Good Bye Berlin

Hallo! As I write this post, I am on the train on my way to Heidelberg- my last stop during my 10-month stay in Germany. After the Wintersemester with the Middlebury School Abroad in Mainz and seven weeks in Berlin, I will now spend my last twelve weeks in Germany doing a research internship with a PhD student at Heidelberg University Hospital. More on that in my next post!

When we last left Jonathan, he was on his way to the Jewish Museum in Berlin. I think I said in a previous post that the Natural History Museum in Berlin was the most technologically advanced museum I had ever visited.  I was wrong! First of all, the museum is architecturally stunning. Visitors begin on the ground floor where they visit the Garden of Exile, built in recognition of Jewish immigrants in Germany and the Holocaust Tower, a dark, towering hollow space with just a crack of daylight that breaks through the ceiling that is meant to give the visitor maybe a small glimpse of what it felt like to be trapped in a concentration camp. As one ascends to the upper levels, one can retrace the steps of the Jews in Germany, starting from the World of Ashkenaz (950-1500 AD) all the way to the present time. I’ll end with two examples of the technology I referred to earlier. The first was an automated 3D movie that gave an overview of the first Jewish settlements in Germany. 3D glasses were not required; instead images that moved back in forth in front of your eyes were projected in the space of a triangular shaped stage used for depth. Much better than the 3D that is being used now in movie theaters! Second, my friend Jim noted that the headphones located throughout the museum were top notch DJ equipment that cost 200 Euros a piece. Doesn’t seem like this museum is having financial issues!

The next day, Thursday, I went with Jim to the Medical History Museum, which is located on the campus of Charite Medical School. I really questioned whether I have what it takes to be a doctor as I walked through the halls of the museum. In the display cases, one can find virtually every organ and body part found in the human body. And they aren’t models, but the real things! The most challenging part of the museum to visit was the pathology room, where one finds the most disturbing examples of what disease and genetic disorders can do to the human body. I won’t go into too much detail, but the part that touched me the most was a section of display cases that had human fetuses with some really terrible disorders that ended their lives before they were even born. The main thing that keeps me optimistic when I think back on this experience, however, is that the vast majority of humans are born healthy. The vast majority of humans do not enter the world with terrible diseases, but instead succumb to them after a life well-lived. I still don’t know if I really have what it takes to be a doctor, but after seeing what’s out there, I’m even more motivated to do my best to become one.

On a lighter note, I went with my friend Conor on Friday to a place called Kunsthaus Tacheles. Danke Michael C. für die Empfehlung und Conor furs Mitkommen! Kunsthaus Tacheles is this abandoned building in the middle of Berlin that artists use now both to sell their works and create new ones while visitors browse around. In addition, the walls and ceilings of the building are all covered with layers of both graffiti and drawings that I’d be willing to concede are art. Conor and I agreed that this place and the people that inhabit it represent the nature of Berlin very well, but visit ASAP! The city government is currently trying to close this place down, which would really be a pity I think. Sure, I have a feeling there are a lot of illegal things surrounding the Kunsthaus, but if it was torn down, Berlin would lose an amazing example of living history in the center of the city.

I think that’s about it. WAIT A SECOND! I haven’t talked about FOOD yet! The past two nights, Jim and I had cheese fondue and hotpot- two really good yet really easy dinners to make. Vielen Dank Jim! I’ll post some new pictures on FB too. Danke fürs Lesen und bis nächstes Mal!