Maying

Once again, the month of May has been good to me. 

So good, in fact, that words aren't really enough. As the sun shines outside and I pack for an 18-day tour of Europe, I leave you with some snaps of my past few weeks. 

Sister Act in Stuttgart; the German equivalent of a Broadway show

Munich street musicians 

Toy museum, Munich

Bavarian State Opera

German spring meal: white asparagus, potatoes and Hollandaise sauce

School symphony orchestra

Schiller-Gymnasium Choir: students, teachers and parents

Current Event Mai

The trial of five people belonging to and supporting a Neo-Nazi cell began last week in Munich, the largest such trial since WWII. The cell, led by Beate Zschäpe, is held responsible for the murders of ten people, including Greeks, Turks and a policewoman. Last Monday was the beginning of the trial, but an adjournment was quickly called for after the impartiality of  judges was questioned.
Emotions are still running high in the city, especially in the courtroom and families of the victims. However, a public commotion was not as high as anticipated, with only one episode, in which women armed with broken bottles demanded entry into the courtroom, requiring police intervention.
Both representatives of Turkish groups and Bavarian government representatives have voiced their disgust for the crimes committed, and their opinions that while Turks and other minority groups belong and are welcomed in Bavaria, these criminals certainly are not.
Citizens of Germany, whether minority groups or not, hope that the trial can solve racial conflicts as well as debates on race and immigration which have been increasing.

http://www.dw.de/emotions-run-high-at-neo-nazi-trial/a-16795324

Springing (in the rain)

I woke up one morning and the trees had exploded. Exploded into an infinite number of greens, accompanied by rustling leaves, flowers, evenings spent outside with a grilled Wurst, and--finally--the sun.

The sun, warm and welcome, mixed itself intermittently with rain. 

By intermittently, I mean it rained about every two days. During school, on the weekends, at Rotary grilling parties...

...but as they say, after rain there is a rainbow. 

 And flowers...

...and blue skies...

...and so much green. 

I seem to be living a rainbow right now. My exchange, always woven as a tapestry of fabulous colors, becomes more brilliant every day, as I pack as many experiences, friends, photos and tastes as I can into the remainder of my time here. 

The turning of the seasons is always manifested in cultural celebrations, and Germany is no exception. Here I talked about my adventure at Oktoberfest, just a few weeks after my arrival in Germany. Now, almost nine months later, the Germans celebrate Frühlingsfest, or Spring Fest. 

Much of the celebration is the same: the scents of pommes, Wurst and chocolate-covered fruit...

...the shrieks of delight and terror issuing from the roller coasters and Ferris wheels...

the throngs of people clad in traditional German clothing, even people from Mexico, the US, and Spain.

   

I, too, donned a Dirndl, casually ordered my half a chicken, and sang along with my friends to the German folk music that filled the air. 

We are family

My dad showed up on the doorstep of my new life on a Sunday evening during yet another convenient school vacation. Since we had learned I was going to Germany, where my family is from, this visit had been a dream and a tentative plan; to have the dream become reality was a dream in itself.

Our first few days were spent in Heidenheim, where my dad was able to meet both of my host families, my Rotary Youth Exchange Officer, and my two best friends from Colombia and Argentina. 

We visited my school...

my favorite cafes...

and, of course, my beloved castle overlooking the city I've come to call home. 

We spent a day in Ulm, on the Donau River...

 ...and home to the 'Schiefes Haus' or steep house.

Then we traveled to Würzburg, a lovely city that I was able to visit this fall. This is where my dad was born, and it was a great visit to make with him; almost unbelievable to stand on the bridge together and look up at--you guessed it--a castle.

Good food was naturally a part of the experience, from the Lamm-Bratwurst pictured above, to a large sack of bakery goods (which we ate before I could take a picture, to massive pancakes like the ones seen here.
The journey wasn’t over yet, though. We traveled to Leipzig, where my aunt, uncle and cousin live. Another beautiful city, Leipzig was the beginning point of the ‘revolution’ that ended in the peaceful reunification of Germany in 1989.

A mixture of prewar and modern buildings, the city is simultaneously splattered with graffiti from last Friday, dripping with stone scrolls and molding, and crowned with triumphant statues from the early 19th century. We visited the Nikolaikirche, where the meetings about the reunification were held in ‘89, and where a ‘prayer for peace’ is still held every Monday evening.

On Easter, we shared brunch with my relatives...

...and then attended a concert of des Prez and Purcell in the Thomaskirche, where Johann Sebastian Bach is buried.

Still more relatives were visited in the Harz mountains, which were full of snow

We also made a quick detour to Naumberg, where the Dom was designed by an unknown master who also worked on the Cathedral at Reims. The sight of ancient doors and choir stands gave me chills; even the wood has remained through almost a thousand years, innumerable conflicts and power transfers, and two world wars.

On the train ride back to Heidenheim, we made an hour-long just-because-we-can stop in Nuremberg, and saw the house of Albrecht Dürer.

Among other things, my dad and I share a love of wandering around back alleys of old cities, drinking tea in basically any venue that serves the beverage, and seizing whatever opportunities that arise, simply because we can. My heritage in Germany was a huge reason for going on exchange, and has impacted my year here in multiple ways. I can’t really put into words how special this visit was for both of us. 
The best part, for me, was that we spoke only German together the whole time. Ich habe dich lieb, Papa.