Eins Werden

The German Project is underway as I wrote in the main blog. The past few days I have been pretty busy with the a number of different aspects of the project and have not be blogging how the project is developing. So I will do a quick run down of the past few days so you can I have a better idea of what I have been up to.

I arrived in Berlin on Wednesday, May 25th. After I arrived and went straight to the bodyshop with whom I have spoke the most. The shop is owned and run by two young guys in their 30s. The shop was a former Stasi (East German secret police) repair and storage facility for expensive automobiles that the East German government had in the DDR. It also had a lounge and private sauna and bath for the higher ranking Stasi officials. Another section was a listening facility to tapped phone lines. Over a couple of beers, we discussed the project and what would be involved. I then got my apartment and joined one of the owners for dinner in a hip street on the former East Side of Berlin.

Thursday, May 26th, I got a late start and met with the next bodyshop late that afternoon. The shop had a less interesting history, but was better set up as a bodyshop. The director of the shop met with me and discussed in detail the project and all the difficulties involved. We also discussed the time frame in which it needs to be complete. He felt confident he could meet my deadline and do a good job.

Friday, May 27th, I made a few more phone calls to bodyshops who had given me an estimate for the project. The owner of one of the shops was out and I was told to contact him on the following Monday. I then began looking for the cars for the project as this is really the next step. I went on a number of online websites and looked over the ads there as well as a number of printed magazines that list cars for sale. I was able to make contact with one couple and made an appointment to see them. I had to meet them at a metro rail stop since they live about an hour and half outside the Berlin city center. Unfortunately, when they came to meet me it turned out they had the station wagon model of the Trabant. I am looking for a coupe. So the trip was pretty much wasted. That evening I talked with my landlord, who is a 25 year old student who is studying electrical engineering. He has a 3 room apartment and rents out one of the rooms for extra money. He showed me a couple of websites to buy cars and I did some research.

Saturday, May 28th, I had made a number of phone calls the evening before and set up 3 appointments. All of them were on the out skirts of Berlin. The first was in Malsdorf. The couple had owned their Trabant since 1992. The wife really loved the car and when I explained what I wanted to do with it, she was sad. She wanted the car to be driven, because it ran well. The couple was really nice and they liked the concept of the project. I told them that I was looking at a number of cars and that I would get back with them towards the middle of the week. The next Trabant I saw was in Neuendorf, just above Malsdorf. However it is a tough connection by U-bahn or s-bahn, so a friend of the first couple whose Trabant I saw drove me to the S-bahn station where I met the owner of the next Trabant. Michael Dahlke picked me up in his Deluxe 1989 Trabant P601-S. Just about a block away, the car stalled and I had to get out a push as he started the car with the clutch. This was my first ride in a Trabant. The car reminded me riding in a VW dune buggy or a 1930 Ford Model A. It was loud, rough, and a little shakey. As we approached his home, he took the car off the main road and let me drive it on a side dirt road that paralleled the paved street. I was not used to the shifter being on the steering wheel and have to admit that I stalled the car myself. But it was like driving a VW dune buggy and I can understand the fondness that develops with the owners of these cars. Mr. Dahlke had a 1988 Trabant in his yard that did not run as well as a Wartburg. I told him I was looking at a number of cars and would get back to him with my decision.

I then got home around 6 p.m. The gentleman who I am renting a spare room from offered to help me look at a Trabant that was far from Berlin. The car was over 60 kilometers outside the city. So we were really far out in the beautiful rolling farmlands and tiny countryside villages that surrounds Berlin. When we approached the first home where we thought our appointment was, the neighbor from across the street told us the doorbell did not work and for us to knock. It was something from a movie where it seems everyone knows everyone and what everyone is doing. A woman came out and told us that they did have a Trabant but it was laid to rest and we had the wrong place. We drove a little further and found the place we needed to be. Gerd met us and showed us his Trabants. He had two. One was a coupe which was called a Limousine, and the other was the station wagon version that is called a Kombi. The couple he had been taken apart and was partially restored. It was as he said 90% complete. The station wagon was the best car I had seen of all the cars that day, but unfortunately it was not what I was wanted. After we spoke at bit, we thanked him for his time and left. Andrej, my helpful 25 year old landlord, suggested we go back to the first house to see the Trabant that they had. Since we were already there, I thought why not. So we went back and the asked the people if we could see their Trabant. They were happy to show it to us. It was a blue Kombi that lay outside in the yard where the kept the chickens. It had been set there to rot and waste away and showed the signs of weathering. It was not the car for the project, but I got a sense of how re-unification affected the people who lived in this area. They then told us about a number a few houses down who also had a couple of Trabants and may be interested in selling one. So we drove down the street and found the next house. Sure enough, he had two of them. One was in great shape, the other fair. We explained to him what I wanted to do and see if he would be interested in selling us one of his Trabants. As he felt both cars ran well, he said he would have to think it over and get back with us. We had been told of another Trabant in the area, but were unable to find it. As well, it was around 9 p.m. and the sun was going to be setting soon (the sun sets much later here in Europe during the summer months), so we decided to give up our Trabant search for the day and head back home.

Sunday, May 29th, I got a late start on the day after going to a party the night before. Around 12 I was up and set up an appointment to see a Trabant in Mahlow. Mahlow is a small village on the southern outskirts of Berlin. This particular Trabant was built in 1990 and was perhaps one of the last built in this year since the Wall came down in November 1989 and western cars were easier to be had. The car was being sold by a used car dealer. It is an off green color with a white top. After tracking down the person who could show me the car and getting the keys to better inspect the inside, I decide to buy the car. The body was in decent shape, the year was the one I was looking for, and the price was fair. Some 12 years before, I had befriended a family whose grandmother lived in Mahlow. So after I put a deposit on the car, I went to see the grandmother. I was fortunate that she just lived a short distance from the used car lot. I spent the remainder of the afternoon with her and her husband and caught up on what has been happening since I last saw them in 1999.

Monday, May 30st, after making a number of calls and sending some e-mails, I went to look at an apartment to rent. After discussing the details of the rental, I was told to come back on Wednesday to make payment and finalize the agreement. From there, I went back to Mahlow and paid off what I owed on the Trabant. I then went to begin my search for the Mercedes. I was able to make it to one dealer who had a Mercedes. It turned out, it was a Mercedes 200 which is slightly larger than for what I am looking. The dealer was a young guy from Lebanon. I was to learn that many of the car dealers I would see in the next days would be of Arabic descent. Although he did not have what I was looking for, he said he would be willing to help me try to find what I did want.

Tuesday, May 31st, I had to move to a spare room of the apartment from where I was renting. The landlord had signed a long term lease and the new tenat was moving in. As I do not have so many things, it wasn't too big of a problem. I then had a couple appointments to see two Mercedes. The first was in Neukölln which is the southwest part of Berlin. The car was in decent shape and the price was ok. However, I wanted to look around before jumping at the first thing I saw. The next car was in the northwest corner on the other side of the city near Spandeau. After a number of U-bahns, S-bahns, and a bus ride, I came to the general area where the car was to be. It was an industrial park and there was a number of dealers. I had to call the dealer to come and pick me up since no one else in the park knew where it was at. The car was ok. It had a lot of rust and this bothered me. However, what was interesting was that they sold many of their cars to Africa. Apparently this is what happens to old Mercedes in Germany, they are bought and exported to the Dark Continent. What was also interesting was that before the car is exported, they take off all the exterior parts like the grill, hup caps, ground effects, etc. and store them in the trunk. I asked why did they do this and they explained that when the cars reach port in Africa, the cars would be most likely striped of these items. So they take them off and store them in the trunk where they will not be able to steal them.

Wednesday, June 1st, I awoke very early as I had to pack my things to move. The gentleman who I was to meet to rent my apartment told me to call him before 12. I called him at 11 and was unable to talk with him. I tried repeatedly and was only able to get his voicemail. I then walked over to the apartment and rang, but no answer. I was thoroughly disappointed and felt a bit frantic as I was suppose to leave the apartment I was currently in. I went back home and looked on the internet for other possibilities and sent out a number of e-mails and calls. I went to look at one apartment in Mitte. It was depressing. It was built in the DDR (East Germany) in the 1960s-70s. It was the bare minimum, a one room apartment that served as a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It had one large window at one end and a seperate room with a toilet and shower. It cost the same as the place I wanted to initially rent. So Wednesday was spent on the internet just trying to find a place to rent. I was lucky that my landlord was nice enough to let me stay in his spare room until I will leave to go back to Miami on June 7th.

Thursday, June 2nd was spent by investigating what I needed to do to extend my visa. I first went to the Bürgeramt, which is the part of the city government where all residents must registers themselves. I took a number and waited in line at the information office. When my turn came up, I was instructed that I had to go to the Auslanderbehörde Office which is the department where all non-European citizens have to be processed. It is about 45 minutes away by S-bahn and walking and so I made my way over there. I then waited in another line and was told that was in the wrong place. Apparently I was misinformed at the Bürgeramt. So, I had to go back to the Bürgeramt and be registered there before I could get an appointment at the Auslanderbehörde. So I walked again and took the S-bahn back to the Bürgeramt. At least this time, I was armed with a not from the Auslanderbehörde which told them of my situation and explained what I needed since I had no clue. I was then give a couple of forms to fill out and had to wait for my number to be called. Since everything is in German, I was only able to understand so much, but the woman at the information center was nice enough to help me out with what I did not understand. Soon my number was called and the process was pretty painless. The woman looked over my form and I got the stamp. I was then able to take the S-bahn and walk again back to the Auslanderbehörde before then closed for the week. Apparently they are open late on Thursday and closed all day Friday. I was able to get there before they closed and got to wait in line again. When I was called, I was able to set up an appointment for when I returned back to Germany at the end of June. When I returned home, I went to look at another apartment in Prenzlauer Berg. The apartment was nice but not as nice as the one I suppose to take on Wednesday. It seemed everything seemed pale in comparision.

Friday, June 3rd I had an appointment with a public relations firm to discuss terms for helping me with media relations for the project. The meeting went well and the company seemed excited about the project and what they felt they could do for me. Afterwards I went to the far south end of Berlin to visit another car dealer. His Mercedes was ok. It had some minor body work and was a bit more than what I wanted to spend. I then made my way back to the center of the city and visited a few galleries.

Saturday, June 4th I first went to look at an apartment to rent and a Mercedes at a local car dealer who is in the area where I am staying. I then made two appointments to look at cars from private individuals. The first was in the far south of the city. The Mercedes was nice and in good shape. The price was fair but I wanted to look at a couple of other cars before I made a decision. The next car was as far west as you go by train. It was 30 minutes outside of Spandeu by train. The people then had to pick me up at the train station and we drove 10 minutes into the countryside. The home was out in the country near a pig farm in a small village. The Mercedes was originally a taxi. The body and engine were in good shape. It was also a good car and at a reasonable price. However there was one other car I wanted to see and I had made the appointment for Sunday when the owners had more time to show the car. Once I returned from this small village via an hour long train ride, I got something to eat and then made my way to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. The past 5 times I have come to Berlin, I have never went. I was especially interested to go this time to see how things were displayed. The main feeling that I got after I left was how the Wall and everything associated with it seemed to be so unimaginable now. You see the pictures and read the captions and it seems like it was so long ago. The museum documented the escapes from East Germany and the Wall, but it seems so distant now. The experience left me with the question of how to make the project I am doing to have contemporary relevance as well as be an artwork and not merely a museum display.

Sunday, June 5th, I caught up on my blog entries which I have been neglecting. I also went to see another Mercedes Benz. This one was owned by a South African fashion designer who has been living in Germany the last 16 years. His Mercedes was badly hit in the rear and also had some damage to the front end as well. As I only need the front of the car, I thought I would have a look. The car was in decent shape other than where it had been hit. It was the least expensive Mercedes I had seen, but I was unsure how expensive it would be to repair the damage to the front. I would have to talk with the body shop to find out if the car would be worth using for the project. After coming back from looking at the car, I called upon a few more apartments to try to set up appointments for Monday.