Places I have seen and things I have done during my first semester studying in Berlin
This article was guest written by Screenwriting student Pola.
I moved to Berlin on the 1st of September with the help of my two friends. The plan was built entirely on hopes and prayers, but I faked it till I made it. I wouldn’t call myself a Berlin expert, my German is limited and clubbing feels like psychological warfare. Yet, as a certified critic of everything, I still believe my voice matters.
Apart from the usual landmarks such as Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie or Reichstag. I managed to explore some more places. The order is random. I refuse to make my life a numbered list.
1. Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab - Sociocultural phenomenon
Normally, I don’t care where I eat, but everyone insisted this place was a “Berlin classic.” I approached it with sociological curiosity rather than culinary excitement. My favourite kebab on Earth is Efes in Warsaw, where my family and I go to celebrate major events. So, when they visited, we decided to test Mustafa’s legendary reputation.
We stood in line for an hour and a half. Somewhere around the 45-minute mark, I started forming a conspiracy theory: the line is intentionally long to push people into early starvation, so anything edible tastes divine after. Sadly, my theory collapsed when I saw the kitchen’s inside. Time ergonomics - horrendous. Right after we paid, they announced they were out of stock, and won’t be able to prepare a few of our orders. The kebab was aggressively okay, but at least I can say I’ve been there. And with some relief, I can also say I’ll never need to go back.
2. Dussmann
Dussmann turned out to be an elegant ambush on my wallet. For every book lover who doesn’t actually speak German, Dussmann will gladly take your money for overpriced translated literature. Beautiful, irresistible, and economically fatal.
3. Bruderkuss and the Art of Suffering for Instagram
Everyone in Berlin knows “Bruderkuss” - officially “My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love.” Personally, I’d rename it “My God, Help Me to Survive This Ridiculously Long Line to Take an Insta Photo with Brezhnev and Honecker.” The East Side Gallery is genuinely lovely, but here’s my pro tip: bring a tall friend so you can pose with the wall quickly from the side, rather than wait for your time to briefly shine.
4. Blumental, Engeldamm - Where productivity dies
One random Sunday, my course mate and I decided to be “productive.” We found this café that advertised itself as a working space. Spoiler - it wasn’t. They take the concept of “non-working Sunday” religiously. No workspace, and laptops are strictly banned. We enjoyed each other’s company and breakfast, but ended up writing our scenes outside, freezing and existential. Maybe that’s why everything we wrote turned into tragedies.
With all that considered, even if it may be not obvious, I love Berlin.
