I'm just getting over the cold, and it's raining outside. I blame mother nature if my writing seems negative, because I'm actually doing quite well. So much has happened since my past entry, it will be a sincere effort to recount it all in chronological order. Perhaps I can summarize.
On monday, in the short span of time between when my classes ended and when the IES center closed down for the evening, I asked for assistance in the final purchase of my November travel tickets. Ryan, who works on the staff with IES, took some time aside to help me out. He had previously made a trip that was very similar to the circuit around central Europe that I hope to make, except in the opposite direction. He knew the best deals to look for, and as it turns out, I was able to attain some very good deals with his assistance. I don't know if I'll be able to write in sufficient detail while on that journey, but I plan to be visiting the Czech Republic, Austria, and Southern Germany.
It was on tuesday that I truly felt the woes of my cold coming on. I wasn't sure about how to combat it, because I have heard from a couple of different people that the germs here in Germany are a little different than those we are used to in America. Of course, I kept looking for fruits and vegetables to boost my immune system, along with tea whenever the opportunity arose.
I resolved not to head out during the week, which probably helped my sinus situation. When Friday arrived, I woke and looked at the calendar in the kitchen to see, 'Tag der Deutsche Einheit,' or 'Day of German Unity.' This was a national holiday, and could be compared to Independence day, except that it was only established in 1990 with the unification of Eastern Germany with Western Germany. I met up with a couple of friends and traveled by rail over to Potsdamer Platz, then Alexander Platz in East Berlin, followed by The Brandenburg Gate in the evening. For those of you who do not have facebook, I will post a few shots on this site as well. The be-all end-all of the day was very enjoyable, as the rainy weather from earlier in the week cleared up to allow sunny skies.
Any time I refer to meeting up with friends, I am of course referring to fellow IES students. I think that by now I have come to know them each well enough to have befriended them. Although I am still keeping my head up for some local Berliners to spend time around and thus absorb culture more directly, I am having a great time here.
Earlier in the week I heard plans from Ella, another staff member with IES, about a possible orchard visitation in the suburbs outside Berlin near Potsdam. Interestingly enough, there was also a castle (or Schloss) in the area, called Marquardt. I was very intrigued, but when I woke up to make the venture on Saturday morning, it seemed as though I was traveling solo. Oh well, no worries -- it's probably best to look into your background without any social distractions.
It took me a little over 90 minutes to make my way out there, by way of the U-Bahn and a couple of Bus rides, all of which were free of charge with my student pass. Aside from traveling just a little bit out of my path, I made my way back towards Fahrland, where they were celebrating an Erntedankfest. This community-based celebration happens every fall, and involves a feast from the harvest. Outside this one specific building there was a stand with potatoes and a great variety of apples. I decided to explore inside, and was washed over with incredibly fine scents from baked goods. I had not eaten breakfast (fruhstuck) yet, so I asked the price and made a purchase of an egg and cheese mixture, along with a fine portion of vegetable soup. Upon sitting down, I happened to meet a local named Wolfgang who had been born in the town. He looked very pleased with the bounty of food. After asking me about my stay in Germany, he checked to see if I enjoyed the countryside better than the big city. Absolutley. I really felt a connection back with nature, glancing down the sidewalk and seeing some yellow oak and maple leaves falling with the breeze. It was terrific.
Upon making my way outside, I ran into a group of hunters, all wearing green outfits and sipping Veltins at 1.30 in the afternoon. I laughed to myself, and approached. They were serving out free of charge a stew with mushrooms, black beans and meat taken from local wild boar. Most of these men had also been born in Fahrland, as well. I took a deep breath and stopped for a moment, thinking about my situation. What exactly was I doing here? Yes, I wanted to find my roots. I thought Schloss Marquardt looked interesting enough to try on for size, even though the closest I got was this small festival. But what else was going on here before I arrived? As part of Eastern Germany, the travel of individuals had been seriously restricted, and individuals commonly grew to old age in the same town where they had been born.
Fahrland had very much of a community gemeinschaft atmosphere about it. I would imagine that in a location like this, outside influences would normally be considered troublesome, although I was not specifically looked down upon. I can remember seeing a little girl showing a great amount of excitement as another young boy made his way down the sidewalk in her direction. Perhaps, under a socialist regime, they would have grown old together? Under the politics and economic changes that have occurred since 1989, I would guess that situation would be less likely. There are very formal traditions from Eastern Germany that are now being done away with, ever since the 1989 fall of the Berlin wall. When citizens such as these have sensations of nostalgia (specifically, "Ostalgie"), they focus on the better parts of life that have been swept away with the socialist lifestyle.
In the mind of an Eastern German, there are both positive and negative aspects about the loss of one set of politics and the pickup of another. It seems a shame that culture like that of these Fahrlanders is being compromised, regardless of the fact that all are working towards a greater end. Between 1989 and 1990, as the wall fell and Germany was reunified, there was an armistice that claimed the failures of the past should not be repeated, and cooperation should be the catalyst towards economic recovery. In reality, Germany could not pull itself out of the fuctioning world and become a politically insular nation. Because the European Union had already been established, unemployment would have been rampant across the nation, if that would have been the case.
Thus, Germany unified and opened up its doors to outside ideas, as well as opened up its economy to foreign investors. I have already mentioned how Berlin always looks alive with construction; this is true also for Dresden, Hamburg, and other German cities. I have also mentioned that Germany has the largest GNP (Gross National Product) in the world. This means that Germans living here and abroad make more capital than any other nation.
Before I get ahead of myself, I wanted to mention the news. Angela Merkel has been acting to guarantee savings here in Deutschland, which have been effected by the worldwide ripple-effect, beginning in the US. I don't personally have any strong ideas about the economy, but I wonder if we ought to have an ideological shift in our global acquisition of our energy sources.
Just as I arrived back at the apartment last night, I got back into contact with another friend from the program, with whom I was thinking about joining in for a potluck. I was just a little bit late on my return, so I grabbed a few apples and made my way over. Four of us enjoyed a delicious supper of stuffed bell peppers, a curry-spinach mixture, and my offering was the freshly picked apples with cinnamon and brown sugar, baked for about 10 minutes. It was sehr lecker (very tasty).
"A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape."
Mark Twain
