It is not out of the norm to see trash laying around in Berlin. There was one day where I sat on a bench in Volkspark along with some Germans. As we sat and talked I found myself distracted by a McDonald’s paper bag that was laying on the ground in front of us. This bag had obviously been laying there for a couple of hours because it was wrinkled and beginning to tear.
Nearly every dog that passed was immediately attracted to the smell; children and some adults 🙂 on bikes jumped at the chance to smash the paper while riding by; runners tended to avoid the bag, but of course some enjoyed the moment of play. I felt an urge to pick up the garbage and throw it away, but instead I left it and watched.
After an hour or so, I could not take it anymore, and I mentioned the bag to the Germans I was sitting with, they replied with “no one cares,” and nobody did.
I thought about the concept for a few minutes, and then took this prime opportunity to show a part of my German experience; the video is nothing out of the ordinary, but daily life in a park. It shows the interactions with people, garbage, and nature.
Music:
I chose a techno song from Berlin because Berlin is the central hub for techno and it is where the gene got its start. Also, I thought the beats play nicely with the choppiness of the clips.
WATCH IT: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9SOC3meb24KR0JEbmgzb2c5V28/edit?usp=sharing
SPOILER:
The last video in the film, where a baby carriage comes up to me, has a funny story. Of course, I was sitting there being creepy and videoing all the people that passed; I was pumped up to see a lady about to pass with a stroller, so I geared up to video, and I started to record. The next thing I knew the lady had come up to me. After I stopped recording, the mother of the child asked me where the closest bathroom was- with heavy accented German, mind you. I did not know where the bathroom was or how to say I did not know. I first said in English that I was not certain, but she looked at me in a strange way and so I said “Je ne sias pas” (which is french for I don’t know). The lady then started to speak fluent French to me. It was bad enough when I did not know how to respond in German, but even worse when she immediately then assumed I was a fluent French speaker. At that moment it was completely awkward, and I felt bad that I had no idea where the bathroom was, but looking back I can not help but to laugh at how the situation played out.