Ahhh… Berlin. How interesting were you, in ways that we didn’t imagine.

Hello everyone. Yes, I’m back. And judging from the time that I’m posting this entry, you can imagine how early I slept when I got home yesterday. 8:30pm to be exact. I can safely say the jet lag is no longer an issue.

So after Prague (and yes, Dia – it was a detour to Prague but it was because we wanted to show the students the difference in development after WWII) we headed straight to Berlin, the main attraction of our trip. It was completely surreal seeing the remains of the Berlin Wall, walking through the Brandenburg Gate, going into the Reichstag, crossing Checkpoint Charlie, and visiting Humboldt University, where I felt completely mocked as I walked past the portraits of all their Nobel Laureate Winners (including one Albert Einstein). We also visited a few rather notorious sites, including Hitler’s burial grounds which is now a car park, and the hotel where Michael Jackson (RIP) dangled his kid from the balcony. And as though all that wasn’t already enough, the city also “gifted” us with a naked woman, who walked calmly through the park beside the Berliner Dom and Altes Museum and right past our bus. Naturally, everyone (especially the boys) was very excited and stole as many pictures as their fingers could click.

We visited a couple of museums where we could experience the life of Berliners during the GDR at the DDR Museum, and the Jewish Museum. The DDR Museum was extremely charming and interactive, and the Jewish Museum was particularly interesting. I was quite upset that we couldn’t spend more time wandering around. I would’ve loved to learn more about the life of Jews in Berlin, and how they overcame the challenges faced due to the War. There was also a special exhibition about the Jewish Dimension of Comic Art, which I knew Nessa & Dia would approve of and appreciate. From Berlin, we also went down to Potsdam (where we drove past a former KGB prison!) and dropped by Sanssouci Park and the Cecilienhof Palace, where the Potsdam Conference was held.

We had a couple of very good guides in Berlin. I’m a real sucker for Brit humour and two of the Walking Tour guides that we had (Barnaby and Nigel from Insider Tours) were extremely engaging and witty. The students were very enamoured by them and we always found them rushing to stay in front of the pack and close to the guides, rather than their usual habit of trailing behind. It kinda got me thinking that personality really counts when one’s trying to teach. I just hope I have enough of it.

I definitely need to go back to Berlin (and Germany). There was just not enough time for me to see everything in detail and enjoy the full offerings of the sights. And now that I have greater knowledge of the history of the country, I feel that I’ll be able to appreciate its culture and beauty even more. :)

Pictures coming soon!