Berlin is the coolest city in the world right now. Ask Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and The New York Times, who have all published articles lately singing the German capital’s “poor but sexy” praises – from cheap cost of living to a berserk nightlife scene.
Because of such perks, Germany’s capital has emerged as a Mecca for soul-searching millennials everywhere. I moved here last year and am still falling in love with the city’s unique character over and over again. It’s the perfect open-minded, free-spirited atmosphere for finding answers to personal truths. Or on the other hand, you can just forget about those problems and dance until the sun comes up.
But the saying goes: “If you don’t get lost, there’s a chance you may never be found.” tentree’s philosophy is to always strive towards self-improvement, so here’s how a trip to Berlin could do some good:
Be yourself.
So much stress and anxiety would be avoided if we could only learn not to care what others think. We spend so much time in our youth worrying about how to please others (parents, boyfriend/girlfriend, the list goes on) and it can be easy to lose a sense of self in the process.
Berlin’s motto might as well be: “Just do whatever you want. And if everyone is looking at you, even better.” I’ve seen people casually wearing neon spandex, sexagenarians with blue-dyed hair, I even saw a guy carrying a white rat in a pizza box the other day. Now it is essential to carefully separate normal from the crazy, but if this can prove anything: never be afraid to let your freak flag fly.
Try new things.
Berlin’s a city of learning and every week there are workshops teaching new hobbies to eager tourists and expats. From knitting to glassblowing, DJing and learning new languages, anything is possible here and for a delightfully reasonable cost. These courses can also be a fun means of meeting new people from all over the world.
Partying: The good, bad and the ugly.
Okay, we’ve almost all been prone to hitting the bottle a little too hard in the prime years that follow legal drinking age. But Berlin is on another level, with nightclubs that stay open from Friday night to Monday afternoon and easy drug access (not to mention lax regulation by the government). There can be a dark side to this city – just take a look around at the nightclub, and it’s easy to pick out the people who are spiraling out of control pretty quick. Let it be a lesson that partying can be fun, but real happiness doesn’t come from any substance.
Enjoy life.
Stay up late. Sleep in. Spend the whole morning and afternoon having breakfast on a sunny patio then stroll around at the flea market. These are the staples of a Berliner lifestyle and let’s face it. These simple moments are what make life count. During the summer, Berlin’s parks are full of skateboarders, graffiti artists, musicians and people chilling out. Life goes by really fast, so take any opportunity to just slow it all down.
