3/26 Frankfurt and Final Reflections

Last night when we arrived, we did a city walking tour to get acquainted with the major locations. We saw many of the famous spots of the city. It was rainy but we were all impressed with all we saw. This city is much different from each place we’ve already been. The city is a modern urban city. We are surrounded by skyscrapers and cars. Today we walked to Deutche Bank headquarters where they gave us a lecture about their history and the structure of their bank. We had a bit of free time before we headed to our final destination the ancient Roman ruins outside the city. Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us great information. I took a lot of pictures, but will show you individually. The things was it was freezing and raining and we walked in the muddy water. I was so cold because we were dressed nice for our last dinner party. I loved the dinner party because we ate at another family home. The home was warm and friend and I so enjoyed the conversation of our hosts. They were at the Berlin Wall when it crumbled and told us about living in a divided Germany as well as what it was like to live in Germany during re-unification and currently. Their children helped serve the meal and they were so darling. I would love to have such a lovely family like that someday.

Today is my last day here in Germany. Tomorrow I travel all day until I am home around 10:30 p.m. Words can not express how much I’ve learned from this experience. The schedule was extremely demanding and when I didn’t think I could mentally listen any longer, another fantastic speaker captured my interest. We’ve been bless by a fantastic line up of presenters and we have been treated like VIPs each second of the trip. Our group leader Jurgen has been great. He guided us to all of our meetings each day. He was always there to answer my endless questions, give advice and keep us on time to each meeting down to the minute. Jurgen you’re been wonderful to know and I know I can say with certainty, we won’t forget you. I’m also thankful to the Atlantik-Brucke organization for sponsoring a partnership like this. They created a fantastic program for teachers to understand modern Germany. My impression of Germany can be summarized by using the words Transparent and Open. I was very surprised by the overwhelming reflection Germany has done as a country in telling their history and their current place in the world. Each place we visited, I saw a harmonious blend of old history, remembrance of the dark period, and a very clear focus and direction to the future. The openness was very welcoming, I feel by doing this it makes visitors understand their point of view as a country and to really understand where they have been and where they are going. I feel I am more knowledgeable about the Cold War period, Re- Unification and how citizens and the government view their role in society, economy and foreign relations. I’m coming home with a new perspective and approach to many topics in my curriculum and will remember how friendly and kind the German people have been to me.

Thank you to everyone who read my blog. You’ll have to forgive the grammar and other errors. After our 13+ hour days, I wrote very informally and did not spend time proof reading. I hope I was able to transmit some of my learning to you in a positive way.

Finally, I’d like to thank all the teachers on the trip Christy, Russ, Angelica, Amanda, Jeff, Anthony, Namrata, Andy, Stacy, Debbie and Cindy from the Department of Education. It was wonderful meeting such an amazing group of professionals. You are all intelligent, asked thought provoking questions and kept the dialogue constantly alive. I’m inspired by each of you. I look forward to keeping in touch and sharing curriculum. I’ll always remember our experience fondly.

Tomorrow I leave Frankfurt at 11:05 a.m. and travel to New Jersey then on to California. I’ll be home soon and can’t wait to see everyone!

Thursday March 25

Today was our last day in Freiberg. We visited another school. This school is 500 years old. They have been in this building since 1875. They have over 1000 students and 100 teachers. We spoke to groups of students and met an American teacher who is on a Fulbright scholarship to live and work in East Germany. The most interesting part of the school was the science labs. They had automatic electric lab units that dropped down in front of the lab tables at the press of a button. Each science classroom also has a green light outside that blinks when the students are performing a science project. The purpose is to identify which rooms are being used in case of fire.

Then we went to the city castle that has experienced several periods of change. It was finally restored to the current situation when the owner of the Wella Hairspray company donated her private collection of gems and minerals the city. This propelled the government and city to prepare the castle to be used as a museum to house the minerals.

This the Volkswagon of the GDR was called Trabant also known as “Trabi” or “Renn Pappe (racing cardboard)” because the car is not made out metal like most cars, but out of some type of plastic. These cars were made in the Cold War period. When each person was born, the parents had to apply for a car for the child because waiting time to pick up the car was about 14 years. It took so long because of lack of materials. Therefore, on the used market the car was available, but it cost about 22,000 East Mark (Money of the GDR). New cost about 10,000 East Mark. Monthly income was between 600- 1400 East Mark for a normal worker up to high sophisticated engineers. The Wartburg was another car of the GDR. It had four doors for a more comfortable car for a family with children. Our tour guide Jurgen told us about a time when he picked up his Eastern Cousin who visited the west and was used to the East German cars. He said to him about the Western German cars “These western cars are bad. They are so suspenged.” This means that his Trabi back home was very bumpy and was not used to the tight suspension. Today in Germany they are used for advertising to be used as an eye catcher. They are collectables.

Now we’re on our way to Frankfurt by air. This is our last location before we fly home on Friday.

March 24 Bautzen "Winter Wonderland"

Yesterday was a cold and rainy day, but I woke up this morning to find it snowing! This was a picture from my windown this morning. It’s so beautiful! I love the snow. We traveled to Bautzen by bus for about an 1.5 hours. We drove past many small villages, forests, and wide open spaces on the bus. The view was even prettier for me today because the charm was enhanced by the layers of white powdered snow and the giant falling snow flakes. As we came close to our destination, the weather improved however the day was a constant back and forth between rain, clear skies and falling snow. I loved it!

Bautzen is a small Eastern German village town of about 50,000 people and is only 15 miles away from the Czech Republic border. This city is an interesting city because of its constantly changing leadership history. It was controlled by many neighboring kingdoms such as Bohemia, Poland, and Brandenberg (W. Germany), until finally the Saxon king helped Bohemia in the 30 years war (conflict between Christians and Catholics). It was in 1632 when the Bohemian king could not pay his war loans to Saxony, that he gave Bautzen to the Saxon kingdom. The city looks an old medieval city. Its ancient structures and the fortified wall that protected it from outside invaders eaisly transported me to the middle ages. One of the interesting churches here was the inter-denomination church. The 30 years war (conflict between Christians and Catholics after the reformation) spread and caused great chaos and destruction throughout Germany and Europe. This church represents the unity between the Cathoics and Christians and is still an important church for Germany today. Also Christmas markets started here and then spread to other parts of Germany.

This city is also known for two famous Jails Bautzen I and II. These were not concentration camps, but used after WWII during the GDR period. We visited Bautzen II. 90% of its inmates were political dissidents or enemies of the state. The trucks you see were used to find those enemies of the state from either their home or work place and transport them to the jail. Those captured individuals were told they would be executed upon arrival which of course caused great anxiety. Usually what happened when they arrived, the guards called Stasi (like FBI, CIA or KGB) put the individuals under great stress to the point of breaking. They were usually beaten, put in cells, stripped naked and then body searched, clothed, and then starved for a period of time. When in their cells they had to stand for periods of 8 hours at a time. Then, the Stasi would come in and get them to talk and try to build loyalty with them because they were close to the breaking point.
A famous prisoner was Diefer Hotger, a West German, who during this time was trying to help his girl friend from East Germany escape to West Germany. What he didn’t know was that one of his friends was an informant to the Stasi and he was turned in and captured, taken to East Germany and imprisoned. He escaped twice, but was caught both times. He stayed a total of 12 years in the prison, but as socialism started breaking down in East Germany, deals were made between East and West Germany to exchange political prisoners. He was finally released. In the period of the 50s 60s and mid 70s conditions were really poor, but after the mid 70s, East Germany tried to have a better reputation with the world and jail conditions improved slightly. As the unification process began, the Stasi pulled out, leaving only the guards. Finally when unification occurred they released the political prisoners except the last 10%. Those people were actual criminals and went to Bautzen I the main jail. In 1992-1993 the prison was empty and was then turned into a memorial for everyone to see how political prisoners were treated during the Cold War. There are so many details on prison life, way more than I can go into details on here.

Our last meeting of the day was the Sorben minority group. They are a member of the Slavic ethnic group. We learned about the Sorben people and how they are seeking nationalism and working to maintain their traditions and culture.

Monday March 23-Dresden

Today we visited the VW factory. The factory here in Dresden only makes the high end Phaeton. This car costs 64-104 Euros. The name of the factory is the transparent factory and it certainly is. The whole factory is made of glass and all the work performed on the cars is visible to anyone in the factory. It's a quiet and perfectly clean and very modern factory. We were not allowed to take any pictures, but I did get a book that has pictures. It was definitely not what you would expect from a car company. This factory only makes pre-purchased cars. They produce 22 cars per week and 6,200 per year. Each car requires 40 hours or 5 days to complete. This car was not popular in the U.S. therefore, it’s not sold in our country. The primary seller is to German customers then East Asian customers. 80% of their customers pick up the cars from the factory because you can see your car on the assembly line and then each customer is finally presented their car in a unique way. This makes me want to buy a car. When it is final pick up time, the car is hidden and the customer is in a room alone. Music is playing and then gets more dramatic as the car is slowly unveiled. C’mon now… who wouldn’t want to have their brand new luxury car presented to them this way. Maybe I will win the lotto and get to have this kind of VIP service.

Then we went to meet with a Jewish Man who told us about the new synagogue that was built in Dresden. The original was destroyed before WWII anit-semtic Nazis and now has been rebuilt with the help of many people including Christians. We saw a group of Jewish military also arrive for a tour and informational lecture. Our lecturer said, “seeing this group of young German military is the strongest evidence that life in Germany has changed.” Before WWII, this would not have happened… life for the Jewish people has come a long way.

Then we had a guided tour. Dresden is a beautiful city. I suggest looking it up to see the sky line and a brief history of the state of Saxony. The city is very old world and breathtaking. The cobblestone streets, historic buildings and bridges over the river make me want to stay and drink hot chocolate at every café while visiting each building and absorbing the history. Dresden was definitely impacted by WWII. By 1944 the British had control over the sky, and there was no need to bomb this city. Yet, it was significantly impacted by the war. Many people ask why? Since this city is rich in historic buildings and has a long history of culture, many people and the leadership thought the city was safe. However, many historians argue that the British decided to destroy the city because of the devastating Blitz on London. According to these historians it was an act of revenge. On Feb 13-14 1945 the British used intense air raids on the city. 25,000 people were killed and 75,000 apartments were destroyed. The historic city center was flattened. After WWII Dresden because part of East Germany and was controlled by the GDR. The GDR only allowed some historic buildings to be rebuilt. Churches were not high on the priority list because they were seen as anti-fascist. However, after unification there was a significant desire to rebuild the city and now most everything historic has been rebuilt and restored. --- The other pictures are not loading today. Sorry! :(

Sunday March 22

If you ask a question, please look for the response in the comments section. Keep the questions coming! Students, the more you start thinking about this, the better you will do on your test. We will be studying the end of WWII and the Cold War when I get back, so this is the perfect introduction.
Today we visited the Bundestag. This was the original parliament and government building before WWI. It was originally called the Reichstag. When Hitler rose to power, this was the building that was set on fire. Hitler blamed this fire on the Communist and used this incident to help him win the election and gain full power over Germany. It is still unknown exactly who started the fire and if there were collaborators, regardless the incident started the dark period of Nationalist Social control in Germany. Once Hitler assumed power, he never used this building for his government. Instead his government was located East Prussia. All the speeches seen on history channel and movies were given in the Berlin opera house. During the war and when Berlin was under fire and bombing during the war, this building was under gun fire and soldiers often fought here. This picture shows the bullet holes from battle. Later after the WWII and the east and west were divided, this building was located on the western side. However, West Germany did not use this as the government seat. Instead all government was held in a southern Germany town called Bonn. Later after the Cold War and Unification, the government of Germany moved back to Berlin. A series of renovation and modifications were made to this building. In addition to restoring the historic building famous English architect, Sir Norman Foster helped with the whole renovation and the creation of the cupola. The cupola is a glass dome that rest on top of the building. The dome is exactly over the parliament meeting area, so the idea is that as parliament is in session, the members can look up and see the people. Right next to this building is again the cobblestones showing where the wall divided the city. Our tour guide Jurgen and Cindy made the Atlantik-Brucke bridge between east and west. This is a picture of me and the other teachers who are on the trip.
Then we went to KPM the royal porcelain factory. We learned how the Royal Procelain company was created and how they learned the process of making porcelain from the Chinese and how the company changed and adapted during the Enlightenment period and modern times. Famous European leaders purchased porcelain from here. Josephine Bonaparte (Napoleon’s wife) also bought a set, but did not end of paying for it because of the Franco-Prussian War. We saw the long process of making porcelain and how they use molds and everything is hand made, which is why it is so expensive. After lunch and the factory, we headed back to the train station. We passed the beautiful Victory Towercreated to celebrate the Franco-Prussian War.

Dresden is the next city. We are now more than half way through the trip. We spent two hours on the train, then saw major artifacts from Dresden: Jewels, amber, paintings, and bronze. It was a beautiful museum. By the time we finished, we drove one more hour to our hotel then a dinner with guest and now bed. We've been so busy. Everyday is 8 a.m.-10 p.m. until we are done with our guest and in our room. No free time, but scheduled meetings all day. It's exhausting, but I'm learning alot.

Sunday March 22

Today we are leaving Berlin, but before we do we still have a few more interesting places to see. We travel to another city tonight. Hopefully we have internet and I can update tonight. I'll answer your question Kevin in tonight's email. Hope you all are doing well.

Saturday March 21- Berlin

Today I woke up extra early to take another look at some of the famous buildings and monuments in the city center. Thankfully, our hotel is very central and it is only a 10 minute walk. I once again took a look at the Brandenburg Gate located west of the city center. When it was created in 1788-1791 it was the only way into Berlin. During the Cold War this great entry way was located on East Germany’s side and became run down. But after the fall, in 2000 they began to refurbish it and bring it back to its historical glory. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan gave very famous speeches in front of the wall and the gate. It was the wall in front of this gate that Reagan said his famous line “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Then I went to the Jewish Holocaust memorial. Building for this site began in 2003. This large site, 19,000 square meters, houses this dramatic memorial. It’s very large and moving. The site uses varying sizes of concrete arranged in an uneven grid like pattern. The concrete represents graves. You can walk through the grid, at some point you can see over the entire pattern and other times you are completely surrounded by dark concrete.

Our group today left by train to Wannsee which is outside Berlin. This villa was built in 1915 and used from 1941-1945 by the SS as a conference centre and guest house. On January 20th, 1942, 15 high ranking representatives of the SS, the NSDAP and various ministries met to discuss their cooperation in the planned deportation away from Germany and the murder of the European Jews. Since August of 1941, killing of the Jews was already happening in the Soviet Union. This museum did a great job of explaining the slow process of anti-semitism and racism against Jews prior to Hitler and throughout his reign as leader. The museum provided many accounts of the Holocaust survivors, government officials and government documents. The museum opened in 1992 and is dedicated to those fellow human beings who lost their life as a result of the National Socialist regime of terror. After experiencing this museum, we left very somber and depressed. This topic is always difficult because it is especially hard to see pictures and read first hand accounts and imagine the terrible things these innocent people had to endure. It makes me feel very fortunate and blessed that I have rights and haven’t experienced persecution because of my beliefs or thoughts. We ate lunch, and then traveled to the Jewish Museum back in Berlin. We had a guided tour of the museum and the theme here was change and continuity over time. How Jews had been set apart and discriminated against from early days, through the middle ages and then were accepted during the Industrial Revolution, but then discriminated against again. However, the elements from the religion experienced changes also, but stayed mostly stayed the same. Our topics were very interesting and provided an even deeper understanding about how anti-semitism had been around since early times. I bought a great book that uses many relevant examples to describe these changes and history of the Jews.

After we left the Jewish Museum, we passed Checkpoint Charlie. This Cold War site was controlled by the Western Allies. It was the crossing point between West and East Germany and was viewed by some East Germans as a way to freedom.