We pride ourselves on diversity in Tucson; our culture is vibrant and rich because of the influences of multiple cultures. Here in Berlin, it is no different. There are multiple influences at work--it is most obvious through the different types of cuisines here. (It's not just beer, although I tasted my first last night, it was amber and "yeasty"). I only bring this up now because it has come up a lot, especially when I was hanging out with some new dorm friends last night.
Who knew I was going to be sitting with a bunch of Ph.D/masters students who were: Romanian, Russian, Czechoslovakian, and Ukrainian ex-disc jockey who does not want to serve the draft in his home country. These people were, of course, older and more worldly. They were much more aware of America than I was of their countries, and they laughed at some of the phrases I said, yet we were all brought together because of our interest in science. I asked the ex-DJ why he quit that lifestyle. He simply said: because I want to be a scientist! Hey, it gave him a reason to be here working instead of serving in the Ukrainian army. Then, we started talking about how many languages we knew. Among the four of us, we could speak at least 9 languages. We were a small melting pot, tucked away in the outskirts of Berlin :)
LILY
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