage and ingenuity of some GDR citizens who tried to escape to the West by means of tunnels, concealed compartments in cars, suitcases and even a one-man submarine.

Pieces of the Berlin Wall remain intact all throughout the city. It is chilling and fascinating at the same time. One second you’re on the West, then the East. For a visiting tourist, it’s rather exciting, though I doubt the Berlin Wall represents that notion for many of the residents who experienced the hardships behind the Iron Curtain.

As we discover more parts of the remaining wall, the dark concrete becomes more eerie. To reach the west side of Berlin, an East Berliner would have to pass a small wall erected on the eastern side leading to “no-man’s land,” where Soviet guards would patrol a portion of land leading to the Berlin Wall. If you could make it pass the electric fences and security devices, then you would face the guards who, as I’m told, weren’t shy about using their guns. Once you are past the guards, then it’s over (or under) the Berlin Wall to freedom.

Photo by Kaylyn Easton

Bricks in the street commemorate the Berlin Wall.

The Berliners have done a nice job of turning the longest and best preserved portion of the Berlin Wall into a piece of remembrance and art. On the eastern side paralleling the Spree River, the 1,300 meter section was turned into an open-air gallery by international artists in 1990. The murals, words and paintings reflect their feelings on the Berlin Wall and what it represents to the city. The works of art are exquisite, painful, courageous, evocative.

The Berlin Wall intrigues me. Never before have I been on the other-side of freedom. To be within walking distance of democracy and a free life, yet unable to get there –to me, that’s what the wall represents.