09 September 2003
-
[GROUP LETTER I WROTE -voila my update!)
Howdy Folks!
Time again for a _____ update. ;) Sorry for the group writing; the internet connection is just a tad tenuous, and that makes this a lot easier. Thanks for your understanding!
I haven�t written in about a week. Its been busy. I�ll give a brief runthrough, but I can hardly be complete or in any way comprehensive about what I write, you know? Wednesday of last week we went to the Kunstmuseum in Bonn, a wonderful museum that primarily focuses on the art of Bonner artists. In particular, they have an amazing collection of August Macke, who died in 1914 in the war, while fighting in France. He belonged for a while to the group �Blauer Reiter�, and I was quite impressed. The chief acquisition guy walked us through the museum, which also has some of Joseph Beuyhs� work - an artist who in the 60s and 70s really pushed the limits of German art. Not my favorite, but chacun a son gout. In the afternoon of the 3rd we went to the Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, a group that deals with higher education in German, reforms, etc. Talked about things like introducing the MA/BA systen (Masters, Bachelors) in Germany, and the problems with that. But neat.
Thursday we had a bizarre morning at the Zentrum f�r Europ�ische Integrationsforschung. Interesting topic - the expanding European Union - but strangely enough, the guy we talked to (former speechwriter for Weiz�cker) was towing a US-policy line... very bizarre, given the �standard� (as if that actually exists) German position on globalization/American politics/world order.... Then we went to the research center CAESAR - center for advanced european studies and research. Science central, and doing neat stuff with electron microscopes, human/machine interfacing, trying to grow human teeth, etc. I mean, mind-boggling. None of us really �got� it, but it has to be said that they really really really are doing high-tech important stuff. Which was neat.
Friday we went to the Haus der Geschichte, a history museum that deals with German history, 1945 to the present. A sort of hands-on museum that would be fun for kids. We got a nice F�hrung (tour), but ultimately raced through parts that I would have liked to have studied more. The special exhibit that I then dashed through was called Duell im Dunkeln, about espionage and counter-espionage between the West and the East during the Cold War. Quite neat. After lunch we went to the Palais Schaumburg, not usually open to the public. The residency/office of the first German chancellor Konrad Adenauer, and subsequent chancellors as well. A bizarre building from the mid 1800s, but rennovated in 1940something, and therefore a bizarre clash of 19th century and the worst of what the 20th century had to offer architecturally! And that evening we went to K�ln (Cologne) to the Amerika Haus and had a little buffet and a lecture about US identity, etc. etc. That was a bit strange, but ah well.
Saturday morning (the 6th) we went to the Orgelbaufirma Klais, a company that has been building organs for the past 200 years. Neat. I mean, really, really neat. Details for those of you who are interested! ;) I then hopped on a train and went down to Freiburg to visit a wonderful friend from Kindergarten, and stayed 24 hours before trekking back up to Bonn.
Today and Yesterday? Oh, we had a tour of the TV-station Phoenix here in Bonn (think C-Span and Discovery Channel melded together), an evening at the General Consulate of the Russian Federation (they were not stingy with their vodka, and there were suckling pigs on each table for dinner, along with a Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev piano concert).... And today, we went to the Deutsche Welle, the radio section of Deutsche Welle. Which was fascinating. But I�m running out of steam describing my days here!
How am I doing, though? I am doing well, though constantly tired. Super super busy (obviously, given my long list above), and it gets tiring to be with 20 people all the time. But I am having a good time, and my sweetie arrives in 3 weeks, so life will perk up tons when he gets here. And I am happy to be in Germany - things like food are obvious, but I sort of feel a freedom that sometimes doesn�t exist in the US. I don�t know what I mean with that except that I feel somehow relieved - people seem to have similar political views as I do, things like that, and things like walking around at night with friends and people not being paranoid. Lack of paranoia, maybe? Oh, I�m not making much sense! I guess it all boils down to me enjoying myself. Come visit!
Thinking of you all. Happy Fall - the leaves are already changing here- probably because of the hot summer.
Lots of love,
yours, Dandlioneyes
PS: Off to Berlin bright and early- might be a few days until I can check email.
PPS: Thank you for the phonecalls, letters, and emails everyone. Makes me VERY happy!
dandlioneyes at 3:26 pm