Ita est!

“What did you go to Berlin for?” asks somebody

I can simply say I went there for the European youth exchange “City Garden”.

“What did you do in Berlin” another one would inquire.

It’s even easier. “I made a short clip. You wanna see?”

“Why did you go to Berlin?” the most perceptive one would put it.

The answer here is more challenging.

- I went there to participate in a youth exchange, and meet new funny people. I wasn’t quite successful in this. I did interact with them, but it wasn’t as much fun as I need to call it fun.

- I went there to make a short movie. I was fond of the idea of creating something. What I did is something esoteric, which can be understood only by people who know a little English, Spanish, German, and a lot about Kreuzberg area in Berlin. However, I am not disappointed with what I did, because it was for the most of it my idea. I was given about 30 photos taken at one spot in that neighborhood together with 5 pages of depressing text describing the area in the heart of the winter, and 5 sounds two of which recording a conversation about Cicciolina in Italian. What I did was to match the pictures in groups until I find proper contrasts. Then I arranged them, so that I tried to make a plot out of the static unrelated images. I was so happy when I first saw it complete in my head. It actually made my day. I was eager to share my idea with everybody, and after I explain my conception five times, it got even clearer, and I felt even more excited. It’s a pity I didn’t do well on Adope Premiere, and the obscure idea doesn’t even look pleasant to the eye.

- I went there to see Berlin and to be together with someone, who, I thought, wanted to be in Berlin together with me. It was disappointing to realize that I had been wrong that it’s not only me who wants to share our time. As a result I was blue for the better part of the time, but happily I saw much more of the city than I had expected. Consequently, don’t regret spending 11 days there, and I don’t think I’ve wasted them – I learned quite a lot about the city, life, city life, and expectations there.

“Wouldn’t you regret going to Germany in December when you apply to colleges?” is what my brother says, and he makes me think if I would ever know if something is for bad or worse.