After our first week of class, Berlin has made a pretty big impression on me and everyone else here. The lifestyle here is unlike anything I’ve experienced.
Firstly, the public transportation here is simple, effective, and approachable. Access to any part of the city is a 2 minute walk to the train station away. Everyone who’s gotten “lost” has been able to find their way without more than 10 minutes of observation and thought.
Secondly, Berlin has a thousand different great things to do, in a diverse set of locations, once again, all easily accessible. This makes every small outing a fun event, because you get to see a part of the city you’ve never been to before.
For example, a group of us went to see a photography exhibition cohosted by our organizer. Photography exhibitions are nice, but normally it wouldn’t be worth getting a ride from my parents to go see, and I couldn’t really see myself going with my friends in any case.
Here I’m with my peers, we’re on our own, we’re experiencing all of this new stuff together, we’re at ease, and we are getting so much out of what we’re doing almost effortlessly.
The local people here are casual, and although I am younger than most of them (and even a good number of my classmates) they treat me as they would anyone else. It’s refreshing to exist in a world like this.
