Mein Jahr in Deutschland.

Ich küßte das Göttinger Gänseliesel

2010-08-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

[ I kissed the Ganseliesel ]

Saying goodbye's are never something that I like, but they are a natural part of being an exchange student. When I first arrived in Germany, I never really anticipated making such great friends in one year. I was up for the challenge of moving to a college campus and studying in a new language, but with stress such as not even knowing in which city I would be living in, I accepted that finding friends would just come with time.

It is funny to look back now how naturally everything occurred. There was never one defining moment where I went and just found a group of friends to join - one by one everything fell together, and as trips, dinners together, classes together, going out on the weekends, even to mundane tasks of picking up groceries for each other, our friend base grew. Sure it sounds like a normal college experience. You know someone who knows two others, and your friend base grows - however there is something fascinating for me that the experience of having friends from Germans to Italians to Spaniards to Koreans all coming together and we would speak bad German, Choppy English, and most often "Dinglish" to get by - and this all became normalized.

It isn't until you step back and really take in the entire picture how incredible this is. These are people that become such a support base for you, and it isn't until the end that you realize that you have no appropriate way to say thank you.

Many students held big good bye bbq's or house parties when they were leaving, but I chose to stay a bit under the radar. I told many of my close friends just to come out to the city center at around 11 the last night I was in Göttingen and we would just sit away the hours together before I would bike home one last time and drive off to the airport to America.

It turned out to be exactly what I wanted and needed. The evening was perfect, and I don't think there is anything to capture how wonderful being in a European city is as a young adult than just sitting and taking in the entire scene around you with friends that made the year so incredible.

This year has been profoundly different for me from previous experiences abroad. Aside from it being longer, also being a 20 year old has made my perspectives different. We are all scared - it isn't just an American trait that we hit 20 and we have no idea how we are going to pull our life together that is expected of us in the next few years. All of us in our young 20's, school, family, apartments, traveling, keeping in touch, we talk about how it is going to all balance out - where our lives will all cross again.

My friends parted with me by giving me a fantastic book. Each page a dedication to a different friend, and their quirks that might drift away from my memory as years go on. There are far too many inside jokes to count, and a gross amount of invented slang that would only make sense to this group of friends - often mixing different languages into one big mess, but it was my first real gut realization that, cliche or not, my world had just immensely expanded. In one year, without even paying much mind, my international family now reaches to Madrid, Soeul, Ascoli Piceno, Budapest and many other corners of the world that I have yet to even step foot in, but I have people there that care about me.

Leaving Germany, I finally allowed myself to backtrack and review my blogposts and private journal writings. I always embraced the connections I was making in Germany and the great people I met around the country there I will keep in touch with, but the end of my stay proved to me that this year was much more than just Germany. I learned a new language, lived with different host families, made the [ internal crisis ] transition from teenager to 20 year old, traveled to the country of my family's origins [twice!], revisited old friends and host families in Scandinavia, and made friends in my new host city while sharing the experience of "ausländer" with many other diverse and wonderful individuals. In this sense, I kind of "graduated" from Goettingen. I went through a life experience and came out with a lot more extra credit that I ever could have anticipated.

That evening laughing with my friends, and an incredibly illuminated moon above us in the middle of the night, I swung on the metal poles, clutched the goose for balance, and planted a big kiss on the Gänseliesel as a "graduate". A Göttingen tradition, and I just lived a fantastic year long life there with a great host family that will always be there for me as well as many other corners of the city that will hold memories with friends when I finally return.

Im Harz

2010-08-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

[ In the Harz ]

Like almost everything that has happened this past year, events and dates just creep up on you. Once my Praktikums ended, and my planned trip to Finland came to a close, I knew that I had a few days to wrap everything up and spend the last days with family and friends. Well, naturally even those days blurred faster than I thought.

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Andreas always had Wednesdays off from working at der Laden, the shop, and the day was always reserved as a day for him to catch up on some of the logistical aspects of running a small business, but it was also a day in the middle of the week to have quality family time together. During the Winter months, maybe that meant seeing a movie, in the spring Andreas and I went on a trip together to Weimar, in the spring and summer, when the weather warmed up, no moment went wasted to eat outside in der Garten.

This particular Wednesday, my last in fact, also had a nice family outing planned, and the event was once again into another area into der Harz von Deutschland, The highest moutain range of northern Germany. The area is sprawling with hills and rolling farmlands, but amongst this country-like scene, history abounds, being the epicenter for so much unification in a land that has such a vivid past.

The trip for the day was to travel to the top of Brocken mountain, the highest peak in the range. Starting at the base, we hiked a bit through the woods and ended up at the train station that had huge steam engines from the war-times that roared up the mountain creating a very exciting atmosphere.

The views from above were spectacular. The best part about the day, however, was having such a nice opportunity to share with my host parents. Studying abroad for so long has challenged me and taught me so many new things. There are so many things I am indebted to my German family, The Sebodes. A host family is not a required component of the CBYX program, but to me, it may have been one of the most profound, even on top of studying and working in German environments.

Towards the end of the year, I have to actually remind myself what I had actually experienced. I lived as a member of a German family - I underestimate the fact of how much they have seen me grow this past year. The first night that I met my host parents, I was still stuttering out German and tripping up on my verb forms. As the year progressed, we would talk about anything, and as we came to this closing trip, many funny stories would come up.

I never really realized it, but I became quite infamous with the family in the beginning, because I would constantly say "aha" as a form of acknowledgment, and my host parents quickly caught on to its meaning of ... "ja, I had no idea what you just said, but I am going to be polite and just nod and say 'aha' ". Almost as a grievance to this goofy expression, Inge did note that as my German improved, away went the "aha's".

Things were never really sad towards the end. We talked too much about things we could do together in the future to have any sense of end to my stay with them. I still cannot grasp the magnitude of just how long I was there. How comfortable I became and how normalized daily life became for me. It even comforts me to know that I would get my host parents angry if I got them nervous or did something wrong - and I would feel just as ashamed with my mistakes and just as proud with my successes when I was able to share them with my host family. I think it will be these memories that will grow along with me and show just how much I really gained from this experience as time goes on.

Der amerikanischer Akzent

2010-08-09T10:47:00.001-07:00

[ The American Accent ]

Whenever there came a time that I did speak English while abroad, for some it was exciting to actually hear an American accent. It is as if it is something that is reserved for TV programs and music - after all, British English is what is learned in German school systems.

Learning German, some sounds became difficult to pronounce when I was in fluid speech. I worked hard to perfect a passable accent while also learning grammar and syntax, however some sounds just wouldn't come out right. One example - würde & wurde, the first is Konjunktiv II tense, and can translate as "would". The second, past passive, something like "has been". Very different grammatical meanings for vowels that to the american tongue may as well be the same sound. Add in the guttural, gargling German "R" to these lip exercises, and you have minutes at a time with me sitting with Inge just saying "wurde, würde, wurde, würde...". You can imagine how crazy it must have looked if you walked in to hear this.

Back to English, the American accent - always to my amusement and surprise - has an element of foreignness to it along with its seemingly endless amount of slang and regional quirks. One commercial that I have been searching for online for a long time now utilized a goofy rendition of this American accented German [ more of a southern twang ] to sell ... miracle whip.

The dialog roughly goes like this:

Our refrigerators in America are much bigger

our steaks too

In America, you can buy ready-made potato-salad at the store

Wow, you couldn't buy something so delicious like this

That is because it is homemade

I like homemade!

Check out the commercial just to get a good laugh at the americanized accent, or the reactions of the German people at those 'Amis ' not knowing what good potato salad is ...

dritte Platz

2010-08-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

[ Third place ]

The world cup is now over, but watching Germany come in 3rd place was quite the ride. Of course we were all cheering to see Germany face the Netherlands in the finals, but nevertheless, I witnessed an extremely exciting event that really brought the nation to celebration and only comes around every four years.

World cup fever was incomparable to see not only in Europe, but in Germany, one of the most Fuβball frenzied nations on earth. City-centers all around over the month and a half international tournament were always clustered with people, and big screen tv's lined the streets, from open air pubs, even to the local gelato shoppe. Göttingen, being the young and diverse uni-city that it is, always had clusters of all kinds of fans to fill up seats and give a fun crowd. I probably learned more expletives in more foreign languages than I ever had in my life as well - German might be fun, but Italian reigns supreme for most creativity and drama.

[ Ganzelieselplatz ]

As the brackets narrowed down though, everyone [well, except my Spanish friends ] all began full-heartedly supporting their host nation, and we joined the crowds and celebrations including flags, lei's and cheering. Over the tournament I had seen games at home, as well as at public venues in the city, and public viewings in Göttingen and Berlin.

The photos I have display a very vibrant and exciting patriotism that swept Germany over the few weeks - but this is something that is only just becoming the norm. The 2006 World Cup held in Germany sparked a new pride within the German people, and flags and the German colors began to make a strong presence as the tournament took place. Four years later, I have heard from many that the support and patriotism has only increased - cars whizzing by with flags and decals, and cheering fans in the streets clad in Jerseys all day on game days. A German flag is rare to see anywhere in Germany and still is repressed by many, but the World Cup represents a special time of patriotism and pride for German fans where they all come together for the same cause.

The world cup has been an excellent opportunity to partake in some of the best celebrations I have seen all year in Germany, and possibly one of the best cultural opportunities to connect with German people in my host city and learn what the world cup means to them [ described by one, "the Super Bowl x 20" ], as well as international friends sharing the experience with me as well!

Zufrieden

2010-08-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Content, happy, pleased, satisfied, comfortable, settled, * to be one with the world

The definitions are many and broad when one translates the German word "zufrieden" . It just doesn't really translate, but it means all of the above words. Germans work hard and are serious people, but behind the stern facades that some of them have, caught in the right environment, they could be completely in a state of being zufrieden.

[ The failed raft ]

Small road trips with my host family, time with family and friends, soccer matches, BBQ's - summer time here in Germany is going great.

Fruchthaus Schwieger

2010-08-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

[ Fruit house Schwieger ]

This post has been one that I have been anxious to put up for a while. Maybe I mentioned it in passing, but Andreas, my host dad, runs the family business, and it is an iconic corner fruit market within central Göttingen.

Some times this year, while riding my bike through town, I would ride by and see Andreas, usually leaving with a crisp apple that he would toss to me over the counter. At home, I was spoiled to fresh veggies and fruit that Inga would use from the shop in great lunches and desserts. Speaking of meals, one of the best things this year was the importance of having the family together at our prompt 1:15 lunches which was the main meal of the day.

Some of the shelves in the store were just as ecclectic as the market I proudly presented a few weeks ago - various oils and vinegars, bright colors of greens, purples and reds, nuts, berries - it is quite a sight.

Unfortunately, winter was long [ very long... ] in Germany, and even after the grey half year passed, construction season began and the front of the store was blocked off where crates of produce usually line the corner.

As my final days were ticking down, I had to finally just get in and snap a few photos - the store was too much of a figure in my mind of the city to pass up. The funny thing to add is that working in the store for so long, Andreas really doesn't even like vegetables!

die deutsche Einigung

2010-07-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

[ The German Unification ]

One of the most exciting aspect of living and traveling through Germany is witnessing and experiencing the great variety of different cultures [and accents!] that exist within the country. The changes can be subtle from village to village, or drastic, like leaving the orderly area of Hochdeutsch in the north, to the loud and robust Bayrisch [Bavarian] Bundesland in the south - which to some might as well be considered its own nation.

It goes largely unrealized how many different smaller groups and peoples eventually came together to make up present day Germany. As I learned on a trip with my PPP area representative, Klaus, the unification collaborated actual kingdoms - and once again, history just as I had hastily studied in high school was standing before me.

Appropriately erected in Thüringen, the center of Germany, a statue of Emperor Wilhelm I memorializes the great unification of the land at Kyffhäuser. It commemorates the end of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany and the transition to the Prussian dominated German Empire starting in 1871. Four Königreiche [kingdoms] formed a new German Empire, including Prussia, Bavaria, Sachsen and Würtenburg - including a long list of Grand Duchies, Duchies and Principalities to further prove the area-centric nature of European cultures.

[ The center of Germany - a humbling look over the horizon of so many groups unified under its unique and complex history. ]

Throughout this year I have witnessed an abundance of history. I have seen history from the second world war in Bonn and Berlin, as well as the history of German prose and language in Weimar. My trip to the Kyffhäuserdenkmal was a reminder to me that Germany may be young in national terms - 1871 marks just under 150 years - however the smaller groups that consisted of some of the strongest kingdoms and societies in European history have fought against each other, and joined together over centuries creating a unified Germany with yet so many unique and diverse cultures and communities within it.

Die Kirchen von Göttingen

2010-07-28T15:06:00.001-07:00

[ The Churches of Göttingen ]

When Galina came to visit I became more aware of different details of Göttingen as I tried to give a credible tour of the city. Since then, the city became home again, and beautiful landmarks around me became part of "my home" and I never really viewed them again as wonderful, historical cornerstones of the city, but more normalized scenery of the streets that I would cross multiple times a day.

[ St. Jacobi Kirche - unfortunately under construction this year, but the tallest church on the Göttingen skyline ]

Göttingen is almost completely in central Germany. Located in the southern part of the Bundesland Nidersachsen [Lower Saxony] it was a crossroads for many through the country. The city became a meeting point of high education leading to its reknowned university which boasts many Noble Prized thinkers and academics. Once outside of the city, it seems as though only kilometers of rolling hills and wheat fields abound. [ waiting to become beer probably ]

Göttingen itself still has a visible wall that used to protect the city. The enclosure was a guarded community that centralized around harnessing education. Along these streets that are considered some of the best preserved old town streets in Germany, four churches still mark the city's skyline. Three are protestant churches, and one is Catholic, alluding to the unique placement of the city and the history of the country itself. From a distance these churches can be seen from kilometers away, and from the center of the city, right next to the Ganseliesel stature is a small plaque in the ground, where the viewer can see all four churches at one point - after all, the heart of Göttingen is less than a square kilometer [ only just larger than a square half mile! ].

[ Vier Kirchen Blick - The four church view: St. Michael, St. Johannis, St. Albani, St. Jacobi ]

die letzten zwei Wochen.

2010-07-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

[ The last two weeks ]

"Feeling a premonitory sadness at leaving Paris, we walked up to the edge of Montmartre to see a movie. Afterward, we wandered over to the Restaurant des Aristes. We arrived late, and as there were no other clients we had a sort of family get together with the monsieur caillon , his daughter and roer the waiter. we all sat around a big table and chatted in a very familiar way. after that we walked dow the hill and home through streets wet with the rain that had fallen while we were inside the lamplit city glittered in its puddles and the dnotre dame loomed out iof the mist, giving our nerves a twinge. when you know your time in a place is running out you try to fix such moments in your minds eye."

The above passage was one that I read earlier in the year and folded the page corner to remember it for later, figuring it would be relevant. It actually comes from Julia Child, who's published diary actually became a favorite passed around by my friends and I because of her adventures abroad in a foreign culture [ and enjoying the food of course]. Finland was a wonderful experience, and seemed to add so much to my last experience. Once back in Germany, it then hit me, strolling through the city center, that I was noticing corners of the city in a different way - I was almost starting to say goodbye.

Being away for a year has challenged me and impacted me in ways that I never could have expected. With two weeks remaining in my experience, the world cup broadcasted on televisions all over the city, student life vibrant, and many Bbq's and meals outside with my host family enjoying the summer weather, I could only savor every moment. Finding some forgotten Euros in my shorts pocket may have been the first reminder that it actually had been a complete year that I had been in Europe, and so much had happened in between, and time was already coming to a close.

Hvitträsk

2010-07-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

[ Hvitträsk - The Saarinen Estates ]

Why would a prom photo from almost 3 years ago - with my beautiful date and great friend Griffin - find its way into my blog about Europe? What if I wrote here that on a museum visit with Saila, Anna's mom, I witnessed not only the home of one of the most esteemed Finnish architect Families, but also the architects of the backdrop that would also happen to be where I took my prom photos? It would sound far fetched, but as it turns out 4,300 miles away from my hometown in Michigan, I was visiting the home of the architect that was the leading figure in creating the Cranbrook academy - an academy of sciences and arts that is now a gem of south-eastern Michigan.

During my exchange experience in Finland in 2007, I had learned much about the Saarinen family. The famous father and son architects not only created a unique architectural style for Finland [and perhaps Eliel's most famous, the Helsinki Central railway station], but also created some of the most iconic buildings in America, including Dulles international airport and the Gateway to the West in St. Louis, MO.

[ Helsinki Train Station ]

What I did not know however, and to my great surprise in a museum so far away from my home in Michigan, was that this family not only resided in Michigan for a large portion of their lives, but also built Cranbrook academy and called West Bloomfield, MI their home.

[ on some steps in the Cranbrook Academy - only if I had known then, just months after returning from Finland, that I was sitting amongst some of the greatest works of one of the most famous Finnish architects! ]

Eero Saarinen, the son of the legendary Eliel Saarinen, also impacted the metro Detroit area by creating the GM tech center, noted at its time for revolutionizing the American industrial architecture scene by combining functionality with aesthetic design and color. For their time and place, many of the buildings created by Eero and Eliel Saarinen were extremely forward thinking and cutting edge. And as I researched further, the only bigger name in Detroit architecture for the time was Albert Kahn [ who is the architect of the Fisher building where my father works, and many other landmark buildings in the city] who was born in the Rhein region of Germany and is known today as "the architect of Detroit" - yet another unique connection to everything that I have been learning and observing abroad.

As I toured the Hvitträsk estate with Saila - the family's original home outside of Helsinki that became a summer getaway for the family from Michigan - I took note of the modern elements in the house. For being built at the turn of the century, the inclusion of functional windows and natural lighting, as well as running water were all ideas that shaped modern homes in the decades to come. And as any good Finnish home, the attention to nature with the location along the forest and lakes [ and sauna as well! ] was also commendable.

There is something so exciting about being an the other side of the world, yet walking around the museum and reading information plaques and being able to say that "wow, Bloomfield Hills, MI, Cranbrook?! That is just miles away from my house AND I took my prom photos there!" The visit was an excellent suggestion by Saila, and opened my eyes to the evolution of not only Finnish design, but also many of the names that created what would later become American design as well - some of which may be just around the corner from where I am from.

かもめ食堂

2010-07-09T03:08:00.000-07:00

[ Kamome Shokudo ]

Where to start with this story? – since it is one that started essentially after my last departure from Finland. Upon returning from my second extremely memorable YFU experience, I relished in all of the memories of Japan and Finland that I had around me. One day online, I stumbled on a movie that was gaining quite a bit of popularity in Japan – Kamome Shokudo, “Seagull Café”. The premise was simple, three Japanese women partaking in a comical process of starting a Japanese restaurant in Helsinki, Finland.

It seemed too good to be true - a movie that had everything all together. Once I became a student at UofM, the movie was still not easily available and I had forgotten about it. However, one of my professors that I would frequently chat with after class - [ if I am allowed to make fun of myself, it was my Buddhism teacher, and he also spoke Japanese. I always enjoyed the conversations ] -one day he gave me a burned CD and it was a copy of the movie, and he said that I would like it – of course I would, I had been waiting to see it! And ever since then, the movie has not only become a favorite of mine, but also my family’s and even Shinya, our Japanese exchange student from Okinawa, Japan. I think that is why I love the movie so much – it brings out the excitement in me of the cultures being together in the film, and how they both have opened doors for me in my own life.

Fast forward to 2010, and I am now on the train to Helsinki from Turku. As a huge coincidence, I am seated on the train next to 6 Japanese tourists venturing through Finland. At first I was a bit nervous, German dominated the part of my brain that deals with foreign languages – my Japanese was rusty at best. Even so, something sparked me to lean over and like a natural at stalking Japanese tourists: “etto… chotto sumimasen desuga….”

I cut in with a polite interjection, and joined into their discussion about Muumiland [ their previous destination in Naantali where the white hippo-like trolls live], and then to their trip Helsinki. What else was on their agenda – of course かもめ食堂, Kamome Shokudo! The series of events were all so exciting for me – I wasn’t the only one that was mesmerized by Finland and Helsinki in this film.

The film is quirky, and deals with the smaller details of life. Life abroad, helping out friends, making good food, trying to find happiness in life – but the film just makes it all seem like so much fun; calm and tranquil Helsinki is definitely a contrast to bright and chaotic Tokyo.

[ Another cultural tip to add - this map locates the areas of the city where civilians can wash and air dry their rugs, a summer ritual of many Finns (and a country where carpets are almost non-existent) ]

Once in Helsinki, the Kiukkonen family was very excited to meet me as I arrived. I had only stayed with them for one week during the final stage of my YFU exchange in 2007, but we really enjoyed each other’s company and have been in contact ever since. They have also shared their love of cultures and art with me, and caught on to my unique interests early on of Finland and Japan. They actually found the best personal gift for me – a book of Japanese Finnish fusion cuisine, in both English and Japanese!

I had sent them a copy of Kamome Shokudo last Christmas for them to see what I was so excited about in the movie. The next day we were going to visit the city and find the restaurant which was the setting of the film. In the meantime however, it was already late – near midnight, and we were home for the evening. We had no time to waste however, and Anna proposed an idea – how about some Pulla?

Now, first of all, Pulla is an excellent cardamom spiced Finnish pastry perfect with coffee. I couldn’t say no. Second – the film Kamome Shokudo has a scene with Pulla cinnamon rolls that make them look incredible – and now I was watching the yeast rise, rolling the dough and pinching the little pastries myself homemade, as traditionally Finnish as you can get!

The next day in the city, Anna and I window shopped, explored the harbor, caught up on the past years of studying abroad [ she is doing her Undergraduate studies in Lancaster, England]. The city was as beautiful as I had remembered it. Esplanadi park was bustling with people, the Havis Amanda statue was clustered with photo-snapping tourists, The street’s window displays were filled with colorful Marimekko patterns and fluid Aalto vases. Through our ventures of the city [ and me gushing about the edgy design of Scandinavia – only to find out that in 2012, Helsinki is the design capital of the world with many events and conferences, definitely worth a visit back!] we finally stumbled upon the little café. The café has a different name now, and aside from the movie poster in the window and some Japanese signs, it is unaffiliated with the movie. Even so, there is something surreal about looking down the street and it looking exactly the same as the film [ not that anything would change… but the characters of the film walked these streets, making the film come even more to life].

Peeking inside, the interior was completely different [ a shame, because in the film, the décor of the café was curiously all very expensive and iconic Finnish furniture and glassware!], but there were customers including a few Japanese that I could easily point out as well. It made me excited that they were probably here for the same reason that I was – just to see it.

[ I would make a statue of wild Finnish strawberries too ]

[ Believe it or not, this view is right in the middle of Helsinki! There are still areas that connect right back to nature. ]

The visit and snapshot lasted only a few minutes, but the experience was nonetheless extremely cool. I think that this story really documented some of the memories and laughs of my first day in Helsinki, as well as the very cool connections that I can celebrate in thanks to my great friends and host family members abroad all over the world - of course, the first person that I wanted to share the photos with was Okaasan in Japan who is also a huge fan of the film.

Juhannus

2010-07-09T02:32:00.001-07:00

[ Finnish midsummer celebration ]

Bags packed, towels, check, the girls buckled up, check – we were ready to leave to the harbor, where the evening before, Jarno and I set up the sail boat for the next morning. It required many different knots and pullies, and much of it was new to me, but it was a very good experience.

The wind was slow, but once we were out of the harbor, the archipelago around me came to life and mesmerized me like it had three years ago. When one thinks archipelago, they think tropical islands and palm trees. This is still the Nordic sea, yet these rocky islands towering with dense green forests are interspersed all around you. It is truly an incredible sight.

Last time I came to Finland, it was already late in June, after the Juhannus festivities had past. Ever since leaving, I knew that I wanted to return to experience this holiday and make my experiences of a Finnish summer feel even more complete. Things were already going perfectly. The girls munched on strawberries and green pea pods [ so iconic of the summer markets here ] and I sat on deck with Jarno and Anna as we steered toward the island.

Once at the Island, we met up with Fanny and the rest of the Impilä family and the relaxing vacation began. Time was never really an issue, everything just blended together, especially with the sun lazily hanging over our heads the entire day. Swimming, card games on the boat, soccer games on the field, trips to the sauna, running out into the cold sea, back into the sauna, even colder sea – the pattern continued. We would bbq at night – always with Finnish sausages as part of the mix, and after the wonderful feeling of a good sauna experience, the nights kind of just dozed away along with the sun.

I did wake up one morning still unsatisfied with how rested I was but continued to the outdoor latrines anyways. Outside the sun was even more intense and made me need to adjust to the brightness for a few moments. All the while, it wasn’t until I returned that it was only 4:27 am! Where was my evening mask when I needed it now!

The days passed by as we chatted and gossiped about the big news in the paper – the wedding of the Swedish princes which stole the headlines of nearly every Finnish and Swedish paper in the country. And once again to my enjoyment, we also played the Finnish game of chucking blocks of wood, Möllky.

The 4 day trip was over as fast as it started. Every moment was incredible, and I was so thankful to both the Salminens and the Impilä’s for inviting me for the festivities. Saying bye to the girls, I received little “Heipa’s” in return, small bye byes, since I don’t think they grasped that it might be a year or two once again since I get to see them.

[ Probably around midnight ]

In the period with my host family, the three years that had past seemed nonexistent and it was wonderful to know that my high school YFU experience there has blossomed into what I hope will stay a lifelong friendship. I had one more leg of my trip in Finland, and that was to Helsinki where I would meet up once again with my friend Anna Kiukkonen and her family and rediscover one of my favorite places in Europe, the Finnish capital city.

Konfirmaatiomessu pt.2

2010-07-09T02:09:00.001-07:00

[ Confirmation party pt.2 ]

Time was short, and the events planned were dense. I was only in Finland for a week and a half so everyday I was doing something new and meeting another person. As exhausted as I may have been, the first evening with Fanny, I was able to meet her friends [ whom, after Fanny’s collections of photos from the states, were all excited to get to meet me once again] and go out into the city for the weekend night. Already I was experiencing Turku like I never had as a 17 year old and was able to go out dancing in the clubs – entering when it was sunny, and exiting… when it was still sunny. I had a lot of fun with Fanny. Our friendship has really grown over the years that I have been away and have become even better through our visits. We still annoy the heck out of each other. At least in Finland, I could threaten her that I could just find other friends on the curb-sides of grocery stores.

[ not Fanny's confirmation party anymore! ]

Sunday was Fiia’s confirmation party. It brought back memories of my first full day with my Finnish host family – how incredibly awkward yet memorable it was to be taken to the oldest church in Finland for the ceremony and then a party afterwards with dozens of Finnish people also noticeably not willing to start any small talk with me. I can't say that too much was different this time around. Everyone was dressed very nicely. There were also some great Finnish foods that I had missed, including salmon as well as cakes with fresh strawberries.

The day before the confirmation, I had visited the Salminen’s house to see the girls for the first time upon returning to Finland. Not only did the young twins remember me, but pulling up to the house, their faces were already smashed up against the window to see RISTO!!!! There was so much for me to see, since the house itself was one that I actually helped out on a few days in the summer I lived down the street at Piiskukatu 4. Now the house was finished and furnished, and the girls were grown up, and more chatty then ever.

Venla was her normal rambunctious self, but this time Aada seemed to have caught up to her level of outgoingness. Sanni was a little shy at first, mostly because she is now studying English at school, 2 years already in fact, and I think she was worried about having to speak with me. I was so pleased to see at the confirmation party however, that once she warmed up to the idea, out little conversation of basic sentences allowed us to really communicate without body language or a translator sitting nearby like years prior.

Anna and Jarno are also both doing very well for themselves. With the girls older now, Anna is returning to more normal working schedules. The house looks beautiful. It has many aspects that are so characteristic of a Finnish house. Large, spacial windows, a nice porch with a bbq, a bathroom dedicated just to the sauna, and then Jarno’s favorite place of the house – the theater room. In the basement, one room is equipped with a projector and two rows of theater chairs they purchased from a closed down cinema, and now it is an entertainment room for the house.

The weekend went by quickly, with the party and events of the confirmation, as well as spending time with everyone. For those that know Fanny, you would know that she is a very dedicated player to the sport of Ringette, and I went with her one evening to see what the sport was all about. I was lucky enough to just stay on both feet while skating as the other girls whizzed by me whipping the rubber rings around the ice with their sticks during practice drills. Embarrassing as it may have been, I tried something new, and heading to the ice rink on a summer evening in Finland was an unexpected surprise during this visit.

I am also happy to add that I met up with some old friends from Finland as well. Joni, the neighbor down the street now lives in Turku city center, and I was able to meet him in the city – which really exemplified how cool it is to travel abroad, and to be able to call up an old friend and say you are in town. I also contacted Maria, a finish exchange student to Göttingen for the first semester of this year. I had pictures of her previously, so you might remember her from other travels of mine from this year. We got together to walk around the city, grab a coffee, and for the first and only time of my trip away, speak German – which was exciting in its own right to think that we were adding our own little bit of multiculturalism and diversity to the terrace of the café with many different languages being spoken.

The first few days went by very quickly, and the real event of my return to Finland was about to begin. I was going to be going sailing for the first time in my life, traveling along with my host family, and celebrating the Summer Equinox – Juhannus – on an Island of the Finnish archipelago. It sounded like paradise, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a day where the sun would practically never set beneath the horizon!

Finland, Finland, Finland

2010-07-09T01:58:00.003-07:00

[ ...the country where I quite want to be ]

From Göttingen, I needed to be at the train station at 9:30 at night, I would change trains in Hanover and continue to Bremen. Once I arrived at Bremen at around 12:30 at night, I would have to find the last S5 city train and take it about 15 minutes to the Airport. There I could finally sleep just a few hours before checking into my early morning Flight to Finland [ which would be to Tampere, and would result in more train and bus rides.] Everything was going well though – undeniably a bit obnoxious, all this to save some euros flying Ryanair – but I had made it to the airport and I was still organized.

It wasn’t until I woke up, however, around 4:30 on an Airport bench that I really realized the magnitude of the trip I was going on – I was going to be back in Finland for the first time since I had left just three summers ago – cue the “I can’t believe it has already been three years!”

Even before departing for Germany, when Fanny was still visiting my family in Michigan, I knew that I would somehow, someway be visiting Finland over the year. As time has rapidly passed, my vacation period at the end of the year became my last time to make the plans come together, and everything would work out excellently, since in a way, I would be able to add a chapter to my original Finish exchange story that I couldn’t experience before – the Juhannus festival – a big family celebration to mark the longest day of the year [ and in terms of Finnish summer sun, that is long! ]

In three years though a lot could change. I had been in good contact with my host family, but pictures of the girls growing up came sparingly. It hit me at that moment in the airport that the twins would now be almost 6 – would they even remember me? Sanni would be close to 10. Fiia, Fanny’s sister, would now be the age to have her confirmation – the same age Fanny was three years ago when I first met her. Everything seemed to have shifted, and this elevated the curiosity and anxiousness that I had making the first return visits to one of my host families – a definite landmark of passing time.

It is funny to admit though, amongst all this banter about change and growing up, that as I arrived at Turku train station, and Jarno was there to pick me up with a hearty-only-as-Jarno-could-say “Nice to meet you. Welcome to Turku”, everything felt exactly back to normal.

I am not quite sure what detail made me realize it – maybe the cafeteria at Jarno’s work where there were about 20 cartons of milk at the beverage bar, or possibly the sterile white buildings with extremely large windows letting in so much sunlight, or just the streets of clustered blonde haired people talking in a hush even though they are outside. My Euros from Germany may have been able to buy me things, but even so, I was in another country, and now being able to compare Finland not only to America, but also my home in Germany for the past 11 months, my perspective seemed even broader.

I questioned myself where I should document some of the stories of this experience – attach them to the original Finnish blog, like a big 3 year jump. Or should I include them in my impressions of Germany as just another chapter of my story – since frankly, after all the transportation I had to do to get to Finland from Germany, that was a cultural experience in itself. These blog posts will remain here as a part of this year’s story, but I will add a link to update the Finnish blog [ since, always to my pleasure, I receive many emails a year from students curious about Finland and wanting to travel and study there. ]

Göttingen Marktplatz

2010-07-06T01:13:00.000-07:00

[ Göttingen Market Square ]

Maybe it was the sheer joy of finding perfect cherries in a Turkish quarter of Berlin, and picking up a Kilo bag for only two Euros and snacking on them throughout the week. Something triggered me upon my arrival back to Göttingen to capture one of the best places in the city on a weekday morning - the city Market Square. The square is full of stands, many with flowers and vegetables, ranging also to bread baked in ovens on the streets as well as huge assortments of antipasti, oils, cheeses and honeys as well. Definitely one of the best tastes of European life living here in Göttingen.

die amerikanische Botschaft.

2010-07-06T00:52:00.000-07:00

[ The American embassy in Berlin ]

One of the best parts of my week long seminar in Berlin was unfortunately also the event that we were not permitted to carry any cameras along with us. On the Friday of our seminar week, all American scholarship recipients were brought together to visit the German Bundestag. There were many faces I had never seen before, emphasizing the fact that this CBYX scholarship is not just limited to college students [ that is actually the smaller faction ] yet made up of many groups of high school exchanges as well.

Once in the Bundestag, I was once again able to see some of the congress workings take place and then we were led to another large conference room for the next event on the agenda. Speaking to us that morning were not only some very high officials of the German Bundestag, but also the Ambassador to Germany from America. The event was filled with speeches from students and other stories and Q/A periods and served as a good closer, and inspiration for future connections between America and Germany.

This event triggered some excitement in me as well that I could only directly connect to a similar experience in Finland. Back when I visited Helsinki, and saw my first foreign American embassy, I was so impressed with the working environments and also the staff - often times speaking multiple languages. The foreign service has always intrigued me. The job is a challenge, many language to learn, and assignments that require one to live away from home upwards of 2 years, but it seems to have much adventure and opportunities to serve my country.

The American Embassy in Berlin was the next place that we visited. At first, there was very heavy security and passport checking, but once inside, it was absolutely beautiful [ and furnished with American appliances, causing some to squeal with joy just at the sight of an American electrical outlet in the walls! ]. From my previous visits to Berlin, I noted how the American embassy was right behind the Brandenburger Tor, and very near to the French and Russian Embassies [ the British nearby to the Bundestag ] which was a physical reflection on the history of the city for the past few decades.

Being in this atmosphere once more, and learning about the potentials of the foreign service, language learning, and what I can do as an American abroad really inspired me. It was one of the events that really epitomized just how incredible this opportunity is for me here this year, and opened many ideas of what I will do next.

Anfang der Weltmeisterschaft

2010-07-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

[ The World Cup begins ]

Starting as I was in Berlin, the world cup kicked off, and I was able to see first hand huge groups collecting together in parks where large public viewings were taking place for the first match of South Africa against Mexico. There was something about the Stimmung - the atmosphere - of the city that had me so excited. Every street I walked down, bars were full, cafe's and restaurants had chairs and tables lined down under street side pavilions - all the people clad in tank tops and shorts in the heat, and each small address had a large flat screen TV set up, hastily plugged together for all to see. It is a surreal thing to describe, this soccer frenzy here, where someone can literally walk down the street in Berlin, like the multicultural and somewhat exotic quarters near Frankfurter Tor, and see the game progress every 5 to 10 meters just because there are so many TVs broadcasting the game.

This first introduction in Berlin was just the beginning. Once back in Göttingen, the center of the city was also clustered with viewing parties - many bars and restaurants decked with national flags, and many rows of benches lined out to the streets. The biggest excitement for me is the interaction of the entire event. I have found myself chatting back and forth with friends in Japan, talking about the games there, or meeting with my very diverse friends around Göttingen as well, ranging from the German team to Italian, Spanish, South Korean ect. It has even been fun to watch the American team, even though their credibility by word of mouth can only be defined as lackluster in regards to the German's outlook. [ so I keep my cheering more to myself ]

The Germans however are in full World Cup spirit. As I have mentioned earlier in this blog, a German flag is rather rare to come by on an average day here, but now during the World Cup, there are people wearing the flag as a cape to viewing parties and bbq's, as well as many other combinations of black red and gold. The national spirit brought along by soccer is unprecedented here. 4 years ago, when Germany hosted the tournament, there was a huge wave of new national pride which was very new for Germany after so many years of remaining reserved. Soccer proved to be a turning point for German pride, and from what I have heard, it has only increased this World Cup 4 years later. When Germany won their first game, Moritz and some other friends that were over all said we had to quickly get to the city center. Sure enough, just minutes after the win, Ganzelieselplatz was overflowing with cheering fans, all dressed in German colors and celebrating so hard as if the World Cup had just been won that night.

Soccer is viewed differently here. It is slowly catching on in America, and I have always enjoyed watching it there, but there is nothing that compares to watching the World Cup in one of the most Soccer-frenzied nations in the world. Here is to another month filled with checking scores and updates in the streets and other bbq's and viewing parties to attend!

Besuch in Finnland

2010-06-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

[ Visit to Finland ]

I am taking a trip to Finland to visit my host family, the Salminens, Fanny and many other friends in Turku and Helsinki. I cannot believe it has been three years! Many stories are sure to come!

Kaufhaus des Westens

2010-06-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

[ Department Store of the West ]

Coming to Berlin for the end of the year seminar, I knew that I had to use my free time to find the final landmarks of the city that I had missed before. Some are pictured below, including the destroyed church from WWII now standing as a prominent reminder of the devastation of war, and the other was the new Berlin Synagogue. The other place that I was extremely excited to visit was Europe's largest department store, Kaufhaus des Westens, shortened to the well know KaDeWe.

This huge collection of luxury boutiques is overwhelming. Upon walking in, seeing sparkling display cases of brand name products had me self conscious walking around in a mere polo and shorts [ and my suitcase?! I went straight there from the train station to make sure I could see it before the seminar started! ] Skimming these expensive floors, I quickly ended up at my true destination, Floor 6 : Feinschmeker Etage. The Gourmet Taste floor.

Die Feinschmecker-Etage des KaDeWe (Kaufhaus Des Westens) in Berlin ist die größte und sensationellste Delikatessenabteilung Europas. [ note from the floor as advertised : The Gourmet tastes floor of KaDeWe in Berlin is the largest and most sensational Delicatessen department in all of Europe. ]

I was tipped by many people this year to visit this floor, and it did not disappoint. It was a gourmet paradise. International sections running along the walls - I saw products from America, and even ingredients from Japan I haven't seen for a few years. The candy sections were Willie Wonka-esque, so many chocolate stands with assistances clad with cloth white gloves as if the truffles were diamonds. Mazing my way through, I was already lost. The smell of the cheese was impossible to miss, and its rankness pulled me in that direction to examine the scene. Then I would become side tracked by the never ending showcases of meats and then huge tanks of Fish, and then I would run into the Boulangerie with crusty baguettes and a wall of innumerable amounts of preserves [ I have never heard of Cantaloupe preserves...!]

I stalked around eying everything with awe. Everything was all stacked in perfect pyramids. The floor just inspires cooking, and, if you are the type, even seeing the spice wall gets your creativity running like never before.

I initially thought I would just "check out" the sights and then leave on my way. But something triggered while weaving the warm smell of the roasted coffee beans, and the torts stacked in fluffy cream layers. I had a small "Carpe diem" moment, and money and any notion of a stomach ache were the last things on my mind. Eisspezialitäten: Ice cream specialties.

It just stood out to me. As if it was a present wrapped just for the consumer, this ice cream cake was coated with chocolate and then topped with a gold dusted bow. Hedonism took over for a while, and finding my table amongst men in suits, and women when fat jewels on their fingers, I contently sat regardless of my casual attire and suitcase by my side as company. Everything was too perfect to have any worries. Just a small little adventure in Berlin, and sharing a bit of possibly my most indulgent moment of the year.

"Arm aber Sexy" ; Ende des Jahres Seminar in Berlin pt. 2

2010-06-15T02:55:00.000-07:00

[ "Poor but Sexy" : Seminar in Berlin pt. 2 ]

During our week seminar, the scholarship recipients all went on a boat tour down the Spree river. It was a beautiful day, and down the river I saw parts of Berlin that I have never seen before. Starting west, we cruised by the cathedral and museum Island and saw a very historical Berlin, where religion, the sciences and arts, as well as power [ remnants of Prussia ] all stood side by side in scenic classical architecture; a fragmented view of Berlin past.

Further down the river we crossed by the Reichstag and its many office buildings that I weaved through as a Praktikant there just a few months ago. It seems that anytime I am around the buildings and hear some of its history, the Germans are extremely proud to admit that its abundance of glass is to promote an openness with the community and to omit a closed-government-“we are watching you”-persona from the capital of the country. We even crossed under the iconic bridge that – remember – was exclusive since only workers of the Bundestag had access to it.

Along the river, many people were enjoying the sun and lying along the banks in parks that have evolved along with Berlin and have become luxurious places to relax. However, being Berlin, it isn’t odd for everything around you to radically change in appearance in a mere few minutes of traveling along the river. Moving further into the former East Berlin, there is still a very prominent notion that great changes are taking place. Many old communist industrial plants now remain abandoned and empty. Some stand as graffiti covered memorials of the rapid facelift the city has encountered, while others have been transformed into sites for young artists and student populations. Some old factories along the bank are now popular clubs [ and after venturing out to visit them one night, for lack of a better explanation, they literally are skeleton buildings and train freights lined with stereos and strobe lights, no strings attached ]. One old freight ship was somehow cut in half by a student group, and now it floats as a huge swimming pool in the middle of the river – definitely a sight to see.

Even more interesting to discover beyond how this side of town is shaping up is the struggles and progress the city has made [ after all, it is not deserted, the east side gallery and the huge O2 arena are also there along with headquarters for MTV Germany and other companies ]. One more very relevant phrase or quote of the many that defines Berlin is “Arm aber Sexy” – Poor but sexy, and this is still very true. Berlin is still in the former East Germany, and in many areas this shows. As mentioned, it is the cheapest capital city in the Euro Zone, and definitely cheaper than other cities in the country.

Berlin faced a declining population after the wall fell down, and whereas the city is somewhat growing today [Germans as well as international students of my generation, that were children or born after the wall fell down and thus unaffected by its cultural impact, are now flooding the city to reap its benefits]. Even so, Berlin faces an issue of over 20% of its housing potential still left empty. It is incredible to realize how people live in Berlin as well, since over 80% of the citizens live in “vermietet”, rented places [ and most often in apartment style buildings in close quarters]. This only adds to the unique communities one can find in Berlin [ “one city, one thousand villages”] as well as the overwhelming amount of young people that settle there. Berlin was mentioned to be a new “New York” since it is inviting to the artistic, creative young crowd, and can still promise a lively and inexpensive lifestyle. This relates directly to the extremely diverse environment of Berlin – German only seems to be one of the many languages intermixed around with English, Turkish and many other languages seeming to be equally prevalent.

Seeing all this around me during my visit was what made this Berlin experience so eye opening. Much of what I just shared can be equally attributed to the potentials of Detroit and the struggles it faces as well. This relates to my post about what has been inspiring me over the last few months, and I am excited to share that the evolution that Berlin is experiencing right now is something that is worth observing, experiencing and sharing. Like I have critiqued Berlin before, overwhelming and complicated on the first impression or not, the city is fascinating and offers many opportunities to debate and contemplate the potential of urban development and restoration.

Ende des Jahres Seminar in Berlin pt. 1

2010-06-15T02:39:00.000-07:00

[ End of the year seminar in Berlin pt. 1 ]

11 months. Didn’t I just leave Saarbrücken yesterday? What happened in between – I went to university in Europe, learned German, got an internship with this new foreign language, worked in the German Bundestag – I haven’t even really stopped to appreciate my own personal growth and progress this year. I finally had one small moment to realize that everything is slowly wrapping up. This week was the Ende des Jahres Seminar in Berlin for all PPPler officially commencing the program for all scholarship recipients as we finish our Praktikums and then have a bit of free time to enjoy a bit of traveling in Europe.

This was the third time this year that I was part of the large group of American scholarship recipients and each time the stories of how our years played out became more and more diverse and unique. Some with host families, some with paid internships that will lead to possible careers, some with great new international connections, some that just didn’t quite fit in to Germany – there were successes to celebrate and challenges to digest and learn from. As I mentioned in the previous post, I felt more overwhelmed at the surplus of exciting new ideas and skills that I have accrued this year, but now my new challenge will be how to incorporate them into my studies and ambitions back home.

It wasn’t just the seminar that had me thinking however. This trip to Berlin turned out to be the most profound – it seems that each time I visit, this city becomes even more complicated and exciting. This trip the weather was hot and uncomfortably humid – yet, not having to trek around with my winter attire like last time [ and also with a subway week pass ] I was able to see the city with a whole new flexibility. The past two trips were central to my politically oriented praktikums – I visited government buildings and saw the most important of Berlin’s historical landmarks. This trip I had the opportunity to go even further and see what makes Berlin one of a kind – as one person noted during one of our seminars “Berlin is a city with a thousand villages”.

Berlin has no down town. There is not even a main street. It just seems like there is something happening everywhere all the time. After the wall fell down, organizers anticipated the sides to merge and a natural city center to eventually form. 20 years later this is not the case, and there is no one place in Berlin that is “the place to be” [ alluding once again to the famous quote that Berlin will always changing and will never be "Immerfort zu werden, und niemals zu sein" ]. I found corners of Berlin that had perfect intersecting streets of dense apartments and pedestrians wearing the most eclectic combinations of clothes I have ever seen [ whether it looked good or not was not the case, but it was fascinating]. Art galleries, second hand shops, restaurants with foods from all over [and cheap – Berlin is the cheapest capital city in the Euro-zone! ]. Upon earlier visits to Berlin, I critiqued the city and was pretty blunt, but it has evolved into one of my favorite places.

Wie Gartenarbeit begeistern kann

2010-06-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

[ How Gardening can be inspiring ]

Coming to Germany this year, I anxiously anticipated what new interests I would find that would inspire me for the future upon my return home. At the beginning of the year, I doubt I would have expected gardening to be something that would catch my attention. Even so, little by little, it has grown into an interest that may not just be a future hobby, but something that may influence my career.

I am not even sure where everything began. It may have started while I represented the Federation of German Industries and did thorough research about their dedication to the future of green technology at the Bonn International United Nations Conference. It may have also been working with the green party and discovering so many of the benefits of alternative energy such as wind and solar power. Even at the FDP, with possibly more political views that I didn’t agree with than did, it gave me an opportunity to ponder what were the best solutions to boost an economy in a world recession, while also being responsible about how actions can affect the future.

This was green technology, and as my interest peaked, I found it linking to many other interests of mine. Connecting this to back home, Michigan’s potential in the Green technology sector is profound, with many priceless assets that could blossom into a new industry for the future. Detroit has also been on my mind all year, since after working there through different jobs and internships ranging from education to community development, I have also been searching for ideas on how to return and get right back into the mix with new and productive ideas.

Detroit is an interesting place – an area of land larger than Manhattan, Boston AND San Francisco combined, however its population has dwindled to below the million mark making it only housing a fraction of its potential; in some cases it has become a wasteland with an international boarder and valuable land that is virtually left standing unused. It is also crucial to realize that the city of Detroit, an internationally known city, has no grocery stores that provide fresh fruits and vegetables – the citizens either going without, or spending very high prices at small corner stores for produce that is anything but fresh quality. Possibly this is where the connection arose – Michigan and Detroit have potential for new industries in environmentally friendly technology, however there are locations that don’t even have the abilities to provide its citizens with fresh produce. Somewhere along reading various articles on the subject, one trend kept reappearing as a possible solution to this issue – urban agriculture.

Maybe it is surprising that living for a year in the world’s 3^rd largest economy would spark my interest in agriculture, however, the prospects of utilizing urban space, growing fresh produce [ that can be sold locally, thus helping promote small business as well as reducing the necessity to ship produce thousands of miles to reach the grocery store] and ultimately evolving the format of an urban economy became fascinating to me.

Detroit makes it into the world news normally with images of poverty stricken neighborhoods with the crowning RenCen in the distance – an image of a failing system: an auto industry that has had more than its share of controversy, surrounded by a once great city, now left behind. The potential of the city has not gone unnoticed however and many realize that Detroit can not only be an exemplary city for the US, but also for the world if it can optimize on the risks, and possible huge benefits of being an experimental society.

This would be an appropriate point to reintroduce my next steps in Germany. As my political oriented praktikums came to a close, I still had a few weeks left in my half year of working in Germany, and once again I was left searching for a short term internship. Using the connections that I had garnered thus far, I found some small, but nonetheless relevant NGO’s based in Göttingen. I began doing side projects for GreenPeace as well as a group called Internationale Gärten. Through GreenPeace I learned more about the activist approach to alternative energy. The Internationale Gärten was something that really represented where my new interests had led me. The group works with refugees and immigrant populations in Germany [ in Göttingen there is a notable amount of Turkish and other immigrants from bordering Baltic states ] and they provide plots of land for the groups to simply create gardens. These gardens however don’t just provide food, but provide a community area that is shared, and also a way to integrate into their new foreign home and practice a new language.

The times that I assisted were challenging and also inspiring. There were language barriers and a bit to learn about how running a garden works, but I found the ideas that I came across to be very motivating. Going to work, I would find other pockets of Göttingen that I had previously never known had existed. There were small blocks of gated gardens, each no larger than a normal back yard, and each had a small shed, fence and its own diverse set of crops or flower beds. These were community gardens rented out by those that live in Germany’s very typical community housing complexes – many live in these apartment type buildings and individual homes are rare to come by in a city the size of Göttingen or larger. I would find myself, even outside of work hours, going out for jogs and then taking a moment [ turning into an hour ] weaving through these little plots of land, each unique and personalized.

The blocks all had a community center, possibly where produce was shared or sold, but also where the people that had land there could get together and simply hold events. Here I was thinking that I saw something new – a semi-urban area with community gardens [not farms in the middle of nowhere] that utilized a sense of city style communities as well as the benefits of being self sufficient. Then I received an article forwarded to me from the states – not a major headline paper, but my university paper, the Michigan Daily.

Inside the article there was a look into a growing trend in community gardening – and as stated in the article “a practice that came over to the states from Germany” that was now finding popularity around the country and especially Ann Arbor, Michigan. This process involves investing in small plots of land and then receiving some of the benefits from what was produced – in this case, investing in these community gardens, and then receiving fresh produce and products grown and sold locally once a week.

The connection back home was already closer than I thought. Back in Detroit, with plots of land leaving many specialists puzzled on how to renew, there has been a new interest in this urban agriculture, along with incredible digital renderings of what this future could look like. It has all been incredibly motivating for me bringing all of these connections together. I cannot say that coming back from Germany I am going to aspire to producing several dozen acres of corn per year, but I am excited to promote ideas of self sufficient communities that produce their own foods and share ideas from diverse backgrounds on how to best utilize small plots of land with big outputs.

[ some futuristic computer renderings that are fascinating nonetheless. ]

My biggest dilemma now is where to go next. I will begin next year on my major in Public Policy, which will fit perfectly with these new interests in community development, but now I just need to refine these rather broad new ideas. I have learned so much from this year, as well as from my diverse praktikums, about issues ranging from green technology to urban agriculture, and now I need to figure how to bring it all together. I came to Germany this year with interests in history, educational policy, as well as my background in Japanese and a bit of Polish – now I have these intern experiences as well as the ability to speak functional German and I am left with more questions this year than answers. There is so much that I want to do, and although my experiences have been scattered and diverse, I am very excited to see what opportunities they will lead me too back home in Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Südspange : Nein Danke

2010-06-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

[ South Crossing : No Thanks ]

I anticipated early on that working for two different, and generally opposite leaning, political parties would have me confront a few conflicting views on issues. This became very apparent recently as signs and stickers across Göttingen are encouraging citizens to vote in regards to a prospective south highway to be built through the city. Working for the green party, I caught a lot of the details behind this project since the Greens collectively disagree with the project. They believe that the negative aspects of increased traffic, as well as other costs including construction, noise etc. would outweigh the positive aspects of having the highway. [ they also are strong supporters of train travel over auto travel at all costs as well. ]

Working for the FDP however had me working in offices with many different viewpoints. Leaning more towards a capitalist approach to economics, the FDP would fully support a new highway, aside from its ecological setbacks, since the increased traffic and ease of interconnectivity would make Göttingen more accessible and an economic hub.

As a matter of fact, a few months ago I traveled along with my boss, Bundestag representative Dr. Knopek, to a city about an hour away from Göttingen. We were invited to see the progress of another highway currently under construction that won bids through voting just a year or two before. The experience was interesting of course, seeing the plans on the blueprint and then seeing the highway take shape around us. With the present Dorfs [villages] and hilly landscape, it was also interesting to see how the highway weaved its way through the obstacles. [ It is incredible to me as well how new highways generally are in Europe compared to the states, with Germany still in the process of creating a highways system, and Poland... well, from experience, lets say they have a long way to go]

[ May 25th - June 14th, citizen vote for the south crossing. Please participate. ]

Through both praktikums, I was able to see the pros and cons of both views on these types of projects, but it only emphasized further that my internship experiences here have provided me with very diverse views on German positions on their nation’s future, including topics such as atomic and alternative energy and social welfare to name a few.

InWEnt Seminar in Berlin

2010-06-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Final CBYX seminar in Berlin for the week. I will be back this weekend.

More blog to come and I will post everything soon.

Göttingen Botanischer Garten

2010-06-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

[ Göttingen Botanical Garden ]

I cannot deny it. The weather here in Germany has miraculously become wunderbar [ since I realized I have not used this ubiquitous word yet on my blog! ]. A bit of rain here and there, but for the most part, it is weather where you find yourself outside the entire day and not back indoors until after dark - now, nearing 10 pm. There have been concerts at the university, I have been visiting parks and lakes with Moritz and friends on free afternoons enjoying the sun, some volleyball and swimming - life has been good. The ever present depression that comes along with Germany's never ending overcast season has finally lifted away. [ and this year was apparently the coldest and most dismal year in a few decades some say - from the end of fall through spring!... ]

With all the sunlight, even more flowers are blossoming everywhere, and one of my favorite parts of Göttingen has become even more beautiful. Der Botanischer Garten is right in the middle of Göttingen, but nestled behind ivy covered stone walls and other hills, it completely blends in and becomes its own little sanctuary. The garden is quite large and has hundreds [if not thousands ] of different varieties of botany from around the world. There are also green houses so steamy that they make you break into a sweat within minutes, but the tropical plant life inside with bright flowers is incredible.

On nice days after some lengthy jogs through Göttingen [ always finding different paths to take ], taking a cool down walk to the botanical garden is always nice. There is always something new to see it seems, and dodging florescent snails and slugs the size of walnuts along the way on the cool, damp ground would be enough to fascinate even the most uninspired of garden-trekkers.

Nebel in Cuxhaven am Strand

2010-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

[ Fog in Cuxhaven on the beach ]

Spontaneous trips seem almost like a normal occurrence on this blog. The other day was no exception when a huge facebook message webbed out to all international students on campus. By word of mouth there was a big trip to Cuxhaven on the North Sea taking place.

Arriving on Sunday at the train station, over 40 students were clustered together, all ready to use their semester tickets and take the 5.5 hour train trip to the north sea, spend about 3 hours there, and then turn right around. That was more than 11 hours on the train, which equaled a long day, but the experience at the beach was great.

It was a bit cooler than we all thought, but it didn't let anyone down. We were all very flexible as a matter of fact - for some reason, I think we all imagined the German beach paradise would be right outside of the Train station. Well the beach was no paradise, and the beach was well over a few kilometers from the station [ then picture over 40 students cramming into a normal city bus. That bus stop was crowded!]

The beach itself was no mediterranean, but it was a beach, and just knowing it was the northern border of Germany to the sea was exciting. It was dismally foggy and the entire scene actually seemed grayscale in real life. Boats out in the distance and other people combing the beach.

We were able to walk for quite some time out into the sea. It was extremely shallow and we could walk out a kilometer or two and then become shrouded in the misty fog having to guess our way back.

Miriam cooked up some great Spanish foods for a picnic - tortilla and peppers - and we all ate together in the cool sand.

The excoursion was nice, and the entire day - long train trip included was very worth it.

Göttingen: Stadt, die Wissen schafft

2010-06-04T03:56:00.001-07:00

[ The city which creates knowledge ]

Michigan is the "the great lakes state" : Great lakes, great times [ at least that was a slogan for some period of time. ]

Troy is "the city of tomorrow, today"

Following this trend on this post, German cities all seem to have a nickname too, or some kind of slogan.

Every time I hop on and off the train I see the Göttingen slogan:

It means "the city that creates knowledge", and it is a play on words since "schaffen" in this sense, means to create. However, the word "Wissenchaft" is the word for science, a subject that Göttingen is well renowned for because of its prominent University.

Göttingen boasts some great thinkers and Nobel Prize winners coming out of this rather quaint German city with a scenic city center. The University is also expanding, now with a north campus that houses even more progressive experiments in the sciences, along side its well known faculties in politics and law.

Landesparteitag von Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen in Northeim

2010-06-02T02:35:00.000-07:00

[ National party day for the Greens in Northeim ]

I haven't had a praktikum related story for a while, but it is fair to say that I am keeping myself busy. The other weekend I was invited along with the Green party - my first Praktikum hosts - for a trip to a large conference for the party held just a few cities away from Göttingen. I appreciated the invitation, since - even though I am currently working for the FDP - I am still interested in many of the projects and ideas that are promoted by the green party.

Northeim, the city where the conference was held startled me with its simple charm. It is a city that virtually no average visitor would stumble upon, which might add to its appeal with a city center of small pedestrian streets, and a small town buzz of everyone moving around where they need to be by foot or bike in the morning as the day starts.

[ Greener living - quite the catchy title ]

The day started with a breakfast at the Green office in Northeim, another small building like in Göttingen, but it was enjoyable to chat with many of the people, young and old, about where they came from in the area, and then their questions to me about the states and why I was working with the Greens.

The conference itself was very long, several hours, over 6, loaded with agenda topics and many speeches. I cannot omit the fact that I heard some speeches from very prominent members of the Green party, including one of the leading figures in the Bundestag Jürgin Trittin [ who would, within the next few days, would visit my host family's house for dinner - much to my surprise that they are acquaintances and he made a visit during his time in Göttingen. Talk about being a bit star-struck, sitting at a dinner table with one of the most iconic politicians in Germany ].

Topics at the conference ranged from atomic energy, and legislation to prevent it, to a celebrated agreement on combating genetic engineered vegetation in Germany. Green technology, self sustainable agriculture and alternative energy have all been topics that have become exceedingly interesting to me this past year. I have not only learned about them by the Greens however, but also with the FDP and opinions from daily life as well. There are still large debates about the issues, even in progressive Germany, but I think that they may be things that can direct me in the future for a fulfilling career - after all, one of the main goals which this scholarship is supposed to promote through this international exchange.

Drei Tote: Bombe auf Schützenplatz explodiert

2010-06-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

[ Headline - Three dead: bomb in evacuation site explodes ]

This is breaking news in Göttingen and has shocked many. Last night, just before ten p.m. I was hanging out with Moritz and some friends in the basement. In the distance we heard a muffled, but still prominent explosion - like a deep rumble of thunder.

Everyone looked at each other, and the word was on all of our lips already: die Bombe.

Last week, while I was in the city with some other friends, our attention was first grabbed when we saw 12 ambulances and a huge bus with police lights fly by. Something big was happening. We later found out on the news that there was no catastrophe, but the civilians in a certain area of Göttingen were being evacuated since a WWII bomb was discovered and needed to be eradicated. The bomb was successfully removed and everything around town became quite again.

[ The video clip from the news. It shows the bomb site, as well as a center that has the evacuated citizens and their reactions hearing that the procedures resulted in tragedy. ]

Just a few days later, another WWII bomb was discovered, and the procedure happened again. This time however, something terribly wrong occurred, and three men working to remove the bomb were killed in its explosion and four others were left in critical condition. This happened just hours ago late last night, and the news is getting out this morning. I am not sure how much land was destroyed on the site - just a few kilometers from my house - but it has truly impacted the city.

Possibly the most profound part of this story is that of all places it happened in Göttingen. This is a small city, known for its university and academic community, and yet these terrible things from the war years - over 60 years ago, still have an impact on the communities.

Der Kleine Prinz

2010-06-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

[ The little prince ]

Before I even started reading "Der Vorleser" this year, a proud moment for me reading a book in German, I had a small project that I would do step by step along with Inge. We read the classic story " le petit prince" together, chapter by chapter. The book has been translated into several dozen languages, written by a French author, but I read it in German and worked with Inge to not only understand just the words, but also the complex philosophical questions it raises as well - all stemming into a very enjoyable and enriching project for the both of us.

Once the book had been read, it felt as if it was our combined achievement. In early spring we both noticed that one of the several theaters in Göttingen was adapting the book into a stage version for the season.

Having heard this, I found the perfect gift to give Inge for Easter - amongst the searching for eggs and chocolate, she found a paper bag with the symbolic flower inside - so that the iconic sheep wouldn't eat it, of course.

The gift was an invitation for both of us to go out and see the play together, and this past week we were able to go out and see the book come to life. Inge and I have been to the theater a few times this year, and once again this was a very well done presentation in the "Deutsches Theater". The book is one that many should read, and with so many translations, it can also be an excellent resource to really enhance language studying. Overall however, it was a memorable experience with my host mom, and the story is one that will always be something special for the both of us.

Deutschland liebt Lena

2010-05-31T05:04:00.000-07:00

[ Germany loves Lena ]

I haven't really covered anything about German television this year - there is probably a reason. Actually I barely watch any of it, and when I do... well it isn't that great. I have watched the news with Inge and Andreas, or watched an occasional episode of the never ending Krimi [ Crime drama ] Tatort on a Sunday night with Andreas, but I never really watch anything by myself. [ Anything considered "good" on German television is a dubbed American show...]

One show that I have seen some of was the incredibly lame, but guilty pleasure of "Deutschland sucht ein Superstar" along with Hans and friends this past winter when I lived with his family for a few weeks. It was everything bad about American Idol, but the show, translated to "Germany searches for a Superstar" was terrible, and seemed to have no shame in showcasing it [ bad costumes, terrible singing, back up dancers, one guy singing the YMCA in total seriousness in the semi finals... ]

There was another singing show that was on TV that I began to notice in magazines around town. This was for "Unser star für Oslo" [ Our star for Oslo ] which was a talent search to find the next German vocal talent to represent the country in Oslo, Norway for the Eurovision contest.

Now, most Americans have never heard of the Eurovision contest, and a few might vaguely remember it from my blog in Finland. That is where I learned about the contest, since the band Lordi claimed its fame from this competition, thus bringing the contest to Helsinki the following year. The concept of the contest is simple. Each country in Europe [ and it reaches out to far east Europe and even Baltic states - and Isreal ] sends an act to perform in the contest. Normally the songs are very pop or dance oriented, and largely sung in English and French [ and rarely, but often to my enjoyment, in the native language]. The contest has gone on for decades now, meant initially to reunite Europe in a singing contest, but now the show is a big cheezy glitz show, which is also why many still love it.

The acts are over the top, with dancers and flashing lights, and often the songs are terrible. Here is the catch however. Callers to vote cannot vote for their own country. This results in countries sending their "points" out for other nation's performers. It is almost political in the way the commentators analyze how different countries vote to delegate their points. The winning country is not only the star of Europe for the year in the pop scene, but they also bring the contest to their home country the next year [ thus meaning that Norway won last year, which is why it is in Oslo now - the tourism bonus of this contest is now very apparent ].

Anyways, I have not been following TV that much, including the lackluster German pop scene, but I began to notice this one innocent-enough German girl popping up all over the place. Lena Meyer-Landrut is a German singer that won "Unser star für Oslo" with a catchy love song sung with a unique British English accent. She ultimately became Germany's sweethart, coming from Hanover, and now representing the country as a symbol for the generation.

The other night I was at a house party along with Moritz, mingling with the crowd, and on every television in the house was this Eurovision contest. I guess it is a pretty big event here. Every country performed, some with over the top smiles and costumes, and others belting out ballads. Lena proved to be a continental favorite, since her votes from other countries flowed into a landslide victory. I guess I - in a way - just witnessed a small part of German pop history. The young singer won the contest, and will bring the festivities to Germany next year [ which will most definitely be a hugely publicized event in some German city known for their huge parties and festivities that I will be missing out on this time next year ].

The song is nothing spectacular, but has already flooded the airwaves. I have caught up with the excitement in the news the past few days, and this girl really is beloved by her country. A little innocent, a little sassy with a tattoo on her arm, simple beauty with her brown hair and eyes, Germany is declaring her a symbol of the nation and generation and even the top newspapers have evaluated her as an important figure for the German pop scene. After all, 20 years after the fall of the wall [ I know I mention it a lot on this blog, but that is only because you read about it all the time here in Germany - it is an event that is a reference almost always ] and this girl represents a generation that is just of age after this landmark event for Germany. It is so interesting that I figured it was worth writing about, since defining where Germany stands as a culture - especially a youth culture - is still an on going search, and Lena may be a new poster child for the movement.

Krankenversicherungsbescheinigung

2010-05-30T11:22:00.001-07:00

When you receive an E-mail from your scholarship program with this as the subject

AND you understand what it means without making a double-take

That means you have been in Germany for a long time...

[ btw, it means Health Insurance Certificate ]

Krankenversicherungsbescheinigung.....

das deutsche Leben

2010-05-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

[ The German Life ]

Let's face it, I let myself get distracted for a few days, and I had some unique adjusting to do when I returned back to Germany. Last time I made a trip to Poland, it was planned conveniently between my transition from Saarbrücken to Göttingen. This time, I really had no transition period. Germany was beautiful when I returned. It had not rained here nearly as much as the devastating flood inducing storms in Poland, but I did return after the bad weather moved out and it was a post-card perfect spring setting in Germany. Good weather, and bustling city center aside, I found myself struggling a bit to get back into the swing of things and get some of my German homework done.

Life in Germany isn't all Kaffe und Kuchen all the time [ even though it is good when there is Kaffe and Kuchen ]. There are some days that I wake up and I feel as if my German was better back in Saarbrücken when I was still conjugating verbs. I have on and off days. There are some evenings that we can discuss current events after the news, like the ongoing mess of Greece, bankruptcy and Angela Merkel being pressured to help the situation - all of this in fluid German with me following along fine. Then there are the days, like trying to explain the floods in Poland to Andreas... and he simply had to stare at me, pause, and admit that he didn't follow one word.

Back to work now, back to daily life, I have hit my own little bump in the road - I need to make the effort to move from understandable German to good German. That means I have to stop inventing genders for nouns and make some good sentences. This is where finding motivation requires a bit of creativity, but I think I will manage.

Oświęcim

2010-05-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

[ Auschwitz ]

I did not feel that the following photos were appropriate to add to my original post about Poland. I visited Auschwitz concentration camp with my brother, and I do feel that it is important, however, to acknowledge the experience on the blog. Babcia did not go on this excursion with us, about one hour south of Krakow - she had seen it once and beyond that she had nothing left there to see.

[ The entrance sign: "Work will set you free" ]

The circumstances of my year could definitely have had me confused and upset at the site, trying to understand Germany and Poland in very intimate experiences. Even so, what Auschwitz presents even more profoundly is how the continent around it has changed so much in the years that have passed - Auschwitz is extremely hard to contemplate. It cannot go unnoticed however how meticulous the camp was; Every detail is documented. The experience required a period of time for me to return back to the optimistic and celebratory atmosphere of my trip to Poland, but it was a very important experience that will stay with me for a long time.

Polen mit Babcia

2010-05-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

[ Poland with Babcia ]

First in Kraków, then a trip to Częstochowa, followed by a trip to the mountains in Zakopane, later getting stuck in the flood that took place in Poland of historical proportions, all intermixed with visits with several dozens of family members of all generations. It was an incredible experience, and here are a few of the photos from my trip to Poland with Babcia.

Kraków

[ Babcia with Kaśka and Michał ]

[ E. Wedel drinking chocolate]

[ King of the castle ]

[ Wawel Castle ]

[ Wawel Cathedral ]

[ Częstochowa ]

[ The Black Madonna of Częstochowa, one of the most famous relics of Poland around the world. It is so shrined in gold and jewels that it radiates in the church. ]

[ Underground in the Weliczka Salt Mines - and an interesting find, the Weimar room and a tribute to Goethe, the famous German poet that visited the mines at one time. I had to capture these photos for Andreas. ]

[ Rolling hills of Zakopane ]

[ Adam sporting a Góral inspired look in Zakopane ]

[ The rain begins, 5 days straight. Here come the floods. ]

[ Polish style 70's bar in Zakopane. I guess you had to be there to understand. ]

[ Remember Ciocia Zosia, my aunt who I met in Munich? She visited us again in Poland! Always a great time - and a few unforgettable photos. ]

[ Warming up after the cold rain ]

[ Life in the smaller Polish towns and villages ]

[ This was a small creek, around 2 meters, now swollen to over 100 meters across due to the floods. The damage in southern Poland was devastating. ]

[ Visiting the appartment where Babcia once lived and also raised our uncle and aunt before coming to America. ]

[ The view that Babcia would have seen from her Appartment looking over Krenica ]

Die einmal im Leben Polen-Reise

2010-05-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

[ The once in a lifetime trip through Poland ]

The delay on blog posts has become pretty apparent. In fact, I really didn't know how to approach the blog again. I did no lead in to the events that would take place, and I really hopped on the train with no expectations - not the first time this year.

The event I am talking about was a rather uncomplicated train ticket purchase to Poland, but after crossing the border 3 hours into my 12 hour trip, I had to pinch myself that I was going to be partaking in a groundbreaking event in my life.

Groundbreaking, because the life dream that I wrote about just half a year ago upon returning from my first trip to Poland [ already a landmark event in my life ] was taking shape - Babcia and Adam were coming to visit family in Poland! I worked hard to convince Babcia throughout the year how important it was to me to visit Poland with her, and it was difficult at times to empathize with the normal struggles of daily life over 82 years old, but also encourage her that all the stresses of visiting Europe would be worth it.

Naturally, the trip was overwhelming. I was so excited to see my brother after 10 months - the longest I hadn't seen my best friend since, well, the 18 months between our birthdays - and sharing his first experience in Europe with him was special. There was also the incredible amount of family that we visited - over 15 houses and dozens of relatives from cousins, aunts, uncles, and a slew of prefixes of "first removed" "twice removed" - however, in Poland, we just ignore it, everyone is a Wujek, Ciocia and Cousin. Of course, I have more questions for Babcia now than answers, but what I witnessed and was able to share side by side with my grandmother to learn about my family history is immeasurable.

The visit feels separate from this yearlong experience in Germany however. It was more economical and efficient to make this trip while I was in Europe [ otherwise I guarantee it never would have came together ], but it was difficult at first to mentally adapt to the magnitude of the experience. I have lived now in Germany for 10 months. I speak German daily - maybe not grammatically correct, but the fact is that I have become used to speaking grammatically incorrect German, and resultantly grammatically incorrect English. Coming to Poland I surprised myself and followed dinner conversations in this third foreign language I started to tackle better that I anticipated. I just couldn't string together a Polish sentence of my own to save my life, but listening was what was most important during the trip.

Adapting to Poland is one thing - I have great family there, and wonderful hospitality of my cousins Michał and Kaśka whom I was so excited to see - however, during this experience I had my first "reintroduction" to America with my brother and Babcia around as well. Little things that they normally do caught my attention profoundly. I stuttered my own English, no longer having to enunciate as much like I do with Erasmus friends, yet was caught off guard at the rapidity of my brother's rundown on one years worth of college stories as a freshman.

I hadn't realized what had become normal for me this year, what I had modified to fit into certain situations, and now, I was in a situation where three very different lifestyles were battling for my attention.

I am back in Germany now and admittedly I needed a few days to rebound back. It may have been a short visit, but I came back sharing some Polish chocolates and a shot of Polish Żubrówka with Inge and Andreas unable to get some of my points across in any sensible German. I was exhausted, and on top of lack of sleep making the most of every moment, I had to jump a hurdle of a very unique depression.

This wasn't culture shock, or reverse culture shock. This was - "Where am I now, who am I now, What am I now... What do I do now?". Living abroad requires a bit of interpretation and presentation. You constantly observe, mimic and experiment to master a language and fit into a culture. Before you know it, these tactics to survive become habits. In Poland - amongst the natural emotional impact of standing in the same apartment where Babcia once lived, or digesting the stories of keeping a family together with an ocean dividing them - I was on observational overload - Why are we American? Why am I in Germany? [ not a pessimistic question, but more along the lines of, what do I do now with what I have learned there, including the language], Where do I start to really understand my heritage to its fullest? Am I ready to go back to America?

I was ready to stop blogging. It didn't make sense anymore [ however, I am going to try my best, I gave 10 months of solid effort and enjoyed it, now I have the last two to experience with the same enthusiasm for observation]. While my post for Poland will decidedly be a collage of pictures, my private journal that I have kept on the side here filled up quite a few more pages as I only began to brush the surface on just a small sample of the questions that filled my head as I was in Poland.

So here it stands, my blog post on perhaps one of the most profound events in my life, that I am keeping rather private. Visiting family members, watching Babcia say last physical goodbyes to relatives that will never travel anymore, it all had a great impact on me. Maybe I can joke now and say that I learned a good stone face in Germany - but behind the contemplative facade, I know that what this experience means for me will only begin to reveal itself as time passes. For now, I am back into my current norm of the German lifestyle taking each day as it comes and making the most of it.

Away for a few days

2010-05-12T02:35:00.000-07:00

I'll be back soon

Tag der Arbeit am ersten Mai

2010-05-07T01:20:00.000-07:00

[ Labor day on the first of May ]

With Moritz back home, we decided to cook for Inge and Andreas over the weekend and make a nice evening with everyone back together. Now, being in Germany, I know very well already that everything is closed on Sundays. It is a pain sometimes, but once you are used to it, planning out what to buy for Sunday just becomes a part of Saturday life.

I went shopping with Moritz on Friday and we were picking everything up. I told Moritz, however, that I would pick up the fresh bread the next day - but then to my surprise, I found out it was a holiday.

And Moritz told me matter-of-factly as if I should have known, ersten Mai, the first of May. Uhh... That is a holiday where everything is closed? I later found out that this was not just some day to enjoy Spring weather in Germany, but it was the nations Labor Day. Curiously, I found out that many European nations based this holiday off of the States, but the US is one of the only western nations that doesn't celebrate it in May, but in September.

The holiday has a bit of a different meaning in Germany as well. It is a day to bring attention to Arbeitslosigkeit - unemployment - and in many large cities large riots of right-wing extremists collaborate against Police - all of which was documented on TV from Hamburg and Berlin. The day wasn't all political however. Many - and probably most - Germans enjoy the day with family, and many young adults probably use the day to catch up on sleep from a night of dancing. I wasn't out myself on this particular Friday night, however, I learned that this evening before this national holiday is now known as der Hexentanz - the witches dance. Apparently women go out dressed as witches to clubs and parties to bring in the Spring months [ since I doubt they are expecting to find any mates dressed as witches...]

[ Maybe Germany doesn't follow the "Halloween rule" from Mean Girls ]

Overall, this little holiday had me learning little cultural facts as the day progressed - many of them quirky things about Germany that I almost would have overlooked [ or just went shopping on Saturday and be one confused Foreigner standing in front of Kaufland...]

Moritz ist zurück

2010-05-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

[ Moritz is back ]

This past Wednesday, Andreas and I woke up early at 4 am to drive together to Frankfurt to pick up Moritz. Moritz has been traveling through South America since Christmas time when we were last together. It was exciting to see Andreas so anxious the entire morning waiting to see Moritz - after all, contact was limited over the past few months since Moritz's travels were very freelance.

With Moritz back home, it will be great to hear some of his stories that I am sure are wild from adventures through South America with a backpack which will make the next few weeks together fun. The first morning Moritz was home, we had breakfast in the back yard, Franci, Moritz's girlfriend visited, and Moritz was able to enjoy some European bread and cheese again for the first time in months.

The entire experience was great and felt like an event for the family. I caught one photo of Andreas walking into the room talking on two phones - one with Moritz on the phone, and one with Jana on the other line in Paris. Talking with his kids abroad at the same time - thats one proud Papa!

das meistgeküssten Mädchen der Welt

2010-05-03T03:41:00.000-07:00

[ The most kissed girl in the world ]

She may have had some cameo-appearances in some previous posts, but I am surprised myself that I have not paid a little homage to one of the most representative landmarks of Göttingen. Die Gänseliesel [ the Goose Elizabeth ] statue is located in the middle of central Göttingen right in front of the scenic altes Rathaus.

This town square has been full of people lately due to the nice weather we have been experiencing, and the statue is always circled by many people enjoying the afternoons in the town, often times eating Gelato from stands that are virtually on every street.

The Gänseliesel has another nickname, and with so much news about Graduations in the states right now, I have been keen to share a little tradition that takes place here in Göttingen. Das meistgeküssten Mädchen der Welt - The most kissed girl in the world - is the nickname given to the girl of this statue. Each year, when Phd graduates officially finish their studies, the tradition has it that they climb the statue and kiss the girl on the cheek. The statue may not be that large, but its delicate appearance and flowing fountain is a pleasant and memorable symbol of my hometown here in Germany. After all, being one of the central spots in the city, the statue has been used many times as a meeting point.

"Wir treffen uns in zehn minuten bei der Gänseliesel"

We're meeting in 10 at the Gänseliesel!

Martin Luther : Lehrer der Reformation

2010-04-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

[ Martin Luther : Teacher of the Reformation era ]

My day trip with Andreas was already quite a full experience. I toured the incredible city of Weimar and witnessed some timeless buildings which housed some of the greatest minds in German art and literature. We ate some regional specialties in the city including Thüringen bratwurst and knödel. After this very unique experience in the middle of Germany, I also was introduced to another angle of German history, preserved now as a testament only to peace for mankind in the future.

On the drive back home - hovering in between discussing the events of the day, and having the thoughts of the KZ on the back of our minds, I couldn't help but notice a castle on the top of a large hill in the distance. And so it goes, we had an unplanned detour to explore.

Turns out, this castle was more important than I could have even anticipated. In fact, by name I knew what this castle was - I just never new what it looked like or where it was - but it was definitely part of my history books. Wartburg Castle, prominently located at the crest of the highest point of Eisenach, was the location where Martin Luther, the leader of the reformation movement in Germany, translated the Bible from Latin into German [ The first translation of the Bible into a modern language in over a millennium ].

Luther's integral role in German history, leading a movement from peasants to not pay "indulgences" to the Catholic Church to redeem their sins from God, prospered into a great shift in European culture and following of Protestantism. His efforts to translate the Bible into the vernacular of the region, German, made great progress in the language, and was even an influence on the King James Bible to be written in English.

Wartburg Castle was an incredible sight. Less of a castle and more of a micro-village atop this hill overlooking the city, it had an aura about it of being holy - and to think that this feeling transcends 500 years later. The Castle was complete with a church, living quarters, even a large bath. Seeing this building was unreal, and like many things in Europe to an American perspective, seemed more cartoon at first than several hundreds year old preserved history - It has a drawbridge...! - we just don't see this on a daily basis.

The history in one day was obviously a lot to take in. History in Germany spanning 500 years; three radically different era's of Germany's proudest and darkest moments. It was an excellent trip with Andreas, cruising around on the Autobahn to the center of Germany, taking detours, and then trudging up to the peak of Wartburg Castle. It was all worth it - and to make the evening complete, we were home in time to catch the Bayern-München soccer match before heading off for much needed sleep.

Jedem das seine

2010-04-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

[ To each his own ]

Weimar was an incredible small city filled with immense amounts of history. Our trip for the day was not done, however, and there was another site to visit just a short drive away. This was the site of the Buchenwald KZ - Konzentrationslager - concentration camp, and revealed a much different chapter of German history.

As pointed out by Andreas, it is very difficult to understand how, just a mere 8 kilometers - less than 4 miles - from one of the most influential and historical cities in Germany, lies one of the most prominent of all concentration camps during the Nazi era.

I didn't know what to expect from seeing the camp. Walking through the gate of the wire-fence enclosed site, one doesn't really know how to take in the surroundings. The bunkers are now gone, just symbolized by gravel filled rectangles on the earth, and the enclosed area feels hollow. The crematorium still stands erect as a tribute to the hundreds where it serves as a burial ground.

The gate of the camp still has its metal fixture over the entrance : Jedem des seine.

Translated to " to each his own" and more loosely to " everyone gets what they deserve ". This nazi embellishment now stands over this gate as a haunting memory of the actions of the camp.

The history in the camp was overwhelming - and a stark contrast from the German history of eloquent writers, including Goethe, that scribed prose about humanity and the beauty of mankind in a town just minutes away. Any other details about the concentration camp I do not feel would be justly represented by this post. It is just important for me to share the different perspectives of history that I witnessed in one day. It has greatly impacted me, and something to deeply think about.

As a final note, Buchenwald may be familiar to English speakers because of its inclusion in the famous Holocaust account from Elie Wiesel, "Night". It is an important novel of a Holocaust survivor, and now is hard to conceptualize as this camp sits quietly as a memory amongst rolling hills in the very center of a now peaceful Germany and Europe.

Hier bin ich Mensch, und hier darf ich sein

2010-04-26T01:42:00.000-07:00

[ Here I am man, and here may I be ]

Inge has left for a few days on a personal trip, so it has been Andreas and myself together in Göttingen together. The other day, on Andreas' day off we planned an outing together for a one day roadtrip. About 2.5 hours away from Göttingen, in the bundesland of Thüringen, we visited the very historic city of Weimar.

Bach, Nietzsche, Martin Luther, to name a few of the international known names come from this city, along with some integral figures in German literature, including Goethe and Schiller. The list of famous people that come from this city is extensive. On many accounts, this small town [ on appearance and how dense everything is, smaller than Göttingen!] is considered the center of German culture, and a central point for European culture as well. After all, important authors, playwrites, composers, even religious reformers all came from this rather quaint German city.

Located right in the middle of Germany, Weimar seems to capture a scene of Germany that is frozen in time. The buildings, lined on the cobblestone pedestrian streets, are little German flats, often times with wooden window shutters and brightly colored facades.

Being a city of so many acclaimed academics, the city is full of locations that have preserved this history. Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek - Dutches Anna Amalia Library - is one of the most important collections in all of Europe.

The library itself has an incredible aura about it with its huge shelves of books encased by marble statues and gold lief. The collection numbers into the hundreds of thousands of volumes, including maps, compositions and other important documentations of classical German history.

When learning about the history of Weimar while incredibly being able to experience its well preserved history, it is also fascinated to learn how many of these notable figures in German arts and sciences were all quite interconnected in society, often as friends or neighbors. The city itself created a society of great minds, earning it its credit as a heart of German culture.

Along with the library, I also saw the houses of Goethe and Schiller. These names are largely unknown in the English speaking world, but they are two of the most important figures in German literary history. Goethe, as I have mentioned before, is hailed as the Shakespeare of the German language, and the author of the masterpiece "Faust".

Their houses were perfectly preserved museums, and along with every incredible creak from the wood paneled floor, it was living history right in front of you. Legend has it that Goethe and Schiller were life long friends and a statue to commemorate their relationship stands before the Weimar theater. I also heard that the skull of the young deceased Schiller remained on the desk of his good friend Goethe!

From libraries to houses of timeless academics, Weimar also had a castle within walking distance of its central square. Everything was so condensed. The castle had room after room of important art movements in Germany, and a collection that only a city as eclectic and historical as Weimar could have.

Before heading out, Andreas and I were sure to enjoy a Thüringen classic, their bratwurst, as well as hearty German Knödel as well. And to our surprise, continuing on our on-running joke from Easter, our favorite slogan was proudly displayed on one of the buildings in the city commemorating Goethe.

Andreas and I had an excellent time in the city, and for me it was an excellent opportunity to see so much German history at one time in one place. Weimar was a pleasant surprise, and definitely a recommendation for a perfect stop in Germany for travelers to view an immense amount of German and European history, perfectly preserved, in an area so dense that all these sights are within minutes of each other in the city center!

die Micky Maus

2010-04-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

[ Mickey Mouse ]

One of the most beloved cartoon characters in the world has a curious trait here in Germany. I have learned the different names of the character around the world, from ミッキーマウス [ Mikkii Mausu ] in Japan to Mikki Hiiri in Finland, yet, in Germany it is pretty straight forward, "die Micky Maus," following suit with German generally always having an article attached to the noun.

For those that know some German, or remember from a previous post on German grammar, this is another thing that can make your head spin. Don't double take, because the "die" listed above is not a typo. Micky Maus is given the feminine article "die", and when described, usually also with feminine grammar - die Micky Maus, eine kleine Maus. Mickey, a small mouse.

When reading comics about Mickey here in Germany, the character is "die" but it seams that anything attributed to him uses "sein" [seine Freundin Minnie] which is masculine. The word mouse in German - the easily recognizable Maus - is a feminine word in German, hence "die Maus". But when a fictional character that is male is still a mouse, all the sudden German's strict grammar rules equate to stories of male mice running around with feminine articles attatched to their name. Maybe things like this happen in other languages around the world? Regardless, German is the only language I know off hand that a mouse can cause confusion for being masculine or feminine, but a child is an it - neuter, das Kind...

Blick auf Göttingen

2010-04-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

[ Sights of Göttingen ]

I have lived in Göttingen for about 7 months now and have come a long way since my first days in the beginning of the semester getting lost in the city center [ quite funny now, because it isn't that big, just many tiny interconnected pedestrian streets]. I have captured many events in the city through some of my stories and photos, but I really haven't documented anything about my home here in Germany much like I did about my previous home of Saarbrücken.

[ For just one week, the University Campus became pink with incredible cherry blossoms. The scene with the colorful trees and the rows of bikes represents spring, and the beginning of the new semester now taking place in Göttingen ]

I am going to introduce some of the landmark corners, picturesque sights, and historical facts about Göttingen in a series of posts. With the weather becoming spring here, I have found myself discovering and rediscovering things about this small University city in the very middle of Germany and the unique things that it has to offer.

Geschäftsreise nach Hannover

2010-04-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

[ Work trip to Hanover ]

Back to work after a very nice, and long, Easter weekend, I returned to my current intern project at the FDP office researching and translating information about current findings in Sports medicine and anti-doping protocols. I am not always in the office however, since there have been some nice opportunities, such has Berlin, that have provided me more outlooks on Niedersachsen and Germany as well.

Dr. Knopek, the abgeordneter, Parliament representative, that I am currently making my Praktikum for was back in Göttingen for a few days and one morning he had a meeting in Hanover to attend and I was able to come along. Hanover is the capital of Niedersachsen, and being the major city of the Bundesland, it has many important institutions – such as the notable Rathaus, many businesses, and a huge soccer stadium for the local team.

Our meeting was right next to the stadium and it was the headquarters for sport programs for Niedersachsen. Sitting at the oval table with other workers scrawling notes on their pads, I listened in on the history of sports in Niedersachsen that they discussed, and how money is distributed between different factions, such as school athletics, amateur athletics and Olympic training programs as well.

I was even able to tour one of the largest Olympic training facilities in Germany, complete with an indoor track, swimming pools and gyms with many different gymnastic sets. The subject of sport medicine and funding for training programs has never been something that I have had much previous knowledge of. I did realize however, that in America, many training facilities and programs for Amateur athletes are often connected to Universities, often times offering sport-academic related scholarships.

[ Dr. Knopek, the Bundestag representative whom I work for, at the Hanover Olympic Trainings center ]

Here in Germany, while observing the complex of the Niedersachsen Olympic training center, the disconnection from a university was notable. [sports are rarely, if ever, connected to schools are universities. Most students join private teams, and schools normally do not have any extracurricular sport activities that is so commonplace in American culture.]

The pressure of sport scholarships to Universities is widely understood and highly esteemed in the States, and this must be viewed as a very unique aspect of our culture. Until working on my project for the FDP, I had not previously realized that this concept of scholarships for athletic performance [as well as its negative side of students abusing steroids or other drugs to cheat the system] was viewed as a very foreign aspect of our culture. The trip to Hanover was another good experience and another example to me, that whereas Americanization is happening all over the world [and the pros and cons are many], there are still many aspects of our culture that are just as foreign as the next.

Ostern in Deutschland - Verstecken der Eier

2010-04-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

[ Easter in Germany - Hiding the easter eggs ]

Church attendance aside, Germany’s closer connection between Church and State than America does offer many more religious related Holiday’s. For the Easter weekend I had Friday and Monday off, making it a 4 day weekend, which I know is the envy of many American families, especially ones with college students that try to bring the family together like Thanksgiving and Christmas. The four day weekend was nice, and I was spending it as a family with Inge and Andreas as well as Janna, who returned from Paris for the weekend to spend at home.

With Janna back home, we finally celebrated Inge’s delayed birthday with a very nice dinner, as well as the cake that I pulled together [ Blueberry cheesecake with walnuts, a bit on the sweet side, what NY style cheesecake isn’t, but it was a good attempt ].

On Easter Sunday I woke up early to first hide my Easter candies and gifts for everyone, and then I was off to Easter mass. The Catholic mass was at noon, directly in the middle of Inge and Andreas’ plans with guests for Brunch, so I made the decision to try the Evangelical Church. Not the same, but I figured when else in my life would I not be visiting a Catholic Church on Easter – an experience nonetheless. Still the youngest by far in the pews, I did miss the celebratory feeling that I remember of Easter growing up – crowds of people, dozens of flowers with colors of spring, Babcias and Grandmas all around with beautiful corsages.

I wasn’t expecting anything to be the same, however, it did take me by surprise, with exception to the church bells ringing in the distance, the city was silent and deserted. The protestant mass had some nice music and a choir – obviously a different set up for the service that I wasn’t used too – but surrounded by the hushed environment of the city, I learned firsthand that Easter, at least in Göttingen, was a family celebration kept close knit and at home.

Back home in time for brunch Andreas and Janna were anxious already to search for some Schoko-eier! [especially the Lindor truffle easter eggs]. Whereas hiding eggs on Easter is a practiced tradition in the States, I noticed that our Easter Baskets delivered by the Easter Bunny was not the norm in Germany – best explained to them by relating it to Nikolaus and setting out one’s stocking.

Being adults didn’t stop us from hiding chocolate eggs, bunnies and other trinkets all around the house, and then trying to grab as many as possible – the best surprise was when everything was gone and a few days later, to Andreas’ delight, nestled between books on the bookshelf another golden Lindt bunny was waiting to be eaten.

It is also exciting to note that over the few days that the branches we picked were resting in a vase of water, they blossomed with vibrant curled green leaves. With delicate eggshells dangling off these, now verdant branches, it was a very festive centerpiece for the wohnzimmer on Ostern.

Easter had nice traditions like Christmas here in Germany, yet there were also many to compare and contrast with what I do back home. Easter definitely wasn’t the big commotion I have come to love back home – big family, constant backing, Polish specialties, blessed easter baskets at church and many dyed eggs.

Here Easter was a quieter day, with the company of the immediate family, good chocolate, a nice dinner in the evening that we all pitched in to help with Inge – Lamb and sides with very French names – and ultimately the chance to sleep in Monday morning after the long dinner conversations Sunday night.

There is a very famous poem by Goether, essentially the Shakespeare of German literature, about Easter Sunday. It has been a joke over the week that I would have to memorize the poem about an Easter Sunday walk fascinated by the beautiful surroundings, and then recite it at dinner on Easter. As we all went for a walk through a forest during the afternoon after brunch, Andreas and I were able to find a fitting hill with a view over the budding Spring landscape and pronounce the famous lines:

Hier bin ich Mensch, und hier darf ich sein!

Here I am human, and here I may be.

Der Vorleser

2010-04-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

[ The Reader ]

Living abroad, everyday there are new experiences, new challenges and new landmark events. I can now proudly say that I have read a chapter book in German, something that I couldn’t have even attempted just months ago still conjugated verbs in my head hesitating to speak. I have been reading new articles and small, short stories all year, but this felt like something more, and the many hours with a dictionary at my side [ for a short 200 pg book that might be a one-weekender book for a German] felt like an accomplishment.

The book wasn’t just anything however, since it was a recommendation to me from Inge and actually was a very unique look into German literature and history. Der Vorleser – known in English as “The Reader” – is about a young man that has a one summer affair with an older German train stewardess. As the story continues, she disappears from the city without any note or forewarning, and the heartbroken boy is left hurt and confused.

Several years later, as he is a student of law and currently studying the cases in Germany persecuting the organizers of concentration camps, the paths of these former lovers cross again. Without sparing too many details, the story observes the setting of 1960’s Germany, a complete generation now grown up disconnected from the tragedies and terrible events of WWII. This generation gap emphasizes the confusion and conflict that came about as one generation tries to conceptualize the horrors their parents and grandparents created – the beginning of understanding the new German identity and conceptualizing the future and the past of Germany at the same time.

As a nice gift, Elke, the mother of Hans, gave me the DVD of the movie that was an Oscar nominated film from 2008 starring Kate Winslet in her Lead Actress winning role. The film was a little different than the book, but the underlying message was the same, and offers many topics to think about once the credits begin to role.

Inge held to her opinion that the film was about apologies, and how could any apology begin to cover the events that were the holocaust. I saw a generational gap that caused hatred and distrust grow between different age groups and how different empathies can be created when a personality is observed from a character easily deemed evil from face value.

Other critiques of the book and film condemn it for empathizing with post-war Nazis, making the inference that self-proclaimed innocent people followed along with the terrible acts of the holocaust because they had to.

The book is well written and is recommended for any student of the German language. I have yet to watch the film in its original English language [ only with German dub ] but the film, controversy aside, is a intimate look into a largely forgotten era of German history. After all, in most history books, between WWII and the divide of Germany to the fall of the wall 40 years later, there is an entire era and generational argument that I feel has gone largely unnoticed for its great impact on shaping the modern Germany of today.

Osternmarkt

2010-04-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

[ Easter Market ]

I was pleasantly surprised the other day to find that Göttingen has created a cousin to their very festive Weihnachtsmarkt that brought the crowds to the center of town during the holidays. The Osternmarkt is not nearly as big, but as the weather has been becoming better, it is nice to walk through the stands, see the food being made, some of the Easter gifts available along with many trees of colorful eggs and bunnies around the square.

Like the Weihnachtsmarkt, many of the gifts available are homemade, some even on the premises. I had to stop for a while [sometimes a few times over the week] to watch one woman ever-so-slowly but precisely hand decorates real eggshells. I have actually taken for granted how this tradition of the Easter egg may not be as universal as I once thought, and definitely influenced in America from middle and east European customs brought over. My friends from Spain were equally fascinated and confused by this concept of eggs for Easter, something they simply don’t do.

The Osternmark was everything that is nostalgic about Easter for me growing up, condensed into a small outdoor market. Yet, with some of my friends, it revealed new concepts of the holiday. Easter here definitely seems more like a celebration of Spring, much like commercial America, rather than anything related to a religious holiday, yet the Osternmarkt has offered some new and exciting sights as people from Göttingen crowd the Platz des altes Rathaus.

Ost-und West-Deutschland

2010-04-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

[ East and west Germany ]

A few months ago, as Inge and Andreas took me to a nearby village outside of the Göttingen area, I noted how we crossed into the former east Germany, and how the border was still visible as a faint line cut into the forest.

The other day, while picking out the perfect Easter branches for home, I saw the border first hand. Within the forest, there was a wide path, lined with parallel cement blocks for patrol cars to ride up and down the border.

No matter how many times I witness different examples of divided Germany, it is still amazing to me each time that many of these relics aren’t exactly old history, but being only 2 decades young, changes that are still living and taking place. When driving out of town on a rather quiet highway, amongst the sprawling farmland and rolling hills all around us, it would have been very easy to miss a land marker and sign that pronounced the old divide between the once separate halves of Germany.

[ This marks where Germany and Europe were separated up until 6 o'clock November 18th 1989 ]

The sign of the past divide blended right into the open rural scenery. One could have easily driven right by it in present day and not even notice. As the sign signifies however, the border of east and west Germany was not just one between on country, but between an entire continent, making one realize that Europe itself has changed and grown tremendously in two decades, and once again proving how German history is reflective on the history of Europe as a whole.

Braunschweig

2010-04-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

My experiences with spontaneous trips have turned out to become some great memories so far this year. Just this past weekend, I decided to go on another adventure. This time I was alone, and didn't make my decision of where I was going until I got to the train station.

Ankommen

Abfahrt,

Arrivals,

Departures,

I decided on Braunschweig - about 2.5 hours away including an Umsteig - platform change. I heard it had a Castle.

That was about all it took. I rode the train, brought a book, visited the city, stayed about 2 hours, saw the sights, caught the train back for dinner with Inge and Andreas. It was a Saturday like none other that I have had in a long time. One of the first that I can actually say I had some "me-time", even if that meant a few hours alone on the train. It is amazing to think how rapid this year has been going by - stressful at times too, because moments like these really are few. There is always something going on, places to go, people to see.

[ Some incredible small, old town German architecture ]

[ Lined with new and artistic buildings as well ]

Ostern Zweigen

2010-04-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

[ Easter Branches ]

Back from Berlin, settled back home with Inge and Andreas and back to my Praktikum. It had been a quick few days of moving back home, and an exciting experience in Berlin. Things never truly slow down though since there is always something coming up on the calendar.

With Easter Weekend just a week away, the holiday crept up on me. Then I start noticing the holiday blossom around me much like the spring flowers that were coming up for the first weeks of weather that didn't have me bundled in my winter jacket. The stores were lined with Chocolate Bunnies and filled chocolate eggs of all varieties. Even in the middle of Göttingen, there was the Osternmarkt, much like the Weihnachtsmarkt, bringing the community together and decorated with springtime fare.

Inge had her own decorating that she wanted to do in the house. She has a nice collection of years of real decorated eggs - the yolks blown out, and then hand designed - and the fragile decorations date back even to before Moritz was born - that means two decade old egg shells still in perfect condition!

The tradition that Inge has made to hang the eggs is to collect a particular type of tree branch from Forests about a half hour outside of Göttingen. They have little buds, and once put in a hug vase of water, in a week in perfect timing for Easter, they blossom to uncurled little lime green leaves - an exciting prospect as the week progresses [ who knew that I would have this kid-like enthusiasm for easter eggs and Easter decoration! ].

The Sunday trip was another very nice outing with Inge and Andreas. It was the same place that we traveled together to see the castle a few months ago together - and the castle atop the hill still had me in awe over the little German village.

We walked through the forest, found a few select branches to bring back home, and found some incredible sights on the way. Up the hill one can find an awe inspiring look over rolling German hills and a little German Dorf, village, or two nestled in between. It is incredible for me to think that these clusters of homes probably don't even have over a few hundred people in their communities. It is a picture perfect moment, and another perspective on the German landscape.

The afternoon was a nice exploration with my host parents, and finally the feeling of really being caught up with the stories from their adventures in New Zealand. With Easter coming up, there will be many more great memories that will come from my time with my host family.

Curry Wurst

2010-04-11T01:45:00.001-07:00

I have a confession. It is probably something I do almost every morning, as normal as some open their newspapers with a cup of coffee. In fact, I don’t even think I have ever really admitted it to anyone, so consider it an acknowledgment to a guilty pleasure. After checking some emails, I open my googlereader, my stream of subscribed blogs, and check what is new. My confession: a large portion of them are food blogs. I have already posted a clip from Anthony Bordaine, one of my favorite TV personalities, under my Berlin clips, and that may have been a clue.

Another blog that I read often is David Lebovitz, an American covering the sweet life living in Paris, France. Both, amongst the other bloggers that combine their love for travel and food together [ are they even separable?], tell a story of their cultural run ins, or new experiences, and the texts are lined with incredible table panoramas or still shots of palate tempting entrées or ingredients that document the daily lives of the people that use them. When I read these types of blogs, I wish I could capture the scene as well as they do – a skill proving that the taste buds can share just as much about a capital city as the sights and sounds of the people and architecture.

Paraphrasing from Bordain’s travels to Berlin, Germany as a whole, collaborated from all of its small lands and cultures bound together, has created a cuisine that makes thick pork cutlets and sausages, sided with krauts, potatoes and hearty breads [ soaked down by beer ] all refined tastes. Is that all the modern German diet consists of? Of course not, but some echt deutsches Essen sure tastes good. [ If I made the same sentence showcasing America, at least from the German perspective, we savor thick doughy pizza, a burger and fries, extra salt, a dense brownie downed by a coke – I guess the brown German cuisine gets the last laugh].

[ Kölsch in the round ]

Before I go on, however, in defense of American food – yes, American cuisine exists – the cookbook Inge gave me for Christmas is actually a challenge, because the ingredients range over the entire world – asian and indian spices, recipes from Jewish, Native American, Italian families to name a few. This is in addition to the regional fare that complements these flavors – one recipe calls for alligator… I can’t even get that in Michigan. So side by side with the stereotypical bold, overpowering indulgences, there are American dishes that showcase the Multikulti – to use German slang – land that America really is, and that once again uses food to develop an idea about a people.

[ Apfel Shorle - simple enough, but becoming the perfect beverage once again as the weather is warming up. In the Winter, take a Glühwein to warm you up ]

As I was in Berlin, as a perfect coincidence, David Lebovitz had just posted his observations from his subsequent trip to the German capital. The timing was perfect. Some of his photos were commonplace to me – Volkorn wholegrain breads, ok. Milchkaffee everywhere, ok. Shops with Wursts hanging like garland, ok… I had seen this all – and that is probably what I needed. I needed to see Germany again from the perspective I had months ago, when the concept of a bakery on every street was WOW! [ a detail I may have buried into my subconscious because it is a direct acknowledgement to Germans that we fare off bread they only would give to the geese in the park…].

Germany has a lot of pride in its food. Each small dorf may have its regional wurst, aged for months, making them all look the same, but there is still a regional pride for tradition that I find exciting. Germany also has pride in its diverse diet representing the crossroads in Europe that is represents with northern fresh fish, Western influence of rich French and Belgian fare, to hearty mountain specialties of the southern alps. Half of the adventure is seeing how the languages of Germany’s neighbors influenced the names of food, or vice versa [ an entirely different topic that probably could only fascinate me and maybe Galina]. For example, the other day, Inge made a special dessert called Crème Bavaroise [ Bava WAZZZZ as Andreas and I would respond to Inge’s immediate correction of our blasphemous French diction for this Bavarian dessert. ] Bavarian? Or is it French – why don’t we just call it Bayrischekrem – ah, your right… the French sounds better.

Reading David Lebovitz’s post had me excited again to reacquaint myself with the new tastes that Germany had to offer – ok, we all know I have been tasting – at least understanding what the tradition was and the story of some of the foods that I had been enjoying.

Take the story of the Curry Wurst [ I think it is one of the most difficult words in the German language – the u & r combo of both words evolves into some cluster of alliteration in my throat that was invented as a right of passage for Germans to know who is a native speaker]. Is it a pretty food? No. But I have heard of this famed snack food the entire year, and it has taken me months to finally try it.

I was in Berlin at the perfect time and was able to go find a metro train station stand – usually cornered under a bridge in a little greasy imbiss, clustered by people wanting their order of the Berlin classic. The imbiss is Germany’s way of making fun of Americans that we have too many fast food joints, but retaining the guilty pleasure that is not-healthy-for-you-but-oh-so-good-at-one-AM fast food. Usually the Imbiss is a Turkish stand selling Döner Kebabs, or an asian place with a box of noodles creatively called ein Nudelnbox.

The Curry Wurst isn’t foreign – even though no one knows its origins. It is simple – a sausage with the casing crispy and cracked from being fried, then dices into pieces topped with curried ketchup and more curry sauce, then glamorously eaten with a little plastic toothpick fork. Sound unsophisticated? Tell that to the crowds of people from T-shirts and jeans side by side with leather black shoes and high heeled business workers inhaling their midday snack. It tastes great, but it has to be the entire experience that makes the Berlin Curry Wurst the institution that it is – there is even a museum for this dish in the city! The little Imbisses, may not have loud signs out front, but the cluster of people, eating with toothpicks standing around little tables in it unglorified greatness amongst the unique bustle that is Berlin is the whole picture. The one where I stopped in with a co worker is known for the most expensive in all of Berlin – a normal curry wurst, along with Champagne making the bill over 200 Euros.

[ Getting together with friends and cooking up a big German meal has always been fun this year as well ]

Stopping at the Curry Wurst stand was another perfect experience of being in Berlin. It demonstrated the fun of walking into a restaraunt or Imbiss bar and, amongst the crowd of people, watching the food be prepared and seeing what was new and foreign about it. This may not be Japan or France, where the photogenic food makes one want to take endless photos of their food before finally enjoying it, but Germany's brown, hefty cousin sure makes up for its awkward modeling abilities on camera with a great, hearty taste.

Ein Anblick Des Bundestages mit meinem Praktikantausweis.

2010-04-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

[ Viewing the Parliament with my Intern I.D. ]

My second personal pass to view the Parliament sessions was slated for later in the afternoon. The seats were not as full, notably absent of many of the notable Bundestag personalities that awed me before, however the debate was equally as interesting. It was much more serious, and despite the fact that there was still a debate, the tone was more somber and distraught, than forward and disciplinary.

The discussion was over the recent allegations in Germany against the Catholic Church in regards to sexual mishandling. The debate was saddening, since this has been an issue that has concerned the whole world, and created an increased air of mistrust in normally esteemed institutions, yet this debate in the Reichstag displayed a new side of Germany. Whereas from a personal perspective in the cities, Germany may not seem overtly religious, speaking from numbers in the pews or the perspectives from daily conversation, the church is still a major part of German history – note Martin Luther – as well as a taxable membership in the country as well. Debating how to address the issue from a political level – protests have swept Germany over the past weeks – has been a new insight into what Church and State represent in this modern world nation, with connections still to old world European customs.

The day was almost as full as the one before it – it is amazing to realize that I wasn't even in Berlin for more than 36 hours. I arrived, and before I knew it I was already on the train back, but this visit may have had an even greater impact on my than my initial visit. I garnered new outlooks on the party system in Germany, as well as how the representatives embody the views of their home cities and party ideals [ note from earlier that they are not directly elected from the people, instead the party is elected to fill seats, something still complicated for me to fully understand in the bureaucratic system] and I also came away with a new empathy for how Germany functions in the greater stage of European and World politics, a concept even America is still testing the water with under many circumstances in our ever globalized society.

I am very thankful to Dr. Knopek and my very kind coworkers that I have been fortunate enough to meet throughout my experience of interning at the FDP party. It was a very exciting new outlook on Berlin, and a perfect opportunity to have an enhanced perspective of Germany during my final months of Praktikum work this year.

The Bundestag sparked my enthusiasm in a different way than the entire collage of Berlin did. The Bundestag, albeit comprised of many buildings and the Reichstag, was cohesive. The Reichstag may have an outer layer of old Berlin, but the rest of the complex is modern. It may evoke a feeling of having limited personality and charm, but should those be characteristics of Government buildings? The Bundestag makes its statement – it may be young in an old, yet rebuilt city, but it represents a modern view of what Government can be to its people. Like the American government, the German government doesn’t go even a day without its flaws and controversies, but both represent very strong and proud ideals.

The Bundestag may be modern with simple style with construction, but there are halls of incredible art, from German, French, American and Russian artists, evoking the idea of Berlin's tug of war history being rebuilt, and these pieces can be found almost everywhere blended into the precise and angular shapes that embody the chambers of democracy.

[ With Dr. Knopek, the Abgeordneter of the FDP party for Göttingen, whom I am currently interning for ]

It would seem that the history of the Bundestag alone, from its grand history, ultimate relocation to another city, reconstruction, and artistic representations could fill an entire book. This is actually true, since upon leaving Berlin, I received a small gift including a book, over 300 pages, that serves just to cover the basics of the history and symbolism of the German Bundestag. Once again, I left back home with an abundance of many new outlooks and ideas from an incredibly inspiring city. Back in Göttingen, with Inge and Andreas just returned from vacation, and myself back from Berlin and finally able to unpack my bags myself, I had a new transitions to ease into once again.

der Reichstag

2010-04-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

[ The German Parliament ]

After receiving a personalized Bundestag Praktikant badge, receiving views overlooking Berlin only possible from employee-only bridges, sharing a beer [or two… for those who know about Kölsch, a Cologne brew served in small flauts, you know it keeps coming!] with a Bundestag representative, all within my first afternoon of my FDP praktikum experience in Berlin, it goes without question that I was experiencing a lot in Berlin.

Now what if I told you that after breakfast the next morning I saw Kanzlerin Angela Merkel, Vizekanzler Guido Westerwelle, Faktions leader of the Grünen, Jurgin Trittin, as well as my Patenabgeordneter from the SPD, Thomas Oppermann, all at the same time? The odds wouldn’t seem right, but my cards played out and upon visiting the general Parliamentary assembly, the room was filled with all of these everyday faces of German politics.

Last time I visited the Parliament, it was late in the afternoon, and there was only a handful of speakers in the large assembly hall – the debates take place around the clock during the day, politicians and speakers flowing in and out just as smoothly and quickly as the topics of debate change. At the moment that I was there, obviously prime time in the early afternoon, the seats were full, Angela Merkel was seated next to her vice Chancellor, iconic in so many critiques and editorials that fill German newspapers every morning.

I was starstruck. I saw Angela Merkel speak live before, but this time I was even closer, and saw her in her home court – a very exciting prospect when one takes into consideration that she is the head of state of the 3^rd largest economy in the world, the most populated country in the European Union, and listed Forbes most powerful woman in the world. The setting could also not go unnoticed. The natural sunlight beaming through the glass cupola above the hall, its modern construction emphasizing the fact that this building has only been used for the past few years, - just over a decade. Flash back to the iconic old Bundestag where I participated in the German International Model United Nations conference in Bonn back in November, and my appreciation for the experience there has only increased noting the big transition of government from West to East just over a decade ago. The new Reichstag is almost synonymous with Merkel, equally a milestone, as the first female Chancellor of Germany, and the first to complete the entirety of her term in this new central building of Berlin.

The debate of the hour was over the highly controversial, and highly covered, topic of Greece’s bankruptcy and the plan of action to preserve an economically healthy Euro. I have been equally fascinated myself why this has been such concern in Germany – more than just coverage and opinion – but pressure for Germany to present a plan of Action. I had read several articles beforehand, in short, blasting the European Union’s ultimately unknown and silent president [ from Belgium, but you probably don’t know him because most Europeans don’t even know him either…], and resultantly looking upon Merkel as a true international leader of – not even just Germany – but Europe, and she has proven to be too timid to take up the job.

Aside from this complex world of European politics, the German system is enough to make one confused in the 5 way tennis match. Remember the concept of coalitions, essentially creating two opposing sides in German government, but recall the fact that there are many small parties that make up the total Parliament, 2 major parties, 3 subliminal parties, and many others [depending if they were voted in for seats in the Parliament]. This results in very colorful debate, much clapping and commotion at times from only a pie-slice of the room, the others stern and silent. The arguments ranged from the left, calling for direct intervention in Greece, enunciating the concept of a European community and Germany’s role as a leader and equal. The middle and right revealed more timid and defensive opinion, since the burdens created by the heavily indebted European nations should not become Germany’s burden, a nation that is one of the most stable in the present, and the money being proposed to assist in the matter should be directed towards centrally German issues such as improved education.

The hour discussion flew by – a mixture of the fact that I had witnessed well known politicians that I had become familiar with – let alone their frequent inclusion in subject matter in German after dinner chat – along with the complicated debate that has been a hot media item over the past month – I was completely enthralled and didn't even realize that it was all in German.

Throughout the period, I heard different speakers, watched Angela Merkel get praised or blasted in front of her peers – the other speakers seemed to have no shame in pointing right at her as if she was a poster, but her facial expressions for both complements and criticisms are always entertaining. Some speakers would get up and whisper something to a co-politician, others would start a round of clapping at a fragment of a speech that spoke for their party. Angela Merkel discreetly left out the back later in the hour after a slew of handshakes, and the procession continued without a defined stop or start. [ later that night back in Göttingen, yes, I was there in time for dinner and the news that same day! ] – I must admit that it was exciting to see Merkel on TV exactly how she was when I saw her hours before… except on the broadcast she was interviewed in Brussels… she must have cruised on over to Belgium immediately after sweeping out of the Parliament earlier in the day. The Brussels assembly was for European leaders, including Sarkozy of France, to further discuss the issue of Greece.

Ausschusssitzungssäle

2010-04-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

[ Committee Meetings ]

After catching myself fascinated by the interconnected network that is the Deutscher Bundestag, complete with its underground hallways, bridges over rivers, glass walls against cold steel and stone braces, I can admit the unsuspecting surprise that it was for me to be completely in awe once more in Berlin. And this was just me gawking through huge glass windows into the foggy horizon letting my imagination piece history together in my head.

The agenda that I had peeked my interest further. After my initial tour of the Bundestag following lunch, surprised by which building I ended up in, or which artwork [ and from which country of origin, rendering its meaning to the entire complex] garnered the hallway, I shadowed one of the assistants and visited a small roundtable meeting for Sports politics in which Dr. Knopek would be in attendance.

Taking place in the “engine of the Bundestag”, the long Löbe hall - die Abgeordnetenbüros und die Ausschusssitzungssäle des Deutschen Bundestages [ Committee meetings and representative offices of the German Bundestag] - with cylindrical towers of roundtable meeting rooms, we were able to sit in a narrow viewing level over the meeting – just enough room for a slim row of seats and foot space overlooking the meeting below, placards of politicians names and parties in place.

The meeting didn’t have much debate – the topics covering rather common ground topics including planning for the Women’s World Cup that will take place in Germany next summer, as well as promoting Munich as the national candidate city for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. In the round room, half lined by glass walls that looked out to another building that I may have crossed through, the other half lightly stained wood, the politicians trickled in, a small coffee cart came around if anyone requested anything [to find out later that lunch was rather nonexistent, and kaffee und kuchen breaks were largely part of the meetings themselves.

It was very interesting to view the procedure order of the meeting, including attendance to the powerpoint presentations and questioning that revolved amongst the representatives of different parties. I had a brief opportunity to observe the general parliament assembly last time I was in Berlin, but this was a new opportunity to see some of the more detailed aspects of policy making in the German democratic system.

The day continued back in Dr. Knopek’s office, where I was able to meet him once more, and this time to hopefully redeem myself for my rather clumsy first impression at my quasi-interview that happened on my first day. Sitting in the office with the other assistants and taking part in the conversation of the meeting that just took place or other events of the day was very reminiscent of my opportunity to meet my representative in Washington D.C. before departing to Germany. [mind that the flat screen television in the room had nonstop coverage of the Parliament assembly that seemed to always be in order]. The very personal meeting added another layer to my impressions of the life of a German politician – at some moments relatable to what we envision our American representatives to be – blackberry toting and firm handshaking speedwalkers with a talent for the art of smalltalk – yet also, somewhat foreign and new to my observations.

That afternoon I had a bit of freetime to myself – not much, but enough to get lost like I thoroughly enjoy in a big, new place, and just enough to make mental notes of places already closing but I had to visit next time I was in Berlin – the Cathedral, the Egyptian museum, the east side gallery. The evening was not over though, since I had a scheduled time to meet with Dr. Knopek and another assistant at a very frequented kneipe, a bar, that was a favorite of Berlin politicians.

Being a Wednesday seemed to have no impact on the attendance at the joint, since it was completely packed. The walls lined with memorabilia of many decades of the capital of Germany – the bar traveled to Bonn for the many years that the capital was there. A soccer game was on the televisions, people from casual attire, to loosened neckties after a long day of work collaborated in the bustling corner hotspot, and from our small table I was able to take it all in. I was sitting with a politician – scratch that, a representative of the German Bundestag – in a classic Berlin pub, a favorite of politicians, following the conversations loosely flowing between work agenda, aimless chitchat, as well as the soccer match coming in and out of focus. How do you find yourself in such a situation? I wasn’t even in Berlin 12 hours… and how much I had already seen and done!

Der deutsche Bundestag

2010-04-03T02:52:00.000-07:00

[ The German Parliament ]

Like the rest of the city of Berlin, the Bundestag building told its own story. Leaving from the office of Dr. Knopek just shortly after arriving, I was already on my way to lunch with the other coworkers of the office. One was Dr. Knopek's assistant for Umweltpolitik - Environmental politics, and the other was responsible for Sportpolitik.

Now eating in the Bundestag cafeteria wouldn't seem like anything extremely special - in fact it is just a normal cafeteria with very cafeteria-like food. However, the realization the all the people there - some clad in expensive, flashy suits, to others just in business casual with a simple button up and dark jeans - was part of some function of the huge political machine that was the Bundestag was an exciting thought.

The Bundestag was like a machine. From the outside, the cluster of buildings seems to be a block or two surrounding the Cupola-adorned Reichstag building lined with many political offices. In fact, almost all of these buildings are linked underground or from overpassing bridges over the streets, - a big, interwoven political hub.

[ The Paul Löbe Hall - a massive naturally lit hall, lined by glass walls, complete with cylindrical towers the hold many small round circle meetings - an overall view that seems like the engines of the machine that is the German Bundestag. ]

Upon visiting different meetings in different parts of the Bundestag, I would also catch myself taking double takes as I realized that I was now in a completely different building, facing a different angle of the Spree river that runs through the complex. The many opportunities to view outside of the buildings is not an understatement, since glass is such a prominent part of all of their construction. I was definitely experiencing a different Berlin this time around. My last trip had me touring through Berlin and wondering how, amongst a city overrun by construction, the sleek and ultra-modern glass, geometric buildings of the Bundestag fit together.

Now, looking from the inside out, the glass gave a very transient feeling to outside Berlin. The huge glass walls were intended to stress the openness of the government for its people. I had to make note that from this side of the glass, now looking out over sprawling Berlin, it was me that looked like part of the anthill colony scurrying around in the big glass blocks and domes.

While crossing one bridge to arrive in another building, the assistant I was walking with asked if I wanted a photo, and after the way she described where we were standing, she practically set me up to have to brag about it later. There is a very thin bridge that connects two white buildings bordering the Spree. One fascinated me before with it behemoth circular window on the side of the geometric prism. This bridge that I was now crossing is visibly seen by everyone, but the fact that I was crossing it had everything to do with that Bundestag badge I was wearing - I was only accessible by employees - pretty exclusive.

The accentuated the fact that I was seeing a Berlin that was not available to any normal tourist, and had me very appreciative of the unique experience I was having in Germany as a PPP scholar. Elena, the assistant that I was with, opened my eyes further to some of the thoughts that crossed my mind last time I was in Berlin. Elena was born and raised in Berlin, and revealed to me with a sense of pride that she grew up in West Germany, in the American sector.

Once again, this was one of those moments where history isn't just in a book or on a placard in a museum. It was living all around me.

The idea of knowing a city, and in two decades it is undeniably completely transformed is still incredible to me. From the view of this bridge, the memorial etching of the Berlin wall - heading right to its border on the river - was visible from above. Visual, translucent, a little vulnerable, yet also majestic, modern and confident, the Bundestag was only adding to my contradictory list of adjectives to describe Berlin, and after all these overwhelming observations, I hadn't even made it to my first sitting at an official Bundestag meeting yet.

Zurück nach Berlin

2010-04-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

[ Return to Berlin ]

Not even two weeks into my new internship at the FDP, working my best to produce quality research and translations into German, I recieved a very exciting offer from the office. I was invited to Berlin to visit the Abgeordneter office there, and also sit in on a few meetings in the Bundestag. The two day trip was going to be full. I was going to sit in on small meetings, view the debates in the Reichstag, and also work a bit in the office in the Bundestag. Even though I was in Berlin not even one month beforehand, there is something about the feeling of taking the train to Berlin clad in my slacks and a button up shirt, on a mission with an agenda, that makes the situation even more exciting.

Upon arriving in Berlin - the weather notably better than the last trip - I stepped out of the huge glass train station with a new perspective. This time, I felt a little bit more like a part of the hustle and bustle in the very confusing metropolis that is Berlin. I walked accross the large space of land outside the station, the bridge over the Spree, and in less than 15 minutes I was at the Bundestag, which was visible through the glass panels of the station platforms the moment I arrived.

Once at the Bundestag, I wasn´t immediately situated in the office where I could take my stuff - there had been plans already arranged for me to first head to another building only two blocks away to receive a Praktikant badge. Ok, maybe it might look like just a badge - but let me relish in the moment for a bit - I just recieved a flashy badge allowing me access through the security guarded doors of the German Bundestag - this was official - I was now an official Praktikant in the capital of Germany [even if it was for just two days at least]. It was pretty surreal.

The next 36 hours of exploring Berlin were just starting to unfold. Already from obtaining my badge, I was seeing a lot more of the city than I had on my first trip one month prior. From the first moments I realized that the "behind the scenes" feel of this trip was going to make it special. Once situated in Dr. Knopeks office [ having me noting the similarities and differences from my visits to the representative offices in Washington D.C.] I met the other assistants, one of which was one that I had been in contact with when I was initially requesting for an internship opportunity. The proceeding hours would have me weaving in and out [ and under! ] many of the most important buildings in German politics.

Herzlich wilkommen zurück zu Hause

2010-03-30T04:21:00.000-07:00

[ Welcome back Home! ]

Switching practikums wasn´t the only change taking place over the past week. My host parents were on their way back from their almost 2 month adventure visiting friends in New Zealand and I was going to be moving back home. I did some grocery shopping for the house - purchased the basics for a German household, can´t forget the Vollkornbrot, whole grain bread, of course. I also purchased some ingredients to surprise Inge with a cake since I knew that her birthday was coming up right after they returned home.

Tuesday afternoon directly from work, I arrived back at the house greeted by Inge and Andreas both glowing from their fresh-from-vacation tans. Inge planted a big kiss on my cheek, and like previous times, I get a reminder of the warm greeting when I notice the pink smudge on my cheek next time I pass a mirror.

The weather was wonderful - they arrived on one of the most perfect spring days so far in Göttingen, and we were already into excited conversation about the trip. That was when Andreas tapped my shoulder and brought me into the other room.

"you do know what today is, right?".

no...

...it can´t be.

But it was, the day after they returned from their trip was Inge´s birthday. I felt terrible. I had very good intentions to give her a nice surprise, but it turns out that the surprise was on me, and I definitely messed up the dates. I still gave Inge another big hug and a big "Alles gute zum Geburtstag", but it didn´t cover the awkwardness that I felt making the mistake. I am still making the cake soon [ Since Andreas had another very nice one ready for afternoon coffee] so we will just be having a lot of cake lately.

Out back on the patio, we had a very nice lunch catching up on the trip. Marin, along with Laura and little Timmi stopped by, and the afternoon was very nice. Inge´s multi-kilo shell collection that amost tipped the scales of their luggage alotment was sprawled accross a table out back.

Over the next few days Andreas uploaded the several hundreds of incredible photos that they took in New Zeeland, and everything began to feel like normal again back home. Easter is coming up, and more family will be visiting, and in the time being I am enjoying the conversations with Inge and Andreas as well as the weather becoming more like spring here in Göttingen.