In the last weeks of my SLA, I soaked up as much of Berlin as I possibly could. I saw “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”, a play by Bertolt Brecht. Again, this play was entirely in German so the experience of being able to use my newly developed ear to understand much of the conflict and interests of the characters was very exciting. The play was one of Brecht’s most famous, and it included many biblical themes within it. Brecht’s mother was catholic, while his father was Protestant. The story displayed a fight between two mothers, in which both believe they are the true mother of a child. On one hand a woman believes she is the mother because she raised it when she found it abandoned. On the other, a woman believes that because they are blood related, it is only right that she deserves the child. The play was incredible and the csat was extremely talented. This play was at the Berliner Ensemble, a historic theater that was established in 1949 by Brecht himself. What made this theater stand out was its rotating sign that shows its face to the rest of the city. This is still the same sign that they put up when it was first established. After a summer of seeing various plays and operas, I have to say that this was my favorite one!
I spent my summer here in Berlin within the same time frame as some of the other Notre Dame Berlin programs. I was given the opportunity to attend the final dinner for the ND programs, and there I was able to see many of the professors who inspired me to explore Berlin and the German language in the first place. Professor Kaupp and Professor Donahue are two German professors I have been able to develop great relationships with and meet in Berlin. I was also able to have a conversation with Professor Pabsch, my art and architecture history professor from last semester. It was incredible to meet these people here in the country we all share an appreciation for.
