SnowChild

Trying to force yourself to write a blog entry before you go to sleep after being awake since 6am is like staying in the yoga position downward facing dog for 5 minutes too long.

Although my posts, when tired, are never as articulate as I would prefer them to be I am giving as grand an effort as I can muster.

After work, I made my way to the Babylon Kino to the Berlin premiere of Snowchild, which is a film featuring one of my good friend's clothing line.  The main character wears a piece that was one of Verena's main pieces in 2010.  She was working on this line when I left Berlin last time, and it was perfect timing that I would be able to catch the premiere when I came back to Berlin.

The movie itself was in Japanese and I had to read the German subtitles, except for the 3 lines that were in English.  Despite not having the working vocabulary to understand every word, I was able to pull out the main themes of the movie and understand what was happening.  Overall, it was a touching film with a dark twist.  Focusing mostly on the darker aspects of humanity, it shed positive light on the misgivings of human nature. The plot is hard to explain, but the culmination of the film ends with the end of the theme of suicide that ties the entire movie together.  Snowchild, the main character is so desperately miserable that she doesn't give any attention to the one who has a genuine and innocent love for her.  Before, (and I mean before as in seconds before she realizes this and takes action), this person commits suicide. Her inability to recognize the positive aspects of her life, because her devout attention to the negative, causes her to lose what could have been a way out of her misery.  Despite this, the movie ends with a tinge of hope that she can use this new found knowledge to bring personal strength to her future.

The Movie

Alas, it is time for bed.

Geburtstag

Wake up at 6:30 to make black tea and fix the traditional German breakfast, and find that Germans also eat birthday cake and open presents at this time... biggest surprise of the day.  Birthdays are very important in Germany.  Apparently, the other children also get one small present each.  As I was not privy to this situation, I made my way to the Lego store to Wittenbergplatz in the afternoon.

Later in the day, I went to the Birthday boy's fußball practice. While I was there, I had the chance to actually analyze the importance of childhood sports.  Like any conceptual brainstorming framework, it started with reminiscing over my own experience with organized sports through high school, which then progressed into the benefits of organized sports, how they can be improved, and which aspects of sport need to be focused on in order to enhance and enrich the experience for the youth involved.

One of the most important points to consider is: NOT ALL CHILDREN WILL BE OLYMPIC ATHLETES, in fact most children will not be.  In fact, that should not be the main drive to participate in any sport, especially not a team sport. Engaging in a youth sport should be about well-being.  Within team sports, the main focus should be on building positive interpersonal relationships with others while working towards a common goal.  And yes, as you guessed, I don't think that goal should be victory.  The aim should be to improve as a team, and to learn the weaknesses and strengths of your teammates so that the team works as a cohesive unit in victory or in an attempt to achieve victory.  Watching a winning team that does not work as a team is boring, just as watching a team that haphazardly losses their wits is painful.  However, watching a team that works well together is exciting.  That is why so many people cheer on the underdog, because of the character of the team.  Visually you can see the effort that the teammates have put into each other as well as into the game. This lesson is so valuable to the growth of children and is accessible through sports.  Yet, it is highly dependent on the environment created by the coach.  When players are older, they may be able to create this on their own without support from the coach/es, but the onus lies on the coach to create this environment in youth sports.

(There was also a period where I was brainstorming how a youth sports team could build team support that had a reach farther than the field, aka camaraderie, regardless of income level/geographic region/social limitations of team.)

Yes, I have two points of reference that I was thinking about in particular. My JV and Varsity Lacrosse Coach was the worst coach I have ever had in this regard.  Firsthand, I saw how her personal attitude dissected the team into unequal parts, and her lack of understanding of the spirit of the team created an unhealthy environment of individualism within a team sport.  My college rugby team is, quite obviously, the other side of the coin.  However, the strategies utilized there would have to be initiated by the coach on a youth sports team.  (Their social activities might also need to be a bit different ;) )

Of course I am biased in that I really do like like the cut-throat nature of competition.  I do not think that culture in sports benefits anyone involved.  It merely perpetuates the conception of acceptable violence. Competition for competition's sake has never been appealing to me, but when there is a goal with others in mind than it is bearable. My viewpoint on this issue has changed since childhood, but after my experience in Lacrosse in high school, I realized how unhealthy the thirst for competition for the sake of  a short winded victory was.

“Do yourself a favor. Before it’s too late, without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can. You will not regret it. One day it will be too late.”

—	Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

First Day

Today was my first official day on the job.  What is my job, you ask?  Well I guess that would be a good question to answer being that is my job is what is providing me the means for me to live in Berlin for a year without depleting my savings.   I am an au pair for a family in Steglitz that has three children. For their privacy, I am going to refrain from giving any identifying information.

The entire family seems to be very nice, and the two boys are quite serious and quiet.  However, they are very busy every day.  Hopefully by the end of the year I will be able to give a comprehensive explanation/review of the German education system.

Jet Lag induced laziness

For the greater part of the day today I was nursing my jet lag, and the cold that ensued from finally being able to relax. 

My first night in Berlin was great.  Consto, Verena, Felix, and Bernie came over for a BBQ and they brought me these lovely flowers. 

After which, we all went to an Irish pub, Oscar Wilde.  Since I had no idea how to get home without a phone, and not being completely aware of my address yet, this envelope was my saving grace. 

Arrived.

Like any journey, my travel day to Berlin began with a little chaos. Alas, a few tears and some Staten Island traffic later, I arrived at JFK to wait.  The lines were somewhat held up do to the nature of the current events that occurred in the city yesterday at the Empire State Building.  (I would love to divulge into the prevalence of gun violence and the need for gun control in a society that idolizes violence, but I wouldn't be able to do that adequate justice today.)

Of course, the next step is to find a companion to accompany you on your next leg.  This happened to be the person sitting to my left.  Neither of our screens worked, so we indulged in some very nice "get to know you" conversation.  However, I never managed to catch her name.  At the age of 19, she moved from Poland to NYC to work as a painter and then later went to school.  She is currently working on her Associate's in Business Finance and is very surprised on the poor command of English that many of her young American classmates have. 

Otherwise, my flight was uneventful and relatively sleepless.  The most exciting part of my airport experience is that I had the opportunity to use my Irish passport for the first time, and I spoke German without a retort to me in English. 

Chad, the father of the family that I will be staying with while in Berlin, picked me up and we left rather quickly.  When we arrived at the house Kristine, Siri, Kjell, and Eric were waiting at the door.  They had a very nice welcoming ready.  After that, I let the jetlag set in and am anxiously awaiting 18:00 when my old friends will come over for "grillen".

The Time Is Near.

Here is the deal my friends, tomorrow I will board a one-way flight to Berlin, Germany. The next year will be a time that I explore the ins-and-outs of my soul and its limits.  In June, I graduated from Stanford University.  The four years I spent there presented me with challenges and extraordinary gifts, now I have the opportunity to take advantage of them. Over the course of the year, I hope to document the struggles, highs, and hopes that I have.  My challenge is to do 2-3 noteworthy things a week and blog about them, or blog about 2-3 noteworthy events/issues/places/subjects a week.

Hold me to it.

Let's live vicariously through each other.

Prost. (German word for cheers) To a wonderful year with amazing people, and a heart just trying to maintain composure in a hectic world.