by Irelyn Mulvaney*
During my last six months in Berlin, there have been a lot of new and exciting cultural information and norms that I have become adjusted to.
Everything shuts down on Sundays, going to Biergartens after work with colleagues on a Tuesday is normal, clubs are open 72 hours, club mate will get you through exam season, doner is your new 2 am meal, and do not jaywalk in front of children unless you want to be screamed at by a woman on her bike. On that note, try to avoid stepping in the bike lanes; the only indicator I’ve been able to pick up on is a darker cobblestone, which means that you’ve crossed into biking territory. Once you’re in that lane, you must accept the consequences- which means you will probably be yelled at.
So yeah, I have learned a lot of new information and adjusted my life accordingly. Don’t get me wrong, I love to go thrifting at flea markets or rollerskating (this is a fiction of my imagination, I have the grace of an elephant) at Tempelhof.
Some things have been more challenging for me to adjust to, things nobody told me about.
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