Nostalgic Memories in Berlin
Many, many thanks to the exchange program offered by WISE, which contributes to my knowledge both of western life and of what is life itself.
Deutschland or in English Germany is a homeland of classical philosophy, one of serenity, and one of reflection. It suffered a lot from the WWII, yet lead European economic development only after a few decades. Devastated by the cruelty of world war and constrained by the insufficient fund of DDR, Berlin, the past North Athens, has been in reconstruction until today.
Deutschland opens her mind to embrace spiritual seeking across the world. Christianity is her traditional treatment toward the spiritual salvation of human beings and her open-mindedness goes back to at least the era of the Reformation when many French Protestants called Hugenotten were prosecuted and thus fled there. Muslims are able to get not only personal security but sectarian detachment in Deutschland. Plus, Taiwanese Buddhism is also available to the public. What should be mentioned at last is the religious tolerance in Deutschland: here, Jews, Christians and Muslims are planning to build a house of worship on Petriplatz in Berlin: synagogue, church and mosque under one roof. The House of One will be a house of prayer and learning. The three religions will each observe their own traditions, and will use these as a starting point for seeking out dialogue with each other and with those from outside the three faiths.
Photo above: Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam
Humboldt University, our exchange partner, is located right in the center of Berlin, with its buildings scattering in urban blocks. The rosy side stands that one is expected to touch Berlin’s heritage and local culture very frequently and the dark side is that it is difficult to smell a campus atmosphere and most students get very tired in daily transportation from dormitory far, far away.
It is not unreasonable to encounter a diet shock if one steps onto another land for the first time. But Berlin is indeed a vegetarian heaven, suitable to my taste. Deutschland has very cheap food and grocery compared to every other European country! Besides, on workdays I could always eat at the Mensa which is a cafeteria only for students. This is very cheap and they have at least one vegetarian meal daily. And Berlin is known for its vegetarian and even vegan food scene with plenty of restaurants and shops, so you definitely do not have to eat meat. Western students do love drinking and sometimes stay up late in bars. By the way, price level in Deutschland is rather low and an exchange student does not have to worry about a big expenditure. For example, the price of banana in Supermarket Lidl is exactly the same as the price near Haiyun Dormitory Complex.
Customer Analysis and Customer Insights together with SAS introduction was selected so as to learn SAS in a concrete context. Students were requested to design questionnaire and collect data all by themselves. Given the derived dataset, SAS programming was employed to produce some results that make sense in market decision making. I made many friends in that particular course.
Life is not to be sophisticated, but our agitated mind spoils it. It is unforgettable to have a bizarre dorm room without internet access, as it gives a chance to keep me from chaos outside and to focus attention to what I really need. By attaching less in the mind, I began to ponder over and over the meaning of life, what this life is for, and how to get rid of the entanglement imposed by materialism. “Our lives are lived in intense and anxious struggle, in a swirl of speed and aggression, in competing, grasping, possessing, and achieving, forever burdening ourselves with extraneous activities and preoccupations.” So, I attempted to meditate, to make a break with how we normally operate, and to make a room for mind. Also, it is in Berlin that I heard of a Japanese author Marie Kondo who introduces many applicable solutions to throw away something that preoccupies us in her best-seller manual.①
I had a taste of a lecture American Literary History in which the professor presented a fluent and euphonious English narration and I was fond of the main content very much. She introduced the principles that Benjamin Franklin had worked out to keep his life in order, which I suppose might contribute to a manageable life. Part of them are shared as follows:
I temperance, eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
II silence, speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid strifing conversation.
III resolution, resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
IV frugality, make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing.
V industry, lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
VI sincerity, use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
VII chastity, rarely use venery but for health or offspring.
① 怦然心动的人生整理魔法 [日本] 近藤麻理惠
—— By Mingming Zhang, student from 2013 WISE Master’s Program
