Tea, crumpets, scones, and a queen. The only place to be is London! Besides being one of the most amazing cities, I was able to meet with Matt’s family and stay in the country as well. Seeing some of the city and some of the country was a perfect mix for a weekend. On Saturday night, we were fortunate enough to go see a play with Matt’s sister, nephew, and parents. The show was called “War Horse” and played in the New London Theater.
Basically whatever I say will not be able to convince anyone that the show was a great performance, but it was. The story line was based on a relationship between a boy and a horse during the turmoils of World War One. The most interesting thing about the play was that there were no real horses used (obviously this would cause a gigantic mess); rather, the horses were more like puppets controlled by three people. After awhile, I completely forgot that the animals weren’t real… that’s how good the performers were!
Anyways, the majority of the play was based during World War One, which is obviously a war that was fought against the Germans. Living in Germany and watching this play in English with random German interruptions was the most interesting experience. I kept thinking about the stereotypes that I had about Germany when I first came here. I have to admit, I didn’t think much about staying in Germany even though I was living here for the semester; instead, I focused on the fact that Germany sits in the center of Europe and would be the perfect hub for European travel. Also, the only thing I thought about Germany was its interaction and instigation in World War One and Two. All of my history classes have focused on Bismarck’s role in using Austria as a puppet force to start the first World War and Hitler’s power in creating the second.
Seeing this play made me think about all of these stereotypes. During the play, a German soldier attempted to give up because of how tired he was of the war. He, along with some other men, yelled Kaiser scheiße, which is a derogatory term towards the leading regime. It was interesting to see the portrayal of how war was exhausting for everyone and unwanted. Since living in Germany, I have been able to face my stereotypes head on. Germans are not stuck in the past dwelling in the shame of wars but rather trying to move on and cope with what has happened. There is a big surge of modernism and moving forward; Germany is a leader in the European Union and has consistently been working together with surrounding countries as a peace keeping and economic powerhouse.
Before, I thought that the German people had some pent up animosity boiling in their blood and were unfriendly people. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This realization hit hard almost immediately with meeting one of our professors Frau Brixner. She is probably the most bubbly and friendly lady that I have ever met, and she always has a smile on her face. Some of the Germans are even funny contrary to popular belief. I have heard many German jokes from our economics professor Herr Veit and amongst the other students. There is a great dynamic to the German people, but what I learned in history classes were far from the truth. I am thankful that I was mistaken with my previous beliefs and that I can say that I am living in a country full of fantastic people with a fascinating history. In the end, you cannot judge a book by its cover… even if it is from a history textbook.
