history – Valpo Voyager

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Berlin: A City of Abundant Contrast

Berlin. The Capital city of Germany. What a weird, quirky, classy, oddball, and altogether extraordinary place. We spend Friday-Wednesday here (a week ago, actually), and we certainly had a blast.

Before I go on about Berlin, I have some corrections to make to my last entry. I mentioned last time that my parents would represent a majority of the people reading this. As it turns out, I apparently have far more parents than I had previously assumed. Thank you to all for taking the time to read my musings. And thanks to Rachel and my family for continuing to be my biggest fans.

The first night gave us a chance for some culinary confusion. Hofbraühaus (“HOFF-broy-house”) is a Munich standard, so we let at the opportunity to eat there, despite being nearly 600 km away from Munich. With it a mere block away from our hostel, how could we say no to an early start to Oktoberfest? (Spoiler alert: we couldn’t.)

Walking westward as the sun was setting, we had fun with some photography in the Lustgarten on Museuminsel (Museum Island), between Berliner Dom (cathedral) and Altes Museum (Old Museum – a very creative name). Rick Steves says that the Berliner Dom “is a protestant assertion of strength,” adding that it “seems to proclaim ‘a mighty fortress is our God…and he speaks German!'” Nineteen of the seven of us had a splendid time.

Ried in front of the Berliner Dom, making good use of the iPhone's Panorama function.

Reid in front of the Berliner Dom, making good use of the iPhone’s Panorama function.

Nineteen out of seven of us had a splendid time on our first evening in Berlin.

We finished our excursion walking through the Brandenburger Tor, marveling that this was not something our parents could have done when they visited Germany 30 years ago. The gigantic gate was near the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall). Older readers may recall President Reagan challenging Gorbachev to “tear down this wall,” or perhaps remember news clips of people celebrating as the wall fell two years later. Younger readers and tech-savvy people can relive these moments on YouTube.

Contrasts began early on Saturday morning. Several more trains than we had initially expected were needed to get to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, where 50000 people were murdered during the Holocaust.

Aside: Germans today will deliberately say that the victims of the Holocaust were murdered, as opposed to having died or been killed. You can be killed in an accident, or can die of natural causes. Murder is entirely different.

I tried to imagine whether or not 50000 people would fit inside an area equal to that of the camp. This doesn’t reflect any piece of reality – I was simply trying to imagine the size of a 50000-person crowd. 50000 is one of those numbers that’s just big enough that it’s magnitude is difficult to understand. I’m not sure many people have interacted with 50000 of anything in any kind of tangible way.

As though to remind us that our laughter and joy from the previous day would not be appropriate in this sacred, broken place, it was windy and rainy. The sun kept to itself for most of the day, only revealing itself a few times in the afternoon. Yet in the midst of the clouds and dark memories, there was still hope. No matter how hard the wind blew, it could never erase the memories. The trees would sooner topple and the buildings would sooner be reduced to dust than the Holocaust be forgotten. Perhaps this is an ill-informed view of how civilizations rise and fall, but it certainly felt this way to me.

Statue in the building to mark the location of the Sachsenhausen furnaces.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

We need monuments like Sachsenhausen to help us remember the horrible things that people did (and can do) to people. None of us perpetrated the Holocaust. Very few people know anybody whom it directly affected. Nobody really owes anybody else an apology for the past, nor do we need to assign blame to anybody alive today. But we do need to remember that these things happened so that we can do everything to keep them from happening again.

After Sachsenhausen, we had quite possibly the least concentration camp-ish meal possible. It was several huge plates of all kinds of meats, each with enough food to comfortably split it between four people. It was fantastically filling, far beyond what any Sachsenhausen meal could have been for the people detained there.

Plate of meat for four at Zillemarkt. This plate was about 50cm (20in) long at its widest.

Following the meal, we went to Kaufhaus des Westens – KaDeWe, the largest department store in Europe. There were somewhere on the order of six stories of everything from jewelry and perfumes to clothing to toys to food and much more. Everything there seemed to have a markup. Even Lego kits seemed to cost more than they should in a typical store. This is a rather gutsy move for the store, particularly given the easily-referenced and well-defined prices of Lego kits. We looked for Ritter Sport chocolate bars to use as a standard price reference point, but couldn’t find any. Neither Nick nor I could tell if this was because the place was simply too large (which it was), or if it was because Ritter Sport is not classy enough chocolate for the normal clientele of KaDeWe (it very well might not be).

We didn’t stay very long at KaDeWe. There was simply too much to take in, and we had had a long day. The excess and materialism was simply too much for either of us, so we went home for some much needed rest. In an interesting symmetry to our morning and afternoon at Sachsenhausen, about 40 to 50 thousand people visit KaDeWe daily (per Wikipedia).

Sunday gave us a walking tour of the city. We covered some of the same route we had taken on Friday, but the added historical context was much appreciated. Berlin has had the interesting misfortune of being almost – but not quite – totally destroyed. There’s a mix of old buildings and new. The old ones embrace the grandeur of the emperors and kings of the past, the new ones celebrate rebirth and modernity, and everything in between serves as a reminder of the tumult of the 20th century. The juxtaposition of old and new, of destroyed sites and recent modern development, and even of former East and West – these are all things of which Berlin is very proud. Berlin is such a bizarre place because of all of these contrasts that define it, but these are the same contrasts that also make it the uniquely wonderful place that it is.

Almost as though an echo of Berlin, our group also let some of its contrasts show over the last few days – particularly with regards to travel style and planning. A great many of us are seasoned adventurers. We know how to deliberately get lost for the sake of new experiences, but we don’t stay lost for very long – there’s always a plan in place. Sure, we can recognize the fluidity of our short-term plans, but this doesn’t prevent us from living in the moment.

Other members of the group, well, don’t seem to be that great at traveling. The planning is there, but a combination of poor luck and incomplete follow-through has created some setbacks for them. Fornutely for them (and for the rest of us who live and work with them), it seems difficult to really upset their equilibria. If there is an edge over which they might be pushed, they sure seem to be far away from it.

We had the opportunity to do and see some more “touristy things,” or perhaps watch other tourists do touristy things. I try not to be an excessive travel hipster (just a little bit), but it can be fun and informative to watch tourists at popular sites. The crowds can sometimes be just as impressive as the thing at which they’re looking.

The “American Soldiers” at Checkpoint Charlie are neither Americans nor soldiers, and they barely speak English. A tour guide informed us that these men work as strippers after they’re done being soldiers. I did not investigate the veracity of this claim. I also do not know whether their alleged evening performance involves the removal of their fake uniforms. Hopefully not.

Nick and I had good fun exploring the history of engineering at the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. This wasn’t any specific exhibit – we just went around looking at planes, trains, and boats, all while considering the engineering that went into making them go (or the failures that made them stop going). We’re told that this museum also has cars, but we didn’t get a chance to check those out. Siemens was scattered everywhere in this museum. Having completed an internship at a Siemens plant in Cincinnati last summer, I had to get some pictures of Siemens artifacts that we came across.

Siemens and Halske Electric Locomotive at Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.

Siemens and Halske Electric Locomotive (a world first) at Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.

Werner von Siemens bust at Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. This guy adorned my ID badge this past summer.

Nick stands in front of a steam locomotive at the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. Steam engines are basically giant heat transfer demonstrations, which appeals to us engineers.

A fancy-dancy thrust-reversing jet engine, modeled by the ever-patient Nicks Sondag.

The below video is an example of something neither of my parents would have been able to do when they studied in Germany 30 years ago. Doing this gave me chills, which doesn’t happen particularly often.

Songyang, China

October 28, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

This weekend our class visited Songyang, a “little” town three hours (by bus) southwest of Hangzhou. Although it definitely qualified as a city (our twelfth floor hotel rooms looked over rows of apartments), we did pass through some beautiful (small) mountains and lush tea plantations surrounding Songyang.

The trip cost was subsidized by the local government which meant we foreigners were under steady document of numerous cameras for the tours. Foreign tourists = good PR.

Our Valpo/Luther cohort was joined by four nursing students from the University of Evansville (in Indiana)! They were a great group and fun to get to know over the two days.

We arrived in Songyang around lunch time on Saturday and were treated to a local family-style meal. While a few dishes were new, the preparation methods and most foods were the same as we’ve found in Hangzhou. So while it was tasty, I would have welcomed a greater change in cuisine—wok-fried foods and soups can only go so far.

Our tour started with an introduction ceremony at a historic ‘mansion.’ The housing complex/mansion had been built and owned by a rich family in Songyang during the later Imperial China dynasties. We were ushered to seats in the complex’s courtyard while various Chinese officials took turns at the microphone. Unable to understand their numerous speeches the afternoon dragged on in the hot sun. I ended up more fascinated by the scattering of professional video cameras, DSLRs, and smartphones shooting videos and taking pictures around the perimeter. There must have been dozens of devices used during the ceremony, whether they were personal or for media/publication purposes I couldn’t tell. We ended up getting “certificates” (for what? visiting?) and having a group picture taken. Josh, the best Chinese speaker in our group gave a short speech and was swarmed with cameras like he was a celebrity.

After the long welcome ceremony we were given a tour of the housing complex, with attention exclusively on the ornate wooden carvings along the walls, pillars and ceilings. Besides the carvings the house was rather empty and we weren’t given any information about the different rooms. As shown in the picture above, the Cultural Revolution had unfortunately left it’s mark here as well, defacing many of the carvings. Similarly to the temples we have visited, this house placed a heavy emphasis on nature and animal symbolism in the decorations.

The next activity was definitely my favorite of the weekend, if not my whole stay in China thus far. We were taken to the edge of Songyang and given mountain bikes—no disclaimers/waivers/redtape or helmets… There wasn’t a designated leader so the most adventurous of us quickly wound our way into the tea fields along narrow paved lanes and dirt paths following a loosely marked course.

We snaked between rows of tea tree bushes, along the edges of ponds and across wooden boardwalks while the setting sun cast yellow rays across the verdant hills. It was beautiful and exhilarating. The bikes’ brakes and gearing were iffy which combined with sudden rises and drops tested our nascent mountain biking talents. I had a blast!

Dinner was similar to lunch, although I did put my vegetarian ways on a brief hiatus to try octopus. Chewy and inky, check that off my bucket list.

After dinner one of the Chinese guys organizing the weekend’s activities invited us to play basketball. Basketball is definitely the most popular sport in China and I was eager to give my recently-revived “skills” a real test. (I’ve been shooting hoops 2-3 times a week on the Yuquan campus.) Thank goodness us Americans came in at 6’6”, 6’4”, 6’1”, and 5’11” because otherwise we would’ve been throttled. Josh held his own, while the rest of us hit bricks and rebounded all night. It was a lot of fun even if our ball skills could use some serious work.

The next morning we returned to the site of our biking excursion the previous evening. This time the streets were packed with cyclists and spectators awaiting the race start. We wandered up and down the street passing food and clothing vendors, traditional musicians and dancers practicing for the “opening ceremony” and a slaughtered cow being hacked apart on the spot.

Though as soon as we stopped to watch the opening ceremony we became a spectacle ourselves—particularly Dan, the 6’6” football player in our group. We spent a solid thirty minutes standing, smiling, and laughing as scores of locals whipped out their smartphones to take pictures with us and of us. Interest in us was universal, from grandparents to toddlers (though some were scared), heck Dan even ended up holding a baby for photos. I guess he has practice now if he ever chooses to become a politician.

A few of our group were also invited to take part in a tea ceremony/demonstration which also thoroughly bemused the locals as we fumbled our way through pouring, stirring, and whirling. As an efficiency minded engineering the whole process seemed overly complex to just prepare a cup of tea. Though I guess I prepare tea to drink it—not as a statement of class or status.

After our brief time as celebrities we were taken to another historical townsite (similar to the previous day). Here we were given a walking tour during which we were reminded to smile and face the tour guide (for the cameras).

Our last agenda item was visiting a thousand year old pagoda—which also happened to be leaning slightly (Leaning Tower of Songyang?) so we were only allowed to the third level. Once again we were the subject of numerous cameras as we posed for a group picture in front of the pagoda.

After lunch at a Mao-era restaurant where the waitresses wore green fatigues we piled into the bus to return to Hangzhou and homework. The weekend passed far too quickly, but thus is the nature of study abroad.

The Narrowest Street in the World and a Prussian Prince

September 7, 2014 / Katie Rinda / 0 Comments

Week Two in Reutlingen

Berg Hohenzollern, sitting above the Swabian Alps

After the exciting jet lag recovery, soccer game watching, and chocolate croissant eating events of the first week, I spent most of week two familiarizing myself with my new hometown. We found the real grocery store, which was exciting. More exciting was our tour of the Stadtmitte with a native Reutlingener, including a visit to the narrowest street in the world: Spreuerhofstraße!

Me at the end of the narrowest street in the world

To further aquaint ourselves with Reutlingen, we also went to the Heimat Museum, which is devoted to the city and some of the surrounding area. It has artifacts from the Middle Ages through WWII, including everything from original stonework from the Marienkirche (local cathedral) to a complete room from a traditional guild hall. The sword used for executing thieves was intimidating, but the little textile shop room from the early 20th century was really charming.

The most important thing I have learned from the tour and the museum: Reutlingen was an imperial city. This meant, back in the days of the Holy Roman Empire, that Reutlingen had market privileges, trade privileges, and self-governance. You can see evidence of this everywhere in the town. The manhole covers in the Stadmitte feature the imperial eagle, as does the facade of every major building built before the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire by Napolean (that cad). The Marienkirche even has the imperial eagle in some of its tile work. To this day, the mayor of Reutlingen still has to swear every year in a formal ceremony to serve the citizens of the city, which is cool. (I would also like to take this moment to point out the history I’m learning- Look mom, education!)

The most scenic event of the week however was our visit to Burg Hohenzollern, an honest-to-goodness castle that is still owned by actual royals. The journey there was nice, but the footpath up to the castle was steep. And long.

Brittany and Kaitlyn taking a brief respite from climbing the near vertical stairs.

Once you’ve made it up the stairs, you’re rewarded with a castle, and some really gorgeous views.

The view from the top.

This castle was part of the ancestral lands owned by Kaiser Wilhelm II, also known as the guy who was technically in charge of Germany during the first world war. The castle itself is fairly new, only dating back to the 1800’s. (Insert comment about the lack of years of American history here!) They have some excellent artifacts from the family on display, who became the rulers of much of the lands we now call Germany in the Middle Ages and hung on through WWI.

No members of the Hohenzollern family have really lived there since the early 1900’s. But, they do occasionally visit. We just happened to be there at the same time as Georg Friedrich, who is the current Prince of Prussia. I was unaware that any German noble titles still existed to be granted, especially the ones belonging to the now-defunct monarchy, but my ignorance has now been remedied.

The Prince very kindly offered to take a picture with us- that is, the group of around 70 international students from Reutlingen University. I do not have access to this picture, but somewhere there exists actual photographic evidence that I was within ten feet of royalty. Maybe Georg Friedrich has an Istagram? I shall investigate, and leave you with another beautiful view of the Schwabian Alps.

From one of the guardposts on the outerwall.

Olympic Park - Beijing

A Grand China Tour

September 2, 2014 / Tobiah Meinzen / 0 Comments

Two days ago the Valpo group returned to Hangzhou after a weeklong whirlwind trip through Chinese religious, cultural and political history. We visited three cities: Qufu, Beijing, and Xi’an. In those cities we toured the following sites (listed in chronological order): The Temple of Confucius, Confucius’ Grave, The Temple (Altar) of Heaven, The Hongqiao Pearl Market, The Great Wall, The Beijing Olympic Park, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Wild Goose Pagoda, The Terra Cotta Warriors, Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter (including The Great Mosque), and the Shaanxi History Museum.

Now I’ll see if I can compress the highlights of those places into a reasonable length post.

The high speed rail system in China shares more similarities with the American airline industry than our Amtrak. The Hangzhou East Railway station is a huge high-ceilinged building with numerous security check points, fast food joints, and nearly a dozen gates/escalators leading down to the train platforms below. In the train huge windows and ample leg room treated us nicely on our three hour ride to Qufu. The quietness of the train and the smoothness of the ride did much to hide the fact that we cruised at 300km/hr (or ~180mph).

Qufu is a small town (~200,000 pop.) and most notably home to Confucius. As we drove to the walled-in old city we pasted dozens of high-rise apartments in various stages of completions which our guide informed us were part of the “new Qufu.” In Qufu (and likewise in most of China) many historical structures have undergone continual restoration or rebuilds since their original conception centuries ago. The Temple of Confucius is set in a forest with a central corridor which has numerous “gates.” These gates, pavilions, and stone tablets were erected by various dynasties after Confucius as ways to honor him and provide a place to “worship” Confucius. The roofs and eves of the gates and pavilions are massive, repetitive and intricate structures combining brightly painted symbols, patterns, and often dragons. (As an engineer the quantity of rafters looks like overkill.) Stone lions, dragons, and turtles were also common along our path (a few unicorns too)! After the temple we visited Confucius’ simple grave—a giant mound of earth a forest. Smaller mounds at the entrance of the forest were the graves of commoners, and the mounds grew in size with the importance of the thinker they contained.

The next day we took the high speed rail to Beijing. In Beijing we visited the Temple of Heaven (technically it is more like the Altar of Heaven) where the emperor would make biannual prayers and sacrifices to Heaven. Much of the architecture was similar to Qufu, but here the importance of colors (blue roof tiles) and shapes (circular buildings for Heaven and rectangular walls to symbolize Earth) stood out.

We then visited the Hangqiao Pearl Market who’s fourth floor has been visited by numerous foreign dignitaries to shop for jewelry. Meanwhile the bottom three floors are crammed with stalls selling counterfeit design handbags, silk scarves, fake-iPhones, loads of Beats products and other miscellaneous electronics of dubious authenticity. I had fun bartering for fake iPhones and found a few real Galaxy S5s. For dinner the non-vegetarians in the group had Peking duck (a Beijing speciality).

The following day we visited the Great Wall outside of Beijing. The highway weaving up a mountain valley reminded me of Colorado and I had fun climbing and descending the Great Wall——it is the closest I’ve been to hiking a mountain in a long time. After a couple hundred vertical feet the number of folks thins out dramatically and I could more easily ponder the massive effort to both build the wall and run an army up and down the variable height and often far too steep steps. In the afternoon we drove by the Olympic Park, walked through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and climbed a hill in a local park to get a 360˚ view of Beijing. Unlike the many cold monolithic monuments of Washington D.C., the Forbidden City is filled with color and extravagant detail, all the while great attention is given to overall symmetry and mathematical relations between walls and buildings.

On Thursday we took the high speed train to Xi’an where we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda—a nearly millennia old Buddhist library and meditation center. Xi’an was a very neat city—it had a newer feeling than both Beijing and Hangzhou, although it is famous for being the ancient capitol city of China. We drove past Aston Martin and Lamborghini dealerships and Gucci and Prada stores. For dinner we found a bustling street near our hotel with numerous locals frying and cooking in little stands where we got some delicious and cheap noodles.

On our second day in Xi’an we visited the Terra Cotta warriors. The vast scale of thousands life-size clay soldiers each unique and detailed make it a well-deserving contender to be the 8th Wonder of the World. In the afternoon we walked through the Muslim Quarter of Xi’an which contained the Great Mosque (one of the first mosques in China)—yet with a small single minaret and Chinese style architecture only the Arabic inscriptions gave away its religious affiliation.

On our final day of traveling with visited the Shaanzi History Museum in Xi’an which contained numerous artifacts and replicas (often undistinguished from the “real” items) from ancient China. The handiwork of their jewelers and stone carvers was quiet impressive though I felt as id most of the exhibits didn’t provide enough historical context to accompany the numerous artifacts.

We then flew back to Hangzhou on a new A321. From jade to jet it was one amazing trip!

Outside the Temple of Confucius

A common occurrence: impromptu photos with locals

A traditional Chinese gate in Qufu

The Great Wall!

#Pride – Luther & Valpo

First Week in Johannesburg

January 23, 2014 / Maddy Rainaud-Owens / 2 Comments

So we’ve officially settled in Johannesburg at a guest house which was a former seminary training school (where Desmond Tutu went, pretty cool)! When we arrived the first night the group of 15 of us were pretty jet lagged so we just dinner, played some icebreaker games to get to know each other and then tried to get some sleep. I was successful for about 3 hours when my body woke me up telling me it was only 4pm, but it was actually 2am in Johannesburg. Breakfast began at 8am and then we were off for our day.

Before we toured the town we had a guest speaker named Mowlefi come and speak to us about the Apartheid and history of South Africa. This was exciting to me because to be honest I didn’t know much. He spoke about his personal involvement in the student uprisings and the impact that it made on the change to come. This was inspiring to me to see young people so passionate about change that they’re willing to step in to make a difference. Following the discussion, he then took us on a tour of Soweto, which is a black township in Guateng province of South Africa. Soweto alone has a population of about 3 million people! (the whole country of Namibia only has about 2 million). While touring Soweto, we visited Regina Mundi Catholic church which was a church that allowed students to gather during the uprisings. In this tour we saw bullet holes and broken banisters that were left that way to show the damage done when police invaded the church. We also got to sign the same guestbook Nelson Mandela did a few years prior as well as stand in the same spots he did, so awesome.

Inside the Regina Mundi Catholic Church

South Africa feels a lot like home, a lot less foreign than most would imagine. Despite people driving on the left instead of the right, and the currency change, most areas don’t seem much different. Though, when we were walking around the mall after we got lunch, we got many stares because we were about the only white people walking around the area. I felt like we had a sign on our head that said ‘not from here’ but that’s okay, its funny! When we were driving we also even heard a guy yell to his friend “Hey look, white people!!” We all got a kick out of that.

Following the tour of Soweto we visited the Hector Pieterson museum, a museum dedicated to the student uprisings, and named after the first young boy who was innocently shot by police on June 16, 1976. His older sister paid us the honor of telling us the story of what happened. It was awesome to me how remarkably positive she was about the entire situation despite losing her baby brother. My best guess would be that she knows the impact and legacy that her brother and many other young individuals leave, so I suppose there is a certain peace that comes with that.

A blown up photo of the moments following Hector Pieterson's death, as his shaken sister runs beside

Tuesday, we headed out a bit earlier for our trip to Orange Farm. Going into this I didn’t really know what to expect, we were not really briefed on it beforehand so it was a surprise when I looked out the window as we drove over dirt roads, noting the shacks people call home on the side of the road. Orange Farm is a community small in size but had a population count of a bout 1.7 million in 2007. I’ll give a brief overview of what we saw in Orange Farm so you can get a feel for it. First we visited a recycling center and were given a tour by a wonderful lady named Gladys. She showed us around the area, explained the process a little bit and took us by the little daycare center they run as well (too cute!!). The recycling center is many people’s only form of income because so many are unemployed. While in Orange Farm we stopped by a specialty school where individuals of all ages (17-75) take classes learning basic life skills like cooking, computer functions, and woodwork. These individuals pay to go to these specialty classes so that they can have a degree so that they can have a better opportunity to get a job and better improve their lives. While in Orange Farm we also had the privilege of visiting a project center focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, teaching,healing and support groups. I especially loved this because of the passion people have for helping those who are positive, or have been effected by people who are HIV positive. After my visit to Orange Farm I couldn’t help but think about how incredibly blessed I am to have the opportunities I’ve been given. These people of Orange Farm have very little materially, but they do have hope and hearts bigger than you could ever imagine. Their desire to help those in need by providing services like HIV/AIDS education and support groups, counseling/lawyers for domestic violence victims, or recycling centers that allow people to make money is so inspiring and humbling at the same time. They just want to make a difference. And they are.

Plastics smashed together to be sent off

On Wednesday, we went to the province of Guateng’s capitol building where we met with the two major political party groups, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC). Since 1994 the ANC has had control of 8 or more of the 9 provinces in South Africa, and with the election coming up in May, things are getting pretty intense. I was really interested in learning about how the South African government runs as opposed to the U.S. The best thing to me about the South African government system is the fact that there are many, many political parties, and even though ANC has had control for the past 20 years, statistics are changing and the smaller parties are even making a difference. Wednesday night we were privileged to see a play in downtown Jo’burg which was based on racist stereotypes in America. I liked being able to see people’s perspectives here in Africa of us back in the U.S.

The group in front of the capitol in Gauteng

Visiting the Apartheid museum was very emotional but so full of so much new information. I especially enjoyed the Mandela exhibit; it was an incredible tribute to an incredible man. One part that stuck most with me that I learned was that Mandela took up a foreign identity, traveled to many countries all over Africa and got people to join the movement for freedom and equality. Last but not least, we got to visit the Wits Art Museum and learned a lot about African art and all the different forms. We were so lucky and got to go into the storage room, where many of their collections are kept. I especially loved the pottery because I can appreciate all of the hard work and patience that goes into creating and perfecting each individual pot.

This weekend I depart for my first home-stay in Soweto, with a family that has a 5 year old little boy and 11 year old boy. You could say I’m a little excited.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned!!

Xoxo

Maddy

The Iron Lady

April 18, 2013 / Abby / 0 Comments

Yesterday, my housemates and I were fortunate enough to get the chance to go to Margaret Thatcher’s Funeral Procession in London. We were there to witness history being made. We got up at the crack of dawn to get to London at a good time so we could get front row spots along the procession route from Westminster Abbey to St. Paul’s Cathedral. I’m sure some of you are thinking “Weren’t you guys afraid of going to something so controversial right after the bombings in Boston?” We sat down as a group and decided that it would be safe enough and it was something we really wanted to do. However, just to be safe, we didn’t choose a hugely popular place to stand in case something would happen. We chose a spot along Fleet Street across from the Courts of Justice and it proved to be a very successful location for us to stand. Some of our group were interviewed by the Guardian Newspaper, the biggest newspaper in London (equal to the New York Times) and also by another public newspaper. There was a camera set up right across from us on the street and a picture of us and the casket being pulled by the carriage ended up on Yahoo! news UK and USA versions. How awesome is that? And there was a picture of us on the Guardian Newspaper’s website that went a long with one of the Iron Lady articles. We got our 15 minutes of fame from that spot we picked.

The procession itself, though. That was the best part. It was so incredible to witness such a historical event. The passing of an era, the funeral of one of the most influential Prime Ministers that England has ever had. Depending on what Brit you talk to, her influence could be the best thing or the worst thing. She was very influential, but she also divided a great nation with her decisions in while in office. Yesterday, we saw many people protesting the funeral and there were signs that said things along the lines of “Rest in Shame” and “The Iron Lady, Rest in Rust” however, we also saw signs from the polar opposite viewpoint like the one that said ” But We Loved Her” It was so interesting to see all this division in the nation again because of her death. It gave me a little insight as to what the nation was like when she was still in office. She was undoubtedly a great lady, yet one of the most hated in all of English history.

However much she was hated, she was also loved by a great many, and she received a great farewell from the people of England. People cheered and clapped and roared when she went by as a sign of respect. The procession started at Westminster Abbey with her casket in a hearse car driving down Whitehall Street toward Trafalgar Square. The hearse was surrounded by the British Army, Royal Air Force, Palace Guards, and the Navy, as well as the Metropolitan Police force. It was a huge procession. The Royal Air Force lined the streets of the procession all the way from Westminster Abbey to St. Paul’s Cathedral with their heads bowed in a sign of respect. There were also many different bands playing along the procession. From Trafalgar Square the hearse drove along the Strand and on the Strand, her casket got transferred from the hearse to a horse drawn carriage. After that it came down Fleet Street where we were, and on the St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a grand procession and very impressive. It was an incredible experience and one I would witness again in a heartbeat.

One of the many patios within the Real Alcazar. See the fishies in the reflection pool?

A Whole New World

April 17, 2013 / Emily DeVries / 0 Comments

One of the many patios within the Real Alcázar, which was once a Moorish fort/palace. See the fishies in the reflection pool?

Okay, before I get started here, I’m going to warn you. I’m about to sound like a travel agent who’s sugarcoating everything in order to close a deal. I promise you, none of this is an exaggeration. Southern Spain is a world entirely of its own, and for lack of a better description, it’s magical. The air is filled with the smell of orange blossoms and the sounds of street musicians playing flamenco guitar, the sun shines in a bright blue sky until 8 pm. Wrought-iron balconies spill flowers out into winding narrow streets, ornate ceramic tiles adorn every door frame, and the clock slows down to match the laid-back, fun-loving lifestyle of the south. Words and pictures don’t do it justice, it’s just something you have to feel… but it exists and it’s definitely magical.

Ceramic tile work outside the Plaza de España. This kind of detail is part of almost every building in the city.

Seville is a city steeped in a rich and diverse history. Thus, its culture has developed over the centuries into a beautiful mix of flavors that is entirely unique to the south of Spain. Conquered by first the Romans, then the Moors, and then the Jewish and the Catholics, the city shows evidence on every corner of how it has aged and evolved over time. Take, for example, the Roman wall that surrounds the city center. After the Romans left, parts of the wall were incorporated into different structures, serving as a supporting wall of the Real Alcázar (one of my favorite places in Seville, a Moorish palace that is filled with acres of incredible gardens and patios), or even being built into houses. There are a number of houses that were built right onto the wall throughout the Moorish and Catholic reigns that still are inhabited today, covered in the intricate tile work common to the Moors and the close influence of Morocco and North Africa. And yet, they bear the family crests from the 1500s-era Catholic families that lived there centuries ago. This type of culture-blending is evident everywhere you look in Seville, and has since become a trademark of the city’s flavor.

The breathtaking view of the city from the top of La Giralda, a 34-story tower attached the the Catedral de Sevilla.

The architecture isn’t the only thing about Seville that serves as a distinctive symbol, though. What brings the real magic to this city isn’t the buildings, but the people and their customs. The home of Flamenco, Sevillianos take their music, dancing, food, drink, and parties very seriously, and everything else kind of happens by its own time. Siestas are an even bigger deal here than in Zaragoza, and nobody’s ever in a rush (unless they’re talking. Understanding the Andaluz accent at the speed with which they talk was next to impossible!) I got hooked on the beauty and tradition of Flamenco while I was there, thanks to a few factors: trying on a traditional gown (I felt like a human Barbie doll!), watching a Flamenco dancing show over a pitcher of sangría, and perhaps most importantly, the buzz in the air regarding the upcoming Fería de Abril.

Alright. Obviously not my picture, since I missed the Fería. But this is what it looks like and is the reason why I was so enchanted.

The Fería started this past Tuesday, and is essentially a week-long dancing, eating, drinking, and socializing

extravaganza. At the edge of the city, they set up 1000+ massive tents, called “casetas”. Each caseta is an exclusive access facility, and you can only get in if you know a member (one of the group of people who are paying for the caseta to function at the Fería). Thus, it’s not unheard of for someone to be on the waiting list to be a caseta member for 30+ years. In each caseta are a bunch of tables, a dance floor, and a bar. Each day at the Fería, women dress in traditional Flamenco attire, and men will wear suits and ties. Dancing is a big part of the event, and the “Sevillana” style of dress, music, and dance dates back to the 1700s. We didn’t get to see the Fería in action, because we left Seville on Monday morning, but we did get to go to the fairgrounds and saw a caseta, thanks to a friend who has been living in Seville for six years.

My friend Margaux (from Marseille, France) and I at the Torre de Oro, enjoying the sunshine!

One of the things I love most about Spain is the way that the Spanish have done such a great job preserving and celebrating their roots. Nothing gets washed away by history… the past is beautifully blended into the present in all aspects of life: culture, architecture, food, lifestyle. Seville is such an explicit and colorful example of that phenomenon, and I’m never going to forget the unending beauty of it all, and the way it swept me away to the point of being unable to convey it in words. I think this is my longest entry to date, and I’m still frustrated that my pictures and descriptions don’t do it justice. Guess that means that you all just have to find an excuse to go there and see for yourself…

Rest in Peace or Shame?

April 17, 2013 / Lauren Zomparelli / 0 Comments

The answer would lye with who you are asking. If you ask an American, most would probably say peace of course. However, if you ask about two thirds of the British population, they would probably say shame, much like the man below with his sign.

On Wednesday April 17, there was a procession in London for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral that started at Westminster Abbey and ended at St. Paul’s Cathedral. When she died last week, there was an uproar in the UK. What I never realized as a US citizen, was how divided the country became when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. I have learned in my history class here how little people thought of her and how they believed she was the worst thing for this country. There are many reasons the British feel this way, one having to do with the high unemployment rate when she was in power. When she died, there was riots and demonstrations in London that went hand in hand with cheers and celebrations. I actually received an email sent from the government about how US Citizens should be weary going into London from April 13-17 because of all of the demonstrations that were going to be held. There was also a lot of talk about possible bombs going off, which, once the bombing in Boston happened on Tuesday, did not make me feel anymore confident about making the journey to London Wednesday morning.

Though we did make the journey and I am really glad that I went. Although, as soon as we got off the tube at Temple we were greeted by about eight police officers, one who asked us what we were doing and where we were going. They knew the controversy and were taking all of the necessary precautions. All throughout London, there were police heavily armed, especially in the train stations, tube stations and huge public squares like Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus. Luckily, we did not see any bombs going off or riots.

It was so interesting seeing so many people lining the streets, waiting for the procession. There were press everywhere, on balconies and roofs taking pictures and interviewing people in the streets. Zach, Jess and Nola were even interviewed by different newspapers and our group as a whole are in a picture in The Guardian’s news online (the link is below).

What I would have to say was the craziest part of all was what happened as the casket went by on the street. We were standing along the second half of the procession, so the casket was being pulled by a horse drawn carriage versus in a car like it was from Westminster to Trafalgar Square. As she passed by, everyone in the crowd starting cheering and clapping. Some, not where we were but earlier on, turned their backs on the casket.

Being able to witness this piece of history was incredible. It is something that will definitely go down in history and something I will be able to tell my children about one day. So rest in peace, or maybe shame, Margaret Thatcher.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/17/margaret-thatcher-funeral-streets-procession

The Coolest City in the World

September 19, 2011 / Stephanie Volz / 0 Comments

The title might be a misnomer. I obviously haven’t visited every city in the world. But I’ve traveled a lot, and by far the coolest one I’ve seen is Berlin. The Reutlingen program brought us to Berlin for a “class” trip for 5 days, and during that time we were able to explore Berlin and learn about all of its crazy and important history and its culture. And even though we didn’t have class per say, just being in that city and touring around and talking to people was so much more informative than sitting in a classroom. So here I’m gonna outline a bit of what we did while there.

We arrived in the late afternoon on Friday, and were set free to explore on our own til the following morning. First order of business after a long train ride was dinner, so we wandered around until we found a typical German restaurant that looked good. Turns out we made the best decision of the day right there, their crispy baked half duck and apfelstrudel was AMAZING. And even despite all the restaurants in Berlin, it was so good that we had to return later that week.

Brandenburg Gate

Wall museum and remnants of the wall

The next morning we met up with Professor Malchow to take a guided tour of the city. During the extremely interesting tour, we got to see the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag (the German Parliament building), parts of the old Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and the square where the famous photos of Hitler speaking to gathered ranks of Nazis were taken, among many many other places. The tour guide also taught us about the deep history of Berlin, from the Hohenzollern dynasty to Nazi dominance and through the end of the Cold War. It was amazing to see all the places where some of the most well-known history actually happened. That night, a few of us decided it would be really cool to go see an opera or a classical concert or something of the sort, so we found that the famous Deutsche Oper (German Opera) was putting on Das Rheingold that night. Which I had seen as part of my German 351 class a year ago broadcasted live from Chicago. But seeing it in person (and in Germany!) was so much cooler.

One of the palaces from the bottom of their terraced garden (!)

The next day we took a day (well, afternoon) trip to Potsdam, about a half hour train ride from Berlin. We had heard there was a pretty cool palace there from Frederick the Great called Sansoucci. Pretty cool doesn’t even begin to describe it. We spent about four hours there that afternoon, and didn’t even go inside any of the three gorgeous palaces on the grounds. In my opinion, the gardens themselves are the best part about it. We literally spent all four hours exploring the grounds, and never got bored or ran out of things to explore. It truly was beautiful and amazing (and I took so so so many pictures–you can see them on my Picasa account). In fact, before we left the last day we decided to spend another few hours there.

The next day (Monday) we decided we should actually go inside a few of the sights and museums in the old Eastern part of Berlin, where most of the history is. So we headed to the Berliner Dom (Cathedral), and it was incredibly beautiful. And when we climbed countless steps to reach the top balcony on the outside, we were able to see a lot of the city and overlooked the courtyard where the famous Nazi demonstrations/gatherings were held. Once we finished there, we found some of Berlin’s specialty food, currywurst, which is spicy sausage with sauce served with a roll. It definitely lived up to its expectation. After nourishment, we were on a roll (pun not intended), so we headed to the Reichstag to see if we could get in. Of course they need a reservation 3 days in advance, so we couldn’t.. But we chilled on the vast lawn in front of it for a while. And got a brochure that told us everything we’d need to know about Germany’s Parliament. And on our way back to the hotel we passed by the Prussian Victory Pillar and decided to have a look. Once we finally made it to the top, the view over the big park that surrounded it was amazing. And on our way up we got to see the histories of many important buildings worldwide.

Inside the Berliner Dom

The square that the famous pictures of Nazis always are in. Hitler spoke from the steps on the right.

Our last full day there we visited Checkpoint Charlie as part of our “official” program. It’s really touristy, and not actually as important in the grand scheme of things as America makes it out to be (after all it is the famous American checkpoint, and we’ve got to keep our American pride!) But parts of it still were interesting, and we learned a lot of the history of the wall. I was then going to explore the German History Museum, which is supposedly one of the best museums to visit, but decided a nap was more necessary.. So instead we hit up the Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin after a few hours relaxation. And guess what?? They actually serve free tap water if you want it! Nowhere else in Germany does! It was a little taste of home in a huge foreign city.

Checkpoint Charlie!

Since it was our last night there, a few of us grabbed some drinks and went to sit in a market square to listen to street musicians playing and watch fire twirlers twirling. And nothing made it better than seeing the beautiful architecture lit up at night on the side of the Spree river, along with the culture all around us. Despite us not taking part in Berlin’s great nightlife like we did almost every other night, it was a great relaxing way to have one last hoo-rah in the cultural center and mix of Germanic outdoor eating and relaxation with deep history and with a big city, the great mix that makes Berlin the coolest city in the world.

Like I mentioned earlier, after seeing Potsdam again, we headed away from Berlin the next day (much to everyone’s sadness. The theme of our lives right now is that we still want to be in Berlin). But to hear about our next two days of adventure before making it back to Reutlingen you will have to wait til the next post! Bis dann!

A Deeper Look into History

November 18, 2010 / Jeff Harbert / 0 Comments

When touring London and visiting all of its magnificent sites, it’s hard to believe the city was once the victim of six straight weeks of bombing during World War II. Referred to as the “Blitz”, Londoners suffered intense bombing by German forces which killed over 43,000 civilians and left more than a million households destroyed or damaged. And that was all in London. Granted a huge part of Europe suffered similar if not worse devastation, it’s incredible to think about what people had to endure around 70 years ago.

A common sight in London during the ‘Blitz’ in World War II

On Tuesday I had the chance to visit the Duxford Aircraft Museum, which lies nine miles south of Cambridge and is considered to be one of the most important air bases during in Britain during the World War. The museum, which contains the largest collection of historic aircraft in Europe, is one of the best ways to really get a grasp of the atrocities and devastation caused by both World War I and World War II. The aircraft on display was astounding. The Spitfire, Concorde, Messerschmitt, Hurricane, you name it, and there’s a really good chance they have it.

Messerschmitt BF 109E – most famous German figher in WWII

One of seven hangers at Duxford Aircraft Museum

After learning about World War I and World War II in our British History course here in Cambridge, it felt appropriate to view the planes and a lot of the weapons and vehicles used by many of the countries involved in the war. I was able to learn a lot about the hardships the soldiers and pilots fighting faced, as well as the women and children on the home front. It’s crazy to think that around 7.5 million women were recruited for war work between 1939 and 1945. It’s even more shocking to think that around 100 million people died from both wars. Visiting Duxford Aircraft Meseum was a very enlightening experience and it emphasized how much the world has changed and how fortunate I am not to have had to endure living in such a difficult era.

The U.S. Air Force’s F-15 Eagle

And for Americans like me and the rest of our group, the American Air Museum provided the perfect opportunity to admire the largest collection of U.S. aircraft outside of America. They had an impressive collection, housing famous aircraft such as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (once the fastest jet in the world), P-51 Mustang… to name just a few. It was especially significant for me as my Uncle is a retired Major General from the U.S. Air Force and flew some of the aircraft on display, such as the F-15 Eagle. It was a special experience to be able to see up close and touch the same type of fighter jet he once flew. As a kid I was always fascinated by jets and to finally be up close to some was extremely memorable, to say the least.

Throughout the entire visit I learned a lot about European and American history. I considered myself to have a decent knowledge of past and current events, but I soon realized there was a lot of information I didn’t know. The museum taught me a lot, but it also helped open my eyes up and take a deeper look into history. It’s amazing what you can discover if you’re actually looking.

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