photos: Vismante Ruzgaite.
No matter how great their love for Berlin is, many non-EU expats agree that the visa process can be quite off-putting. Nevertheless, it’s a challenge that many of the most brilliant members of our community have to deal with. We’ve spoken to some of them – who also happen to be dear friends – and, basing on their personal experiences, we’ve put together a rough overview of the most common visa types. While this article isn’t aimed at helping you navigate through the maze of available options, we hope it might inspire you to pursue your Berlin dream – especially in spite of the setbacks that many others had to face as well.
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by Michalina | Stories
Berlin is generally known as an easy going, relaxed happy place to have fun and take things slow. As much as we enjoy this reputation, it’s not all roses and unicorns here after all. We have our moments of struggles as well, some are Berlin specific and some are the same as in many other big cities in the world. It’s a part of life I guess. Sometimes you just have to stay strong.
The new campaign of the yogurt drink Actimel is all about these moments when people have to bite their teeth, make the best of it and stay strong. It’s quite a relatable sentiment, but as diverse as our world is, everyone gets to these moments quite differently. So the guys from Actimel asked us: when do you have to stay strong in Berlin? The question made us immediately think of the hilarious illustrated comics of Sophia Halamoda who showed us how to get into two of the most impenetrable institutions of Berlin: the notorious Berghain night club and the feared Bürgeramt. So we extended the question to her and together we came up with a list of some typical struggles that we face here in Berlin. We’ve all been there at some point! After the jump you’ll find 7 moments when you have to stay strong in Berlin.
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by Frank | Stories
I don’t know why, but in the last week I have seen so many postings on Facebook complaining about the struggle of going to the Bürgeramt (registry office / citizen center) that I felt it was such perfect timing when illustrator Sophia Halamoda sent us her latest comic: A guide on how to get an appointment at the dreaded office. Her illustrated guide on how to get into Berghain was such a huge success a couple of weeks ago that it makes a lot of sense she would do another one of the one place that is apparently even harder to get into than the infamous techno cathedral. In her guide, she once again pokes fun at all the little urban myths and cliches surrounding this special temple of German bureaucracy. Mixed in with a lot of typical bad experiences and classic missteps, she also gives some helpful advice that might make your next visit more successful 😉 Enjoy her witty new guide after the jump.
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by Frank | Art, Stories
