An Ode to Berlin

It has now been three weeks since the Berlin Fulbright seminar. I tried writing this shortly after, but March just flew on by! Let's take it back to March 14th.

After a lovely few days in Cáceres with the most incredible people in Spain, I was itching for a chance to be with my buddies again. The Berlin Fulbright seminar was going to do the trick. Every year, Fulbright Germany is kind enough to invite Fulbright grantees from all over Europe to come to their mid-year extravaganza for a week of networking, sightseeing, and bonding. With a solid crew from both Spain and Andorra, we flew out the day before the start of the seminar to explore Berlin a bit. I was one of the last few to arrive at the hostel where all of the grantees from Fulbright España were staying. After settling in a bit, we ventured off to some local bars. We even picked up a few new friends along the way. 

                       

Sunday started off with three separate bus tours around Berlin. We caught glimpses of all the important sights along the city, including the Berlin Wall and the Sehitlik Mosque, which is situated on Turkish land. By the time we got to the informal reception that night, we were ravenous! After some brief introductions, we began piling our plates with food and filling our glasses with wine. By the end of the reception, everyone was having a grand ol' time. We made connections with Fulbrighters placed all over Europe, but mostly with German Fulbrighters headed to the U.S., eager to learn a bit more about their future home.

                    

The night was still young, so we headed to the Hofbräuhaus near the Ramada Hotel. We indulged in all of the great beers Berlin had to offer. You don't understand the struggle until you have to drink Spanish beer for a year. I'm not even that much of a beer enthusiast, but Berlin had me jumping for joy. Needless to say, we had a good time. When our steins became empty, a few of us headed to one of Berlin's many cool, without trying to be cool, bars. There we bonded with some more German Fulbrighters. 

The next day, the seminar was in full swing. We had a full day of panel discussions, sightseeing, and a formal welcome reception. All fantastic, except for the fact that I lost my voice. Networking sucks when you have to mime everything. However, Fulbright takes networking to a different level, which resulted in everyone having a great time and having a hard time getting back to their designated sleeping areas.

(Photo cred: Mai)

                      

On Tuesday morning, we had the pleasure of listening to Fulbrighters talk about their experiences living in different places around Europe, including one of our Spanish Fulbrighters and a lovely Andorran Fulbrighter. After some much needed coffee, I was invited to explore the city with one of the new friends I had met on the first night. We wandered the streets of some of Berlin's cutest neighborhoods, drinking German beers and popping in and out of shops along the way. After an incredibly satisfying lunch filled with juicy burgers and crunchy fries, we ended our afternoon with some drinks on a rooftop bar overlooking the city skyline. 

That night, we went out for some good ol' St. Patty's day celebrations! We headed to a bar called Castle Pub in the middle of nowhere, right next to the Holiday Inn. We walked in and the place was bursting with energy, music, and people. Beers were flowing and the celebration was in full swing. Before we knew it, we were dressed in green, singing along to some Irish tunes, and being photobombed by bartenders. I invited my new friends out to the bar. Little did I know that they too knew a Fulbrighter. Small world!

St. Patty's day with friends

New friends!

The boys

The next day was the last day of conference activities. Although it was probably the best day, filled with engaging panel discussions and interesting presentations, I was exhausted. After spilling tea all over myself while falling asleep during one of the panels, I had some coffee and headed to the hostel where everyone including me proceeded to take the most satisfying power nap we have ever taken in our lives. We would need the energy, because our final reception was going to be held at a place called Club Gretchen. 

Yes, you read that right.

Club Gretchen was filled with many memorable moments, including all of Fulbright Spain asking the dj to play Bailando, her saying no, and then posting a sign that said "NOT BAILANDO", dancing to La Macarena (of all songs), and singing to songs I don't even remember now. 

Club Gretchen

I'm sure you can tell which ones are before and after. The last few days in Berlin were spent wandering around, sightseeing, resting up, and saying goodbye to new friends. 

                                        

Berlin ended up being more than just a week of reuniting with my awesome Fulbright friends from Spain and Andorra. Berlin symbolizes what I've always known to be true and that's that if you go into something with an open heart and sunny disposition, you're bound to find happiness in the most unexpected of places. We'll always have Berlin <3