An Awkward Berlin Trip
My first visit to Berlin was in 1991. Before the unification of East and West Germany, the international office of my university organized an annual trip to Berlin for a week, mainly to let international students experience the differences between East and West Berlin and demonstrate the superiority of capitalism. 1991 was the last time this activity was held because the Berlin Wall had already fallen and Germany was unified, so there was no need to spend money to prove anything anymore.
Food, accommodation, and tickets were all included, and for just over 100 Deutschmarks for a week, such a good deal wouldn't normally have fallen to me. But unexpectedly, a Taiwanese female student got diarrhea just before the trip and privately gave me her spot. So I ended up going with another Taiwanese female student. I asked her if we should tell the group leader, and she said no, since foreigners all see Chinese names as pretty much the same. So we boarded a bus to Berlin. Unlike mainland Chinese students, who mostly studied engineering and sciences in Germany, Taiwanese female students mainly studied liberal arts, art, philosophy, etc. Mainland classmates graduated to work and earn money, while they came to Germany to cultivate their lives and refine their sensibilities, and then find a good long-term meal ticket.
The whole bus was full of Western faces, except for the two of us Asians. The Chinese cleverness was exposed after we arrived at the hotel in Berlin. Because I was taking a female student's name, I was naturally assigned to share a room with other girls. The group leader had probably never encountered an impersonation in his life and had no contingency plan, so he directly asked the three girls if they would be willing to share a room with me. They all agreed. Amid the envious eyes of many male classmates, I ended up in a room with three girls—though I felt a bit awkward.
The week's activities were rich and fully met the organizers' expectations. We witnessed the prosperity of West Berlin and the decline of East Berlin. It was hard to imagine that these two parts of the city were once one city just over 40 years ago. Since it was a university alliance event, we often encountered students from other universities at the visit sites, such as Museum Island, the Berlin Wall, and Potsdam. On the second day, I was stunned by Museum Island—ancient Greek buildings had been moved entirely into the museum. That Taiwanese female student happened to study art, so she took over the explanations. Twenty-five years later, when I revisited Museum Island, it no longer had the same impact. Over those 25 years, I had seen a bit more of the world, no longer the naive youth I once was.
During this trip, I almost believed in love at first sight—that moment when you glance at someone in the crowd. She was a French exchange student from the University of Münster, not tall, somewhat resembling Sophie Marceau. I ran into her at every group event—there were glances, smiles, and a bit of verbal exchange. On the last night of the trip, we went to see an opera, I think it was Wagner's, but I don't recall the details. I do remember feeling awkward again: I didn't know I was supposed to wear a suit to the opera. I had no other clothes, so I went in my leather jacket, which stood out conspicuously in the opera house. But just as the awkwardness was wearing off, a surprise came: the French girl happened to be sitting next to me. When she learned it was my first time listening to an opera, she patiently explained it to me. I began to believe in God a little—who else could have heard my prayers and made such an arrangement? Too bad there was no WeChat back then, otherwise...
When I revisited Berlin 25 years later, Merkel, born in East Germany, had been the German chancellor for many years. Berlin had once again become the capital of Germany and was undergoing massive construction. The gap between East and West Berlin was narrowing. Back then, there were very few Chinese tourists; now half the people taking photos at the Brandenburg Gate are Chinese. I thought of my naive younger self, who experienced many awkward moments in Berlin, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. But now it's Berlin's turn to feel awkward: compared to Beijing's Daxing Airport, built in just 4–5 years, Berlin's new Brandenburg Airport took 14 years to complete.
