Berlin

I’ve been putting off writing my travel blog for the longest time, but I really have to get on with it since my website feels half-complete without documenting all my crazy stories and the amazing one year I had living in Europe.

I guess the best article to start with is Berlin, the reason why I came at all. I still remember the day when I got the news that Collato offered me the job in Berlin. I was living that post coding bootcamp life, trying to pick up new computer languages and frameworks, and fervently applying for jobs on the side while visiting my ex in Switzerland and traveling to Turkey together. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect myself to end up living in Europe (even for a short while) one day, but thats what happened.

My first stop in Europe from Asia was actually Barcelona, since I was there to join my company Workation in Mallorca before heading to Berlin. With only a very full backpacking bag and small backpack, I started my Europe adventures. It was amazing to meet my new colleagues for the first time in person during the Workation. Everyone was surprised at how little I brought (and how tall I was), as I wanted to challenge myself with how little I can live with. Spoiler alert, I came with very little…but left Europe with nearly 4 luggages worth of items, definitely not a minimalist. But packing extremely light made me realise that there isn’t much I need materially to survive, and with what little I brought, I didn’t feel anything was lacking, but I definitely couldn’t resist buying pretty leopard coats and soft toys here…

After my Workation, I got picked up by Yi Tang, my coding bootcamp classmate. Yi Tang was always based in Berlin, but took the bootcamp in Bali, and it’s still so mind boggling to me how life worked out and I got my first programming job in Berlin too! We spent many weekends together during my time here in Berlin, going on little weekend trips to Prague or just chilling in Berlin on Sundays, she was basically my chosen family here.

One blog post can’t fully capture the amazing memories and all the weird and crazy that I’ve experienced here in Berlin, but I’ll try anyway. Almost every two weeks, I was off exploring Europe. At the beginning of my trip here, I created a list of places I’d love to check out and by the end of that one year, I almost completed it, and sometimes I wonder…what else, what now? Berlin itself was a whole bag of surprises. I went for a lot of tours here, from the abandoned Tempelhofer airport, concentration camps nearby the city, and underground bunkers and shelters. I felt like I’ve uncovered so much and listened to many interesting historical stories.

Berlin is known for its party scene and I can say that I’ve experienced it fully. Its still so crazy how people here can party for DAYS at a time, it just feels like you’re trapped in a time machine where everyone is forever in that stage of life where every day is a celebration and there’s a reason to go out. It’s really nice in some ways, but in the end thats not the lifestyle for me. Before even coming to Berlin, people told me to check out the infamous Kit Kat Club. I’ve had the good luck to meet the best crew to go to these kinds of parties with, with them I felt safe while exploring Berlin’s underground life and more. Sometimes when I’m in those parties, life feels so….unreal, like I’m on another planet, and I’ll fondly hold these memories with me for a long time.

I write out my blogs retrospectively. In a way its quite cathartic being able to relive all these amazing experiences in my mind again, and to look back at this very special time in my life. I’m sure I’ll always be traveling and exploring in the future, but my one year in Europe has definitely changed me and opened my eyes VERY BIG. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity I had, and I’m really proud of my little personal project, combining my love for travel and organising all my experiences in one place, and my coding skills.

Places I’ve been in Berlin

History

• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
• Topography of Terror
• Jewish Museum
• Brandenburg Tor
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
• Berlin Wall Memorial @ Bernauer Strasse
• Checkpoint Charlie
• Reichstag
• Unterwelten Tours
• Tempelhof Airport Tour
• Potsdam Sansoucci Palace

Museums

• Body worlds museum
• Neues Museum
• Pergamon Museum
• Naturkunde Museum
• Dark Matter Exhibit

Parties

• Sisyphos
• Renate
• Kit Kat Club
• Klub Verboten
• Insomnia
• Love Parade 2022 & 2023

Food

• Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebab
• Wen Cheng Hand Pulled Noodles
• Ming Dynastie Chinese Food
• Markhalle Neun
• Thai Park

Shopping

• Bikini Berlin
• Kadewe
• Humana
• Mauerpark Flohmarkt
• RAW Flohmarkt
• Boxhagener Flohmarkt
• Dong Xuan Center

Spas

• Liquidrom
• Vabali

Others

• Hackescher Hof
• Charlottenburg Palace Weihnachtsmarkt
• Gendarmenmarkt Weihnachtsmarkt
• Treptower Park
• Tiergarten
• Orchestra Kino at Babylon Theatre
• Dussmann Bookstore