City Living

Sometimes I forget what it's like to live in a city.  While Durham is very urban, it is definitely not a city in the same way that DC was.  Using public transportation, dealing with crazy people, navigating crowds, these are tall things that I haven't had to deal with much for the last 8 years.  Today, after taking the tram to meet up with some friends, I hopped on the tram to head back to the classrooms to get some work done.  About midway throughout he ride a woman got on with her baby firmly secured to her.  I looked down and she was barefoot.

Her baby also has no shoes, but at least he/she is wearing socks

Now there's nothing inherently wrong with going barefoot.  I used to do it all the time when I was a kid, but I wasn't walking around in a city with broken glass, filthy sidewalks - I was walking in my neighborhood or at the beach.

The other thing that I saw today was a zombie-like scene at the Saturn.  Saturn is basically like Best Buy, and I was going to stop by there to see if I could get a new battery for my old phone - hoping to be able to at least get the information off of the phone.  The store opened at 10am, and at about 9:45 a crowd started forming and waiting to enter the building. As it got closer to opening time, the people started getting closer and closer to the doors, looking in and almost pressing their faces up against the glass.  It reminded me of something out of a zombie movie.

Electronics Zombies

The only time I have really seen this in the US is on Black Friday, and then it's certainly more of a panic, but I thought this orderly zombie hoard was interesting.

Class visit to The Story of Berlin museum

On Friday I went with my students to the Story of Berlin Museum.  The museum is deep in the heart of former West Berlin and covers the history of Berlin from its origins in the middle ages, to the present day.  Included was a tour of a cold war bunker put in place in the event of a nuclear attack.  The likelihood of an attack ever taking place in Berlin was very small, especially because the Soviets would have been attacking their own ally along with attacking the West, but it was interesting to see.

Students standing on the outline of the area of present day Berlin.

Class tour of the German Historical Museum

For our first class excursion we went to the German Historical Museum.  The museum covers German history from 500AD to the present day.  We were mostly only concerned with the last portion of the exhibit, since our class is on Berlin since the war.  The museum only displays actual historical artifacts, rather than replicas, and some of the items they have are really quite interesting.  From clothing to technology, they have a little bit of everything. The museum is located in the old city arsenal.  Over time it has been a museum for military artifacts, a East German history museum and now the more comprehensive museum that exists today. Because of its former collection of war trophies they do have some interesting artifacts, though, including the hat, scabbard, and spurs worn by Napoleon during his defeat at Waterloo.  

Students looking at what remains of a V2 Missle

So much to post....so little time

Photo of me at my new favorite cafe

After an orientation weekend, where we had several injuries on a misguided bike ride and one student went home for "personal" reasons, we started classes this week and things are beginning to fall into a rhythm.  My friend T. and I found a cafe two blocks away, with wifi, plenty of tables, excellent treats and fantastic coffee, which they roast themselves.  I don't know that I will ever leave this cafe.

Tomorrow I go with my students to the German Historical Museum and on Friday we will visit a museum on the Story of Berlin, housed in an old West German bunker.  My students are putting together an amazing timeline of events related to both Germany generally and Berlin specifically.  If you want to take a look at it, you can find a version of it here: http://sites.duke.edu/easbyers/berlin-since-the-war-timeline-project/

Tonight we are going to a performance by the German Philharmonic Orchestra.  Photos and an update of that tomorrow.

I also need to do a couple of posts on the arrival itself and orientation.  They are mostly written, but for the photos.  Soon....soon.....

Made it to London

More than half way there.  I checked my email when I got to London, only to find out that I have a surprise lunch meeting at 2pm that I will be late to. Whatever. The schedule said that it was a dinner meeting not a lunch meeting, so I'm a bit annoyed, but I'm more annoyed that this is apparently how everything works. Ugh. 

And so it begins

I'm currently sitting at the airport waiting for a flight to Berlin, by way of London. 6 weeks in Berlin teaching kids about a subject so far out of my field of research it's ridiculous. Waiting to board. The adventure begins anew.