When I moved to Berlin 16 years ago, it was all “punk” and “not like the rest of Germany” - and Berliners were proud of it. At least the ones in the underground clubs where I spent most of my early twenties, hehe.

And on Sunday, Berlin voted. Die Linke it is.
I was rooting for Volt. They seemed like the most reasonable choice to me, considering my mid-level interest in politics.

Most of us are probably having mixed feelings about the result. So do I.

But...

-> We might have an immigrant woman as the next mayor of Berlin. That'd be HUGE.

-> After the AfD became the strongest party in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern & Sachsen Anhalt, I was honestly relieved with Berlin's result (though still a concerning number of what was it, 16%?)

-> Berlin was always special. And it delivered. Weren’t many of us so proud of that? “Arm, aber sexy” and all? Then why whine now?

-> I am happy to live in a country where fair elections are possible. Where choosing is an option. Where the result can surprise you, annoy you, excite you or make you nervous - but the choice is still yours to make.

Berlin made a choice.

Now comes the execution. And that’s where I see more potential hiccups, especially around housing. As the landlord of a tiny flat myself, I can already see how some of the proposed measures could create new problems while trying to solve existing ones.

But alright.
I’ll enter this new era with an open mind.
Go, Berlin.