FU-BEST BLOG – Seite 3

Virtual Berlin: Theater and Music

Berlin is Germany’s unrivalled center of all things theater and music. Even though the stages of theaters, operas and music venues remain closed for the time being, some of Berlin’s most famous artistic institutions have offered virtual alternatives until their doors finally open again.

Source: https://d24z4d3zypmncx.cloudfront.net/BlogPosts/top-mic-placement-tips-for-theater/images/top-mic-placement-tips-for-theater_header.jpg

Berliner Ensemble: BE at home:

The Berliner Ensemble, founded by none other than Bertolt Brecht, is one of Berlin’s and Germany’s top theater addresses. Their digital offers at “BE at home” include on demand recordings of panel discussions and lectures, audiowalks, podcasts, streams of historic Brecht-productions, backstage impressions… more than enough content to get you through these times!

Dringeblieben:

Dringeblieben is a collaboration of various cultural institutions across Germany bringing you streams and other digital formats directly to your home. Along with it: the Maxim-Gorki-Theater and the Deutsches Theater. No need to get lucky to get hold of theater tickets – you can just hit play!

Berliner Philharmoniker: Digital Concert Hall:

The Berliner Philharmoniker are one of the world’s best orchestras – and in their digital concert hall you can get a front row seat for free! The playlist includes various performances, conducted by the philharmonic’s chief conductor, Kirill Petrenko. Listen to pieces by van Beethoven, Mahler and Tschaikowsky as well as an interview with Petrenko.

Schaubühne Online:

The Schaubühne is the place to be in Berlin when it comes to contemporary theater. As they remain closed at least until Easter, they have launched Schaubühne Online. Every couple of days you can get free, exclusive access to recordings of plays by famed theater director Thomas Ostermeier, documentaries or panel discussions.

United We Stream:

Berlin’s clubs define the pulse of the city but were also hit hardest by the Corona crisis. “United We Stream“ aims to bring the clubs’ music and atmosphere into your home while supporting the clubs, artists and organizers at the same time. Discover different livestreams by world-renowned DJs from some of Berlin’s most legendary clubs, such as Watergate, Griessmühle or Sisyphos.

Virtual Berlin: 9 Tips for Studying from Home

A lot of things have come to a hold, not so much finals though. So with all of us stuck at home and finals around the corner, our student assistants have accumulated the best study tips for you on “how to study for finals during quarantine.”

1. Set up a “base camp” in a quiet space

Finding and designating a space in your home is vital to working or studying remotely. This means not working on your bed, or on that couch in your living room if possible. Also, try to find a quiet place. Every distraction will make it even harder to get focused again. That also means putting your phone out of reach for a while, maybe even in a different room.

2. Create your personal study environment

What do you like to listen to when you study? Listening to music can ease the tension of studying and help you concentrate. Whether it’s a calming playlist or your favorite lyrical jams, find what works for you. We recommend “BrainWaves: Solfeggio Frequencies” on Spotify.

3. Write down a checklist of everything that needs to be studied

If you write down a checklist, you don’t only have an overview of everything you need to study for each exam but can also check off everything you’ve already finished. This way every checkmark will feel like a small success.

4. Maximize your time by scheduling out your week

Time seems to be the only thing we have an overload of these days, and planned wisely, it could be used to your advantage. When it comes to studying, being strategic about how you spend your time can make all the difference. So find the time when you know you are most productive and make that your dedicated study time.

5. Find a way to stick to your schedule

One way to do so could be by setting alarms. Setting an alarm for the time that you’ve designated to get up and study can help you to stay on top of your schedule. It’s also nice to do this if you tend to get carried away with what you’re doing at the moment…

6. Get in the right headspace

Before you get to work, take a moment for yourself. Close your eyes, take a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. Calm yourself and let all tension flow away. Repeat that until you feel calm and relaxed. With all thoughts bundled up in our head, it will be difficult to put your focus where you need it. If you have never practiced mindfulness, there are many apps that help guiding you. We recommend the app “Stop, Breathe & Think.”

7. Empower yourself

It is all doable and you have the power to do it. Keep reminding yourself that you will get these tasks finished. Of course there are things that are out of your control, but you have the control over what you choose to do with your energy, time, and thoughts.

8. Create a good sleeping routine

A good nights rest is essential for being focused. Especially with all those time differences between you and your professors, make sure to not cut on the sleep.

9. Be proud of yourself!

Last but not least, be proud of yourself. Those are such weird times that we live in and I am sure you have all pictured the end of your study abroad semester very differently. But you are still here, still part of FU-BEST, still finishing this semester regardless of where you are now. And that is awesome!

Virtual Berlin: History

In Berlin, you can find history on every corner. On the Museum Island you can feel the 19th century of the imperial era, at Alexanderplatz you can take yourself back to the time of the GDR and at the Brandenburg Gate, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German reunification come alive. Throughout the city, bullet holes in buildings and Stolpersteine on the sidewalks remind us of the atrocities of World War II. Even in times of social distancing and lockdowns, these online resources help you to experience the past of Germany’s capital.

Source: https://c.pxhere.com/photos/ae/4d/berlin_brandenburg_gate_quadriga_building_goal-748077.jpg!d

Berlin History App:

The Berlin History App was developed by the City Museum Berlin and offers various participatory tools to discover Berlin’s fascinating historical heritage. It serves as a virtual museum by letting you browse through before-and-after-images, old maps, videos, audio-tours, interviews as well as the special online exhibition “Berlin 1945”… you can easily spend hours on this app!

Berlin 1928 und heute / Berlin aus der Luft 1953 und heute:

Two of Berlin’s daily newspapers, the Tagesspiegel and the Berliner Morgenpost, have developed two interactive maps that let you discover what the city used to look like in 1928 and 1953. Looking back almost 100 years, many parts of Berlin looked entirely different and can hardly be recognized nowadays. Also in 1953, areas that are now home to and high-towering skyscrapers and lively neighborhoods lay completely barren marked by the war just years before. Take the virtual tour and be amazed by how much the city has changed!

Pastvu:

Pastvu is an online photo database of historical photographs from around the world. For Berlin alone, there are thousands of photos from the last centuries to discover – all marked on a map with the exact location and sorted by color and era. You want to see how the Berlin Palace looked like 100 years ago or which buildings used to stand at Checkpoint Charlie? With Pastvu you can take a little trip back in time and not only check out what important Berlin monuments looked like in the past but also what everyday life on the streets felt like.

Deutsches Historisches Museum:

Germany’s national history museum, the Deutsches Historisches Museum, has digitized many of its exhibitions – completely free and accessible to all. Browse through some of the museum’s recent exhibitions, such as “Koloniale Geschichte(n)” about Germany’s colonies or “Facing Beethoven“ about portraits of one of Germany’s most famous musicians.

Visit a Collegium Musicum Concert

Collegium Musicum Berlin: Startseite — Source: https://www.collegium-musicum-berlin.de/_inhaltselemente/feature-slideshow/_slideshow-images/konzertmitschnitte.jpg?width=1300

The Collegium Musicum is a joint venture of Freie Universität and Technische Universität Berlin. Its ensemble consist of 450 students, professors, and and other university staff from different departments, who meet up regurlarly to make music together. Traditionally, they give a number of concerts towards the end of the German semester in February.

Chamber Choir Concert

The 35 members of the chamber choir perform a unique selection of a capella music – ranging from classics to works by Jaakko Mänyjärvi and Francis Poulenc.

When? February 7, 2020, 7 p.m.
Where? St.-Jacobi-Kirche Kreuzberg, Oranienstraße 132 (U8 Moritzplatz)
Admission: 5€

Philharmonic Orchestra

If you are a fan of classical music, this might be the perfect concert for you. The symphony orchestra and the Great Choir perform a number of classical pieces by Anton Bruckner, Felix Mendellsohn Bartholdy, and Francis Poulenc.

When? February 9, 2020, 8 p.m.
Where? Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1 (S and U Potsdamer Platz)
Admission: 10€

Bigband Winterconcert

Don’t have plans for Valentine’s Day yet? How about an evening with the UniBigband Berlin, where you might just discover your love for jazz?

When? February 14 and 15, 2020, 8 p.m.
Where? Kunstfabrik Schlot, Invalidenstraße. 117 (U6 Naturkundemuseum)
Admission: 5€

You can find more information on their website: www.collegium-musicum-berlin.de

Berlin Science Week

Berlin Science Week is a 10-day international festival. Based in Berlin, Science Week is the global platform for dialogue and collaboration between science and society to inspire a deeper understanding of the world. Some topics are future of digital identity, medicine or work, food security, the relationship between humans and machines, the politics of inequality, art and science, or climate change economics. This and more will be discussed in over 130 events across the city.

When? November 1 - November 10, 2019 
Where? At participating institutions all over Berlin, Central hub is the Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin. 
Admission:free

Festival of Lights

Serveral landmarks, historical sights, streets and squares in Berlin will be covered in light projections and video art (hotspots for this are Brandburger Gate, TV tower, Berlin Cathedral, to name but a few). The Festival of Lights will take place for the 15th time this year.

When? October 11 - October 19, 2019, 7pm - Midnight 
Where? all over Berlin

Useful apps for your stay abroad

	Going Local Berlin – is an unconventional travel guide. 700 personal tips for Berlins 12 boroughs. The app includes personal Berlin tips for „Hidden Places“; „Must-Sees“ and „Food & Drink“ as well as annual event highlights.
	BVG FahrInfo Plus – is a free app that covers all public transportation in Berlin and helps you to easily navigate your way through the city.
	The Berlin Wall – is an interactive map that shows the exact location of the Wall. Photos, audio clips and texts about the respective site are stored at historically important locations between Brandenburger Tor and Potsdamer Platz.
	Splitwise – is a free tool to track bills and other shared expenses, so that everyone gets paid back. Perfect for friends travelling together.
	Happycow – is a worldwide restaurant finder for vegetarian and vegan restaurants.
	Komoot – Hike &Bike GPS Maps- is an app that provides you with offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation and recommendations on hikes, cycling routes and mountain bike trails.
	Street Art Berlin – displays 25 walls to help you discover giant paintings, wonderful cut-outs and lovely stencils. This guide will take you right to the hotspots of the Berlin Street Art.
	Berlin History Guide – is an interactive city guide directed by the GPS in your smartphone.
	Kamino – is the perfect app for those of you who love to walk and explore the city without public transport. It offers walking tours created by travel experts and locals – stops for shopping and enjoying yummy food is guaranteed.
	DB navigator App – is a convenient app by Deutsche Bahn (the German railway service) that makes plannung your weekend get-aways a little easier.

lgbtqia+ travel in Europe

Was bedeudet „LGBTQIA+“? | FIETE Kiel To get a sense of what the lgbtqia+ culture is like in Europe and to keep up to date with country policies you can make use of different lgbtq+ organizations out there, like the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association. In terms of European lgbtqia+ rights organizations, Rainbow Europe and TGEU: Transgender Europe are worth getting to know as well.

In queer-friendly destination cities like London, Amsterdam, Madrid, Stockholm, Barcelona, and Paris, lgbtqia+ culture isn’t radically different from each other. And will be similar to what you will find here in Berlin (numerous bars, hotels, restaurants and shops specificially catering to the lgbtqia+ community). Usually, these differences vary based on the country’s or region’s cultural nuances.

It is obviously important to note that Europe has homophobic and transphobic attitudes in all its regions. These are often found in more rural parts of the respective country. At the same time, cities are not immune to hate either. What applies here is the same advice we already gave you for Berlin, which is to be aware of your surroundings and carefully negotiate each setting and „test the waters“ to ensure safety.

Eastern Europe for instance does not have a very great track record for lgbtqia+ rights. Obvisouly it is up to you where you want to travel to, but as a general rule, the further east you travel in Europe, the more careful you need to be about public displays of your sexuality. This is primarily due to the reason that Eastern Europe is more socially conservative.

The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) produces a very helpful “Rainbow Europe” guide to the legal positions of Europe’s states. All in all Europe is becoming more and more lgbtqia+ friendly!

lgbtqia+ at Freie Universität Berlin

What do the letters in LGBTQIA+ stand for? Common terms explained - ABC Everyday — Source: https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/36c462ccd86c9aa040bd42a581d6eeb7?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=1079&cropW=1919&xPos=0&yPos=0&width=862&height=485

The official voice for all student affairs at Freie Universität Berlin is the AStA, which stands for Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss (General Student’s Committee). As far as lgbtqia+ rights and issues are concerned, the AStA combines two departments: the Department of Queers and the Department of [LesBiTransInterA]*.

The Department of Queers represents all gay, bisexual, trans*, inter* and queer students and organizes events such as lectures, pub crawls and movie nights, and also has opening hours, where you can get information about gbtq+ living in Berlin and support should you encounter discrimination.

Where? AStA FU Berlin, Otto-von-Simson-Str. 23, 14195 Berlin
Consulting Hours? Tue 4pm - 5pm, Thurs 2pm - 3pm
Email: queer {at} astafu.de

For lesbian, a-/bi-/poly-/pan-sexual women, trans*, genderqueer and intersex people the AStA offers the Autonome [LesBiTransInterA]*-Referat, which is situated in the attic of the AStA Villa. Casual meet-ups (excluding cis-men) provide a safe space for exchanging views about life, experiences at university and addressing lesbian, gender/queer, trans and intersex issues. The office regularly organizes networking meetings, communal breakfasts and various events relating to queer topics (for instance movie nights). The pink office also has a queer feminist library that you can check out (most books are in German though).

Where? AStA FU Berlin, Otto-von-Simson-Str. 23, 14195 Berlin
Consulting Hours? Tue 4pm - 5pm, Thurs 2pm - 3pm
Email: lesbitransintera (at) astafu.de

FYI: The main reason for the separation of the two offices is to make sure to provide a save space for every one, presuming that each community has different thematic focuses. Although the offices are separated, both clearly speak out against any form of heteronormativity and transphobia/homophobia. They both demand visibility of intersexual and genderqueer people, gay, lesbians and trans people in all areas of life, including life at the university, of course.

If you would like to get involved or just stop by for coffee, feel very free to.

lgbtq+ in Germany/Berlin

LGBTQ • Flaggen und Bedeutung

Coming to a foreign country as a member of the lgbtq+ community can be a little daunting at first. At home you might feel seen and safe and cared for by the community around you. So moving to a different country can be stressful, because you don’t really know what to expect. It can also be exciting though and an opportunity to find out more about yourself. To give you a little support along the way, we have created a small lgbtq+ section on this blog to tell you more about the queer scene in Berlin, at Freie Universität, where you can find help should you need it, etc. You find it all under Life Abroad – Queer Berlin.

Generally, Germany is amongst the most lgbtq+ friendly countries in the world in terms of civil rights. „Not only are homosexual relations legal, but same sex partnerships have been recognized on a national level since 2001 (ILGA). In August 2009, second parent adoption rights were granted to homosexual couples […]” (Shalosky, LGBT Student Guide for Education Abroad) and same-sex marriage has finally been legal since October 1, 2017. Berlin itself has become a hub for gay culture with a thriving lgbtq+ social scene (numerous clubs, organizations and magazines) and you can expect to see open expression of different sexual orientations. This being said, it is always a good idea to carefully negotiate each setting and „test the waters“ to ensure safety, because it is possible to experience mixed messages about the acceptance of lgbtq+ individuals.