2023 PLU World Music Centers: Bearlin

On the night that we arrived in Berlin I thought I would be too tired to appreciate it, because we arrived several hours late due to plane complications. When we took our bus to the hostel I remarked that the nature was so similar to home, that if you had stuck me there without telling me where I was, I would think I was in Washington. As we approached the area of the city where we were staying, right in the middle of Berlin, I realized it wasn't like anywhere I had ever been before. Every single building looked old, which is what struck me first. I think that is what separated the scenery from the USA so much. There were ornate domes everywhere, which I have only ever really seen the likes of in person on our capital building. That night, since we had missed our dinner, we were told to scamper around the city freely, which was a bit unexpected. Me and two others at the young age of nineteen, wandered around the cold dark streets of Berlin, feeling a little lost, confused, and immature, until we found a welcoming little pho restaurant, that was a little too close to closing for comfort, but it seemed like the easiest option. We learned that night that Americans are easy to make fun of. Our waiter was very kind but he laughed at us a lot in an accent I was trying very hard, and failing most of the time, to understand. After all of that, I rolled into bed very late at night, and woke up the next day very early in the morning. I don't have much to say about our hostel, other than it seemed “hip” and it had cornflakes.

The first performance we saw was “Oceane,” a modern opera that sparked a lot of controversy in our little 21 person group. I personally thought it was beautiful. The plot in short was that of a woman with an ethereal, untamable beauty who believed that nature is the greatest of all the riches. The owners of a hotel wanted to ask her for a private loan because they believed that she was very wealthy. Before they could, she showed a side of her that they didn’t understand. She danced in a way that seemed inappropriate to them, but she couldn’t understand why. The people shunned her, but at the same time, there was a man who “fell in love with her.” He assaulted her, and she fought him off. To keep a long story short, she “returned to the sea” where she belonged, and left the man a note saying she loved him. The opera was written by a man and this seemed pretty clear by watching it. That was where my qualm was. The music was beautiful, but I am adamant that it was wrong for her to be written as in love in the end, it seemed to defeat her whole personality and morals.

Though all of the music related art was wonderful, my favorite times were wandering around the city with small groups of friends. Two separate days I wandered with two lovely groups of people looking for the berlin bears. (https://www.buddy-baer.com/en/) The bears are all different, and are a representation of cultural tolerance. They are scattered about Berlin in front of different business or scenic areas. Some were vandalized, which was disappointing, but most were smiling anyways. The second day of my bear tour, I also had the privilege of accompanying two dear friends to the Berlin TV tower, which might have been my favorite experience of Berlin, which makes me feel like a fake fan of music, but it was a spectacular experience. I hadn’t yet realized how big Berlin was, because we had mostly explored while walking. I also hadn’t realized how incredibly flat it was. I could see for miles and miles. It was unlike any other experience I have ever had. As cool as the space needle is, it doesn't compare to seeing Berlin in all of its magnificent flatness.