The People of Berlin

I think the most interesting thing about Berlin is the diverse population they have here. I have met people from all over the world, and every single one of them has an interesting story. The one thing that has really stuck out to me the most about these people is how down to Earth they are. Nobody stresses about anything, and they seem to get along with everyone. Below you can read about some of the amazing people I have met along the way, as well as see some interesting photos of people I’ve seen in the streets.
 

Miera

 

Miera is a 23-year-old cellist from Barcelona who moved here to live with her boyfriend. She has been playing the cello since she was 6-years-old and has just graduated from the music university here. She is currently trying to get into graduate school for music theory. It was so interesting to meet someone around my age from a completely different background. Regardless, we found that we had a lot in common with one another. I think that really speaks volumes in terms of the fact that we are all more similar than we may think.

Sulaiman, Yazan and Ahmad

These three guys were probably one of my favorite things about Berlin. Sulaiman is a 19-year-old Syrian refugee who works for his family’s bakery here in Berlin, and my friend Gabrielle’s subject for her video project. The bakery was open for 35 years in Syria, but the family was forced to move it to Berlin because of the war. Yazan and Ahmad are both his very close friends, and Syrian refugees as well. The first thing that stuck out to me about these three was how generous and courteous they are. They made sure we got on the subway safely every time we hung out with them. Yesterday, they invited us for a Syrian BBQ in the park. This was probably one of my favorite things I’ve done in Berlin. They made chicken and lamb kabobs on the grill, and it was probably some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. This whole experience meeting Syrian refugees has really made me think about the intolerance going on in America. If people just sat down and got to know these people, they would find that they are not backwards culturally, and they do not have terrorist tendencies. Sulaiman, Yazan and Ahmad all really want to come to America, but given the political climate right now, it is almost impossible, which deeply saddens me.

Udo Loeb

Udo was my subject for my final project during this study abroad. Udo Loeb is a 40-year-old drummer who has lived in Berlin since the 1990’s. Udo has been playing the drums for about four years now. He plays for two different bands, one of which is called Halbzeug. Halbzeug’s goal is to create experimental rhythms that have never been heard before. According to Udo, Berlin is a perfect place to jump into the music scene. The underground music community is very welcoming and innovative, making it easy for new artists to establish themselves. Udo’s goal is to create something interesting for the ear, not to make money. Udo says, “I do this because I want to do this, and it doesn’t have to do with money, and it doesn’t have to do with success in any way.” Udo has been my favorite Berliner that I have met. He is so insanely passionate for his music, and I find that to be very inspiring. I enjoyed talking to him not only about music theory, but also politics, the environment and social movements all over the world. Below you can watch a slideshow I put together about Udo, which served as my final project for this trip. 

People on the Street

Here are a few single images I’ve taken of interesting people I’ve seen in Berlin. As you can probably tell, Berlin is very interesting when it comes to style.