My first 2+ weeks in Berlin have been great although I have encountered a few bumps along the way mainly because of my very limited ability to speak German. I've memorized two sentences that have come in handy in cafes, grocery stores, and on public transportation: "Ich weiss nicht" and "Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch" [I don't know and I speak a little German]. The usual response is a nice smile and the person repeating their question in English. I'm looking forward to when I can speak but right now I'm always relieved when English is spoken to me. In my German class we are a very multicultural group - French, Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Israeli, Spanish, Swiss, Japanese and British - and it's interesting to see the difference in how we all pick up the language. The French girl is by far the quickest and has the best pronunciation and the Chinese and Korean girls have a painfully difficult time. German with a Chinese accent is pretty funny though.
I have class every morning for 3 and a half hours, however we had one day off the first week for "Unification Day". October 3rd is trying to be the celebration of the East and West officialy uniting together again back in 1990, but no German I spoke to really cared much about celebrating, and the only celebratory thing is that they have another day off work. I went down to Brandenburger Tor searching for festivities. Ronny was working, so I went alone just to observe how Germans show their patriotism. They don't really. It was a very lack luster showing of sausage, beer and crepe stalls along with a music stage outlined with a arch of red, yellow and black balloons. Most families were seemingly wandering around wondering what they are celebrating. Nevertheless, they seem to be enjoying a day outside with a bratwurst in hand. So I happily did the same. On the subway ride home I realized that, unlike the 4th of July for the US, Unification day doesn't provide much insight into German culture. Surprisingly though another excursion last weekend to our neighborhood sauna did the trick.
Last winter I learned to love the art of the shvitz at the Russian and Turkish baths in the East Village. I was really excited to feed my weekly habit again here in Berlin. The rules of a sauna are different, very differnt here. Luckly there is this a wonderful manual online for English speakers that educate us in the do's and dont's. I had been last year with Ronny so I remembered that coed nudity was the norm, but all the little nuances I had forgotten until last weekend. As in most German activities there are rules, procedures and manners that all adhere to subtly yet perfectly. Much like the East Village Baths, you alternate between hot sauna and cold pool. Unlike the East Village Baths, everyone is naked but rarely speak and the facilities are spotless. There is also a subtle rule of how to carry your towel that I noticed. It is usually draped in front of your mid section when walking around. There is a slight modification to this though - some choose to put the towel around their neck, this causing more exposure. I prefer the first method. When in the sauna, you lay or sit on your towel so that every inch of your body is on top of your towel. If your sweat drips on the sauna benches, you immediately get a group glare. There is nothing quite like getting glared at by 4 older naked German men in a 80 degree Celsius sauna. It just took me one time to realize German sauna culture is a far cry from its sloppy stepson in the East Village. Despite the strict rules, after the first hour, I am completely relaxed and feel a sense of camaraderie with my fellow sauna companions. You start to nod to those you pass in the hallway as if to acknowledge that "I am naked, we are all naked, is there anything that separates us?". Germans somehow have this remarkable nonverbal comfort level with each other that is as refreshing as 3 hours at the sauna on a Sunday afternoon.
I have class every morning for 3 and a half hours, however we had one day off the first week for "Unification Day". October 3rd is trying to be the celebration of the East and West officialy uniting together again back in 1990, but no German I spoke to really cared much about celebrating, and the only celebratory thing is that they have another day off work. I went down to Brandenburger Tor searching for festivities. Ronny was working, so I went alone just to observe how Germans show their patriotism. They don't really. It was a very lack luster showing of sausage, beer and crepe stalls along with a music stage outlined with a arch of red, yellow and black balloons. Most families were seemingly wandering around wondering what they are celebrating. Nevertheless, they seem to be enjoying a day outside with a bratwurst in hand. So I happily did the same. On the subway ride home I realized that, unlike the 4th of July for the US, Unification day doesn't provide much insight into German culture. Surprisingly though another excursion last weekend to our neighborhood sauna did the trick.
Last winter I learned to love the art of the shvitz at the Russian and Turkish baths in the East Village. I was really excited to feed my weekly habit again here in Berlin. The rules of a sauna are different, very differnt here. Luckly there is this a wonderful manual online for English speakers that educate us in the do's and dont's. I had been last year with Ronny so I remembered that coed nudity was the norm, but all the little nuances I had forgotten until last weekend. As in most German activities there are rules, procedures and manners that all adhere to subtly yet perfectly. Much like the East Village Baths, you alternate between hot sauna and cold pool. Unlike the East Village Baths, everyone is naked but rarely speak and the facilities are spotless. There is also a subtle rule of how to carry your towel that I noticed. It is usually draped in front of your mid section when walking around. There is a slight modification to this though - some choose to put the towel around their neck, this causing more exposure. I prefer the first method. When in the sauna, you lay or sit on your towel so that every inch of your body is on top of your towel. If your sweat drips on the sauna benches, you immediately get a group glare. There is nothing quite like getting glared at by 4 older naked German men in a 80 degree Celsius sauna. It just took me one time to realize German sauna culture is a far cry from its sloppy stepson in the East Village. Despite the strict rules, after the first hour, I am completely relaxed and feel a sense of camaraderie with my fellow sauna companions. You start to nod to those you pass in the hallway as if to acknowledge that "I am naked, we are all naked, is there anything that separates us?". Germans somehow have this remarkable nonverbal comfort level with each other that is as refreshing as 3 hours at the sauna on a Sunday afternoon.
2 comments:
Love it!
The Germs are always the ones you see on the beach in banana hammocks. Just saying.
(You might want to allow anonymous comments so that our less blog-savvy friends can comment... not that they WILL, but at least then they CAN)
imagine a comment from a "less savvy!" :)
fun to hear your berlin report and love the comparison to the nyc baths trips of last year! i was in berlin for Tag der Deutschen 2000, which i recall had more festivities than what you described -- so maybe you'll have to stick around until 2010??
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