I have lived in Berlin for almost two months. One of the things I like the most is whenever I turn the radio on there is always a really bad 80s song that you'd never hear again in England...though I feel sorry for my flatmates when I am singing in the shower. Another perk of living in Berlin is that the gigs that would sell out in London are easy to get tickets for. Also, Berlin is a city of dog lovers, which almost makes it my ideal place.
I live in Neukoelln, which my Rough Guide guidebook describes as an area where it is wise to "work out beforehand exactly where you're going so that you don't look lost and vulnerable." The area is quite safe, though. So far I have only seen one gang who were carrying batons and broken bottles, but I don't think that's representative of a typical day here. Neukoelln is mostly middle eastern, so one of the perks is being able to buy falafel at 4am. I live with two German guys (it's always easier to live with men!) The BIG problem about my flat is that there is a brothel just opposite my bedroom window. Berlin is getting very hot as summer approaches so the brothel tends to have its windows open in the night. I constantly come home to hear screams of prostitutes having sex, or hear the groans of the men who are paying for the services. I am considering writing them a note to tell them to keep the noise down! Another downside to my area is the amount of dog shit on the street. It is best to keep your eyes firmly on the ground if you're walking in Neukoelln.
There are lots of differences between Berlin and London. So many Berlin residents have an idealised image of London, and I really do think that they will dislike it if they ever live there. Berlin has a lot less people and a lot more space, for a start. The trains are never busy in rush hour...in fact, I don't in think there IS a rush hour! On a normal day in Berlin you might go to a park, watch people playing instruments, or juggling or playing the diablo. Yesterday my friend, Jake, invited me to meet his friends and we sat in the park whilst his friends DJed on decks and people drank beer and danced. London is a city consumed by capitalism, whereas Berlin still has areas that are yet to be ruined by chain stores or mass advertising campaigns. Where London has an apathy towards politics, Berlin has a passion. London is run by greed, and it is a city where people strive for ephemeral consumer-shite. I think I have moved to this city at an interesting time.....there is certainly change, where areas such as Kreuzberg have seen their first McDonalds and Subway opening up (though not without a fight), but there's also a feeling of discontent about these changes. There are constant protests, meetings, demonstrations. It seems that people CARE here.
Which brings me onto MAY DAY and my experience of the Kreuzberg protests. I went with my friend Naomi, who was just as excited as me to join the demonstrations (though our random German punk friends had to translate the anti-capitalist, anti-fascist speeches). We experienced riot-police, we got tear-gassed, we had to hide in a station - it was a pretty violent day. Obviously a lot of the carnage was unnecessary, but what an experience. I learnt about the Black Bloc, who are far-left activists who dress totally in black as a form of solidarity and who tend to use violence in protests like this.
Here is a video of our May Day experience. We were sheltering in the station in the background when much of this footage was shot. It's very interesting, and very brief, so please watch it.
www.spiegel.de/video/video-1000573.html
I have been dancing to a lot of electronic music here. You will have a miserable time living in Berlin if you can't dance to techno or drum n bass (though I draw the line at house music). It is also usual to go to a club at 3am, so most nights out end at sunrise (or later, if you've got more energy than me, or take drugs).
Germans are easy to get to know and I have made some solid friends. I don't quite understand the Berlin paranoia of believing that everyone is spying on you ("I don't have a facebook account" or "please don't take my photo" or "gmail is scanning your personal information.") Maybe it is because half of Berlin WAS spied on for years when the wall was in tact. Of course, my friends are probably correct and through blogs like this, or facebook, we are making it easy for our Governments to keep their beady eyes on us, but I can't help feeling that in being that paranoid you are missing out on fun, on communicating with friends, on sharing photos and opinions. Really, I don't think any higher authority is actually very interested in what I am doing and who I am doing it with!
Lastly, I would like to ask my friends to visit! Please don't be put off by my description of my area if you want to come.....if you stay for a couple of days you can easily avoid stepping in dog shit, and I can even tell the prostitutes to shut their windows for you!
