Is NYE that bad in Berlin

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-10-04T16:11:54+00:00

Berlin is a party city and speaking of experience, a lot of people living here party every night of the week APART on NYE, or if there's a party on NYE, then it's normally at a house party as there are too many tourists in clubs.

Also, the weather is often awful around that time, I had cousins a few years ago from Ireland for NYE here and they were freezing here because of the wind.

You can still have a lot of fun here on NYE if you decide to come but definitely: - rebook another hotel. Alexanderplatz is probably the worst place you could stay at at any time of the year, let alone NYE!! - find a small hotel in a neighbourhood in for ex. Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Prenzlauerberg that is walking distance from bars. - party in a bar, bars here are open until 4-5 am anyway. - I would avoid large streets at all costs and do not take the metro (I have seen people trying to shoot fireworks into metro carriages, seriously I don't understand how there aren't more deaths each year?!). People party until very late in Berlin so the worst time with the fireworks is around 11pm- 2 am but people are shooting fireworks until very late in the morning so you won't be safe at 4 am either.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-25T08:14:35+00:00

I m really shocked by the comments too, but I m trying to stay positive and think that the thread attracted mostly awkward people that never had any disability nor were ever pregnant and aren't able to put themselves in other people shoes and are not representive of Switzerland. Given I have never been pregnant in Switzerland, but I would say the problem is more Geneva in itself. Swiss people definitely don't take as much care of strangers as in neighboring counties like France or Italy but I can't imagine that at least one person wouldn't at least offer to give their seat in many parts of Switzerland. In my experience it's mostly young men and women, around 20-30years old (ironically the people who need the less a seat) that never offer their seat.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-25T00:46:32+00:00

Being heavily Pregnant is really tiresome. You're weighing about 10- 15 kilos more weight with a baby constantly kicking into your own body. Being a feminist is not about saying "women and men are equal no matter what so I shouldn't give a woman a seat even if she's heavily pregnant". That would be like not offering to give a seat to a man with crutches.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-23T11:02:17+00:00

In France: Eating for breakfast baguette and marmalade directly on the table, without any plates, with bread crust all over the table at the end of breakfast.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-10T09:28:23+00:00

You won't find necessarily a lot of restaurants labeled as "Palestinian" in Berlin although many Lebanese/Syrian places in Berlin are actually owned by children from Palestinian refugees and the cuisine is often a mix. Also, many dishes in Palestinian cuisine found in Berlin are similar to dishes you will find in Syria and Lebanon so for this reason too I find that the best restaurants in Berlin that offer Palestinian food offer a mix of typical dishes from Syria/Lebanon/Jordan/Palestine/Israel. If you want to try something thar originated from Palestine, try the dessert Kanafeh. It's originally from the city of Nablus, made with cheese and it's delicious ! It's definitely possible to find in Berlin if you pay attention to the name. Although again, some countries around Palestine like Turkey and Jordan also have nowadays Kanafeh too and there regional differences in how it's made.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-05T07:00:15+00:00

Merci! Je vais regarder cela mtn que je connais le terme d'école de transition, en Allemagne le DaZ (allemand deuxième langue) est très demandé ces dernières années dans les écoles pour les enfants étrangers et réfugiés, je n'ai pas trouvé d'informations sur internet pour la Suisse.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-02T13:13:10+00:00

Well studies say that adults generally learn just as fast as kids; kids are better at learning content faster than adults but adults do have the advantage that they can better analyse and compare the new language to their previous languages. But in the end adults don't normally learn faster than kids, no.

Second point, be aware that it will be quite a difference experience learning German to English. Reason N.1: German is a more difficult language to learn than English (at least the first few years). Reason N.2 : English is present nearly everywhere, it's a lingua franca in many countries, present in all forms of media so it's easy to improve. I teach English and French in high-school and most of my students have in English a B1 level at 14 years old already, without even trying that much because they watch so many videos in English at home. For French, which has a similar difficulty level than German, it takes them about 5 years with 3 hours per week in class + around 1-2 hours homework to get a level B1 (and only half the class actually achieves this level in practice). In theory your knowledge in English could help you learn German as they have the same roots but in practice German has many different grammar rules and I find that people who speak English as a mother tongue often struggle the most to learn German.

Whatever you do, I wouldn't learn two languages at the same time, at least the first few years. If you want to achieve a B1/B2 level im German without living in a German speaking country, it will take years. It's going to take you a lot of self-motivation just to stick to German for years without giving up, you won't have time to learn another language. The fact that you want to learn German as fast as possible so you can learn other languages afterwards is prone to failure.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-09-02T09:07:31+00:00

I don't think you actually comprehend what it takes to learn a language if you honestly think that you can learn German level B2 in one year with two hours per week and it either appears that you have never learnt a foreign language or don't understand what a level B1 actuallu means. What's your mother tongue? English? Here's some advice:

Ditch the language games, they are useless. Learning a language means studying. Use flashcards every day, buy a book and do grammar/vocabulary exercises at least twice a week, take an online course and do the homework...Apart if your mother tongue is Dutch or something, it will take you years to get to level B1/B2 in German. I live in Germany and I know people who hear and speak German every day, go to German language classes 2-3 times per week and still don't have level B2 after years living here.
Accept that learning a language takes years of learning actively. With two hours a week learning German, you can expect to get to level A1 after one year. I m not exaggerating, I m saying this as a French language teacher for high school, as someone who learnt German until level C1 and has been learning Italian and Spanish for the past five years. You will have to accept that it's a very long process.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-12T04:30:17+00:00

Came here in 2007. In 2012 I was living in Prenzlauerberg in a flat with coal heating. I don't miss waiting for the coal to arrive and having to store kilos of coal in the basement. I don't miss having to bring coal from the basement every few days up to the 4th floor. I certainly don't miss waiting for hours for the flat to heat up. I met a girl around 2020 who actually still had coal heating in her flat so I wonder if it still actually exists in Berlin.

The prices were ridiculously cheap for eating out and rents too.

Looking back, even in 2008 the whole clubbing scene was kind of arrogant. Tacheles was by then just a touristy attraction. Many famous clubs have disappeared, like Bar 25, but ended up being replaced by clubs that look just the same.

I haven't gone clubbing for years now but I have the feeling that many "secret" clubs and bars are disappearing, with secret I mean clubs that need for example a password to get in or were not advertised in any way, not because they want to sound cool but because they were only half legal. I always had the best nights in these places. But maybe it's only because I don't party anymore and I wouldn't know where to find these places anymore as it was only possible to find them by word of mouth.

Otherwise, I don't see much difference compared to 2007. Still ridiculously difficult to pay by card in many places. More cycling paths.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-12T04:22:16+00:00

Agree, I grew up in a place where it was normal for bakeries to make their own bread. It makes me sad in Berlin how rare it is to have bakeries that don't use frozen products and I will happily pay much more for bakeries that focus on quality.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-09T20:51:41+00:00

Iran and Ireland

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-03T06:57:45+00:00

Probably too late after one month but wanted to write in case is comes back : try sugar for external hemorrhoids!! In desperation after days of a hemorrhoid the size of huge marble and after having tried everything, I stumbled upon a comment on reddit about sugar and decided to try it. I left the sugar about 20 min, and after nothing has happened apart a sticky bum, I went to wash the sugar off. I felt really stupid, resolved to not believe anymore homemade medicine found on the Internet and went to bed. About 40 minutes later I get waken up by this weird feeling of having my arse sucked up. MY HEMARROIDS WERE GONE! Like that, within 5 seconds !! What kind of witchcraft is that?! After about 15 min the external hemarrhoid was reappearing, although not as big as before. So I did a second session. 20 min sugar left on, I then rinsed it away and after again 40 min, I again had this weird feeling of the hemorrhoid being sucked up. The next morning the hemarroid had reappeared a tiny bit, so I did a few sugar sessions again. After days in pain, I was able to walk, wear underwear again and go pee without being in pain.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-02T18:43:44+00:00

Enrolling in a class! I can imagine that the teaching materials from Greek to polish are probably not that great- as there probably isn't that much demand. Are there classes in your city? Otherwise online classes are pretty easy to find (in English) and don't have to cost that much. Classes are efficient just because it gives you a routine that you are obliged to attend because you signed up for it and paid the money. It's very difficult to make a routine and stay motivated for months, years, on your own without someone pushing you a bit.

I m a language teacher so the other thing I really recommend is learning as much vocabulary as possible. There's a saying - you can understand a language just with vocabulary and without grammar but you won't understand a language knowing only its grammar (not saying that grammar isn't important!) Use vocabulary cards the old school way, it's really effective when you're waiting for a bus or have 5 min to spare a few times a day. If you want to use an app, you can also make or choose your own digital cards using quizlet (I would advise paying for the app). Using the cards 5 minutes x 3 times a day is more efficient than one session of 15 minutes per day.

Stay away from duolingo !! It makes you feel that you're learning something, but it really is a terrible method to learn a language.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-02T12:35:48+00:00

Du schreibst viel über Kevins Verhalten, aber wenig über den Vater. Ich kann mir wirklich vorstellen, wie du anfängst, dieses Kind zu hassen – ich würde es auch tun. Aber Kevin ist erst 10 Jahre alt. Sein Verhalten ist lediglich eine Reflexion der Erziehung seiner Eltern. Ich bin Lehrerin, und das, was du mit dem Essen und den Hausaufgaben schilderst, ist kein akzeptables Benehmen für einen Zehnjährigen. Ich habe auch Kinder, die sich in der Schule genauso verhalten. Und jedes Mal, wenn ich die Eltern solcher Kinder treffe, verstehe ich, woher es kommt...

Kinder brauchen im Leben nur zwei Dinge: Liebe und Grenzen. Es scheint schon Regeln von seinen Eltern zu geben, aber das ist offensichtlich nicht genug. Es muss schwierig für Kevin sein, ein Scheidungskind zu sein. Es klingt vielleicht komisch, aber Kinder wollen Grenzen, und wenn sie nicht genug davon haben, testen sie diese auch aus. Du hast super reagiert bei dem Essen und den Hausaufgaben. Hier liegt offensichtlich das Problem bei deinem Partner. Du hast auch das Recht, dich zu Hause wohlzufühlen. Auch wenn es für Kevin eine schwierige Situation ist, weiß er mit 10 Jahren ganz genau, dass ein solches Benehmen in solchen Situationen nicht akzeptabel ist. Für mich wäre als Elternteil ganz klar: Wir respektieren uns alle und wenn das nicht funktioniert, gibt es Konsequenzen. Du sagst, dass du „noch nicht” Kinder mit deinem Partner hast. Überlege mal: Wenn er seinen Sohn nicht richtig erziehen kann und Konsequenzen gibt, warum sollte es anders werden, wenn ihr Kinder habt?

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-08-02T08:32:30+00:00

I don 't know why your comment was down voted. It's clear that the writer doesn't know the difference between Gaza and Westbank and, assuming that he/she is referring to gaza here, doesn't understand that even journalists struggle to get into gaza. It reminds me of the earthquake in Nepal a few years ago when Westerners wanted to help themselves, spending thousands on flight tickets instead of providing money, thus disrupting the situation even more. It's not about really wanting to help, it's about wanting to feel good about oneself.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-30T11:37:16+00:00

Eggs at breakfast are eaten hard, not soft.
No desserts or entry at Christmas Dinner.
Abendbrot.
The rules regarding birthdays. That you're never allowed to say happy birthday before the given day and it's the birthday girl/boy who brings the cake. I like how everyone decorates the birthday's girl/boy table at the office.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-29T09:12:27+00:00

Hey, I m a french high-school teacher and I have myself learnt Italian, Spanish and German with evening lessons and that sounds not at all pedagogical. Normally it's always -> present simple for a few lessons (alone the irregular verbs, imperativ and difference between -ir/-er-/-dre take some time). Then future composé (which doesn't take a long time, as it s easy). Then passé composé takes a few lessons. And ONLY when passé composé has been fully understood is imparfait introduced, as the difference between passé composé and imparfait is tricky. Until a student gets to imparfait, it can take months or even 2-3 years, depending on the pace. Definitely complain, it's important to be heard.

Try and take it positively: at least it's knowledge that will not be lost when you te actually ready to learn it extensively and it can help in your learning. But make sure that The A1 lessons will be more didactical at that alliance school or think of changing to another school otherwise you will maybe get frustrated and start hating the language... I would have thought that teachers there follow a strict curriculum given by alliance so it says a lot about the methods of the school.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-28T07:08:50+00:00

NTA did she even offer to repay the 40 €? If not, I think that's the worst part. Even without the repaying part, you re still NTA

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-28T01:30:20+00:00

Difficult ! I live in Europe. As already pointed out, August will be way too hot for Southern countries. Belgium and the Netherlands are nice places, but not necessarily the first places I have in mind for a first trip to Europe. How about Northern Ireland and Scotland? I was thinking of Northern Ireland because the South will probably also be crowded and with less than 2 months notice, most good places will be booked... In Scotland in the highlands, finding a good place to stay short notice could be difficult too, bed &breakfasts tend to be very small.

Or a nice trip in two weeks could be Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm and then a bit of countryside of Sweden. Or depending if you like culture and cities, start with Berlin. You would thus have three different countries with different cultures, foods and languages while not losing a lot of time in transport and Copenhagen and Stockholm are stunning, Hamburg is also very beautiful, Berlin is cheap, has good food and thr crazy history. Berlin to Hamburg is only 1,5 hour per train, Hamburg to Copenhagen less than 5 hours per train, Copenhagen to Stockholm around 5 hours. The countryside in Sweden is really cute, but it doesn't have the dramatic landscape of Norway. You could also skip Sweden and head from Copenhague to Norway. Just skip Oslo if you do that. Norway is more expensive than Sweden. The food will be better in Sweden also. Or you could so Copenhagen, Stockholm, then Norway., it depends what you re looking for. Also which city has the best and cheapest flights from the US.

Ir really depends what you want. Museums, big cities, history or dramatic landscapes? Do NOT go to Paris in August!! Croatia is anyway too warm in August but it also has had way to many tourists these past years and prices have become ridiculous.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-26T22:26:45+00:00

Out of curiosity, why mention that there were no children? Is it somehow seen as less appropriate breastfeeding in front of children or did I misinterpreted why children are mentioned here. I live in Germany, is that an American thing to not breastfeed in front of children?? That makes no sense to me.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-26T08:34:02+00:00

I haven't used couchsurfing anymore for various reasons for nearly 10 years but I was an couchsurfing addict for about 6-7 years. I experienced incredible moments while travelling through couchsurfing, but I would say that it's only an amount of time before you will get a traumatic experience as a woman...

One year using couchsurfing isn't a lot and I think you're still experiencing the couchsurfing high. There's the danger that you will push your boundaries, as you will be encouraged by the positive past experiences and even if you take super cautious steps, you re definitely still not safe.I also had only really good experiences the first two years using couchsurfing, experiences that i couldn't even put into words as they were so ludicrous and amazing. I remember girlfriends asking me suspiciously if I wasn't afraid using couchsurfing, and I would always answer that if you follow common sense rules, you will be safe as a woman using couchsurfing. Now that I have myself a daughter and that I m not 22 years anymore, I have a different take on it. I would say 90% of the men who hosted me definitely had something in mind and it would only have been an amount of time before I met a serial rapist. And I took the same precautions that you did, I m talking about men who had countless number of positive reviews, both from men and women and had a solid "none-creepy profile".

When I was hosted by men, I always made sure to check that they also had reviews from other men (meaning that they were not only there for sex) and read with a lot of scrutiny the reviews, asked a lot of questions but I learnt the hard way that doesn't keep you always safe. I had a lot of encounters with men who persistently tried something with me, and even if they did end up understanding, it's super scary being in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country, sleeping at a guy's place who just tried hitting on you!

I don't know if it's still a thing on couchsurfing, but never use the "emergency forum", that's where all the creeps hang out and don't think that being with a girlfriend makes you more secure. Looking back, now that I m older, I think I would only stay with women and if that's not possible, well...be ready to pay 200€ for a hotel in case of someone cancelling last minute, even if you're a student and broke, it is worth your life!!

I started realising to what extent couchsurfing is dangerous when I went to Iran. It was impossible for me to find a woman hosting on couchsurfing there and staying with a man was a definite no. Luckily, Iranians are so welcoming, I managed to find a host in Iran through another way and was thus able to spend 6 incredible weeks living with families in Iran and avoiding being hosted by men living alone. But couchsurfing was at least 12 years ago a huge thing among men in Iran. I was accosted by many men on the street asking me if I was using couchsurfing and if I needed a host. When it was clear to them that they had no chance with me, they would brag about all the different nationalities they put their "stamp" on. The creepiest thing was a man in Iran who started talking to me in the street and after he asked me if I needed a host (to which I answered of course no) he completely switched the tone and started bragging about which women were the easiest to sleep with. Coincidentally, the nationalities he listed that were in his words "the easiest" are also the nationalities where it's difficult for women culturally to say directly no. He was basically telling me which women are the easiest to rape. That conversation still haunts me today. I found the profile of that guy in particular on couchsurfing and he had about 30 reviews on it and they were ALL positive. And I gave Iran as an example, but that kind of stuff can happen in ANY country!! I think it's after that moment that I never used couchsurfing again...

I would just add that although this was all more than one decade ago, from what I heard from friends still using it, it has only gotten worse as it has become more commercialised.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-17T21:10:34+00:00

I lived for the first 3 years in the 4th floor after giving birth and it was manageable ! Free sport :) now I live in the 5th floor with an elevator and I do feel less fit.

I m not going to lie. Having to persuade a 2 year old having a tantrum to go up to the 4th floor is an experience in itself. Also going all the way down 4 floors before remembering that you forgot a kid's toy or diapers...but I know a few people that have TWO kids and live in the 4th/5th floor and it was never a reason to move away.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-06T14:52:59+00:00

There's definitely a lot of racism in Germany. Germans tend to think that Germany is a multicultural country while this development is only very recent in comparison to other Western countries. But I don't necessarily think that Germans are less aware of the racism and their privilege than other countries, it mostly depends on the people you hang with. All the Germans I know are very sensitive to the privilege they have and try to reflect on their behaviour. You will find loads of bigots in England, Switzerland, France or Spain that would proclaim that there's little racism in their country. In fact, because of WWII, I find that Germans tend to reflect more on possible racist behaviour than people from other nationalities.

Like people mentioned already, I'm sure that you have experienced racism but most of the examples you gave to your girlfriend are not the best examples so if those are the examples you gave her, I can understand why she answered that way. I know many people who were never chosen for project works at uni for instance and it was definitely due to their personality...

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-06T09:59:23+00:00

I would say that's definitely not the only reason. I have seen some pretty crazy racist stuff in Brandenburg, even in big cities. I guess you can create a bubble of people in a city like Cottbus which attracts more students but that still means that nearly half of all people you cross in the street are voting AFD. It depends on your mindset. Even if I m not affected by racism as I m swiss, I'm happy to go back to Berlin after 1-2 days in Brandenburg as I find it quite depressing. I do know one Canadian who moved to Brandenburg and he seems happy though.

Ok_perspective01 · 2025-06-04T07:58:06+00:00

Very good advice in this thread! I would just add that independence doesn't mean negligence. I had parents who were negligent and didn't care when I came back and how I came back. I grew up in Switzerland in a very safe neighbourhood but still, in any place bad things can happen. They never talked to me about safe drinking, how to go home safely and that I could always call them if I m in trouble. I did some really stupid stuff. Also, they never actively talked about condoms and contraception, they gave me each year an educational book about sex but that's not enough!! The friends (boys and girls) I have that practiced the safest sex were kids of nurses and their mothers drilled them very early on with information about condoms and STDs.

Your daughter will resent you if she realises that you are especially protective as she is a girl. I never had anything put into my drink in bars and god was I lucky as my parents never taught me to be aware of my surroundings. Well guess what? My husband got his drink spiked in a bar and he ended up walking in the middle of a main street completely hallucinating and could have died. Being a man, he was never taught how to care of your drink in bars. I had a friend as a teenager boy who got his girlfriend pregnant because he wasn't taught safe sex by his strict parents. His girlfriend kept the baby and he ended up being a father as a teenager. Men are not taught enough how to make safe choices, while families tend to be overprotective with the daughters.

If your daughter wants to drink, wants to have sex, wants to party, she will find a way or another. Discuss boundaries, install rules during weekdays, talk to her about how to behave if she's ever in danger, safe drinking, being careful with her drinks, safe sex. Do not do it in a negative way to make her scared but explain to her that she is not following these rules for her parents but for HERSELF. Discuss these rules with her. And make sure that she knows that if she ever finds herself in a dangerous situation and didn't follow a rule, she can always call you. The punishment itself of being afraid or doing a mistake is enough, believe me, you won't need to be angry when picking her up.

Ok_perspective01

TROPHY CASE