By Clara Juong*
It’s only been a month? Well, actually, it’s already been a month.
You might be curious about what I’ve been up to and what I’ve been learning about Berlin, this unique city? One of the biggest takeaways that interested me the most was that in Berlin there is a genuine interest about turning the city green and living an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. Whether it be at the Lidl supermarket, a neighborhood park, a street corner vintage shop, or intentionally-planned urban green spaces, I could really feel the efforts to become friends with nature.
Without further ado, here are some not-so-secretive spots where you can feel Berlin’s love for our earth.
Your Supermarket Right Across the Street
Judging by how much we love the supermarkets here and the affordability of groceries, you probably would’ve passed by one of those machines with a circular hole in the middle with some writings written next to it. Those are called Pfandautomaten (pfand machines), which are basically machines where you return certain bottles that are recyclable and get money back in return, and they look like the image left.
If you look towards the lower part of your bottle, you will probably find an indication that you can recycle it, as well as how much money you’ll receive in return.
I’ve recycled glass and plastic bottles so far, – which I try to restrain myself from consuming in the first place but sometimes I just have no choice but to buy them – and what I’ve been doing after studying how the locals do it is to wait patiently till I gather a backpack full of bottles so that I can return them all at once and receive my money back all at once as well – for some reason doing this has made me feel much more satisfied than returning them one by one.
So if you see me carrying a backpack seemingly about to burst and marching into Lidl, you will know what’s up.
Your New Favorite Clothes Shop
From the first day here, my roommates and I were buzzing with excitement about going vintage shopping around the city. I have to admit, it wasn’t an easy journey to find a vintage shop that was affordable, cute, and all-size friendly, especially because I often feel like a hobbit amongst the tall Germans whenever I’m walking around in the city. However, this one vintage shop in the Neukölln neighborhood named YUMMY Vintage ticked all of my boxes of requirements.
Not only are there all kinds of styles of clothes ranging from knitted sweaters to flare jeans, there are also accessories such as rings, hats, and bags, as well as shoes, all color-coded and neatly arranged. But above all, the store itself is the true art piece with a mix of funky, vibrant style and antique, vintage vibes. If you’re the type of person who loves a calm aesthetic haven filled with eye-catching interiors and vintage clothes, this should be your destination for this weekend.
Your Go-To Swan Watching Spot
One of my favorite Korean vloggers who records her Berlin life in her YouTube Channel named 미네코minhyeko suggested grabbing a pastry from the Albatross Bakery and go to a nearby canal named Landwehrkanalufer in one of her vlogs. Although I knew I wouldn’t be getting the same greenery, sunshine, and birds chirping as it was shown in her vlog that was recorded back in summertime, I was being my usual impatient self and somehow decided that a freezing windy morning would be the perfect time to pay a visit to the canal.
I grabbed my pastry of choice from the bakery – a scrumptious little caramelized roll – and walked about 10 minutes to reach the canal, then sat down at one of the benches with a perfect view of the water.
Despite the icy wind, there were enthusiastic joggers passing by every few minutes, or sauntering parents with their children walking their pets around the pathway by the canal. While it wasn’t exactly the most clear day, I found myself being entranced by the flock of swans swimming in the water – something about the comfortable silence of the nature and being by myself to fully enjoy that on my own while staring at the movement of swans, leaves, and the water was the calm that I needed, almost even therapeutic.
If anything, this should be a reminder to find the nearest park, canal, garden, whatever area with nature you prefer, go out, walk around, and just feel yourself in that space, leaving all the other thoughts behind – or as professor Ares likes to say, “Put your thoughts in a balloon and release it away into the sky.”
* Clara Juong is a sophomore, majoring in Interactive Media at NYU Abu Dhabi and is in Berlin for the Spring 2024 semester.