I just tipped back in my computer chair and experienced that small heart attack as I began to fall. Everyone knows that feeling, right? It's a short burst of adrenaline that surges through your body, filling you with fear but also a quick shot of excitement.
I'm leaving for Germany tomorrow and I've been feeling this small, exciting heart attack for the last couple of days. It isn't my first time staying in this beautiful country, but this instance is completely different than the first. To begin, I'm going to be living in big, bad Berlin, which is much larger than the first city in Germany that captured my heart, Freiburg. Secondly, I'm going to be relying on my German skills far more than before, which mostly consisted of ordering "eine Kugel dunkele Schokolade, bitte"--
I learned plenty while I was there, but I didn't break the surface of the complex German history or how art compliments it. Within the last year at UMich, I've delved into both and have come to the realization that art is created in response to the state of the nation! Enlightened thought, I know. With a decent understanding of the many changes that Germany underwent during the 20th century, it's mind-blowing to see how art changed with it. For example, as Vitgel says:
"The horrors of war had turned expressionism from a relatively optimistic, nature-loving vision dedicated to renewal and hope toward a relentlessly harsh commentary on the military and the profiteers and their indifference to the working class and the lot of war veterans."
I get to see this first-hand in Germany!... In just a couple of days...!
Step one, however, is to get a nice Brötchen and Apfelschorle in hand! You need your energy to take Deutschland by storm!
BIS BALD!
I read this in your voice and I miss you and I am so excited
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