Okay so I must do some backlogging. It's hard to keep up with the internet when I have so much to do and so much on my mind. You'll notice the dates on which I post entries do not correspond with the dates I include at the top to indicate when I have written and when the details may be prevalent. I'm in the studio for class right now so this is a live update woouoouou.
Firstly some business. MY ADDRESS, here in Berlin:
Elijah Snyder-Vidmar
Bei Matthias Forster (my host)
17 Blumenthal Strasse
Berlin, Germany 10783
I won't post my cellphone number until I look into my plan. If perhaps I can receive international calls for free then I'll leave it up to y'all to call me. If you do, keep in mind I am in various classes at various times, out for expeditions, taking language class, dancing at crazy clubs, or trying to find some time for reading all the class material I have (which I haven't worked into my daily schedule yet).
I want to give a quick update on Sunday's trip to Potsdam with professor Helmut Franz again. Background on Helmut, he is the most amazing character, so full of knowledge and energy and life in his old age, he constantly impresses and amuses. He's lived in Berlin since 1967 but travels most of the year except to spend the Summer in Berlin, which he tells me is one of the loveliest places to be. The next scheduled trip with him is in April but I plan to meet with him more often on my own. In Potsdam we toured the old Dutch tenement district which was built by the Prussian king Friederich the Great and offered as an enticement for outsiders to contribute their resources to the town. The Prussians didn't have much to work with but the knowledge of what they needed and how they could get it. It's a charming town, but really astounding is the royal palace of Friederich II which is so prevalent in the town. A Huge complex of palaces and gardens, every tree placed specifically, amazing views from every walkway. I was impressed by the attention to aesthetic beauty in the culmination of nature and architecture, the sense of private life the palace instilled and how that compares to publicity. I'll definitely be going in the Spring to see all the trees and flowers in full bloom, the palace in all it's splendor, as many of the outdoor statues were boxed up to protect them from the weather.
Friederich II was a strange character with some simple pleasures in life, evident in the way he planned out his royal grounds, the private buildings and palaces he had built, and how he chose to be buried next to his greyhounds not any of his family. He also only saw his wife once a year on special occasions, probably as a formality since it is thought he was gay. What a life. I can only imagine discrepancies between the power and responsibilities and freedoms that come with being a ruler and a man just the same. It makes me want to take greater control over my life, to seek what I want and live how I want and that's a very individual thing sometimes. I realize that I give certain courtesies to people without addressing how I truly feel. You really have to feel able to be honest in everything you do, balance the good and the bad, the nice and the not so nice, as long as you are true to yourself you can be a decent person no matter what.
-E
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