I've gotten a question in about how I try to fit into a foreign environment. Do I try to pass myself off as a Berliner? Do I worry that I might stick out as a tourist? How do I try to experience Berlin? Touristy? Non-touristy?
This is a good question because it is something that I've certainly thought about, and I've come to the following conclusion. I am not from Germany. I'm not from Berlin. I speak German with a particularly strong American accent, and I sometimes have trouble speaking with real Germans. That means that unless I spend a considerable amount of time here in Berlin--years and years--I will be a tourist. And that is something that I'm completely comfortable with.
I visit the touristy sites. I've been to the museums, I've been to the Brandenburg Gate, to Olympiastadion. I do those things because I think, "Hey, I'm in Berlin. These things are interesting exhibits, and they're 'touristy' for a reason." People want to see them. I want to see them. As a result, I brave the tourist crowd to see what Berlin has to offer. I'm sure I probably do stand out because I generally carry around my camera bag just like everyone else. And that is alright by me. If someone pegs me for a tourist, that is just fine. Because I am. I don't feel particularly conspicuous when I visit these places or even if I go into a bar with a pamphlet from a museum or tourist site. It is a simple fact. Even though I've been here for almost two months now and I might consider myself more of a student than a genuine "tourist," I am touring Berlin, and there's no getting around that.
But, I also like to see the "real" side of Berlin. I actually spoke with Ulle about this on the way back from the Arsenal. We agreed that you can't understand the "true" culture of Berlin when you go to museums or the Television tower because "real" Berliners don't go there all the time. They can often give you a historical or a cultural basis from which to understand today's Berliners, but you can't get a really good understanding of present-day Berlin from these places. "Real" Berliners can be found in the cafes and the bars and at the soccer matches. I try to get my fair share of these experiences. I've been to a number of cafes, bars, sporting events, etc, and I've had a chance to see how people act, talk, work, laugh, and curse. But ultimately I know if someone approaches me, I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm a tourist.
This is so for a couple of reasons. First, I can't. My German isn't particularly sharp, and I also speak with a seemingly thick American accent. When you can't roll your r's in the back of your throat like Germans do, it's a dead give away. Second, I think Germans have very finely-tuned American detectors installed in their brains. People approach me and speak English fairly frequently without me giving any hint that I might be foreign. Do I look American? What does a typical American look like? Third, it opens the doors for an interesting exchange--bluegrass meets Berlin, if you will. The Berliners who have asked about my home think its fascinating that I'm from Kentucky and want to know all about chicken (actually, that's a tad obnoxious).
Ultimately, I don't worry about the fact that I'm a tourist. The touristy sites are popular for a reason, and I don't mind putting on the tourist bag and heading off to see what Berlin has to offer. But I also want to experience those things which are further away from tourist Berlin. I want to get a sense of the people and you can't do that in the Bode Museum. When I go to local bars or cafes, though, I don't worry about being identified as such. While I'm not going to parade around that I'm an American and everyone should know it, the simple fact is that I'm experiencing Berlin from an outsider's perspective. It would take me a long time (or maybe not even be possible) for me to experience Berlin the way true Berliners do, so I don't want to try. I want to partake of the same fare that Berliners eat and drink from the same tap from which Berliners drink, but I'll do that as a Kentuckian in a foreign land.
Do I want to visit the "real" Berlin? Absolutely. I don't want to spend all of my time at the KaDeWe because that's not what Berliners do. But I know that when I go to a non-touristy or "real" part of Berlin that I'm not experiencing the "real" Berlin because I'm not experiencing it as Berliners do. I'm experiencing it as I do, and I am no Berliner.
Deutsches Wort des Tages:
der Auslander -- foreigner
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