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.

Current Event April

Living in Germany as I have been doing, I have become well acquainted (well, better than I was before...) with the game of Fußball.
Football.
Some people call it soccer.
In addition to the 1. Football Club Heidenheim, I've also been introduced to the Stuttgart VFB and, of course, FC Bavaria-Munich.
Bayern-München, as it is called in German, has been having quite the dramatic few weeks. Last night they won their Champions' League game against rival Barcelona, which was a welcome distraction from the scandal surrounding the club's president, Uli Hoeneß.
Hoeneß recently turned himself in to the police, admitting to tax fraud in the amount of what could be 20 million euros. 'I realize that I have made a great mistake,' he remarked in a statement. The president of Germany's soccer superpower revealed that he had hidden an as-yet unknown amount of money in a Swiss bank, avoiding making tax payments on the sum for many years. It is not clear how much he will be forced to pay in back-taxes. However, in admitting his guilt Hoeneß may be able to avoid the heftiest of punishments, such as a large fine or time in prison.

http://www.dw.de/a-way-out-for-german-tax-dodgers/a-16766139

We know how to do it

The Neuer Kammerchor of Schiller-Gymnasium, directed by Rotarian Thomas Kammel, has been one of the great joys of my exchange. The niveau of singing is very high and the dedication of the 60+ singers admirable. I feel so privileged to be able to sing in the group. 
Since my arrival in Germany, the choir has attended an international competition in Krakau (winning several second-place awards), sung the European premiere of Martin Palmeri's Oratorio de Navidad, given multiple concerts, filmed a television segement, and, of course, practiced every Saturday morning for three hours or more. 
Perhaps the greatest undertaking of the choir this year occurred two weekends ago, when the Neuer Kammerchor performed a benefit concert--titled 'Night Fever'--for German Rotary Volunteer Doctors, a national organization which raises money for various projects around the world. GRVD has set up and improved hospitals in Ghana and Nepal, among other places, and sent Rotarians with medical degrees to treat and train people in these countries. Our choir sang with a jazz accompaniment group and as backup for several soloists, as well as performing many pieces from our own repertoire. The preparation naturally required many hours of practice time, as well as setup, The songs ranged from Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ to Michael Jackson’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel;’ from ‘Dry Your Tears, Africa’ from the film Amistad, to Eternal’s ‘I Wanna Be The Only One.’ We performed in four different costumes (including the blue evening gowns acquired for all the females this year) and also incorporated choreography. Professional lighting from a company that had toured internationally with well-known German band Silbermond made us look like rockstars, as did the smoke machine and the applauding audience of over 1100 people.

  

It was an experience I’ll never forget; singing, dancing and performing are some of my greatest joys. What made the evening even more special was the fact that we raised more than 28,000 euros for GRVD, which is 15% of the organization's annual goal. Singing with the third best youth choir in Germany which included many of my friends and my host sister, and raising money for Rotary at the same time, felt like a culmination of my exchange. It was truly a marvelous night.  
To read more about German Rotary Volunteer Doctors, click here.
To see lots more photos from the evening, click here, to hear us sing click here, or to read more about the choir visit the website. 

Marching on

On the first day of March I put on a heavy jacket and headed to the train station. I took the train to the bus station, where I then took a bus to the house of a Rotarian, and was then picked up in a BMW to head into the mountains.
This web of transportation was my way to our Rotary ski weekend, which took place in Oberstdorf, a village in the German Allgäu mountains. This ski area, where Lindsey Vonn began her training, is about five kilometers from Austria and was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The crisp blue skies, 7°C air, soft snow and brilliant sun promised an unforgettable ski vacation, and as the gondola rose higher our excitement went with it.

We were not disappointed. For my friends from Australia, Colombia and Argentina, snow and skiing were a completely new experience; for me, skiing in these mountains was a dream come true. 

The weather was warm and pleasant, the snow like divine ice-cream under our skis. 

We kept up our strength with hot chocolate...

...German käsespätzle...  

and Austrian Kaiserschmarren.  

The sunset on Saturday night was a stunning whirl of golds and greys and whites, reflecting off the pristine snow.

But what I liked even better was Sunday morning; a wall of mist below us, the sun rising above, and the sky a perfect shade of blue. 

Standing at the head of a ski trail with the sun shining on my face and my country spread out below me, I felt like I was on top of the world. 

Current Event März

It seems crazy to think that one year ago, I was sitting in my house in the US, looking forward to going to Germany and scouring the Internet to find an event worth writing about in my 'blog' which was basically a series of news articles.
A year has not only gone by for me, but for Joachim Gauck, Germany's president who took office last March. Examining Gauck's progress so far, he seems to be using his limited power as president to its full advantage. In a recent speech Gauck discussed frankly his views on the eurozone debt crisis, globalization and its consequences, and the European identity. While acknowledging the issues and doubts brought on by the crisis, Gauck called for European unity and a 'renaissance of European values.' Gauck's past as a pastor has also instilled in him a respect for the people; he frequently interacts with them both in speeches and in other functions, inviting many citizens to events such as the reception in Bellevue Palace.
Gauck is savvy with the press, shying away from blanket statements on controversial issues, but nonetheless unafraid to demand better explanations or more work in a particular problem.
According to recent surveys, three out of four people are currently satisfied with Gauck's work, with only 10 percent being specifically critical of Germany's president. Gauck's efforts have been solid and consistent, a sturdy, if not entirely extraordinary, rock in Germany's government and policies.
 http://www.dw.de/how-has-germanys-president-fared-one-year-in/a-16678907

Current Event Februar

Food scandals in Europe have been plentiful this past month, with the latest receiving a lot of press and involving horse meat that has made its way into German kitchens, not to mention the food court at IKEA. At the moment, the EU is not aware of the perpetrators of the scandal, but is leading an investigation and in discussions regarding the regulations of mass meat production.
Some experts have remarked on the discrepancies and un-clearness of food labelling in Germany, while others are more interested in the motivation behind the mixing or substituting of meat. The addition or mixing of horse meat to beef cuts costs perceptibly. Another issue surrounding the scandal is the fact that the meat has not been traced to a region of Europe. Some are hoping the meat is from the East because horses there are possibly being raised for meat, whereas in Western Europe the probability of meat coming from domestic riding horses means an increase in the probability that the horses have been treated with drugs not intended to be present in meat for human consumption.
The disgust and outrage at the horse meat scandal stems not only from the fraud and potential health concerns, but also from the simple truth that most Europeans do not view horse meat as fit for human consumption, as horses are primarily kept as domestic pleasure or work creatures in Europe.
Luckily for small and medium sized butchers, the scandal has generally caused fury at larger meat supply companies, and in some cases means that neighborhood butchers are actually seeing an increase in business.

http://www.dw.de/european-horse-meat-scandal-gallops-on/a-16595118