Episode 004: Berlin with artist Adam Raymont
Adam Raymont is an American artist that has been living in Berlin since 2008. Berlin is considered to have the largest contemporary art scene in the world. Adam shares what it’s like to live in a city with an incredibly complex history.
Learn more about Adam Raymont and his artwork here and here.
Interview was conducted while Adam was attending an artist residency at 100W in Corsicana, Texas.
Listen on iTunes OR Google Play
SHOW NOTES
[01:30] History refresher: end of WWII in Berlin
02:55 2 excerpts from John F. Kennedy Berlin address (edited for time)
03:36 excerpt from Ronald Reagan’s Berlin Wall Speech
[03:59] Berlin’s contemporary art scene explodes
[04:33] Adam’s move to Berlin
[05:21] Effects of the 2008 global financial meltdown
[06:11] Cheap rent and abundant studio space
06:32 Stats for number of artists, galleries, and non-commercial spaces
[07:27] Growing tech sector and gentrification
[08:13] Things Adam misses about living in NYC
[08:44] Citizenship offered to families of victims of religious and other persecution
[10:29] Health insurance
10:52 Artists union in Berlin
[11:48] German language
13:11 Daily life, bureaucracy, and AMTs
[15:06] Preconceptions of Germans and Americans
[17:13] Current feeling of living in Berlin
[18:45] Current political climate
[20:26] Advice for moving abroad
[21:23] How this move has changed Adam
[22:04] Young country vs old country
23:24 excerpt from Donald Trump campaign speech, C-SPAN
NOTE: This episode features the story of one individual’s experience. Experiences of a country and its culture will obviously vary from person to person and it is important to do your own research from a multitude of sources. In addition, immigration rules and regulations are subject to change at a moment’s notice–always check with a country’s official embassy for the latest updates.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
German Consulates (US)
Visa guidelines
LANGUAGE
Want to learn German? I’m not learning German at the moment but I’m using the following online courses, so it’s the same format, I’m just learning a different language.
Gemanpod101.com I listen to their podcast on my iPhone so I can practice speaking when I’m walking the dog, or doing mundane chores. Here’s why I think it’s great: on their website you get online videos, worksheets, tests, and vocabulary with pronunciation and spelling. The podcast is entertaining as it’s not same old dull “Hello, call a taxi please.” It features conversations in English and German between a German woman, a German man, and an American man that is fluent in German. They are in their 20s or 30s so the conversation is lively and fun. It’s WAAAY more conversational, entertaining and practical. You get the social aspect of the conversation noting different cultural customs. Go to www.germanpod101.com to learn more, sign up to try it out.
Here’s another online language course I am currently trying out (in a different language but same format). Rocket German. It has audio lessons, vocabulary with audio and text. I’m a visual learner so it helps me to SEE the text to understand the pronunciation and vice versa. It also has a voice recorder which is handy so you can check your pronunciation. So far, I’m liking it– and it’s pretty comprehensive. I think it’s helpful to have a variety supplemental learning sources to see what works best for you. It also has a free trial to test drive.
And for simply overall word memorization and vocabulary building I use the free program at DuoLingo.com.
