Once In A Blue Moon

Here we are, last day in Maine. Tomorrow morning I fly to Germany to really begin my adventure. Packing is almost done (sort of), pins are ready, Rotary blazer is all ready to go. While I am a little sad to be leaving my family and friends, this is totally overwhelmed by my readiness to arrive in Germany. After almost 10 months of preparations, I'm ready to stop being excited and arrive at my new experience.
Stick with me, blog buddies. Lots of cool news to come. Thanks, everyone.
See you from Deutschland!

One Week

Hello everyone! After that charming post about the end of the world, I thought I would mention that my world is just beginning. Next week at this time I will be in the air, headed for Germany! It's all very exciting, yes.
I have spent all morning packing, so this post is going to be reeeally short, as I'm about to head out for some family time in the sun.

Current Event 8/25/12

Two German filmmakers are standing up to the end of the world. The theory that the world will end on December 21, 2012 has captivated believers and skeptics alike, but Lilly Engel and Philipp Fleischmann  are on a mission to find out "99 Reasons Why The World Is Not Allowed To End." They have created a site, 99gruende.de, to catalog worldwide reasons from people who believe the world should not end. However, people who do believe in the end of the world are also in the film. The filmmakers have found that the German people are less skeptical of the Apocalypse, while the French are quite certain it is a hoax.
Many celebrities have been asked their opinion about the Apocalypse, notably Roland Emmerich, Germany's well-known Hollywood director and the mind behind the film '2012.' The filmmakers' next stop is North America, where they will compare opinions between the Old World and the New. The film is "against the end of the world," says Fleischmann, "humorous, humanistic, loving entertainment."
Another nod to Germany's increasingly modern and innovative culture scene, the film will air on December 21--if all goes well.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16183312,00.html

Current Event 8/18/12

Hamburg is Germany's first state to guarantee Muslim and Alevi citizens a pact detailing their rights and responsibilities. There are about 130,000 Muslims in Hamburg, as well as 50,000 Alevi. If all goes as planned, they will receive religious teachings at schools, as well as holidays and funeral rituals. Negotiations have been going on for five years, initiated by previous mayor Ole von Beust. While it is the goal of the negotiators to respect Muslim and Alevi values and customs, they also are working toward acceptance of German values, such as gender equality, and reaffirming most of the parts of the German constitution.
Although the initial conversations were difficult because a negotiator was hard to find, talks have now been deemed a success, with many Muslim holidays becoming official days off, and more specific, faith-based religion classes. There is disagreement on how exclusive the religion classes would be, however, because of the traditionally interdenominational identity of Hamburg. Another issue is the construction of mosques and wearing of religious symbols by political individuals. However, the pact has been welcomed by churches in the area, and overall is seen as an excellent development for the state.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16169442,00.html

Current Event 8/11/12

The gas lamps characteristic of Berlin's streets are a large part of the city's cultural identity for some. But for others, they are merely an obstruction in the larger road of progress. Many Berliners are gathering together to protest the conversion of historic gas lamps into more energy and cost-efficient electric lights.
The motivation for the change is primarily economic: the city spends 23 million Euros annually on its streetlights, and says could cut down the price substantially by making the streetlights completely electric. The transition would also cut carbon emissions, a priority for the Berlin Department of Urban Development.
However, many people say that the historical and cultural significance of the lights trump economics and environmentalism. The lights have stood through both world wars, the Soviet era and other turmoils. They are, to some, a symbol of the might of the industrial revolution and human ingenuity, as well as the product Germany supplied to fuel the world: gas. While champions for the lights recognize the need for progress, they are adamant that Germany's culture and history must be saved. These two aspects of Germany--culture vs. progress--are an interesting debate. The organization advocating for the lights, Gaslight Culture, has said that their next step will be to request the lights to be declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16147196,00.html

Current Event 8/4/12

The Olympics are happening. Germany has won 21 medals so far, and is doing especially well in the equestrian and rowing fields. Dressage is the special strong suit of the team, and it has "dominated" for the past 50 years. Member Kristina Sprehe has broken the Olympic record for a Grand Prix test, as has Helen Langehanenberg. The average score for the Germans in dressage is 78.845.
In other German Olympic news, David Storl has won a silver medal in the shotput, and Croatia, undefeated in 2012 has been beaten by the German quadruple sculls team.

http://www.modbee.com/2012/08/03/2311374/britain-leads-germany-in-team.html

One Month

Today is August 1. One month from now, I will be flying to Germany.
Yes, now I have begun to count the days. It's still not fully real, but we're getting there.
To celebrate, I have purchased a suitcase (it's actually one of those nifty sets with many different matching pieces). I think it's huge, perhaps large enough to carry a very small elephant, and I like it very, very much!
Now, to think about what to put inside of it....