Week One in Sweet, Sweet Selfie Game

A Look Back at This Week's Delicious Selfie Game

Bathroom Selfie at Schaubunne. 2019.

 Schaubunne has proven to be the location of this week on the "Motion Europe" trip. Aside from their beautifully clean architectural and marketing aesthetic, the location has been satisfying my own hunger for messy theater. The two shows we have seen there so far have been "Professor Bernhardi" and "Hamlet." Those pieces and my thoughts surrounding them will be elaborated on in the coming post. Furthermore, the basement bathrooms at Schaubunne has excellent selfie lighting, which I recommend to one and to all. Because the shows here usually have no intermission regardless of how long the performances may be, I have spent ample time in the Schaubunne toilette. I recommend visiting the WC before shows even if you don't feel like you have to or think you are strong enough to hold it in. You are weaker than you think. I also like to visit the restroom following performances to pee and/or cry about Ostermeier's "Hamlet."

Train Selfie on the S5. 2019

 One morning, I decided to venture alone in the the streets of Berlin. I walked out the front doors of the hostel and headed towards the river. I crossed a beautiful bridge to the other side and followed the path that led long the riverside. The homeless population of Berlin is much less visible, or perhaps smaller than that of New York. But that morning I watched as people shifted in sleeping bags under the shade of riverside overhangs. There it is. There were a lot of joggers and children and flowers. I took a picture of red poppies and sent it to my mother. The poppies are not included in this blog post, as it was not a selfie. Perhaps next time. A professional dance trio was filming a video in front of a glass office building on the river. They were incredible, and I clapped when they cut. Men with big cameras filmed me as I walked up the stairs to the street. I have no idea what that was about! I tried to look cool and local regardless. I started to feel like I had gone too far. I hadn't seen this part of town before. I walked into a store and DING! the purchase of the century. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the item to cap off any wardrobe (but specifically mine): a grey cap with no visor. Sexy, no? It's an everyday affair. Truly. Every. Day. With a skip in my step following the best purchase ever, I hopped aboard the train home. Kind of. I hopped aboard a train I thought was going home. I went the wrongest way possible but finally ended up at Hackescher Markt. The market was up, and I walked around (looking handsome in my new hat). I eventually boarded the train again, scarred from my most recent experience, and made my way home. Phew.

Bridge Selfie at Charlottenburg. 2019.

Mirror Selfie at Charlottenburg Palace. 2019. 

Self-Timer Selfie in the Spiderweb Room. 2019.

 Charlottenburg, oh Charlottenburg! I usually feel weird snooping around people's homes, but this just felt right. Having the photo pass was cool because I could just point to the red band on my wrist and everyone knew that I was not one to be reckoned with. The palace must have had thousands of mirrors in it. Seeing myself reflected back in them was strange; I felt like another portrait on the wall. Except in HD. I had some jaw-drop moments, particularly in rooms with large windows. Walking into the large spaces after many small dark rooms was so relieving. It reminded me of the entryways by Frank Lloyd Wright: "The great American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, did a neat trick with some of the houses he designed: he made the entrances very small, low spaces, so that when you emerged from the cozy vestibule the rest of the house would seem even more spacious by comparison." It's semi-ironic because Wright probably hated the architecture of Charlottenburg Palace just as much as he hated German Bauhaus architecture... which is a lot.

Mirror Selfie at Bikini Berlin ft. Pansy. 2019.

 The zoo was amazing and fucking freezing. I shall say no more. A couple of us walked to Bikini Berlin, peed, and walked right out. Sometimes you just gotta run away before you get your heart broken by clothes that are out of your price range. Be kind to yourselves, people. We ended up at Garage, where I thrifted the loveliest vintage-cropped-wool-forrest green-red trim-military style suit jacket for 5€. I just keep winning and winning and winning, don't I?

Mirror Selfie at the Mauerpark Flohmarkt. 2019

Should-I-get-these-glasses-or-no Selfie at the Mauerpark Flohmarkt. 2019.

 Finally, the flea market. I haggled for the first time ever! Do I seem different now? I feel different. It all started when I spotted a pair of bright red, non-prescription glasses. A must-have. I went to the man who owned them and asked how much they were, to which he responded, "10€." I said, "Nevermind, thank you," and began walking away. He quickly blurted, "wait... 8€." I said, "No, it's okay." Then he said, "7€." I turned again saying, "No, really, it's okay." His buddy then interjected and said, "5€." I don't know how I did it, but I feel powerful.