I cannot believe it has already been three weeks in Münster. Naturally, once a groove is set, it is easy to lose oneself in routine. For most of the week, I had honestly done exactly that. Being in class for 6 hours a day is pretty draining, so most of the time outside of the classroom was spent on sleep or getting food. The little “Münsterisms” as I like to call them have become second nature, such as turning in plastic bottles, pedaling your bike as fast as you can on the promenade, and using turn signals even when there is nobody there.
In the past week, one of the most prominent events that occurred was checking out the “hipstery” area of Münster, the Hafen (harbor). As with any area that associates itself with the underground scene, the harbor was industrial, dirty, and surprisingly filled with young, hip people. Along the canal were various nightclubs and restaurants that one could see downtown in the US, but they were in actuality quite a ways from the city center. I recently learned in class that over 90% of Münster was bombed away in the Second World War, and that the city, as with much of the rest of Germany, is faced with the unique problem of remembering the past as well as embracing the modern. Immediately west of the train station is the old city center, to the east, the modern industrial complex that trendy teens and college students seem to gravitate to. It is a uniquely German condition that I find incredibly interesting as opposed to America’s sprawling cities.