I Support Tacheles!

I arrived in Berlin in the late afternoon on a Friday, and after settling in with my CouchSurfing host, I went out for the evening to explore the city a little bit with Shana (my roommate in Poland). We didn't know very much about the city and it was already getting dark outside, so we just wandered. The first noteworthy thing we stumbled upon was the Brandenburg Gate, brightly illuminated, imposing and impressive.

We weren't really sure what to do in the city at night because we didn't feel like going out but still wanted to do something, so we just chose a stop on the metro and got off; Orienburger was the stop, and we hit the jackpot (well, in my opinion at least, ha!) Upon walking up from the metro, the first two blocks were scattered with women who were very clearly working the street. After those few blocks, we reached a booming area of restaurants, night clubs, and alternative art centers/squats. The most amazing thing I encountered in the entirety of Berlin we accidently stumbled upon.

Tacheles is a squat occupied by a group of artists who have turned the building into their studio/gallery space, as well as a space with bars and places to just hang out and be. The atmosphere was unlike anything I'd ever experienced, something reminiscent of New York in the 80s perhaps. Don't be deterred by the overwhelming smell of urine present at the entrance to the building, the upstairs floors are filled with the aroma of incense (perhaps to cover up the smell of marijuana). As an artist, I was incredibly inspired. It was kind of everything I have always wanted; a place where art is valued but money is irrelevant. A place where you can show and sell artwork on the floor with labels written in sharpie on torn pieces of notebook paper. A place where a gallery can have dirt on the floor and graffiti on the walls. A place where it doesn't matter if your canvas is stretched perfectly and the staples are showing on the sides. A place where trash becomes art and whoever you are, however you are, is perfectly acceptable. The artists respectfully ask that photos not be taken in the studio/exhibition space itself so photos are of the building and other spaces.

Unfortunately, the lease for Tacheles ran out in 2008 and the building has been purchased by a corporation. To my understanding, Tacheles will be closing within the next month, which for many Berliners will in a way mark the end of an era. There is a huge movement right now of "I Support Tacheles!" to try to keep it open; only time will tell..

World Map Perspective

Here in Warsaw, I am taking a Cultural Adaptation Workshop with other international students. In the workshop, we learn about customs and perspectives of other cultures. The exercise that intrigued me the most was when we were all asked to draw maps of the world. The group included students from the United States, Spain, Moldova, and Korea. The outcome of our maps, while often poorly drawn, were fascinating to me. Students from America and Western Europe drew a "Western World Map" while some students drew what is called an "Asian (or Chinese) World Map". Another map we looked at, which is meant to be a joke, but is none the less interesting to me is the "Australian World Map." A Turkish student from another workshop simply drew Turkey and Iraq. I submitted some of them to the Hand Drawn Maps Association, hopefully they will make it on the website!

World Perspective: Turkey

World Perspective: Globalization

World Perspective: Korea I

World Perspective: Korea II

World Perspective: USA Center

The Pros and Cons of Public Transportation

One of the huge things I will miss about Europe when I return to the U.S. is widespread, convenient, cheap public transportation. Accustomed to having my car back home however, there are things that never even occurred to me as possible cons of using public transportation all the time. The worst thing is grocery shopping, because you can only take home what you can carry, which can be quite hard when trying to carry food for the week, laundry detergent, a laundry drying rack, and a pack of beer (trust me, I've done it, I know what you're thinking, leave behind the beer, but come on, really?!). Another thing that can occur with public transportation is safety, now I'm not talking about safety in terms of accidents, I'm talking about safety in terms of when you are riding a night bus home at 3 o'clock in the morning and there is a man sitting in front of you clearing inebriated and trying to come on to you in Polish, all the while drooling on himself.. I like taxis more and more. The last con of relying solely on public transportation is that if there is some sort of unfortunate accident, when in a car, it is easy to avoid traffic by taking some sort of alternative route via back roads, etc. However, when relying on a single line of tram tracks to get from point A to point B, it is a serious issue when the trams shut down for three hours, as can be observed in my photos below...

 

Closecalls with Angry Dogs..

Flashback Update #1

A couple weeks ago, the weather in Warsaw finally began to let up so I decided it was time for some exploring and photography. I was wandering around Praga, one of the oldest districts in Warsaw with some of the only pre-WWII buildings still standing in the city, taking photos of interesting things I stumbled upon. I found an intriguing doorway leading into a small, rundown courtyard, in which was a a beautiful shrine to Mary. I was astonished that something so bright was in the midst of such gray, drab surroundings. So I was snapping photos like crazy, feeling like I'd found something really special, when a large dog started barking at me. Upon seeing the dog, I immediately began backing up, because he/she had his head down, hair standing up, and teeth bared. I tried talking the dog down, and the whole time the only thing I could think was that it probably only understood Polish.. yeah I know, not the most practical thing to be worrying about in the face of an angry dog. I started running when the dog lunged my way and you better believe I have never run that fast in my life. The dog chased me for two blocks when I cut through a little tunnel alley. I managed to snap a picture of the dog down the tunnel before scampering off on my way, again I know, not the most practical thing to be focused on. Here are the images I managed to get from this adventure/close encounter...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in Business!

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple weeks. I was experiencing technical difficulties in the form of having no computer. But no worries, I am currently typing on my MacBook Pro with a brand-spanking-new 15" LCD screen (puts a dent in my wallet, but a smile on my face all at the same time). I have lots to catch up on, but that will have to wait until I'm back in Warsaw and have the time because I am on a weekend adventure to Vienna/Bratislava; no time to waste! Stories, photos, and artwork will be coming soon, promise!

Because sometimes you come home with turkey instead of ham...

"I made myself breakfast this morning!" I said over-enthusiastically to my groggy, sleep-deprived boyfriend (a six-hour time difference will make for some interesting half-asleep conversations).
"Oh yeah? What did you have?" He responded, more grumble that articulable words.
"Well, I made eggs with cheese, had sliced tomato on the side, and...turkey."
"Turkey? You ate turkey for breakfast? Is that a Polish thing?"
"Well, no. I meant to get ham, but I couldn't tell the difference at the grocery store so I accidently came home with turkey. So I just ate it anyway."
"How do you not know the difference between turkey and ham?"
"Well, I mean, it's all in Polish, and most meat looks the same to me anyway, I'll figure it out eventually."
"You are going to be there for six months and you don't know the difference between ham and turkey?"
"Oh shut up."