Is everyone on a love diet now? Love is treated in a similarly small-minded way, like the pleasure of giving gifts, which has fallen into disrepute for years.
People are just as stingy with love as they are with everything else. The only exception is self-love. It seems one can’t be generous enough when it comes to this topic. Charity and romantic love are often left to starve. Everyone goes to therapy, but hardly anyone does voluntary work.
In trying to get back to a sense of normalcy again, we must all agree that a lot has happened. People have lost their lives. Children have whisked themselves away from family responsibilities into distant places to ensure their parent’s safety. Plans have been shifted, changed, and postponed. Jobs, relationships, and several other opportunities have evaporated into thin air. Universities, Shops, and Restaurants have turned down services. Schools and other institutions have closed their doors and turned towards the digital. And we are now learning new ways of treating ourselves and each other as we find better alternatives to our lives. In the spirit of wanting to take a new leave, I did something I haven’t done in a long time. I forced myself to remember. I reflected on my past. I traveled through certain corners of my mind I had completely cut off for reasons I cannot say out loud without risking putting myself in an uncomfortable position.
photos: Roger Sabaté.
Like countless others in early March, I certainly didn’t expect the extent of the impending pandemic. Fearing it would interfere with my long-awaited vacation, I actually stayed in denial of it for as long as I could. But the ominous news screens incessantly broadcasting Corona updates which had followed me across San Francisco ultimately proved fateful as I ended up booking an emergency flight back to Berlin.
Coming back in times of a worldwide pandemic made me consider Berlin home more than ever before. Having been here for over four years now, I’d already mused on the reechoing metaphor of Berlin as a lover and even written on staying committed to the city over time. As I was coming back, I’d ask myself whether experiencing Berlin in this bizarre Corona edition will affect my love for it. Certainly, I’d never seen the city like that: with deserted streets, sealed off clubs, and a ban on gatherings.
photos: Vismante Ruzgaite.
The three of us used to be inseparable. I would always include them in my plans, practically wouldn’t leave the house without them. Up until very recently, I just felt like I’m not quite complete without my makeup and bra on. We’re still seeing each other now, but sometimes I just choose to go solo.
Since my usual look used to be some kind of a 60s groupie wannabe, I was quite surprised by this development in my personal style. Did I get tired with the time-consuming rituals? Have I inadvertently caught up with a trend? Why do I feel like I have to analyze this in terms of the mainstream beauty standards anyway?
photo: Mike Kotsch
You fell in love with Berlin, the vibrant party location that sometimes forgets it’s supposed to be a capital and acts like a huge open air techno festival instead. It felt good, so you thought you’d stay, taking your relationship with Berlin to the next level – calling it your home. But every single commitment drags along its gnarly twin – monotony.
Now that you’ve dropped your anchor here, that morning glimpse of the Fernsehturm on your daily commute may not feel quite as exciting as it used to. Even the most unique sights can grow old, and what draws your attention instead is the smell of piss and trash lying all along the curbside.
As one can tell from the drastic shift in the outdoor clothing of many a Berliner (their flamboyant outfits are no longer covered by the oversized black/leopard print furs), spring is almost upon us. Tattoos will soon be exposed, blankets will be thrown on the Mauerpark ground, and you’ll drain Sterni in massive quantities. ‘Tis the season for love, but you’re still hung up on your latest flame? Unbreak your heart following these 5 easy steps.
photo: Kristian van Kuijk
Trying to perfect the art of dating in Berlin, I’ve met different, recurring types of men and fell for them over and over again. One of them being the hedonist. You might have come across this beautiful creature as well. What makes him special is his way of not just being a stranger until your paths cross, but instead staying one until after you have had an intense encounter. Soaked up by the colors, lights, the music and parties, influenced by drugs and a never ending fear of missing out, he is feeling driven, always feeling the urge to experience more, more more. The hedonist came to Berlin to indulge life, to consume it. For him you will never be enough. Not because you are insufficient, or because he doesn’t care enough about you, but simply, because he wants so much, he wants it all. All the feelings, the euphoria of the first touch, the pain of hurting each other, the violence, the intense sex, the heartbreak and the comfort. By never giving you everything or entirely opening up, he will always leave you wanting more, giving you an inside into his emotional distress.
photo: Franz Becker
From a bird’s-eye view you’re watching, wondering what life might bring
The city’s sleeping in a cloud – summer came by and got right out
What are they dreaming, these sleeping heads, lying in their tiny beds?
Is that a smile upon their face, looking forward to another day?
From the rooftop you see the couple brushing their teeth
The older lady with a cat and a book on her knees
The manager about to work, the party people still up with a smirk
The student studying for an exam, the musician playing a joyful jam
They all are living in this house, this backyard, this street
And somewhere you can still hear a beat…