Berlin is the new NYC
Several people have shared their story on this blog at this point. There are more stories to tell, I’m sure, but for the time being, I want to bring this back to me right now.
After all, my own experience was the catalyst for starting this blog. With a lot of unexpected time on my hands and finding myself in an unusual situation (like the rest of the world), I decided this would – one – be a good way to occupy myself and – two – help me build a platform and community for and with people dealing with similar experiences.
I recounted – in fairly great detail – how I traveled across the Atlantic for an internship, how the situation around COVID-19 worsened, and how my internship got canceled and I ultimately got “stuck” in another country for some months.
And since then, I’ve been fairly quiet about developments surrounding my education.
I never wrote about the offer to postpone the internship in New York until September, for example. Which I took. But as you can imagine if you followed any news at all, it is simply not possible due to visa restrictions as well as the U.S. still struggling more than most other countries to get a handle on this pandemic. Ultimately, I had to say goodbye to that opportunity.
While I was writing and publishing blog entries on other people’s education, I lived in Canada for 4 months. Honestly, out of all the places to be stuck in during a pandemic, I would highly recommend this one. 5 stars. Lots of maple syrup. Friendly people (if you encountered any during quarantine).
On July 15, I flew back to Germany and started a few attempts of finding another internship.
A couple of weeks later, I received an email. My internship provider for New York had a spot for me in Berlin. And suddenly, it all fell into place.
Within three weeks, I found an apartment for my me and my boyfriend, he flew over from Canada, I packed all my things like I did 5 months before… and I moved to Berlin. And just like that, my education-path is back on track.
That’s also the reason these blog entries have become so irregular. There is way less time to write, edit, interview or to even find affected people. But I’m trying!
It’s strange how, after months of doing very little, routine and the regular day-to-day just start like nothing ever happened. My alarm – something I barely used during these past months – goes off at the same time every morning (I have to admit, I did not miss it during my pandemic hibernation). I take the train, I get to work, I come back. Repeat.
Instead of riding the subway in NYC, I now ride the S-Bahn in Berlin. (It's probably just as unsanitary, so I feel like I'm still getting the big city experience.) Instead of a studio, we now live in a one bedroom apartment... for less than half the price. Overall, I'd say it all worked out.
I will be here for two months, living my professional journalist dreams, and adjusting to living in a big city. Though the pandemic is not over yet, I’m glad I got to return to some version of normalcy. I’m also glad I was given this opportunity when many are still stuck in uncertainty.
So, who needs New York pizza? For me, it’s pretzels and vegan currywurst for the near future!
