I spend most of my time on trains. The Berlinish public transport system would pretty much not be able to survive without them. At least once a year the train staff goes on a strike, turning Berlin into a total disaster of hundreds of people squeezing into one wagon and mothers encouraging their little kids to kick back the adults if they accidentally hurt them in the crowds.
But besides being an important part of my every day transportation, the average German train becomes a good place to watch people. You just get to sit there at the window, pretending to listen to some Rammstein tracks on your tablet while in reality you are observing what is being said and done around you.
But of course there are also these places like streets filled with Spanish, French and Asian tourists or places like IKEA or any random supermarket, or the movie theater or the library. You name it.
So, after being back in Deutschland for a while now, here is a little list of observations thus far.
Welcome to the “Berlin People Watch” series.
1. Close your mouth while chewing gum! Especially if your teeth are long over the hill.
2. The bedroom section at IKEA is not the best place to express your attraction for somebody and neither is the pillar in a supermarket, or the sauna. Get. A. Room. Seriously.
3. Since 1943 a pretty cool invention has been around, called headphones. You might consider getting a pair of these before you press play in public.
4. If you really think that nobody can see that you are not wearing underwear today, think again.
5. I don’t care if you are 13 already and that you think you can do whatever you want. I also don’t care whether you already have a girlfriend and are the coolest in your grade. Sit in the seats and not on the floor right at the doors. Other people want to get onto the train, too.
6. A busy street full of shops and pedestrians is probably the best place to preach about a new French revolution.
7. However, getting onto a full train to encourage everyone to atone for their sins might not be that great of an idea.
8. If only you knew that the person in front of you understood every single word you said on the phone about your ex- girlfriend. Russian is a widely spread language, my friend. Especially here.
9. Street musicians make the day! 🙂
10. Beware of the adorable, nice looking elderly women in the city parks who start talking to you out of nowhere. They are most likely Jehovah’s witnesses who will try to get you to “join the club”. They are so friendly, it’s very hard to get away from them and they know it.
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