[Post Blog #10] Academic & Personal Growth from CETS.

Academic-wise, CETS wasn’t a requirement per se – not for my major (psychology), not for my minor (history and film studies). I first heard about CETS in a history class in late 2013, when a student who went on the trip in summer 2013 came in and gave a presentation on her experiences. It was meant to attract applicants, and it worked. I scrambled together and submitted an application within a week. I hadn’t looked back since.

The program introduction said clearly CETS would be an interdisciplinary program – geography, history, and music. I know history and music quite well, but not so much geography. Honestly, though, a major reason I wanted to go on CETS was this one class I took last summer, Memory and Commemoration in Europe. It was one of the hardest history course I ever took, but the most interesting of all. The course was about how to learn history, what angle to look at, what questions to ask when facing a piece of history. A bulk of the course content was related to Central Europe, and when I heard about CETS, I knew it was the study abroad program for me (okay, more like study, study abroad). Memory and commemoration fascinate me to no end, and CETS only enriched it for me. For instance, while on the trip (in Berlin, I believe), my history professor and I agreed to disagree that we have differing ideas about the design and significance of some of the memorials we’d seen. I’m partial for abstract designs, he for concrete, “direct” ones. That is one conversation that’ll always stay with me.

Perhaps the most striking lesson from CETS occurred in a form of a question. “What about home?” Do we commemorate this/that? If not, why? What does this/that statue mean? Why is it there? CETS taught me to keep asking questions, regardless of whether I have the answers right there and then. At the moment, I think I’m still in the “question” stage of things, but soon, I’ll like to move on to the “answer” stage, to start answering my own questions. Who doesn’t like having answers to their own questions?

Personal-wise, CETS was the longest period I spent with the same group of people. Intense human contact for 4 weeks in a row had its ups and downs (more of which, I’m not sure). The photo below shows all of us, minus two professors. Why this group photo, then? For reasons I don’t intend on going into here, this particular photo (that’s Budapest in the background, btw) sums up my personal growth. It reminds me that when you’re in a group, group needs take precedence over individual needs, period. I have a sudden urge to make that a life motto.

Figure 1: CETS 2014. View of Budapest from the Citadella.

I want to keep traveling. Exploring. Seeing. My last souvenir purchase in Kraków was a postcard saying “Getting lost helps you find yourself”.

Getting lost helps. But to find myself yourself? Plan for a detour in between. Or two. Or fifty.

(It just hit me that my “CETS song” is called Budapest. Just like the photo’s background. I don’t believe in coincidence.)

 

Picture references

UWEC CETS. (2014, June 22). Retrieved from https://twitter.com/UWEC_CETS/status/480697283965886464/photo/1

[Post Blog #9] From Classroom Learning to Real Life Learning.

In the spring preparatory class (HIST 280), the history faculty on CETS structured his lessons on the five major cities by giving it a character: Berlin – capital city of empire, Prague – city of the absurd, Vienna – city of the neurotic, Budapest – city of rebellion, and Kraków – city of no fear. It sounded somewhat funny at that time, but when we were finally there taking in those cities in person, the descriptions weren’t funny anymore. In fact, they helped – at least for me – to orient myself to wherever I was. Especially in Prague and Vienna. I remember vividly my first impression of Prague was one of puzzlement; the area the State Opera House was at was not at all an area one expects to find an opera house. In Vienna, all the buildings and streets were clean and looked brand new that it was hard to imagine the place having been through WWII at all.

Another key thing from HIST 280 that came in handy when we were in Central Europe was all the lectures and exercises on music, specifically, opera. I’d never attended an opera prior to CETS (ended up attending four on the trip), and even now, I won’t call myself an opera lover either. Anyhow, my point is that knowing about musical styles, tempo, rhythm, form, tonality, and yes, the history behind each type of music, helped me to further appreciate the performances we watched in Central Europe. Cabaret, opera (of course!), jazz, church/organ music, folk dance, and klezmer – they would’ve meant far less without what we learnt in HIST 280.

(Post Blog #8) Kraków, Poland.

Captivating Geography

The contrast between Kazimierz (Old Jewish Quarter) and Podgórze (where the Nazi Kraków Ghetto was at). Kazimierz was where Kraków’s Jewish population used to be prior to WWII. After Poland was invaded, residents in Kazimierz were rounded up and forced to relocate to the newly established Kraków Ghetto at the Podgórze district across the Vistula River.

Of the two, we visited Podgórze first, as it was also where the Schindler’s Factory Museum was at. The area looked rundown, relatively dirtier, not much development taking place. We also located the remnant of a ghetto wall. Meanwhile, Kazimierz is now the center of Kraków’s nightlife. Upscale restaurants, bars, and cafes, all interwoven with synagogues, cemeteries, Jewish restaurants (the famous Klezmer house is here!). Kazimiers has been gentrified over the years, is what it is. While we were there, it did not at all give out a mournful atmosphere (having its residents forcefully relocated!).

I liked the contrast, because it wasn’t something that can easily be captured in books or photographs.

Top Academic Experience

“Top” not as in “fun”, but as in “significant”: Auschwitz-Birkenau (Figures 1-3).

Figure 1: A sign in the exhibition at Auschwitz Museum.

Figure 2: Fence details at Auschwitz.

Figure 3: Interior of a barrack at Birkenau.

Set my camera to monochrome the entire time we were there because that place saw so many lives perished that any remaining colour should also be drained, if not already drained. Won’t say I’m stricken by the visit. Conversely, it felt ironic. Maybe. There were all these tourists (us included) arriving (excitedly?) to Auschwitz-Birkenau, ready to tour the most notorious site in Nazi history. Back then, non-Aryans arrived at this camp expecting a completely different reality. Do the visitors today also arrive there with expectations? What is there to expect, though, besides death and pain and suffering?

I was a visitor. But I don’t have an answer to my own question.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

Kościuszki Mound (Figure 4) – “a symbol, a Monument of National Remembrance, and also the best viewing point in Kraków” (from the info board onsite). Completed in 1823, the Mound was built using soils from battlefields of the 1794 Kościuszki Uprising, and from battlegrounds where Kościuszki fought on during the American Revolutionary War (from the info board onsite). Very unusual commemorative site, that’s for sure. And it felt pretty special, too, to be there, much like it did at Bílá Hora in Prague. Needless to say, the view was also breathtaking (Figure 5).

Figure 4: Entrance to Kościuszki Mound.

Figure 5: Kraków as seen from Kościuszki Mound.

Eating Tips!

Walk along Grodzka street (the one that leads you from Rynek Głowny to Wawel Castle). On the right, there’s a self-service type of restaurant serving Polish cuisine. Not a fancy place, but good food (Figure 6), and relatively cheap, too. Try it out if you’re there!

Figure 6: White borsch with boiled egg (top); potato dumplings with gravy (bottom).

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-6]

(Post Blog #7) Budapest, Hungary.

Captivating Geography

Szentendre (Figures 1-3), a small riverside town near Budapest, was a picturesque area. Very quaint (much like Dürnstein in Wachau Valley), Szentendre has become a top attraction for locals and tourists alike. The 50-minute train ride from Budapest to Szentendre was … not the most comfortable (tip: if you do get motion sick, remember to pack a few extra plastic bags/ziplocks), but the view at Szentendre more or less made up for it.

Figure 1: A building in Szentendre.

Figure 2: In the town of Szentendre.

Figure 3: Boys fishing at the river in Szentendre.

Famous for craftworks, you’ll have no problem finding souvenirs, though, do keep in mind that this place is an established tourist hotspot now, so souvenirs do tend to be a little pricier. If you enjoy strolling along the river, head over to the fringe of the town. Good for an afternoon walk, or simply to sit and bask in the view and sunshine.

Top Academic Experience

Terror Museum (Figure 4), hands down. As I’ve mentioned in previous entries, I’m not a hugeee fan of museums. What, then, made this one stand out?

Figure 4: Terror Museum.

Situated along Andrassy ut., the building known as the Terror Museum today used to be the party headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis. In other words, that building had witnessed countless acts of torture and barbarism and terror. The museum presents the years 1945-56 under the Hungarian collaborationist government. As one enters the main exhibit, there is a building-high panel titled “Victims”, showing faces of people terrorized under the collaborationist government. At the bottom of the panel is a small pool of water, and one sees the reflection of the panel in the water. It felt, to me, as if it was saying that no matter how many victims are known and identified, no real number can be attained (hence, the reflection, showing “more” faces than there really were) because terror and fear doesn’t stop at death. They linger behind, affecting family, friends, acquaintances; they permeate life.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

One of the evenings, I was out with a professor and two other students to Heroes’ Square and its environs. Near the embassy area was a monument to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Basically, it was a large structure consisting of steel columns, from rusty to shiny ones (Figures 5-7).

Figure 5: Plaque explaining the Monument to the 1956 Revolution.

Figure 6: The Monument to the 1956 Revolution.

Figure 7: Man sitting beside the Monument.

The design was fascinating.

It also made absolutely no sense.

After the trip, I looked it up and found that the design actually contributed to a debate in 2006 prior to its unveiling for the 50^th anniversary of the Revolution. The “assembly of rusting steel columns [is] intended to symbolise demonstrators coming together in a crowd and which finally merge into  wedge-shaped steel blade” (Rennie, 2006). Built by the then-Socialist government, and laid out on the spot where a Stalin statue was removed in the Revolution, the monument was criticized by former fighters, now on the political Right.

“They wanted a traditional heroic sculpture, depicting people. For them, the steel posts look like the gallows used to hand hundreds after the revolution … Nobody doubts the monument stand-off is about politics, not art. It is pitting veteran against veteran, and dividing the generations.”  -David Rennie (“Hungarians See Red Over 1956 Monument, 2006)

I thought the design was fascinating. Turns out, the story behind it is even more fascinating. A whole new level of generational gap!

Eating Tips!

Andrassy ut. may be the major commercial street in Budapest, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find good, affordable food there. Head over to Kantin, a relatively small restaurant with menus that (I think) change daily. I believe it cost me about 3000Ft (~14USD) for a 3-course meal, tip included. Their goulash (Figure 8) was one of the best soups I had on the entire trip. The inside was cozy, not cluttered at all. Strongly recommended! 🙂

Figure 8: 3-course dinner at “Kantin”.

 

Content references

Rennie, D. (2006, July 29). Hungarians see red over 1956 monument. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1525120/Hungarians-see-red-over-1956-monument.html

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-8]

(Post Blog #6) Vienna, Austria.

Captivating Geography

Figure 1: The Prater, an amusement park in Vienna.

I was captivated by Figure 1. An amusement park? Yes, I was captivated by an amusement park in Vienna. The Prater (more precisely, the Würstelprater) used to be an imperial hunting ground during the time of the Austrian empire. As such, access was limited to the elite and powerful only. Today, however, the place is open to just about anyone. Furthermore, each ride/game at the Prater is operated by individual businesses, not a giant corporation. As the geography group (whose presentation was how I came to know these details about the Prater) put it, the fact that small, individual businesses instead of one big boss run the amusement park exemplifies the idea of opening up the space “for the people”. Very neat system.

Top Academic Experience

Before the trip, I had my reservations towards getting on a bike, mostly because, well, I slammed my face the last time I tried getting on one. Anyhow, whatever reservations I had went out the window as we biked out to and through Wachau Valley (Figures 2-3). Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this place was more than spectacular. Perhaps because up to that point, we’d been spending all our time in big cities and old town squares and churches and museums that seeing the (natural) landscape in Wachau Valley was. simply. breathtaking. I’d never seen vineyards ever before!

Figure 2: Wachau Valley.

Figure 3: Panoramic view of Wachau Valley across the Danube.

No better place to truly take in the beauty of the Danube.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

Gasometers! To get there, hop on the U3 in the direction of Simmering.

The Gasometers (Figure 4) are four former gas tanks, used to store coal gas for the city’s consumption. When the city switched over from coal gas to natural gas, the tanks went out of commission. Instead of demolishing them, the Gasometers today are used as commercial and residential space.

Figure 4: Gasometers.

While the structures were impressive on its own, the best part of that afternoon was stumbling upon a FIFA World Cup card trading meet (Figures 5-6) inside one of the gasometers. Young and old, so many were there, busy trading and checking off their checklist. Managed to get a sister-and-brother pair to explain to me how exactly the meet worked: One starts off with a pack of 5-6 cards (bought from convenience stores), and works their way up to a full collection of more than 600. The most valuable cards are the special edition ones, denoted by the shiny surfaces. To think of it, Austria isn’t even in the tournament this year, yet so many locals were geeking out over the cards. Football? Definitely part of Austrian identity, if the meet is of any indication!

Figure 5: FIFA World Cup card trading meet.

Figure 6: The cardsss!

Eating Tips!

At the Strozzigasse stop on Tram 46, there is a Vietnamese restaurant called Nguyen’s Noodle House (if memory serves). If you’re looking for a taste of something not European during your stay in Vienna, they have really good pho and lunch sets!

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-6]

(Post Blog #5) Brno, Czech Republic.

Captivating Geography

According to Lonely Planet’s Central Europe guide, “among Czechs, Moravia’s capital has a dull rep: a likeable place where not much actually happens” (2013, p. 138). I’d say the description matches what I saw in the two nights we were in Brno.

First of all, Brno was far from what one would imagine to find in Europe, at least from a foreigner’s perspective. A fellow student debated on taking photos of this city to show to their parents because it just didn’t look European. Meanwhile, I kept thinking, “this is like Kajang Town”, where I spent most of my time growing up. In other words, Brno reminded me of home. Relatively dirtier streets (we arrived from Prague), street vendors at the underground tunnel connecting Tesco and the shopping mall, the whole “not much happening”, provincial feel.

Nevertheless, Brno has its share of cultures and attractions: Old Town Hall, Náměsti Svobody, Brno Underground, Vila Tugendhat, Mendel Museum, Museum of Romani Culture, and Janacek Museum. Brno definitely isn’t on the usual tourist path (few people spoke English here), and I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have even heard of it if not for CETS. So, to see the things we saw (especially Museum of Romani Culture and Mendel Museum; see below) there was indeed interesting.

Top Academic Experience

I’m not a hugeeee fan of museums, but the Museum of Romani Culture was very well done, in my opinion. It is the only museum to date dedicated entirely to the Roma people and culture. I know very little about Roma people, and most of what I know is under the heading of “Nazi persecution”. My favourite part of the museum was the very first exhibition room, which explained the ties between Romas and Indians (and I learnt that the two are actually similar in many ways; for example, the Romani’s cultural flag is actually based off on India’s national flag). The room has mirror ceilings, floors, and walls (Figure 1), giving the illusion of an infinity space. We were told by our tour guide that the illusion is deliberately done as a metaphor for how it is virtually impossible to pinpoint exactly where and when Romani history started and ends. One of the most powerful metaphors I know to date.

Figure 1: Room of mirrors at the Museum of Romani Culture.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

Mendel Museum! Mendel who, you said? Mendel, as in Gregor Mendel (Figure 2-3), the Augustinian monk whose work became the basis of modern genetics. Located inside the Abbey of St. Thomas, the Mendel Museum tells the life story of Mendel. Did you know he tried to cross-breed bees before moving on to pea plants (because bees had too many genes, making it impossible to establish crossing patterns)? Did you also know he studied the weather?! Outside the Abbey, we saw Mendel’s famous pea plants (Figure 4). I’m no biologist, but that day was an incredible opportunity and experience – it was us literally going back to where we came from.

Figure 2: Statue of Gregor Mendel at the Abbey of St. Thomas.

Figure 3: Mendel’s pea plants!

Figure 4: Beautiful handwriting. Just. Beautiful.

Eating Tips!

Locate the Plague Column at Old Town, then walk up the small slope. On the shop row on the right, there’s a Czech restaurant serving excellent dishes (Figure 5). Good service, too!

Figure 5: Mushroom/potato soup (top); potato pancake with red cabbage and chicken(?) (bottom).

 

Content references

Lonely Planet. (2013). Central Europe. China: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-5]

(Post Blog #4) Prague, Czech Republic.

Captivating Geography

This one goes to – nope, not another Holocaust memorial – Bílá Hora, an area on the outskirts of Prague. To get there, hop on Tram 22, and go all the way to the terminus, Bílá Hora. Tip: Check the terminus name before hopping on; at random times, the trams terminate earlier than what it says on the map.

Bílá Hora (“White Mountain”), was where the historic Battle of White Mountain took place. It remains one of the most significant event in Czech history even after more than 350 years:

“The date of the battle was November 8^th, 1620. The setting: a small, normally quiet hillside, just outside of Prague. But, the day would see a disappointingly one-sided affair, a battle that took less than two hours to lose by the Czech nobility. Defeated were the Protestants of the Bohemian Estates’ army, vanquished by Austrian Imperial and Catholic forces. In a sense, the battle was an overture. The first military clash of many in the complex many-phased and multifaceted conflict that would sweep and divide Europe: the Thirty Years’ War … The players, the conflict, the event from which the kingdom of Bohemia never recovered …”  -Jan Velinger (“The Battle of White Mountain”, 2003)

In short, it was at the Battle of White Mountain that the Bohemian period in Czech lands ended. No one could possibly guess this turbulent story only by seeing Bílá Hora today (Figures 1-2). Today, it screams serenity and beauty, far from what used to go on at this very hillside (ie. bloodbath, war, death).

Figure 1: Memorial to the Battle of White Mountain.

Figure 2: Bílá Hora today.

It’s quite a distance from the city centre, and the area today is largely residential. It isn’t mentioned in Lonely Planet’s Central Europe guide, but I think Bílá Hora is worth a visit for anyone planning to visit Prague. Pretty neat experience to be at a place so dear to the people of this country.

Top Academic Experience

The day we took a day trip out to Lidice, a village located 30 minutes by bus from Prague, was one of the most memorable day on CETS. The village today is actually relatively new; it was built near the site where the “old” Lidice used to be. “Old” Lidice? Yeap. The original village of Lidice was wiped clean (read: massacred) by German Nazis after the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague in 1942 by a group of Czechoslovak soldiers. The destruction of Lidice was intended as a lesson, a warning to then-Czechoslovakia that resistance towards the Nazis would only end in bad terms. Very few villagers survived the massacre. Today, the site of the “old” Lidice is a large memorial to the village’s destruction. (Figures 3-6).

Figure 3: Panoramic view of the Lidice Memorial site.

Figure 4: Lidice Memorial.

Figure 5: An info sign at the Lidice Memorial.

Figure 6: The Memorial to the Children Victims of the War.

Many of us were shock to learn about Lidice. This name isn’t a common sight in general history courses, unlike Auschwitz and Treblinka. Lidice – little known, yet the brutality that took place there was just as outrageous.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

The day we went out to Lidice, I went out for a night stroll with a fellow student and a professor. Prague is just beautiful at night (Figures 7-8), but the highlight that night was when we chanced upon a street exhibition, “Winton’s Trains” (Figure 9), near Charles Bridge. “Winton” here refers to Sir Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker responsible for saving 669 children (mostly Jewish) from facing death at Nazis’ hands (Howard, 2014). Those children were refugees who arrived in Prague following the Nazi invasion of Sudetenland in 1938 (Howard, 2014). Fresh off of visiting Lidice in the morning, this exhibition was a reminder that the flipside of brutality is humanity.

Figure 7: Charles Bridge at night.

Figure 8: Old Town Square at night.

Figure 9: The exhibition, “Winton’s Trains”.

Eating Tips!

There is a restaurant 2-3 blocks away from Hotel Lublanska (where we stayed) that serves Czech food (Figure 10). Good food, and reasonably priced. Highly recommend their garlic soup. Again, I don’t recall the restaurant’s name. It has a courtyard, if that helps (err, probably not, because most places seem to have a courtyard 😦 )

Figure 10: Tomato(?) soup (top); fried chicken wings with spicy dip (bottom).

 

Content references

Howard, E. (2014, May 20). Sir nicholas winton: 105^th birthday party for man who saved 669 children from the Nazis. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/20/nicholas-winton-birthday-man-saved-children-nazis

Velinger, J. (2003, June 11). The battle of white mountain. Radio Prague. Retrieved from http://www.radio.cz/en/section/czechs/the-battle-of-white-mountain

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-10]

(Post Blog #3) Leipzig, Germany.

Figure 1: Guten Morgen, Leipzig!

Captivating Geography

Holocaust Memorial (Figures 2-3). Consisting of metal chairs arranged in a grid pattern, the Memorial sits on where a community synagogue used to be until it was destroyed by the Nazis in 1938. For my Berlin entry, under “Captivating Geography” is also another Holocaust Memorial, but that one was a stark contrast compared to this one in Leipzig. In Berlin, people stood and/or sat on the concrete slabs; here in Leipzig, none of the chairs was occupied, in fact, we were the only ones there that afternoon. The location itself explains the contrast: in Berlin it was simply a piece of land huge enough to house 2000+ concrete slabs, whereas in Leipzig it was a land where Jewish cultural life actually occurred. Maybe that’s why the Memorial is treated as less formal (sacred?) in Berlin than it is in Leipzig.

Figure 2: Holocaust Memorial Plaque.

Figure 3: Holocaust Memorial.

Top Academic Experience

Organ concert at Thomaskirche (Figures 4-5)! Our first evening in Leipzig, we attended a free organ concert in St. Thomas Church (Thomaskirche), the church where J.S. Bach worked as a Kapellmeister and where his remains are currently located. My second time hearing a pipe organ live, and it was beautiful. The church was beautiful (look at the ceiling! Figure 6), the music even better. We were there early, and by the time the concert began at 8pm, the church was filled with people – and to think that it was a Monday night. What other proof does one need to call Leipzig a musical city?

Figure 4: Inside Thomaskirche, waiting for concert to start.

Figure 5: Pipe organ in Thomaskirche.

Figure 6: Ceiling details of Thomaskirche.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

We were only there for two nights, so didn’t do much extra-curricular exploring. I did, however, go out the second night for a walk with a professor and another student. It really was nothing more than a stroll, but it was still nice because the point was to see the city at night (Figures 7-9). Compared to the day, at night it was quiet, calm, not much happening, no bustling on the market square. Suggestion: wherever you visit, go out at night; you’re guaranteed to find something new and/or different.

Figure 7: Leipzig at night.

Figure 8: Leipzig at night.

Figure 9: Just how much they love their currywurst – they need a Curry Cult.

Eating Tips!

Not many to choose from (again, because we were only there a short while), but I suggest trying out the many tapas bar available. The one we went to was good (Figure 10), unfortunately, I didn’t note the place name. What I did note (mainly because it was hard to miss) was the place had a cow fountain/mini pool inside.

Figure 10: Supper at a tapas bar/restaurant.

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-10]

(Post Blog #2) Berlin, Germany.

Captivating Geography

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Figures 1-3), located one block south of the Brandenburg Gate, was a very interesting site. Covering the space of a football field, the Memorial is Germany’s main memorial to the Holocaust victims. Essentially, the Memorial consists of 2711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on an uneven ground (Lonely Planet, 2013, p. 165).

Figure 1: Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Figure 2: Panoramic view of the Memorial.

Figure 3: Floor details.

By definition, the site’s atmosphere should be dark, sombre, mournful. But that wasn’t what we saw that afternoon we were there. While I wouldn’t go as far as saying the atmosphere was relaxing, it sure wasn’t a dark and sombre one, the way I’d always imagined it to be. It felt like..a park, and what I remembered most clearly is that there were many people sitting and/or standing on the concrete slabs. Several in the CETS group commented on it, about how it was odd to see people sitting on the concrete slabs because, as mentioned earlier, this place commemorates what is arguably the worst crime in modern history to date. I shared the group’s sentiment to some degree, but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel that perhaps it was one way Berliners remember their history – by weaving it into everyday life. This city is filled with remnants of its past (memorials, monuments, actual locations where history took place); by sitting on the slabs they literally touch history. Pretty impressive feat, considering the significance of that “piece” of history they “touch”. Of course, what I just said is speculative at best. Just a thought.

Top Academic Experience

This one goes to Bebelplatz, hands down. Site of the infamous Nazi book burning in 1933, Bebelplatz also houses the Empty Library, a memorial for the book burning incident (Figure 4), and the Humboldt University of Berlin (Figure 5). The reason I picked this as the top academic experience in Berlin is the irony of the site itself: Destruction of knowledge at precisely where knowledge is passed on. Perhaps the irony felt especially strong because I’m still a student. A lot of times I feel that schools, as primary learning institutions, teach and withhold knowledge simultaneously. What do they teach? What do they withhold? It differs, obviously, from one school to another. Worst part is, often times, no one even realizes it.

Figure 4: The Empty Library.

Figure 5: Humboldt University of Berlin.

Top Extra-curricular Experience

Olympiastadion! Although I must say, it was a bittersweet afternoon. Four of us (1 professor and 2 other students) got there with an hour to go before closing, but for unknown reason(s) we weren’t allowed to enter. The ONE place I bookmarked for CETS, and we didn’t get in. Why am (yes, present tense) I so excited for the stadium again? Two reasons: a) this was Hitler’s showcase to the world during the 1936 Summer Olympics, and b) this was where Leni Riefenstahl filmed her famous documentary Olympia documenting the 1936 Games. Disappointment remains, but I’m glad that I at least saw the exterior (Figure 6) of this place. Such imposing structure!

Figure 6: Olympiastadion.

Eating Tips!

Head over to Mauerpark for a selection of street food! Mauerpark, or “Wall Park”, is a public park at what used to be the Death Strip separating East Berlin and West Berlin prior to reunification. There’s a flea market at Mauerpark (Figure 7) where in addition to the endless food choices, you can find clothing, crafts, and jewellery as well. There are also restaurants and cafes in the area surrounding Mauerpark, if street food isn’t your cup of tea. Definitely allocate time for Mauerpark if you find yourself in Berlin!

Figure 7: Mauerpark (white tents in the background show the flea market).

 

Content references

Lonely Planet. (2013). Central Europe. China: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.

 

Picture references

Author’s own.     [Figures 1-7]

(Post Blog #1) Lessons from Central Europe.

Dr. E: At least now you can call it a life-changing experience.

Me: No kidding.

Between end of May and early July, I stepped foot in 5 countries, and among them, 7 (+2) cities. The first 4 weeks were spent on the Central European Travel Seminar (CETS), a short-term summer study abroad program offered by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC), where I’m currently an undergraduate. Each year (I think?) CETS operates on a different theme; this time, the theme was identity. An interdisciplinary angle (geography, history, music) was employed in exploring identity in the political, social, and cultural settings in Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Poland. The fifth and final week was an extended stay on my own, and hence, not officially related to CETS (this is when the “+2 cities” took place).

This entry, together with the next 9, is part of the post-trip reflection component of the program. Here I’ll outline the highs and lows of the “life-changing experience”, and then list out some pre-trip advice (and by pre-trip advice I mean things that should be compulsory) for future CETS participants.

Highs and Lows of CETS

1. High: The public transportation systems in all five countries. This is my absolute high, high, high point of the trip. Why? Because pretty much every corner of the city is within reach, either through metros, trams, or buses. Or any combination of the three. It may take a little while to get accustomed to each city’s network, because they all look something like this:

Figure 1: Berlin’s public transportation map.

This seems daunting (definitely daunting if where you’re from doesn’t have something similar), but it’s really not once you realize all there is to it is locating station names and train/tram/bus numbers. In fact, the toughest part for me in navigating these cities was the fact that we were in a group of 17. It takes serious skills to get everyone aboard the train/tram/bus, especially if it’s rush hour. (CETSers ’14: Remember Day 1 in Budapest?) CETS was my very first time in the continent. The heavy almost-complete dependence on public transportation not only improved my visual-spatial skills, but made me felt much more connected to where I was.

2. High: Experiencing in person what I see/hear/learn in school/books/internet. For example, I did a PowerPoint presentation on the Neue Wache in Berlin for a history class last summer, and then to actually visit the site while I was in Berlin felt like meeting my favourite athlete in real life. Another example is Auschwitz-Birkenau. This name needs no introduction. (Almost) everybody knows what it is, and having stepped foot on that compound, all I can say is you won’t know Auschwitz-Birkenau until you see it, walk on it, feel it.

3. Low: Less of an academic low than it is a personal low, I wish I speak at least one of the local languages (ie. German, Czech, Hungarian, Polish). I’m not saying one requires it to be able to make their way around in Central Europe; it would’ve make the trip even better, is what I’m saying. There is beauty in not understanding a word you see/hear (because not understanding means lessening of thought processes, but let’s not go into that), but language, to me, is so central in truly getting to know a culture new to you. In Malaysia (where I’m from), there is no “Malaysian language” so to speak, but one hears at least two languages when listening to a local speak (sometimes three; four isn’t out of the question). We mix-and-match what we speak, because the country itself is a mix-and-match of peoples. It’s who we are. Back to Central Europe. I can’t help but feel that knowing at least one of the local tongues would’ve helped me see, or hear, more of the places I visited. Some things just cannot be translated.

Pre-trip advice

1. Invest in a quality suitcase (if you choose this over a travel backpack). And CARRY it up/down the stairs. DO NOT DRAG it no matter how durable the wheels appear to be. Not very tactful to destroy your bag (and slow down your movement) when you have 16 other travel companions.
2. Bring clothes you won’t hesitate to discard along the way. Old shirts, pants, towel (just one! ONE!), flip-flops, socks. These are items to go when your baggage gets tooooo heavy from the souvenirs and brochures. Also, 3 shirts for a month-long trip is feasible. Been there, done that.
3. Brochures, you said? Yes. Brochures, maps, ticket stubs, city guides – for the CETS journal or personal scrapbooking. Out of the 22.2 kilos I came home with, 2 were what I just listed (and this was after careful selection of what I want). So, keep in mind that these are items you’ll end up having. Make space for them, not just souvenirs.
4. Learn to say “thank you” in each local tongue. It goes a long way just knowing how to show your appreciation in the local tongue.
5. Always, always remember CETS is a group. Which means, group needs take precedence over individual needs, especially during official program time. Try, try, try to do what is right for the group. This is me advising myself, too.

Finally, a fellow student introduced me to this song during our stay in Budapest. It became my CETS song in no time.

Picture reference

Critical Commons. (2013). Berlin public transportation map. Retrieved from http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/Lizcav/clips/berlin-public-transportation-map/view     [Figure 1]