#375: Protesters face deportation, A100 bridge kaputt, a fateful coin toss
You can't always be who you thought you'd be
Hey 20 Percent!
Growing up in the US, I used to imagine what it would be like being an adult — what my house would look like, which university my kids would go to, what restaurant I’d eat at whenever I wanted because my parents had always said it was too expensive or not very good.
But since German at the time was just another annoying class I had to study for, those dreams never included Germany. That came later.
And so I find myself in Berlin sometimes longing for the fulfillment of those childhood dreams, even though my Berlin loft is nice, my kids go to Germany’s No. 1 and No. 3 universities and Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips went out of business.
Maybe I’m just being sentimental because of the what appears to be irreparable harm being done to the US at the moment, or because my kids are entering adulthood and one thing I always imagined was being an American dad (whatever that is).
While becoming an expat/immigrant opens a lot of doors, it also closes others. This is just an observation — it’s pretty crazy that I (or even all of us) managed to build this life I later dreamed up as an adult in Berlin. But it often sometimes still feels, yes, foreign.
BTW: Big thanks to the 20 Percenters who came out to my German comedy show last night. It was a blast. I’ll do some English soon.
Enjoy the sun!
Andrew
That A100 bridge has got to go
Conservative German politicians have done reparable harm to local infrastructure through a lack of investment and your daily Ringbahn trip will continue to be affected because of it. Engineers have determined that the northbound A100 Autobahn bridge over the Ringbahn (known formally as the Ringbahnbrücke) has to be torn down, so everyone’s favorite S-Bahn will be reduced to bus service between Westend and Halensee through this month, according to RBB24. Officials are also going to demolish a second crumbling bridge nearby — the Westendbrücke — at the same time in a suprise bit of good planning. Hopefully by May the Ringbahn will be back to normal-ish. As a co-worker used to say: You could survive hell if you knew how long it would last.
Go to protest, face deportation
Berlin has asked three EU citizens and one American to leave Germany by April 21 or face deportation because of their participation in various pro-Palestinian protests, including the forceful October attempt to occupy the Freie Universität in Dahlem, according to the taz. The four are accused of various offenses including resisting arrest, insulting police officers and yelling illegal slogans though none has been convicted of any crimes. An attorney is appealing the ruling and said he’s never seen immigration officials try to deport someone for protesting — the Ausländerbehörde apparently noted that the deportations would be illegal but Berlin’s interior ministry said to deport the four anyway.
They’re trying to prevent gentrification?
One thing I never imagined about being an adult is suing for what kind of toilet I want in my apartment — a Berlin court recently ruled that officials have to allow wall-hung toilets as well as modest balconies and towel warmers in apartments in protected neighborhoods known as Milieuschutzgebiete in Mitte, according to RBB24. Rennovations are regulated in the neighborhoods to prevent gentrification — hence denying the installation of “luxury” items — but German law allows owners to upgrade the apartments to current standards. Balconies, towel warmers and wall-hung (as opposed to free-standing) toilets are now standard in German apartments, the court said. Here’s a map of the neighborhoods, if you’re curious
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
👮♀️ Major child pornography site closed
🚆 The Deutschlandticket is good for the environment
🚗 VW adding ‘import fee’ to cars sold in US
Factoid
Kreuzberg has always been different. On January 1, 2001, Berlin shrunk to 12 administrative neighborhoods from 23 to save cash. But Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain couldn’t decide where their new joint mayor would be based. So they tossed a 5 deutsche mark piece (still my fave coin) on April 4, 2000 during planning, according to t-online. Friedrichshain won because their official opted for the side with the number 5 (would that be heads or tails?) while Kreuzberg put its faith in the German federal eagle. There was a bit of a hullaballoo over the method at the time but officials backed the boroughs’ choice. The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg board meets at the Kreuzberg Rathaus on Yorckstraße.
I can’t understand German love for wall-hung toilets. When - and it’s when, not if, even in places with much softer water than Berlin, – you’ll have to break the wall to fix it. And what is the benefit?