Blog #1 Dancing at the Mall of Berlin

Dear Anisa,

Over the short 5 days I have been out of the country, my eyes have opened up about my perception of other parts of the world. I have seen the effects of western culture through common fashion trends like Birkenstocks to crop tops and tattoos. While observing natives and foreigners at the Mall of Berlin, I noticed that Berlin is a fast moving place and if you don’t have the same mindset, you should probably get out of the way. Many people entering the mall walked with purpose and looked forward. At my local mall, there are usually older people speed walking and teenagers walking nonchalantly looking for some item to catch their eyes. Moving on to the food court, I heard light laughter and conversations in English, German, French, Spanish, and other languages I couldn't recognize. The food court at my local mall was almost synonymous except for the fact that the restaurants back home were less desirable. The words I would match with Berlin would be efficient and complex, which doesn't leave much room for fun. To my surprise, I found some on the ground floor of the mall. Looking over the balcony in between the east and west sides of the mall I saw couples of all sorts dancing. I heard samba to bachata style music and watched as the dancers took a break from their shopping to simply dance. They were all either smiling or laughing while some toes were stepped on and partners twirled. I could not help but notice that my first impression of Berlin was false. Although some Germans can radiate a certain firmness, the shoppers at the Mall of Berlin showed me a livelier and spontaneous side of Berlin. My traditional American education taught me the absolute bare minimum about not only the countries in Europe, but the progressive culture in Germany. American culture or more specifically African American culture has taught me to value certain things over others and to be attentive yet inclusive. From my observations, German culture is rooted in community and productivity within oneself pertaining to dancing with strangers to standing and walking on certain sides of an escalator. I am excited to learn more about the many different sides of German culture.