Ringing in the New Year German Style, Location: Faaborg, Denmark

Yes my title might sound a bit contradictory - celebrating like a German without being in Germany, however, the Danish coast is a popular destination for German's to spend a holiday. In order to get the authentic experience of a German New Years I thought I should celebrate with some Germans - and Denmark happened to be the location of choice. I was invited to spend a few days in a rented house on the coast (pictured) with my friend Maya, her boyfriend Thorsten, and 11 other Germans (either friends of Thorsten's or friends of friends).
We departed from Braunschweig, Germany on the Saturday before New Years. Two red VW vans, one car, 14 people, and loads of luggage, and food set off for a 5 hour drive (including 1 hour on a ferry) to Faaborg, Denmark. Maya, Thorsten, Thorsten's friend Maike and I were in the car. The time passed quickly - all of us chatting (in German), singing along to music, and car dancing. We arrived in Faaborg, picked up the key to our lovely little house (pictured below), unloaded the cars, and then Maya, Thorsten and I set about making dinner.
One of Thorsten's friends - Henning - is a master organizer/planner and he had planned everything from the traveling to the cost to the shopping list. One of his ingenious ideas was to break us into cooking groups and each group be responsible for one night of cooking. The first night ended up being my groups turn - which worked out well as we made pizza (only with Fladenbrot, a Turkish flat bread so as not to have to mess with pizza dough).
After dinner we all sat around chatting and playing games. This was in fact how we spent most of our time in Denmark; eating, chatting, playing games, a little bit of tv watching, and during the day in order to enjoy the sunshine and the warmish weather we walked along the beach, and hit some golf balls. Overall it was very relaxing and a good way for me to improve my German language skills - total immersion.
In terms of the games we played, there were the typical card games like speed, Egyptian rat screw, BS, and poker. Then we played some German favorites like set (where you compete against people to make sets of cards based on rules), phase 10 which is sort of like Rummy only the requirements change each round, Cranium (which exists in the U.S. - this was incredibly difficult for me though. Difficult in English as it is advanced vocabulary and imitating celebrities, etc. but in German I'm afraid I was no help at all to my team), and then my personal favorite: Werewolf. I have found an explanation of the game at this website: http://www.eblong.com/zarf/werewolf.html and feel that it is a better explanation than my own would be.

So since the activities were mostly the same for the 3 days I was there, I feel that I can move on and describe our wonderful New Years celebration. Our celebration was traditionally German. The night before New Years we gathered around the Feuerzangbowle (pictured above). The Feuerzangbowle is basically a bowl of Gluehwein but then a metal tray is placed across the bowl and a solid cone of sugar is laid atop the metal tray, doused in rum, and then lit on fire. The fiery sugar melts and deposits itself in the bowl of Gluehwein - delicious! Most Germans celebrate the holiday with Feuerzangbowle and there is actually even a famous movie that is called "The Feuerzangbowle".

On New Years eve we had Raclette (pictured directly above) for dinner. For Raclette everyone gathers around grill objects and gets their own personal pan. Chopped vegetables, cold cuts, eggs, cheese, and whatever else one desires is all laid on the table and everyone then goes about creating their own little pans of food that are then cooked on the grill and eaten. It was a truly delicious item - but as with so many other holiday dishes it did encourage overeating. For dessert we had chocolate fondue. It seemed to compliment the Raclette well - both items containing primarily chopped produce that one makes less healthy by adding cheese (to the veggies) or chocolate (to the fruit).

After gorging ourselves - we settled around the TV to watch a British film (that is apparently loved in Germany on New Years - or Sylvester which is the German word). It is called "Dinner for One" and it lasts about 15 minutes. The movie is about a 90 year old woman who is celebrating her birthday. All of her friends have been deceased for at least 20 years, and so her butler assumes the role of all her friends for this special birthday dinner. Of course that means that he needs to drink for all 4 friends and offer a toast each time a new drink is poured. What follows is that the butler then becomes incredibly intoxicated and does some silly things like continuously trip over a rug, etc. It was entertaining to say the least.

When "Dinner for One" was over it was nearly midnight. We all headed outside to countdown the New Year. After counting down we popped open some champagne, lit sparklers, and wished each other a Happy New Year. Then we went down to the beach and lit off more fireworks. The entire night sky in Denmark was lit up with fireworks . It seemed that nearly every person in this small town was lighting off fireworks in celebration.

Once the fireworks were finished we headed back inside. There we participated in Bleigiessen (The tradition of melting lead over a candle and then dumping it quickly into cold water. The resulting object is supposed to be a "fortune" for the upcoming year) and my object looked like nothing that could be described - who knows what that means in terms of my next year. Once the Bleigiessen was finished we turned our attention back to playing games - all good fun.

Overall it was a New Years to remember. Now of course I am in need of returning to a normal healthy normal diet.

Happy 2008 everyone!

The End of Christmas Market Magic

Once again it has been awhile since my last blog posting. With all the time I have on my hands one would think that I would be better about posting, but alas I seem to constantly be procrastinating when I have so much time.
The Christmas Market season is now behind me - taking with it all the festive lights, craft/food booths, and cheery decorations that made the winter season a little less bleak here in Duisburg (and elsewhere). Gone are the days when one could stroll downtown and warm up in the middle of the afternoon with a piping hot mug of Gluehwein (sort of like mulled wine - a favorite here. I am posting a recipe below so that you may try if you wish) and some other tasty treat. There are of course other beverage options at Christmas markets but some of them I recommend steering clear of. For example Eierlikor or Eierpunsch (Egg liquor or Egg punch) cause you to think of egg nog, however, it is quite disgusting in that it tastes quite literally like eggs mixed with vodka or some other type of alcohol. If you are ever in Germany I recommend staying away from the Eierlikor and instead trying the Gluehwein (Glow wine is the literal translation).
During Christmas market season I did have the chance to explore many different culinary treats - both from Germany and abroad. Of course there were the classics that I have already tried like curry wurst (sausage cut into slices and doused in a curry ketchup sauce), Dutch style french fries (served in a paper cone with your choice of sauce), fish and chips (although not deep fried fish like one would expect - a twist on an old classic), and then various assortments of Chinese cuisine. One spectacular treat that I was introduced to was the Peruvian Stuffed Potato. It was found at the Essen (great name for a city with good food considering the word "essen" means food/eat in German) Christmas market and was absolutely amazing. I have since searched the web in order to find a recipe that roughly equates so that those interested (and I myself) may eat them whenever the mood strikes. Here is the recipe:

The recipe for Peruvian Stuffed Potatoes (Papa Rellena)

1/2 pound of hot, cooked, mashed potatoes
1/4 pound of ground beef (or other meat/filling item - at the market they had a mixture of rice, corn, cheese, and ham)
2 diced onions (small cubes about .5 cm thick)
Minced Garlic
Hard boiled eggs - as many as you would like to add to the filling (optional)

Knead potatoes until there are no lumps. Add salt (it didn't specify how much so I'm guessing just a bit to taste).

Heat oil and sautee garlic and onion. Control the heat and add meat (or other filling item). You can also add raisins and/or sliced olives to taste. When meat is cooked remove from heat. Allow the filling to cool.

Divide potatoes into servings (a good sized ball) and flatten with your hands. The potato patty should be about 1/4 inch thick. Potato should be cool. Place filling and optional sliced hard boiled egg into the potato patty. Roll the potato closed and pinch on the ends (I would say make it close to a runza/potato shape). Roll the "potato" in flour. Dip in a beaten egg. Fry the potato in abundant hot oil (my guess is that a fry daddy type item would work the best). When golden brown remove from oil with a slotted turner and place on a paper towel.

Top with a tomato sauce or lemon juice, a drizzle of oil, salt and diced parsley.

Gluehwein (there are of course other variations - feel free to experiment on your own)
1 bottle of dry red wine
1 lemon
1 orange
Cinammon Sticks (2-3)
Whole cloves (a tbsp.)
3 tbsp. of sugar
Cardamom or Ginger (optional and only use in small quantities to taste)

Heat the red wine in a pot (don't boil). Cut the lemon and orange into slices, squeeze slightly over the pot and then add the entirety to the wine. Add the cinnamon, cloves, sugar and a little cardamom (to taste). Heat everything on low and let stand for an hour (or a little longer). DO NOT BOIL!! Before serving strain out the fruit slices and spices and serve in mugs.



These items may have been served at Christmas markets, however, I believe that they go well with any winter day. A little warmth to brighten up the long dark nights. Cheers - or should I say Prost!

Pilgrimage to Wittenberg

Last weekend I made a pilgrimage with my friend Trevor and another Fulbright teaching assistant, Tim, to Wittenberg - the city where the Lutheran religion (and protestantism in general) began. I use the term pilgrimage in a very light sense of the word as we rode for 6.5 hours comfortably on a train and also as I am not a religious fanatic. Wittenberg is a picturesque little city and if it wasn't so far away from where I live it would have likely made a better day trip than a complete weekend. We arrived Friday night at dinner time and immediately set out to find our hostel.
Our hostel was located right next to the Schlosskirche (where Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses) and it ended up being one of the nicest hostels that I had ever stayed in. The building was new, the rooms and furniture were all clean and nice, the mattresses, pillows, and comforters were all plush and comfortable, and the breakfast that was included every morning was a wonderful German breakfast spread.
After depositing our items in our hostel room (which we had to ourselves), we headed out in search of some dinner. We ended up at a restaurant called the Kartoffelhaus (Potato House). Every single item on the menu contained potatoes. I guess that isn't really surprising when you eat at a restaurant that is called the "Potato House". I ended up having the potato lasagna, in which potatoes took the place of noodles. It was delicious but I definitely filled my potato eating quota for the next month.
On Saturday morning we set out to explore the city. Our first stop was of course the Schlosskirche (pictured at left). As noted above, the Schlosskirche was where Luther posted the 95 Theses. The original doors were destroyed during an onslaught by the French in the 7 Years War in 1760. In 1858 the doors were replaced with Bronze Doors that bear the latin inscription of all the 95 Theses as well as a picture of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchton (pictured right Tim and I trying unsuccessfully to act out the picture on the top of the doors - unsuccessful because it was pouring rain). Inside, the church bears little resemblance to its original form (due to the destruction), however, there lie the tombs of both Luther and Melanchton.
After exploring both the interior and exterior of the Schlosskirche we headed to the Stadtkirche, which is the church where Luther actually conducted the first sermons in German instead of in Latin. The Stadtkirche was also altered due to destruction by the 30 Years War. In fact the two towers on the top (the Stadtkirche is pictured on the top left) had been removed in order to provide a platform for canons during the fighting. The towers that were built to replace the originals do not bear any resemblance to the originals and they seem unfitting with the architectural style. Inside the church, many of the original artwork has been preserved. This artwork includes a famous double-sided triptych painted by Lucas Cranach the Younger (a famous medieval artist who also lived in Wittenberg) as well as numerous other religious paintings. It was interesting to note the differences in various paintings representations of religious scenes from both before and after the beginning of the reformation.
After viewing two churches it was time to view something a little more modern and secular, so we headed to the Hundertwasser Schule (a school designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser). The school was built in 1999, one year before Hundertwasser's death (it is pictured at right). Considering that Wittenberg lay in the former East Germany, it would have been unrealistic for something so creative and unusual to have been built before German reunification. It is interesting how Hundertwasser incorporated elements of nature along with his creative designs and use of color. You will note how there is a tree planted above the entrance to the school (and there were many other trees sticking out of other parts of the building).
On our walk back into the downtown area from the Hundertwasser Schule, we realized just how serious Wittenberg takes its tradition of Lutheranism (or perhaps a better explanation would be just how much they cater to tourists). We noted that even the pedestrian signals were little versions of Luther. They are pictured at right and you will note that the green is Luther carrying the Theses and the red is Luther with his arms spread out in a "stopping" fashion. The rest of the day we spent by watching a German kids movie at the cinema, eating dinner, exploring the Christmas Market, and playing some cards.
Sunday morning we decided to attend a church service. At first we had trouble deciding whether or not we should attend church where the Theses were posted or where Luther preached but due to our morning lollygagging we ended up at the Schlosskirche since it was right next door. It was definitely a cool experience to attend church where Luther was buried and I must say that the pastor was one of the best orators I have heard in a church setting. After the church service we headed to the Lutherhaus which is a museum that has been created from Luther's old living quarters. The Lutherhaus was probably one of my favorite parts of Wittenberg as it was very informative and it contained artifacts from Luther's life as well as artifacts from the time period. Wandering through Luther's life and teachings really caused me to think about how the world would be different if Luther had never been born. He not only championed reforms within the religion of Christianity but was fundamental in bringing education to everyone (including women) and in making the church a charitable organization that created social programs to better society. Without Luther our lives today would be much, much different. I encourage you to visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther. Although it is not as comprehensive as the museum was it does provide some insight into the contributions that Luther made to society. Granted, not all of his beliefs were positive - he was anti-Muslim and also anti-Semitic and he also made statements about women's place being in the home - all of which I do not agree with. But I think it is important to remember the time period in which he lived, overall he did make many contributions despite some of his beliefs that we today would find to be flawed.
Finally I wish to leave you with some Luther quotes that I enjoy. Some are funny and others are inspirational (for me anyway).

"Even if I knew tomorrow that the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree today."

"Men should praise women, even if it is undeserved."

"Whoever drinks a lot of beer, sleeps well. Whoever sleeps well, doesn't sin. Whoever doesn't sin, goes to heaven." - and the addition that I also liked but is not from Luther - "But in heaven there is no beer, therefore we must drink it here."

"Justice is a temporary thing that must come to an end; but the conscience is eternal and will never die."

"Peace if possible, truth at all costs."

"Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace."

"War is the greatest plague that can effect humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys families. Any scourge is preferable to it."

"Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god."

"When schools flourish, all flourishes."

"You are not only responsible for what you do say, but also for what you do not say."

"A wicked tyrant is better than a wicked war."

"The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment and character."

The Quest for the "Gift of the Gab": My Thanksgiving Weekend Trip to Ireland

Cork, Ireland is where one of my good friend Kait and her husband Markus are currently living. Kait and her boss (who owns a coffee shop and is also an American) were planning a large Thanksgiving extravaganza and so Kait invited me over to Ireland for a long weekend. I left early on Thursday morning from Duesseldorf and flew first into Dublin. In Dublin I was required to switch airlines (because Aer Lingus does not fly to Cork from Dublin and Ryan Air does not fly to Duesseldorf) and so I had to exit through pass control. The Non-EU passport control line was ridiculously long and they only had 2 windows open and for about 20 minutes the pass control people were dealing with the same foreigners. As I nervously waited, worrying that I wouldn't be through pass control in time to check in for my next flight, I watched as numerous EU citizens would come in waves and breeze through pass control. Finally after about 40 minutes of waiting I had a little Irish luck and they opened up so additional lines and I was able to make it in time to check in for my flight.
At the Cork airport I was picked up by my friend Kait and her boss Ella. We then spent the afternoon frantically running around in order to procure the final ingredients for the Thanksgiving feast which, I learned, would be for 30 people (a combination of Americans and Irishmen). Once the errands were finished, Ella took us back to her house where we met up with Julie (another friend whom I had studied abroad with in Salzburg). This is where the frantic cooking began. The turkeys were already cooked as they had been put in early that morning, but cooking for 30 people requires a great amount of work. Amazingly Kait, Julie, and I (Ella didn't do any of the cooking but instead spent the time "staging" and creating atmosphere) pulled it off and were ready to serve by eight o'clock. Of course Ella was still not finished with her staging as a guest had arrived who does professional lighting for parties and such. We ended up not eating until 11 p.m. (probably about the same time that most of you in the U.S. were sitting down for dinner). The atmosphere was quite impressive - complete with about 5 disco balls and numerous colored lights. It was not exactly what I would expect for Thanksgiving but it turned out to be quite enjoyable and we received many compliments on the food.
The next morning, after some peaceful sleep, Kait, Julie, and I began to clean up from the chaos of the night before. It actually didn't end up being too terrible. Then Ella drove us from her house (pictured in the top left corner and top center) in the country back to town to Kaits house.
On Saturday morning I ventured off on my own so that I could actually see some of Cork and not just the inside of people's houses. Kait had already seen all the tourist attractions and so she opted not to join in as they also cost a bit of money. Cork is not a particularly large town, however, it is incredibly easy to get lost as the streets are poorly marked. I was always heading in the right general direction but would often overshoot a turn that I was supposed to make. Downtown Cork is a cute little city. I explored the glorious Penneys which is an inexpensive department store. After some shopping at Penneys, I meandered throught the English Market (pictured at right) which is sort of a permanent farmers market that is all enclosed.
After wandering through the town I began to head towards the City Gaol (Jail), however, once again I became lost. This time I ended up on a lovely little nature walk along the river Lee. I enjoyed the serene nature setting for awhile and then headed back the direction I had come in order to climb the hill and end up at the jail. Finally I reached the jail, which turned out to be interesting and informative. The two ladies that worked there (that day anyway) were very friendly and they gave me a new bag to put my shopping purchases in, as mine had ripped on the journey. The old jail chronicled the history of both the general prisoners and those who were imprisoned due to political affiliation. One quote on the audio tour that I found to be especially representative was, "The only real crime many of these people committed was the crime of being born poor." The jail seems to have been a revolving door (as it is now in the U.S.) and often times people were continuously being relocked up. Once a person had served time in the jail it was almost impossible for them to find employment and so they were destined to lives of beggary and thievery. The jail is also supposedly haunted - one passageway in particular depicts an optical illusion that is "ghost-like". Kait informed me, however, that people in Cork really do believe the jail to be haunted, even though the "ghost-like" figure is clearly fraudulent.
Kait and Julie ended up having to work that night so I ended up hanging out with Markus and Pa (short for Patrick), who was a friend of Kait and Markus. Pa is a typical Irish character who liked to drink and have good crack (Irish for good conversation and fun). He nicknamed me "Blondie Bear" partially because of my hair color and partially because he has a horrible memory and could not remember my name. After having a couple beers with Markus and Pa we met up with their friend Nora, who was also incredibly nice and fun to hang out with. We first headed to Lennox's to have some famous chips and cheese and garlic. The Chips and Cheese and Garlic were deliciously greasy and satisfying - I have never had anything quite like it before in my life as normal fries and cheese really do not compare. Then we headed to Nancy Spains for a pint and to meet up with Kait and Julie.
Sunday morning, Markus cooked us scrumptious omelettes. After savoring every bite, I headed off to the bus station in order to head to the Blarney castle. The Blarney castle (pictured at left) once belonged to Cormack McCarthy and it is also the site of the Blarney stone which is supposed to bestow upon those who kiss it the "gift of the gab". Although I am not usually hurting for words, I decided to kiss the stone in order to ensure eloquence - I also hope that perhaps some of my eloquence would transfer over to my German language abilities.
The castle grounds were beautiful and serene. It provided for a relaxing afternoon filled with Irish lore. On the grounds there is a witches stone (pictured at right) in which a witch is believed to be trapped until nightfall. The witch has a kitchen and there are steps that lead down to a river that are said to be wishing steps. As repayment for using wood for her fire the witch must grant the wishes of anyone who walks up and down the steps with their eyes closed (of course I participated in the activity).
On Monday morning I ate a traditional breakfast roll (a baguette with scrambled eggs, a few types of sausage, cheese, butter, and brown sauce - basically a delicious heart attack waiting to happen), said my goodbyes, and headed to the airport. My first flight was just to Dublin and this time I had a 6 hour layover. Not wanting to spend the whole time in the airport, I caught the bus into town. In Dublin I walked along Henry Street (which is the main shopping district), Temple Bar (a funky pub ditrict), and strolled through Trinity College. Due to the short amount of time I was really only able to whet my appetite for returning to Dublin and not able to really explore properly. All in all Ireland was a wonderful trip and I will definitely be returning for more exploration.

Frankfurt (sadly without pictures)

Disclaimer: As noted above, I do not have any Frankfurt pictures because my camera batteries died the moment that I arrived and I did not have time to procure replacements. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to return to Frankfurt and then I can share some photos.

This weekend I traveled by slow train (because I am not lacking for time and it is much cheaper than the fast trains) to Frankfurt in order to attend the German Fulbright Alumni Association's Welcome Meeting. This meeting was a good opportunity to meet Germans who had received a Fulbright to study in the U.S. and an opportunity to meet up with some of the people I had met during my first week in Goettingen. Surprisingly there were not many of us from the American delegation to Germany at this meeting, primarily those individuals who I have kept in contact with.
The weekend kicked off with a "meet and greet" which ended up not being the sort of mingling that you would expect from an American meet and greet but rather our group of Americans sitting together at a table and then the Germans all sitting at their own tables. Despite the lack of mixing it was quite fun. Those of us from the American delegation were able to reunite, share stories, and bond over shared experiences.
Saturday began with some welcome speeches. We heard a speech from a U.S. Consulate officer, the Frankfurt mayor's office, and a famous German journalist. The journalist (unfortunately I did not have his name written down anywhere) was the keynote speaker and he gave a talk on the transformation of Europe and specifically the changes within the EU. This particular journalist was a prominent German figurehead as he had been on the Tagesschau (I would compare it to the national nightly news) and had been a foreign correspondent in France. I would probably liken him to Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather. His talk was interesting and information and he was able to give first hand accounts for many things as he had met and interviewed important figureheads like Charles De Gaulle.
After the keynote address we had some lunch and mingled a little (more so than at the "meet and greet") before heading to workshops. We were allowed to choose which workshop we wanted to attend. I had originally chosen to go to the "How to Survive Germany" workshop - thinking that there would be some amazing new information from a German perspective. Sadly the workshop was run by an American Fulbright Teaching Assistant. In a way it was nice to commiserate and share stories, however, in retrospect I wish that I had attended the "Global Challenges" workshop.
On Saturday evening we attended a dinner party at the zoo - well the building was at the zoo but we did not actually get to see any animals from where we were. This was where the true mingling began. There was a delicious buffet and flowing beer, wine, and champagne. For the first part of the evening everybody sat at tables enjoying their dinner and then later the dancing began. The evening celebration can probably be equated with a wedding reception. Of course there was no bride and groom and all of the traditions that come with the pair but the dinner and dancing was much like what you would find at a wedding reception. We ended up dancing the night away and were out until the subway resumed operation at 4:15 a.m.
Sunday commenced with a lazy brunch. After the delicious brunch we had the option of attending a city-tour, which I was looking forward to as I had not had the opportunity to explore much of Frankfurt. The tour turned out to be a disappointment, however. Our tour guide was a little old man who walked extremely slow and so we were not able to see a lot of the city and it was surprisingly exhausting to have to walk that slowly.
Overall the weekend was excellent and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to gather with people from the organization.

Marburg - Fairy Tale Land (Literally)

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend a relaxing weekend visiting one of my oldest friend's, Maya. Coincidentally, Maya is studying abroad in Marburg, Germany this semester. Marburg is about 4 hours (by slow aka. cheap train).
The city of Marburg is a picturesque University City complete with a castle that sits atop a small mountain. One immediately gets the feeling that they are in the setting for a fairy tale as the styles of buildings and the castle itself create an atmosphere of make believe. The Brothers Grimm actually lived in Marburg and much of their inspiration for various tales is drawn from the surrounding area.
Aside from visiting the castle and just walking around and taking in the atmosphere, I did not partake in many other "tourist activities". Apparently there is a fairy tale road, the tower where Rapunzel let down her hair, and other sights, however, I mostly just enjoyed being in the city and spending time with my friend.
Every day Maya gets together with a group of American students and they make dinner together. This gathering proved to be a lot of fun and I was able to learn how to make sushi -which is something that I have wanted to learn how to do for quite some time.
Karaoke (which is one of my favorite activities in the States) was on the agenda for one of my nights in Marburg. Interestingly enough, Karaoke songs are mostly in English. I don't know why this surprised me since the majority of the popular music here is American, however, I guess I was expecting people to be more interested in singing German music even if they do not necessarily listen to it. The whole karaoke atmosphere was different than my experiences with Karaoke in the States. Everybody was sitting at tables just listening to the singers - in the U.S. it has been my experience that people are usually dancing and singing along. The DJ got a kick out of the fact that we were Americans who understood German and so he continuously decided to use us as a theme for the evening.
In addition to Karaoke, I attended a German University party, ate at a traditional German restaurant, and did some shopping. All in all it was a fun and relaxing weekend.

Rally for Human Rights in China

"Ohne Menschenrecht, kein Olympischen Spiel" (German for "Without Human Rights, No Olympics in China"). This was the rally/protest that I visited in Duesseldorf last weekend (October 27). The campaign is a worldwide campaign and I believe that it deserves some attention on my blog even though it is not strictly a German/European experience. You can read more at http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/08/02/china16560.htm or http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-9-1/59285.html or http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/no-human-rights-no-olympic-games-in-china-speech-by-david-matas/ . The Chinese government has been using the Olympic games as an excuse to persecute protesters and those who defend Human Rights in China. They are using the games as an excuse to imprison practitioners of the Falun Gong religion. Prisoners are then required to work from 5 a.m. until midnight in sweat shop conditions. They are fed little and are only allowed 2-3 trips to the bathroom a day. A modern day work/concentration camp is a good way to describe the conditions. Doctors are also removing organs from the prisoners in order to sell them on the black market to people who need new organs....the stories of camp survivors are truly horrifying and the whole operation runs contrary to what the Olympic spirit is all about. The protest is not against the athletes, the games, or the Chinese people themselves, rather it is requesting that people stand up to the Chinese government and stop turning a blind eye to this atrocious human rights abuse.
As part of both my concern for Human Rights and my hope to be involved in International Human Rights law in the future this is a cause that I care deeply about.