As nerdy as that may sound, this embassy is located right next to the Brandenburg Gate, arguably the most famous site in Berlin. Besides its place in European history, the Gate also has significance in U.S. history, since it's where JFK said "ich bin ein Berliner" in 1963, where Ronald Reagan said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" in 1987, and where Barack Obama wanted to speak in 2008 before he was elected president (he ended up speaking in front of 200,000 people about 2 km west of the Gate).
Anyway, this embassy was opened officially on July 4, 2008, and coincidentally, I happened to be in Berlin at the time for my Humanity in Action Fellowship. I remember that it rained—actually, poured—that day because we had our final research project presentations at Potsdamer Platz that morning, and I had to trudge through an inch or two of rain in my suit. In fact, my umbrella blew inside out.
That night though, we celebrated the end of our fellowship as well as Independence Day in the U.S. with drinks at a classy bar atop one of the buildings by Anhalter Bahnhof. From there, we could see the fireworks from the celebration for the U.S. Embassy through the wall of raindrops streaming down the windows. Apparently, former President George H.W. Bush was in town that day, and unlike his son, he's still quite well-liked by Germans.
Almost two weeks ago, while I was walking by the embassy in Pariser Platz with my friends from Boston, they asked if we could go into the embassy. My response was: "Well, I've never tried, and I'm pretty sure they don't just let anyone, even U.S. citizens, just walk through the doors." Seeing the guards all around, we decided we'd just have to save it for another time.
Well, yesterday, my chance to go in arrived serendipitously in an email. At a Fulbright dinner earlier this week, I met a former Fulbrighter who works at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin and, during our conversation, she invited me to stay in touch and that she'd connect me with a colleague who is in charge of the "Meet US" outreach program. Basically, it's a program that sends U.S. citizens currently living in Berlin who volunteer to go into local high schools to share about life in the U.S. Of course, I was very excited, so I connected with that program coordinator, and she invited me to meet her in person at the embassy.
So, this afternoon I got to spend about 30 minutes walking around the building and talking with the program coordinator about how I could be of help during my time in Berlin. I decided it might be better to dress up slightly so I wouldn't have as much trouble with security, so I went with khakis, a white dress shirt, and a black blazer. Haha.
Turns out, I was right about not being able to go in without official business reasons. I had to show my passport, leave my electronics at the gate, then trade my passport for a visitor's badge (that said I needed official escort the entire time) at the second security check. It was all pretty neat. By each of the entrances, there were pictures of President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary of State Clinton. By the other entrance, there was also a large plaque with all the names of the official representatives of the U.S. to Germany ever, starting with John Quincy Adams in 1797 all the way through to the current ambassador, Philip Murphy.
The center of the embassy is actually a giant courtyard, where you can sit and meet or have lunch or coffee. Although the weather is quite cold already, I can imagine that it's quite nice during the summer. Plus, even though the busy Pariser Platz is just over the other side of the building, it's surprisingly quiet in the open-air courtyard. I am sure the architect took all that into consideration when building the embassy.
Anyway, the meeting itself was pleasant, and I'm quite excited to be able to volunteer with the Meet US program. I'll have a chance to visit schools I might not otherwise have a chance to visit (since I'll be visiting schools around the state of Brandenburg as well for this program). At the same time, it'll allow me to build relationships with teachers who can help me connect with students for my Fulbright research.
So, all in all, I had a very successful day with my meeting at the U.S. Embassy. I've only ever been inside one other U.S. Embassy (in Guatemala), so today's experience was pretty neat. I did also learn today that the U.S. Embassy here in Berlin is quite unique in that nearly anyone can walk right up to the front door, although there is security everywhere. At other U.S. Embassies, there are usually big fences around the perimeter of the building like in Guatemala and the U.S. Embassy building I saw in Athens.
Anyway, I don't know when I'll be able to go back again, but I did enjoy making new acquaintances with folks who work for the Embassy and with the security guards at the front entrance. :)
Until next time,
Sam
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