Citizen of the World

The only explanation for this increase in beer production in Germany is the economic woes around the corner. People will need to be REALLY drunk to get through the world's darkest financial crises this fall.

Just wish we were heading to Germany this fall!

There's a connection I have on Facebook that is like no other. The man's name is Heinz and he's from Germany close to Leipzig where I lived for 2 years after the reunification of Germany. That time in my life was pivotal to who I am today. That time shaped a lot of my basic desires for social change, social movements, and a healthy level of activism in one's personal life. Each day that I happen to see one of his posts about social things happening in Leipzig and eastern Germany again, it truly tugs on my heart strings.

Heinz posted a picture today of himself in a forum at the Gewandhaus (a concert hall) in the center of Leipzig where I had seen my first concert there. Heinz was the moderator last week for a discussion of unity, rights, and freedom, basic law and peaceful revolution. You can see him raising his hand in the middle:



Close to the Gewandhaus is where Leipzig's (televised!) peaceful revolution in 1989 began, around the time that I was in school in Paris and traveling through Germany to go back to college in NC. I remember being glued to the TV in 1989 watching the demonstrations move from Leipzig out and throughout the GDR. I had just come back from Germany and WANTED TO BE THERE! I wanted to be a part of history.

A mere two years later, I became part of history, living and working in Leipzig during the young years of social and economic change for everyone around me. Everyone was an expatriate, no matter if they grew up in the town or not; it was a new country with amazing potential and possibilities. It was such an exciting time and place to be.

I wrote this blurb as a comment on the photo to him:
"Heinz, your stories remind me over and over that positive change is possible. East Germany and Leipzig in my opinion represent a worldwide example of freedom, peace, and the world's human rights. The world's people (in contrast to one people) through peace chose for itself freedom and basic human rights. It overwhelmingly surprises me that since the reunification, not much more has changed in this world in the name of peace.

My country and city have in contrast changed drastically for the negative since 9/11. I wish it were possible for us to begin a peaceful revolution (here) that would balance out our civil rights. I often yearn to go back to 1992; I would love to experience those changes in Leipzig again through older eyes and my current Weltanschauung (perspectives on the world)."

(Here's the German version:)
Heinz, Deine Geschichten erinnern mich immer wieder, dass positive Änderung möglich ist. "Ostdeutschland" u. Leipzig sind zusammen meiner Meinung nach eine weltweite Darstellung der Freiheit, der Friede, u. der "Weltvolks-"menschenrechte. Das "Weltvolk" hat durch Friede insofern für sich Freiheit u. grundsätzliche Menschenrechte entschieden. Es wundert mich grossartig, dass seit der Wende sich nicht mehr im Namen Friede in dieser heutigen Welt geändert hat.

Mein Land u. meine Stadt (NYC, US) haben sich im Gegensatz aber ja sehr negativ seit 11.9.2001 geändert. Wäre es möglich, dass wir auch eine friedliche Revolution anfangen können, damit die grundsätzlichen Menschenrechte wieder ausgleichen.

Ich habe oft Sehnsucht auf 1992, als ich nach Leipzig umgezogen hatte. Ich hätte die damaligen Änderungen sehr gerne durch ältere Augen u. meine jetzige Weltanschauung wieder erfahren.

Check this out - it's a video recording of my Dad talking about meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury. He recited this story to every British person he met, sometimes three or four times a day. So, I recorded the interaction a couple of times.

I love Germany. Lived there for almost 3 years in total and worked there off and on for another 2 in various projects. On July 28, our cruise stopped in Warnemuende, which is a northern port city on the Baltic Sea. I'd never been there or to Rostock, where my dad and I took an excursion to the town and a local brewery. It was so much fun and interesting. I ended up buying a 6-pack of beer, which I made last me for the next week and a half. Each time I bought a bottle of beer and drank it, I saved the label, too, as a memoir.

After the 3-hour excursion, I wheeled out the wheelchair and took Dad on 3-4 mile trek around Warnemuende (which to this day he still cannot pronounce). It was a sweaty workout to be sure, but it was really good. At one point, I noticed that Dad fell asleep riding over cobblestone!! At one point, we reached a beach area and he trudged off to the ocean to dip his foot in the Baltic Sea. It was a beautiful day and he had lots of fun. When we got back to the ship, I chucked him into the stateroom (not a cabin) and took off on my own to take some pictures of Warnemuende - great, old resort town. Lots of boats, slips, rafts, and ships all around. The canal area was full of waterside shops, cafes, and restaurants, which was great for a beer (or two) and people watching.

When we sailed off from Rostock, I was kicking myself for not bringing my cameras!! I wish I could have recorded some of what we saw and experienced. The memory is astounding in itself. There were about 4-5 city harbor cruise boats around our ship as we pulled away to songs blasted from the port from La Traviatta, Phantom of the Opera, and other operas - including some German beer songs. The day-cruise boats came alongside ours and the people on them were waving tissues, smiling, and cheering us on. The boats and our ship blasted their horns. Thousands of people from the platforms and walkways along the ports and beaches were waving and cheering, hooting and hollering. It was truly an experience - mixed emotions of joy and sadness of the departure from such a sweet area of Germany (with great beer). What a gorgeous and beautifully rich day.

Wish Matt could have been there. Throughout the experience, I kept getting choked up when Dad was choking up or getting thrilled with all the excitement. I was rubbing his back and watching the excitement and joy on his face. That's something I'll never forget.