Was ist los?

What's up? Continuing the trend of poor German titles. Here's what I've been up to in the past few days:

Thursday we went to the Volkswagen Glaeserne Manufaktur here in Dresden. It’s not really a factory per se—although I couldn’t really discern from the tour what the heck it is. The website confirms that they prepare the Phaeton there, which I don't think is sold in the U.S.??? It’s quite a spiffy place, complete with this huge ball-shaped structure in which you can watch this very motivational VW promotional video. There also is a simulation—you pretend-drive a real Phaeton in virtual reality. Another American and I went together and we couldn’t figure out what was going on, so he ended up getting on this track where we went around in circles at 240 KPH for a while. I should have thought about my motion sickness before participating . . . nonetheless, it was a pretty entertaining place, although the only-in-German tour left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Here's the Phaeton and our tour guide:

This car is amazing--there are massagers in the driver's seat and the doors close automatically if you don't shut them right, which my dad really needs . . .

Friday afternoon I went to a workshop called “Alltag in der DDR”: Everyday life in the DDR. It was really interesting, and perhaps the most fascinating tidbit was that people in the DDR normally had to wait about 15 years to get a car, even the really ugly Trabant. I couldn’t believe it . . . wait, I actually can, thanks to socialism! The lecture was so good because the presenter had documented his life under socialism so well. He spent a few minutes explaining how he is an atheist but how he has total respect for everyone who believes in something. This is the same man who in his opening speech to the participants said he had just one word for Angela Merkl—“Respekt”—and who also told me how much he hated George Bush. I am increasingly amused by and appreciative of his candor, however much I disagree with him. His perspective of the DDR confirmed a lot of what I had thought the DDR was like—especially not having many “luxus” items.

Saturday the majority of the group went to Prague, but because most participants needed to get a visa to go there, they also offered an opportunity to go to Bautzen, which is close to the border with the Czech Republic. I chose to go to Bautzen because I was in Prague just about one year ago today, and we would only have a day there. Bautzen was another idyllic town, and I think the weather was just about the most gorgeous weather I have experienced in a few years. Bautzen was once occupied by the Sorbs, whose language is similar to Polish and Czech, and thus all the signs are in German and Sorbish:

They actually offered a tour in English, and I jumped at the chance to finally understand completely what was going on! Only a few of us chose to do the English tour, though, so it made for an intimate group and a great experience. The most fascinating thing in Bautzen is the church, because they couldn’t afford to have two churches, so they just split their one big church in half. Literally. One half is for the Protestants, and they have their own pews and altar, and the other half is for the Catholics. Pretty unbelievable! The tour was over two hours long and was jam-filled with information, and afterwards we climbed to the top of the tower:

My Russian roommate and me

Then we wandered around the city, eating wild apples and walking along the Spree River. It was also a nice opportunity to chat with one of the tutors, who is an active Christian and a member of the SMD (like Germany’s InterVarsity). It was refreshing, because I haven’t had the opportunity to talk about religion or faith much here, and because we’re always gone all Sunday, I haven’t been able to go to church.

Sunday we went to Mortizburg, which is the location of August der Staerke’s Schloss for his male friends. He hunted a lot there, and so there are antlers all over the palace. We didn’t have any official tour there, so we just wandered the grounds:

3 Russians, an American guy, a Polish girl, my Turkish roommate, and me behind the Schloss

We also enjoyed some sausage (big surprise!) and then headed over to a Schlosschen (little Schloss) and lighthouse (on a lake, for some odd and completely unnecessary reason):

A Syrian guy, me, and a guy from Oman at the lighthouse

I enjoyed getting to spend time with people I hadn’t gotten to know too well, and the weather was also gorgeous. We were really blessed this weekend!

Today in class we watched a movie called Kombat Sechzehn, which about a guy who joins the NPD--basically the Neo-Nazis. It was chilling. The extreme right has a real presence in Saxony, with about 10 percent of the population voting for the NPD. Mainly it's because of the high level of unemployment in the state (somewhere around 20 percent!!!). I haven't seen any hanging around here, but their presence is felt. Today there was a lecture on Rechtsextremismus in Saxony and I heard a lot about Nazi strategies, tactics, selling points, etc. This is a growing concern in Germany, and I've enjoyed getting to hear about it, because the subject is obviously sore and definitely somewhat taboo. For example, yesterday someone was taking about political signs, like the peace sign, and he used the word "Heil." Someone also had used the word "Fuehrer," and those don't really go over well here, for obvious reasons. The lecturer explained to us that it is impossible today to boast about being German since it smacks of extreme-right propaganda. The 2006 World Cup provided a welcome opportunity to wave German flags in the street that was completely disassociated from the Neo-Nazis. The reality is sad, and I hope that the Germans can create the right political, social, and economic environment to solve the Nazi problem. I of course don't know what the solution is, but many people have suggested--unsurprisingly--that the intact family is crucial for combating it. Hmm, I think that would solve a lot of the world's problems . . .

My time here is winding down. I leave for Cologne on Friday and will spend three days there and maybe in nearby cities before my orientation begins on Monday. I will be alone, which up until this point I hadn't thought much about, and now I realize how much it's going to stink to be sightseeing by myself for three days. But the excitement of going to orientation and getting the show on the road trumps having to be alone for a few days. I can't wait for this all to begin!

I'm going to take some time now to write another post more on what's being happening here outside of the activities and excursions. Bis bald!