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Oh and PS - I  have a tumblr now ... so check it out!!! :-)

Senior Year Begins

I'm back!! Sorry for disappearing this summer! I've just been super busy - I was working at Upward Bound (a residential college prep program for high school students) this summer and it was even more hectic than last year! I was a floor supervisor, which basically means a lot more responsibility - late night meetings, mentoring students and staff, etc. - and I was teaching a newsletter/yearbook class! So my days and nights this summer were pretty full, I mean I barely had time to sleep!!!

But anyways, enough about this summer, because I'm finally back at St. Mike's!!!! And I'm a senior!!! Senior - that word brings up so many emotions - I mean I'm excited, because I'll be graduating from college in less than a year and I'll be able to begin the next chapter of my life ... but at the same time I'm absolutely terrified, because I don't know what that next chapter is going to look like.

Of course I have some ideas of what I would like to do and I've started to act upon them - I would really like to teach English abroad in Asia for a year after I graduate and I've begun the application process. But really that's the only plan I have, so if I don't get in I have no idea what I'm going to do. I mean, if I don't get into my first choice program, WorldTeach, then I'll most likely apply to a different program, but it's just so scary to think about right now!!

But getting back to senior year - I'm already half way through my second week here at St. Mike's and I'm already super busy with work ... this may have something to do with the new 4/4 course system, but I think a lot of it has to do with the classes I'm taking. I mean, I'm taking my Anthropology Capstone this semester, which just may end up consuming my life. Right now we're only in the planning stages, but we hope to open up an all girls after school program for local high school students in Winooski. Now don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about this project ... I just can't wait to get past all the planning and actually be able to work with the girls.

Besides that I'm also taking the first semester of my Senior Seminar for Journalism (again a lot of work, a lot of research and brainstorming), along with Photo Journalism and Engaged Theory/Method for Anthro.

But enough about classes, more importantly, I'm living in the 300's this year!!! In a cute little townhouse complete with 4 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and a kitchen and living room downstairs. I absolutely love it, because we essentially have our own house and we get to do our own cooking!!! Not to mention the fact that I absolutely love my roommates (pictured below)!!! Two of which, Lauren and Ellen, I've known all 4 years; Hillary I didn't really meet until last year - but we all get along great and love to hang out.

Lauren, Myself, Hillary, and Ellen

P-Day '11

P-Day, P-Day, P-Day - what would St. Mike's be without P-Day? Definitely not the same, that's for sure.

For those of you who don't know what P-Day is, it's by far one of the most exciting, fun days of the entire school year. It's the last weekend, before the weekend before exams, so basically the second to last weekend and everyone just spends the whole day having fun!!! The school sets up all these inflatables, they get bands to play, there are activities like face painting and henna tattoos, not to mention the food - the best part of P-Day!!! The Vermonster from PK Cafe - by far the best!!! Basically it's the day everyone looks forward to all year long!!

Oh, and most people make their own shirts - this year we all bought crazy spandex and painted "Cants touch this" on black t-shirts (we live in Canterbury - hence Cants).

But anyways here are some pics of all the fun!!! :-)

Around how many students are in your Editing & Design class?

This semester there are 8 editors and 3 managing/executive editors (who took the class last year). Which probably doesn't sound like a lot of people to produce our weekly paper, but the small class size is actually really nice!

We're small enough where everyone can really get to know everyone else and we've kind of become a family in a sense - it sounds lame I know, but when you spend 8 hours every Sunday together, it just kind of happens!

At the same time, it's also large enough where we can pretty much split up all the work - for example, there are 2 news editors and 2 features editors (these are the largest sections), 1 sports editor, 1 columns/calendar editor, 1 online editor, and 1 opinion editor, plus the 3 returning editors (1 managing editor, 1 executive editor, and 1 managing online editor). So we all have our own jobs, and do our own thing, but at the same time we all help each other - we actually all work really well together, which is nice, and even though the class is a lot of work, I'm definitely going to miss it!!!

Hope that helps!!! Don't hesitate to ask any other questions!!!!

* Sorry for the late response!!! *

What do you want to know about SMC??

Rural Vermont

Sorry for the delay in writing a post - I've just been super busy with spring break and post-spring break work. Actually that's kind of a lie, spring break wasn't busy for me at all! I basically stayed at home all week and did nothing but catch up on some much needed sleep - next year's spring break will be much more eventful - you can count on that! lol!

But I did get to do some fun things while I was home - I'd have to say the most exciting adventure I had was that first weekend back home in Northern Vermont. My boyfriend Mike and our friends, Meghan and Ron came up to Eden for the weekend and we stayed at my neighbor's place. They have a house that they rent out to visitors, complete with sliding/snowshoeing/hiking/skiing/snowboarding trails and miniature goats!! It was a lot of fun, just hanging out and spending time in the great outdoors.

Anyways, here are some pictures from our weekend together:

Mike, Ron, and Meghan getting ready to slide - they would pull us up to the top of the really long,
windy trails with their bobcat and we would slide down - going way too fast!!!

The 4 of us with my doggie - Dixie :-)

Bonfire :-)

Meghan making smores.

Meghan with Wanderer - the Mini Goat :-)

Brownie and Wanderer - yes, not only do they come inside everyday,
but they're also allowed on the furniture!!!!

Spike!!!!

Wanderer!!!

Anyone interested in checking out their property can click here.

Do People Ever Double Major with JO?

I'm actually a double major in JO and Anthropology and I have a friend who is a double major in French and JO. I'm not sure just how many students are double majors, but I do know that all JO majors are required to have at least one minor alongside their major.

But it's definitely possible to double major with JO and still graduate in 4 years, I mean I've been able to do it and I even studied abroad last semester. It does require a little planning ahead of time, going thru and figuring out what classes are required for each major - but a lot of students are able to do across all majors.

Hope that helps!!! Don't hesitate to ask any other questions!!

The Life of a JO Major

I'll just be right up front and say it - being a journalism major is not easy. There are so many class requirements in general, and more times than not the work load can be stressful. There are times when I'm stuck staying up late writing an article or editing paper or whatever it may be, while all my friends are out in the common room watching a movie - and it gets old fast. But in the end, I know it will be worth it, after all I'm learning skills that I will be able to use in my everyday life, no matter where I end up - that's the good thing about being a JO major.

Out of all the Journalism requirements, the one that I think I've learned the most from and gotten the most out of is the class I'm in right now - Editing and Design. While there are a lot of negative rumors surrounding this class (most specifically centered around the amount of work students are required to complete), it's really not that bad at all. It is true that the class meets 3 times a week and 7 Sundays out of the semester are dedicated to labs - but in the end, the work you produce is really rewarding. You end up with something tangible, something real that you can take to potential employers and say this is what I did - here's the school paper that I reported for, edited, and laid out.

Because in this class you do it all. You pitch story ideas, some of which you actually write, others you simply edit (I say simply here - but it's a little more involved then that: you actually have to meet with your media writer and go over their articles with them, help them with edits, and be there for them along the way in case any problems arise - it's a big leadership role). Not only do you write and edit, but you also get to lay out the paper - you place everything from articles, to pictures, to graphs, to ads (this is what you spend your Sundays doing) - you're basically one of those people who makes the final decision on how the news is presented to the rest of the campus community - which may sound overwhelming, but is really rewarding. 

You also get a little more freedom in the stories you report on - I mean, you are the one to pitch the stories, so you can pitch something you're really interested in and then write about it. I recently had the chance to write an article about the amount of work students are actually expected to do while in college and I got to talk to some pretty cool people - most specifically a professor at NYU, Richard Arum, who published the study, "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses." The great thing about this interview is that at the time I was the only college student reporter he had agreed to talk with - even though he'd received requests from school all across the country. The reason he chose to talk to me was because I had conducted an online survey to find out how much work was required by students at SMC. This may not sound like the most exciting article out there to write - but it really was interesting! 

This class overall has just been great and I've learned a lot. I mean, before the semester began I had no idea how to use Adobe In-Design and now I use it every weekend. Not only that, but I've also been able to meet with and talk to really interesting people and I've taken on a leadership role with the community at St. Michael's. So, yea it may be hard, but in the end it's definitely worth it!

Anyone interested in checking out "The Defender" - St. Mike's paper  - can see it right online here.

Final Farewells

Saying good-bye to my life in Berlin was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Don't get me wrong I was excited to go back home to finally see my friends and family - but there was a part of me that didn't want to leave.

I mean I had friends, a family, a whole life in Berlin - and I had to say good-bye to all of it, forever. Well, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic, I can always go back to Berlin (and I will), but it won't be the same. I won't be a residence of Berlin, I will just be any other tourist - sleeping in a hotel/hostel, eating out every night, and marveling at the changes that will most likely take place between now and then. Sure, I'll still take public transportation and spend some time visiting friends, but when it comes down to it, weeks can't possibly compare to months.

And those last few weeks in Berlin were by far the most rewarding but also the hardest. I finally finished up my research project and presented it - which was a huge weight off my shoulders. I did all my last minute Christmas shopping a and bought way too much chocolate. And I somehow managed to pack up the absurd amounts of clothing that for some reason I originally thought I would need.

After all the logistics were taken care of I finally had time to say my real good-byes.

I'd have to say that my last Sunday in Berlin was one of my favorites, even though I tried something I'd never done before - I made homemade mac and cheese and then proceeded to serve it to my host family, my friend Seinab, who lived below me and her family, as well as my friend from Lexia, Kristina. And even though I wasn't able to find all the right ingredients, it didn't end in disaster, it actually turned out to be a really fun evening.

The 8 of us just ended up spending the night siting around eating and talking about everything from American pop culture to German rules of etiquette  (apparently in Germany the polite thing to do at the dinner table is to keep both of your wrists up on the table, in sight, at all times). And as silly as that all may sound, it was a really great way to spend my last Sunday in Berlin.

It was kind of like my last night in Berlin - a lot of fun, but with an underlying uncertainty for the future. What is it going to be like going home? How different will it be? How different will I be? Will my friends and family still accept me? All of these thoughts and more were swirling around in my head as I spent my last night in Berlin with host family.

They tried to comfort me, tried to make the transition home easier. We talked about how we would keep in touch - how I would one day come back to visit and how they will one day come visit me in Vermont. We exchanged little gifts, contact info, and stories - talking about all the things we had done that semester while eating cheese fondue. And while I did have a great time, that uncertainty never really left me and as I boarded the plane home that next day it only grew.

Looking back now on those last few days in Berlin I feel a little silly - I mean, of course my family and friends were going to accept me back, I mean they did welcome me home with open arms. But there were a few little things that did throw me off on my return home - one of the biggest being America's greed for money.

It just seemed like coming home that everyone was always concerned about money and making more and more - like enough was never enough. And after being nagged to buy more at Verizon and getting a parking ticket (all at the same time) I was ready to hop on the next plane back to Berlin. But I didn't - I stuck it out and home soon began to feel like home again.

And now, of course, I couldn't be happier to be home (although I do have the travel bug - I think southeast Asia may be next). But I haven't forgotten about Berlin - after all it was my home for almost 4 months; I was able to make real connections with the people, the place, the culture - and that's something I am never going to forget.

Kobenhavn

So I thought I would take a moment and go back to my life in Europe to tell you about my last excursion outside of Germany - Copenhagen, Denmark.

At the time, I had a friend who was spending her fall semester studying in Copenhagen, so I thought - why not? It's relatively close anyways. So after a 7 hour train ride (which included a ferry ride - yes, the train went on the ferry), my friend, Jess (who was still visiting me) and I landed in Denmark. Once there we met up with our mutual friend Laura, and another friend who was also visiting at the same time, Eliza (who goes to SMC).

The four of us had an awesome time just hanging out, seeing the sights, and freezing our toes off. (Side Note - Copenhagen, being right on the coast, is extremely cold and very snowy.)

Anyways, here are some pictures of our adventures in the snow.

Traditional Danish Food: Open-Faced Sandwiches

Apple pie for dessert :-)

Jess, Me, Laura, and Eliza in front of the Little Mermaid Statue

Changing of the guards

Denmark, like England, still has a ruling monarchy. The interesting thing about this one, is that it's more female based - what I mean by this is that, if the first heir is a girl, she will become queen and her husband will be called the male escort. But if the first heir is a man, he will become king and his wife will become queen - so in this way, no matter what, there is always a queen, but not necessarily always a king.

One of the more interesting places we visited while in Copenhagen, was Christiania. Basically Christiania is this self-declared "nation" right in the middle of Copenhagen. I guess, it used to be an army training facility, but was eventually abandoned by the government, so people just started moving in. They eventually ended up declaring themselves free from Denmark, and came up with their own government, complete with laws and everything. If I had to sum it up in one word - I'd have to say it's pretty much a hippie nation - they're all about being environmentally friendly (cars aren't allowed on their land), and it's free to live there! It's was actually a pretty cool place to visit! If you want to learn more about check out this website. 

Berlin to Vermont

So I know it's been way too long since the last time I blogged and I apologize for that! But in my defense I've been super busy with final projects in Berlin, returning to Vermont, and now starting classes at SMC ... needless to say my life has been pretty crazy these past few weeks.

I don't even know where to begin, there are so many things I never got the chance to blog about during my last few weeks in Germany - I mean, I went to Denmark, I finished my final project (the blog about German Turkish Relations), I had to say good-bye to all my friends and host family, and now I'm back in Vermont at St. Mike's.

It's definitely been a surreal experience - to be honest, half the time I feel like I wasn't even in Berlin at all - like it was all a dream or something! It's crazy to think about!!! But something that I wouldn't give up for for the world. I mean, don't get me wrong I love Vermont and SMC and I'm so happy to be back, but I really do miss Berlin. I miss the people, the food, the city, traveling - I miss just about everything!!! And I would give anything to go back there one day - I mean, I know I'm going to go back one day, I just don't know when. Regardless of that though, it really was a once in a lifetime experience that I highly suggest to everyone and anyone. It doesn't even matter where you go, the point, is that you go!

Sachsenhausen

Last week our entire program went to Sachsenhausen, a former forced-labor concentration camp just outside of Berlin. While this one was very similar to the other one we went to in Weimar, it held more importance during the Nazis reign, as it was the administrative center for all concentration camps and where many SS men were trained.

Camp Entrance

This particular camp was known for housing political prisoners, but there were, of course, others there as well - Jews, criminals, homeless people - basically anyone who was different was at risk of winding up at one of these camps.

Like the other camp, many of the buildings at this one were no longer standing - but there was a replica of one of the barracks, and we were actually able to see where/how the prisoners lived.

Bunk beds, where prisoners slept, often sharing a bed with many others.

Common Area

Wash Room

Bathroom

 This particular barrack was for Jewish prisoners, and was actually almost burned down about 20 years ago. A group of Neo-Nazis came to the camp and attempted to burn down this particular part of it, because they didn't want people to remember or memorialize the Jews that had lived there.

The fire caused the paint to peel, but wasn't repaired, because the people at the camp
wanted it to stand as a remembrance for what the Neo-Nazis tried to do

In this particular camp, as well as many others, certain prisoners were assigned to higher positions. For example, one prisoner would oversee a barrack and get their own bed, and special privileges. This was one way for the Nazis to keep the prisoners divided and prevent them from rising up in defiance - because many of those assigned to these special positions, weren't very nice to the other prisoners at all. They would beat them, pick on them, basically just do mean, spiteful things, because they could. However, that doesn't mean there weren't those who were nice, in fact some of them did all they could to help out the other prisoners - they would provide secret German lessons, so foreign prisoners could understand the Nazis' commands, or help them switch jobs, if theirs was especially difficult.

However, sometimes it was hard to save people, as many were in fact killed either while working or just because a Nazi felt like it. At this particular camp, many, many Soviet Soldiers were killed - the Nazis gave the impression that they were just going to admit the prisoners of war into the camp, and took them, one by one, into a building and killed them.

Flowers in remembrance of those who died

What remains of the Crematorium

Memorial at Crematorium

It was definitely an intense experience, I mean, I did kind of know what it was going to be like, since I'd already been to one. But it didn't really change the effect it had on me. These memorials are definitely sad places, but it's important that we honor those who died, and remember what took place in these camps, so we can prevent it from happening again in the future.

European Reunion and X-Mas Markets

The week of Thanksgiving I had some pretty awesome visitors!! My friend, Carola, from Munich - the one I went to Oktoberfest with - came up for the weekend before, and my friends from high school, Phillip and Jess came up for the whole week!!!

It was so much fun to see everyone and just explore Berlin! I was able to take them to the sights, and we went to the Christmas Markets (did a lot of Christmas shopping there), we ate bratwurst and döner, went on a pub crawl! It was just an awesome time and I'm really glad that we were all able to hang out - Phil and Jess hadn't seen Carola since she left VT a few years ago - so I actually didn't tell them that she was coming and we surprised them at the airport! It was great!!! :-)

Visiting My German Roots

A few weekends ago, I got to do something that I've always wanted to do, something that a lot of people never have the chance to do. I was able to meet my family, my German family, and visit the city where my oma (grandmother) grew up - Mannheim.

As I've probably said before in previous blogs, my grandmother, on my mother's side, is originally from Germany. She met my grandfather, who was stationed in Mannheim following WWII, during the Allies occupation of Germany, married him, had my uncle, moved to Vermont, and had my mom. Therefore, like all of my grandmother's family is still in Germany, well at least 5 of her brothers are and I was actually able to meet one of them, my Uncle Albert and his family (his wife and 2 daughters).

It was an absolutely awesome experience - they were super nice, took me everywhere, cooked delicious food (my aunt is a great cook), and just totally and completely accepted me into their family! It was awesome!! I really am glad that I was able to visit them and meet them, to see where my grandmother lived growing up, where she was married to my grandfather, and where my uncle was baptized. It was just really, really cool and I know it made my grandmother (who hasn't been back to Germany in a very long time) really happy.

With my Aunt and Uncle :-)

The church where my Grandparents were married and my Uncle baptized.

While I was visiting them they also took me, via the Autobahn!!!, to Heidelberg to see the famous castle, which was pretty cool, even if it is in ruins.

The Castle 

View of the City from the Castle

The whole weekend, was just absolutely awesome and something that I'm really happy I was able to do. I mean how many people can say that they've actually had the chance to meet their extended family abroad? Not many that I know of, and I'm super happy that I had this amazing opportunity!

Project Update

So if it seems like I've been a little behind on my blog - it's because I am. I've actually been very occupied with my German/Turkish Relations project, which is no longer a paper, but a blog! I've discovered that I actually really enjoy blogging, and seeing how it is a new form of journalism, I figured, why not skip the boring, same old paper and try something new? So I did!

So far I've only done research based blog posts - but will be getting into the interviews and personal information soon. Since last blogging about my project, I've done tons of research, interviewed more people, and have set up even more interviews! It's been a long process, but a lot of fun! I'm really glad that I decided to go with the blog, because I can have a little more fun with it, and I can use not only words, but also pictures and videos!

I won't talk about it too much, because I've been writing about it like all week. But if anyone wants to check out the blog I made for my final project, it's called German Turkish Relations.

Wien

The last stop on our adventure around Europe was Wien (or Vienna), in Austria. We were really only there for one day, as our train got in really late that first night, but considering the little time we did have, I think we got to do quite a bit.

One of the first places we went to was the Schönbrunn Palace (with the mazes!!) as well as the Imperial Palace - which was pretty cool! We went thru the Sisi Museum, which documented the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (aka Sisi) - who was actually Bavarian! In fact, I was so intrigued by her that I bought her biography from the gift shop. Apparently, she was quite the woman - very driven, independent, and extremely beautiful - which she knew and used to her advantage to get what she wanted from people - particularly her husband, Emperor Francis Joseph I. Her life, as well as her death (she was murdered) was anything but dull, to say the least.

We also went to the Globe Museum, as well as the Imperial Burial Vault - which was creepy, but cool! It was basically a bunch of these rooms underground, containing the coffins of everyone from the Royal line - so there were people there from way, way back to the like the 1630's all the way up till today - I saw one coffin from 2007! One of the most famous coffins is that of Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I - they are actually in a double coffin, buried side by side. Sisi is also buried here, next to her husband and son. Not only were adults buried here, but there were also many child-sized coffins. It was creepy - knowing that you're in a room full of decomposing bodies - but at the same time it was interesting to see how the Imperial family is cared for after death, as well as to see the changes in the coffins as the years went by.

Venezia

After leaving Rome and Pompeii behind us, Mike and I took the short 3/4 hour train ride to Venezia (otherwise known as Venice) - the one place, other than Germany, that I've always wanted to visit!! And it was amazing! By far, my favorite part of our whole trip!

We got to stay on this really cute island called Lido, which was only a boat ride away from Venice and all the sights! Our first night there we spent just exploring the island, we went to the beach and saw the millions of sea shells that had collected there (seriously - I've never seen so many sea-shells at one time in my entire life) - it was crazy!!! And then we went out to eat at this cute little restaurant - I had the Tortellini Carbonara - which was absolutely amazing!!!

The next day we spent in the surrounding areas, getting to know Venice and it's culture. We were able to do a Murano Glass Blowing Tour thru our hotel - which I must say was a lot cooler than I thought it would be! The way that they can take a shard of glass and turn it into something recognizable is amazing! I swear, one minute the guy was holding a ball of glass and the next it was a glass dress! They are just extremely talented people, who really know what they are doing!! And of course - I did end up buying some glass - I did some early Christmas shopping :-)

We of course also went to all the sights, like St. Mark's Basilica, the clock tower - Torre dell'Orologio (the view from here was absolutely amazing!), the Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, and of course the Grand Canal, itself, with all the gondolas!

It was just an awesome experience overall, because first of all, I've never been to a city on the water - I mean, I've been to islands and things, but I've never been to a city, where the main mode of transportation is by boat! It's was crazy just to see how the city deals with and adapts to the environment around it. For example, we went to St. Mark's Square right after high-tide, and when we got there we could still see traces of the water - I mean by this point it had all drained out of the square, but you could tell what had happened. And in the Basilica, the entrance was all flooded, so we had to walk on ramps to get into the church, which was built higher up off of the ground to prevent water from actually getting inside the church.

It was just sometime different, and sometime pretty amazing! I really liked Venice and hopefully I can make it back there again someday - I mean before it goes completely under!

 

Naples and Pompeii

While in Rome, Mike and I decided to take a day trip into Naples and Pompeii - which was an awesome decision on our part. We left Rome early in the morning on a bus tour that drove us down through the countryside into Naples and then eventually up into Pompeii. It was absolutely amazing to see the ruins of the city, to walk the same streets that people hundreds of years ago walked - you could still see the grooves made in the roads by the wagons!! Not only that but to see where they lived (you could still see some of the beds!), to visit their city center, even the lead water pipes were still visible (not the smartest idea, but they didn't know any better back then) - all of it was just amazing!

Oh and how could I forget the casting of people who had died during the earthquake, you could clearly make out their bodies, and the position they were in when they perished. One of the men, you can tell, was attempting to cover his mouth, so he didn't breath in the smoke. Another woman is lying down, her stomach clearly showing that she was pregnant when she died. There was even a casting of a dog! It was kind of crazy to see these people, to see what they were like in their final moments, and to know that they have been and will be preserved for years to come.

It was just an awesome, surreal experience - something that I would totally do again in a heart-beat!!!

Roma

Following our 2 weeks of excursions, we were given another week off to pursue our own travel interests. And during that time my boyfriend, Mike, flew over and spent the week with me exploring Italy and Austria. The first stop on our adventure was Rome, or Roma - which to be completely honest, is a little bit over-rated. I mean don't get me wrong, it was great to see the city and all the historical buildings and everything - it just kind of felt like a tourist trap - I mean, after all, there are tons of tourists, like everywhere! But I am glad that I went and was finally able to see some of the famous, historical buildings that as a high school latin student, I heard about time and again. I do have to say however - the gelato, totally not over-rated - it's the most amazing ice cream ever!!!!!

German-Turkish Relations

I was going to wait to blog about this, but I had such an amazing morning today - I just need to tell someone about it! :)

So as part of the Lexia Visual Culture program, students are required to do a research project of some sorts - it can take any form (so research paper, photo journal, documentary, ect. all work) and it can be on basically any topic. The only requirements are that it has to be something that we can't really do back home and it has to get us out into the culture, talking to people, experiencing life in Berlin.

So, originally I was going to do my topic on Berlin's dog culture - which by the way is huge (dogs can seriously go anywhere, even into restaurants - don't get wrong, I love it, I mean I'm a total dog person, but even that surprised me). Anyways, this whole idea of dogs and the culture that exists around them, got me thinking about people who aren't really into dogs - for example, Muslims see dogs as being unclean, and therefore don't like to be around them. This would obviously present a problem for any Muslim who lives in the city - because, seriously, dogs are everywhere. This in turn got me thinking about cultural differences and how that plays a role in Berlin.

See, Berlin has a huge Turkish population, I mean, some districts have more Turks in them than Germans! It's kind of crazy, and something I didn't really think about before coming here. But the more I thought about it, the more I noticed it, and the more I wanted to know about it. So I decided to steer away from the dog culture to take on German/Turkish Relations, with a specific interest in Integration. Which is a huge topic, I realize this, but I mean my research paper is supposed to be like 18-20 pages, so I'll definitely have enough to write about!

But anyways, here's what's going on: Turks first really started coming over to Berlin in the 1960's, when they were invited over as guest workers. At that time Germany had huge employment opportunities, but not enough people to work. Therefore, an agreement was made between Turkey and Germany, that workers would come over to Germany from Turkey, for a few years to make some money and then return home. But then in 1964, the agreement changed, and the clause stating that Turks could only stay for so long was removed - see companies didn't want to have to deal with retraining employees every few years. So suddenly, Turks had the opportunity to work in Germany, bring their families with them and stay as long as they wanted - and of course some of them took advantage of that. Now many families are into their 3rd generation as Turkish-Germans, with no intention of returning home, even though some Germans are still grasping for the past, and believe that they will eventually leave.

Therefore, the question of integration comes into play. There are those who believe that Germans and Turks are not integrated at all, while there are some who feel differently. Language is one big barrier in all of this, as many older generations don't speak German, only Turkish. Which, as one can tell, can be a big problem. There are also many Turkish shops set up and Turkish communities that have formed within the city, because of this there are some who would even go as far to say that Germans and Turks lives in 2 separate worlds. Needless to say, it's definitely a heated topic throughout the country, especially in politics.

So, there's a lot of tension, but at the same time, there's not. It's really interesting - I'm still trying to figure it all out, but this morning I had the opportunity to go to a local high school in Berlin and talk with some students during their English language class (which was awesome, because, I mean, we were able to speak English together, and they're kind of my age). And they gave me some really awesome information, that I wasn't getting from newspaper articles - the best part was that for the first time, I was actually able to talk to Turks about this issue/or lack there of. Before that I had only ever had the opportunity to talk to Germans about it - who are very opinionated, at least the ones I was talking to, about the subject, and I was kind of only getting the negative side of everything. But after talking to the students this morning, I kind of get the feeling that, for their generation at least, it's not a big deal. Sure, they speak Turkish at home and hang out with Turkish friends most of the time, but they also have German friends. Even the one German guy I was talking to didn't see what the big deal was.

It was just really interesting to talk with them, and I'm now totally excited about my project and can't wait to find out more. Hopefully, I will be able to reconnect with some of those students and talk with them some more, but until then, it's off to the streets for random interviews!!

Excursions VI: Praha

The last stop on our excursions brought us outside of Germany and into the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague (or Praha, as they say). We spent about 3 days there, just walking around, touring the city, seeing the sights - it was a lot of fun but also really interesting. I mean, Prague is after all an Eastern European City - therefore there are many differences compared to some of the other cities I have visited. Other than the obvious difference, that they don't use the Euro but the Czech crown - I noticed that people weren't as friendly as they are in Berlin. There were a lot of rather rude people in the city - well, rude I guess isn't really the best word for it - I mean, they may seem rude to me, but for them it's probably completely normal behavior - it's all a part of their culture.

Another random thing that I noticed was that the subways were like 10x more crowded than they are in Berlin and there were signs everywhere, warning people to beware of pickpockets - which is something I never really have to worry about in Berlin - I mean, it could happen anywhere, but the fact that they brought so much attention to it with signs and stuff, gave me the impression that it is a rather common occurrence. Prague also had a different feeling to it - I mean, this could and probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was very aware that I was in a Eastern European City - but it did feel a little different from Berlin - I mean it would anyways, it's a new city, in a new country, but I just ... I don't really know how to describe it - I guess it felt almost more foreign then Berlin - I could definitely tell that it wasn't as influenced by Western Society, more specifically the States, as some other European cities, like Berlin, are.

Another difference is their language - I mean of course they speak another language, but it's so different from anything I've ever heard before. It's not a Germanic or Romantic language, nor is it Asian influenced. They speak, Czech, which is a Slovic language - completely, 100% foreign to me! But I did learn that "Thank you" in Czech is "děkuji!" :-)

One thing that I did really liked about Prague was the food!!! We went to this typical Czech restaurant one night and it was just absolutely amazing!!! I ordered the Beef Goulash - not your typical America Goulash at all!!! It was beef, onions, and peppers soaked in this amazing gravy, all of which was in this gigantic bread bowl!!! It was by far the best goulash I've ever and probably will ever have! I couldn't even eat all of it - I mean I ate all the goulash, but with bread bowl on top of it all, I couldn't do - it was just so much, so good, and so cheap!! It was an amazing night! lol!