Living in Berlin has certainly been a different experience from any of the other places that I've lived. Life in Bloomington and Chapel Hill is pretty quiet and they are both peaceful college towns that thrive on the energy from the students and never really have any serious events take place minus an increase in public intoxication arrests due to events like Little 5 and Halloween. Freiburg living certainly had a German feel, but it was still a small town feel with few major events along the lines of of protests during the NATO meetings in nearby France. And of course life in Carmel, Indiana is about as calm and uneventful as it can be. I mean the big news usually centered around where the next roundabout was being put in. Unlike all of these other places I have lived, Berlin is in a league of its own.
I knew coming in that Berlin would always be buzzing and there would constantly be new things to do and see. Besides seeing all of the major tourist sites, there are museums, concerts, festivals, flea markets, parks, and plays to see. I have slowly been chipping away at all of these things and beginning to make my rounds to all of these different cultural offerings of the city. Outside of these great opportunities in such a big city, there are also some dangers to be on the look out for.
For example, where I live is on the edge of Kreuzberg, one of the major neighborhoods of Berlin. It is a great area that has really improved over the years. When I had mentioned to some before I arrived that I would be living in Kreuzberg, I usually received some sort of look from the person and a response of "Oh, Kreuzberg..." like I was making a bad decision. The area is quite a hipster, trendy area that also has a large number of Turks living there and some pretty sketch areas. It has improved in standing over the years and isn't what it used to be (what it used to be is probably the reason I received those responses). A few subway stops down from where I live is Kottbusser Tor, which is known to be one of the biggest drug dealing areas in Berlin. Like any big city, there are parts of Berlin that aren't as savory as say Unter den Linden. But, again, like any big city, you know where these places are and you pay attention to where you are, what's around you, who's around you and what time it is. Obviously I know that I shouldn't be out late at night on my own and that is definitely not something that happens often, if ever. Street smarts are important and I have figured out where to go and where not to go.
But even when you know where to avoid, things will still pop up, even in your own neck of the woods. This past weekend I went to go buy some bread for lunch and walked to the Bio Grocery store that is located right on the corner across my street. I noticed there was a large amount of traffic out, especially on the street I was trying to cross. That was when I saw the police cars/vans blocking the main street by my house and redirecting the traffic down the street I was trying to cross. I thought I heard some noise and what sounded like a protest going on, but I didn't think too much of it and just went about my business. I was a bit curious as to what was going on, but I knew Julian was waiting for me to get back home so we could have lunch. When I arrived back home I told Julian what I had seen and we didn't think much of it. Later he looked online at one of the Berlin newspapers and discovered what had transpired.
Directly around the corner from where I was was a Neo-Nazi demonstration going on that was being met by a counter demonstration by the Leftists. Apparently the Neo-Nazis registered the demonstration for Hermannplatz, which was a little ways away from where they ended up. They had plans to have the police at Hermannplatz and then move to Mehringdamm, which is where I was. At Hermannplatz that day was also a nice children's festival going on and there were plenty of families out and about in the area. I'm sure they really appreciated seeing the Neo-Nazis around that afternoon.
The demonstration moved over to my area and the Leftists came up through the subway station at Mehringdamm. The Neo-Nazis were yelling about foreigners and wanting them out of the country and they were even yelling at people walking by. One example given in the paper was the attack on a black man who was walking by at the time. People were attacked and the police ended up spraying the crowd with pepper spray. Many fled through the subway and others went to the next subway station and began to smash things with the fire extinguishers in the station.
I honestly didn't think much about how close I was to that when I first heard what had happened. The more I thought about it, the more I freaked out a bit. I know that being attacked in the street is not something that should be my first concern when I walk out the door and these demonstrations do not occur every single day. Like many, it's the "what if" that got me. What if I had turned that corner to see what was going on? What if they had moved and come around the corner when I was at the store? What if they had seen me and decided to yell something at me? It was a fairly close call and I am very glad that I just focused on getting bread and going back home (I guess being hungry helps with that). I was a bit more shaken up when we were walking around in that area the next day and I just thought about what if there were still some of those guys out, just waiting to harass someone else.
I know that I don't fit in with the Germans, I don't look German, I don't sound German. This isn't going to become something that makes me afraid to go out and explore Berlin that's for sure. But it definitely has heightened my level of alertness and I've started to be even more observant of who and what is around me. The last thing I want is to get caught up in some demonstration that I want nothing to do with or be surrounded by people that don't really want me around. People like those demonstrators are everywhere, in all big cities, and I would still argue that Berlin is very safe. Germans work hard to make sure Neo-Nazis do not have the last word and that there are more people protesting against them when they are protesting. Dealing with events like these are just part of Berlin city living and something new to add to this experience I'm having known as Grad School.
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