Pascal Folly: An American in Berlin

As promised, I now have the full feature on Pascal online and ready to share!

Check out the original post on Pascal for background information.

And click here to see the SoundSlide I created as part of my photojournalism course in Berlin!

Plus, if you want to see profiles on other Berliners created by my classmates, click here! Stay tuned for some more of our photography of the city and a video of our trip by our TA and award winning photographer, Daron Dean.

Comment below with your thoughts!



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This is their story.
What's yours?
Email stories.about.them@gmail.com with your story (or that of someone you know).
Stories About Them are stories about You.
Pass it on.

International Love: Part 2

Since the last blog post of me creeping on people was such a big hit, here are more snapshots of love around Europe. 

Since I began looking through my camera lens through a different perspective (that of the photographer and not just a tourist), I've begun to see more around me. It's sort of like when you get a new car, and then you start seeing that car everywhere, where you hadn't really noticed it before.

Looking for simple moments between people and their loved ones is kind of like that.
Once you start looking for them, they're all around you.

A girl in Venice kisses her dog who patiently waits while the family samples gelato.

Two dogs in Prague's old center snuggle while their owner performs in the square.

A couple naps in the sun by the riverside in Prague.

Children in Venice's Piazza San Marco try luring pigeons with snacks.
That wasn't working too well, so they ate the snacks themselves.

A boy and his father enjoy the cool water of a pubic fountain in
one of Berlin's parks on a sunny evening.

A bride and groom in Venice's Piazza San Marco bow to onlookers
taking pictures of them during their photo shoot in the Piazza.

This couple stopped for a moment on Prague's
famous Charles Bridge.

Overlooking the Vltava river in Prague on a sunny afternoon.

A girl in Prague stops to pass on some small change
to a street performer in Prague.

American Expat Finds Artistic Challenge in Berlin

As part of my class requirements for this photojournalism course here in Berlin, I am required to find a Berliner and profile them. We want to learn where they came from, what they do, what makes Berlin special in their eyes. We follow them around for a bit to collect photos, interview them, and make a Soundslide project. Eventually, those Soundslides will appear on a website and our work also appears in a published book that our professor puts together.

I've mentioned Pascal to you before. Pascal is my subject. I met Pascal when our group visited Dr. Pongs, a sort of simplistic, underground bar that has a ping pong table. Pascal bar tends part time at Pongs. We hung out a couple different times, sampled cappacinos and espressos together from a variety of cafes around Berlin. He also took me to his studio where I got to see a sampling of his work. Here's my little narrative on him. Soon, I'll post the Soundslide version as well:


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By day, American expatriate Pascal Folly paints, teaches English, takes walks, drinks coffee at his favorite cafes and volunteers with the homeless. By night, he bar tends, dances, parties and enjoys the vibrant techno-infused nightlife of Berlin. After living abroad in Brazil and Japan, Folly returned home to Washington, D.C. where he and his artwork felt stagnant. 

“I had no lady, no sword, no shield and no quest,” said Folly. After hearing many positive things about the city, Folly decided to just pick up and go. He ventured to Berlin in 2012 for the first time to challenge himself and his artistic approach in a brand new environment. He didn’t know anyone in Berlin and didn’t speak the language. For the first time, Folly felt failure. But he also experienced a city that was open and full of potential. Folly was newly inspired to develop his paintings in his shared studio space, experimenting with abstract circles and lines. He also admires the sense of community he found in the city. “In Berlin, people respect what you assign value to,” Folly said. “So, if you want to be an artist, you be one.”

What is Weiner Schnitzel? And Other Questions From a Non Meat-Eater

-->Those of you who know me well should have seen this post coming.
Today, I'll talk about one of my great loves in life.
Food.

A bratwurst and potato salad with a red (rot) Berliner Weiser.

I identify as a pescetarian, meaning I only eat fish and no meat, not even chicken or turkey.
Except for when I travel.
I've been eating a pescetarian diet since my senior year of high school, broken only by my trip last year to Argentina, where missing out on their beef is more sinful that breaking your self-imposed dietary restrictions.

So that's one of my flexibilities and something I encourage other people to do when they travel- sample the local cuisine! Something you are sure to find in Berlin are the typical "German" items like bratwurst. If you don't have a sensitive stomach or an aversion to street food, I recommend you at least try sampling a street vendors brat. They carry their grills on their front, the propane on their backs, and usually have an umbrella conveniently located over their heads so they are free to serve you hands free.

Aaaannnndddd Weiner Schnitzel.

 
You'll also find a variety of sausage usually served with potato salad on the side. Curry wurst is another anomaly. As our biking tour guide Sophie said, when the British got curry powder, they made tikka masala. When it reached the Germans, they mixed it with ketchup and put it on sausage.
And it's pretty good. For a sausage in ketchup that is.
And Weiner Schnitzel? It’s actually DELICIOUS. The other night as a group we visited a very traditional restaurant in Friedrichshagen where I sampled a pork schnitzel. It’s just a thin, breaded slice of meat, usually veal. But it is so good. 
 
What I didn't expect was how much Eastern food I would find. Aside from a variety of Thai food, which is slowly becoming my favorite, there is also a ton of Doner Kebab(p)s. To be honest, I don't always know what's in them. But if you're here, get one. They usually have a lot of veggies packed into this great bread, reminiscent of nan bread for your Indian food fans. They include some sauces and meat, which is usually lamb, which is mounted in a round-ish shape, heated from one side, and slowly spun, cooking the meat. Someone comes and slices pieces away. The overall impression is actually magical. You’ll also find your felafel, humus, halloumi, and other typical assortments.

Berliner Pilsner. (A little too watery for my taste.)

Beverages:

I’ve recently become interested in beer production and how certain brewing techniques affect the taste and quality of beer. I’ve sampled a few here, and I make a point of trying something different when I can.

I’ve tried Warstiener, Berliner Weisse (rot/red), Berliner Pilsner and, my favorite, Hefeweizen which is a wheat beer. 
All in all, some of the best parts of these long, busy days are the meals and drinks shared with these lovely people; my friends.

Enjoying drinks and scenery at a beer garden in Wannsee.

Warsteiner beer in Wannsee beer garden.

Berlin: Poor but Sexy

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Willkommen to Berlin!
This blog post is long overdue.
I'm supposed to be blogging while I'm here in Germany, as part of a Photojournalism study abroad trip I am doing with my college.
But each time I tried to sit down and write about this city and my ongoing experience in it, I got stuck.
I have found Berlin really challenging to describe. It truly is unlike any other major city I've been to, and it hasn't at all aligned with my expectations.

Shayla, me and Amanda stop for a selfie at the Wall.
You can follow Shayla's adventures here.

Not only do you have a Berlin that was once separated, now converged, but you have a Berlin that is constantly changing.

Professor Freeman, the photojournalism teacher leading our trip, says each year he comes, he seems buildings and stores come and go.

I'm liking the city so far though, I have to say.
I compared Berlin to someone who you "meet" for the first time on Facebook. You think you've got them figured out. Then you meet them in "real life" and the impression totally changes. You know at least one of those people, right? Yeah. That's Berlin.

We've done walking tours, biking tours, spent decent chunks of time on public transportation, and still this city was throwing me for a loop.
It wasn't until I separated from my group, and met up with my subject, Pascal, that I felt like I was getting to know Berlin on a more personal basis, from a different point of view.

While we're in the city, our project is to meet someone who lives in Berlin and do a profile on them. I ran into Pascal, an artist who bartends at Dr. Pongs and teaches English in his free time. I'll introduce you to him later.

For now, you can check out my photos here, and my album on Facebook.
Auf Wiedersehen!

A woman meditating near a memorial by the Berlin Wall.

A stop for ais or ice cream under a pretty
Berlin sky.

An example of "Old" Berlin and how some parts of the city
haven't changed in some time.

Prater Biergarten. You can order a beverage and complete
your meal with a bratwurst and potato salad.