Our day began with a historial deep dive. Michael, our tour guide, walked us through Checkpoint Charlie, the remnants of the Berlin Wall, and the Brandenburg Gate. It’s difficult to imagine how there was even a wall. However, something I’ve observed in my short time in Germany is that there is a very serious and thoughtful effort to remember the past, especially when it’s painful. Less relevant but deeply joyful, Michael and I were wearing matching dark blue jackets!
Next, we arrived at the American Academy in Berlin for a self care workshop. Gavin Rees, Senior Advisor for Training and Innovation with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University, encouraged us to think about self-care through a biopsychosocial lens. Thinking about our responsibility to the stories we are entrusted during this trip — the way we move through Berlin, the way we report our final projects, the way we move through the rest of our lives — feels immense. However, Rees emphasized the importance of focusing on the small things: physically taking care of yourself (i.e. eating, sleeping, drinking water), calling loved ones to debrief, and breathing. I’ve learned so much during this trip, and finding small beats of rest has been essential.
Right after the self-care workshop, I headed to my first set of interviews. I spoke with two organizers of an intercultural garden where migrants from Ireland, Austria, Cameroon, Chile, and Ukraine volunteer. I was struck by how gardening is healing. It’s easy to share your family history when you’re comparing potatoes from your hometown. I didn’t share my own experiences, but it was self-care to listen to the stories of people with the same vision that community gardens make the world a better place. While touring the garden, I saw ripe rose-hips for the first time, learned the German word for chard (mangold), and tried a new lettuce! Serendipitously, during the tour, a woman with BENN Mierendorff Insel offered pamphlets to the garden organizers detailing how to apply for up to 30,000 euros. With new refugee housing being built in the neighborhood in the next year, BENN Mierendorff Insel is working on providing opportunities for refugees to further integrate into the community. We said our goodbyes, but not before we created a group chat, with a group photo as our profile picture!
Our last activity for the night was an English language table at Cafe Refugio, a place for long-time and new-time Berliners to come together in community. Funnily enough, we were not the only Americans there, with a Californian and New Jerseyan in attendance! We drank tea, ate delicious biscuits, and discussed our lives. I spent a good portion of my time there talking to Ahmad, a 24 year old Syrian refugee. He mentioned that his least favorite thing about Berlin is that there isn’t enough sun. As someone who grew up in a desert, I deeply agreed! Ahmad moved to Berlin when he was 18 and went through a year of high school, which he described as “isolating” as one of the two Syrians at his school. However, he’s now much happier in Berlin, connected with the community at Cafe Refugio and beyond. Ahmad’s experience of feeling “isolated” reminded me of conversations I’d had just an hour earlier with garden organizers. Not that community gardens can fix everything, but I do think they can help us imagine a lot less lonely ways of being with each other.
Even though it was our first full day in Berlin, I am really enjoying the city, and can’t wait to see what’s next!
