Woche Zwei

Celle and Bergen-Belsen

The former grounds of the camp were serene and empty. The mass graves were just short wide mounds of earth. There was nothing left of the peoples' quarters except that which had been added later: a few bricks with the names, dob, date of death, country of origin, and prisoner number. Seeing a rusted piece of barbed wire near the quarters is what really got to me. Later on, in the museum, there was more with part of the fence:

Frankly, I don't want to imagine what it would've been like to see that every day and realizing that it kept you trapped inside with the guards, disease, and starvation.

Our interviews with the Balu's was generally done in pairs of USF with one Balu. Our Balu, Vanessa, was a nice girl who had joined the program because she had wanted to work with children. We talked a little of culture, travel, and Germany. I wouldn't say I learned very much, unfortunately. But it was nice to talk and allowed me to put myself in her shoes and see what she did with her Mowgli. Hiking, painting, and reading helped the child be more integrated and outspoken.

Farewell Dinner @ Kartoffelhaus

After finding the place, Allan and I experienced Maiwoche a little bit. The festival had plenty of food, beer, and game stands to keep it fun. They also had several stages with live music. The beer I bought wasn't very good, but it was cheap. The bands spent a lot of time setting up and tearing down and it was just okay music. I never really got in the festive mood, but Maiwoche was neat. When it was time to meet up at Kartoffelhaus, we met up outside and signed the gifts that we were going to give to our student tutors and Dr. Kleine. Verena brought all of us CD's and a certificate and there were speeches and toasts made. The atmosphere was one of giving and I was taken aback by the incredible thoughtfulness on the part of Verena and company. It was a truly amazing experience to have the staff we had and I was really impressed with everything. Kartoffelhaus had a nice meal for us. To sum, good food, good drink, and the best company.

Our tour of Munster was so-so but the ancient cathedral along the main boulevard which displayed flags along its length was quite the scene. The city was nice and pretty but off that main street turned into a modern town. The inside of the church did not match the magnificence of it's exterior but inside we learned of religious zealots who overtook the town and were basically a militant cult who in the end got their just reward: their bodies were not given sacraments but instead were held in cages hung from the main steeple of the cathedral so that the birds may have their way. I do not recall the exact method of execution, I think it may have been beheading, but their capture was ordained once the nobility returned to town. The rest of our trip consisted of travel, a stay in a hotel and then more travel.

I am glad to be home for friends and family but once arriving here I have fond wishes of Europe and its people. There are parts of Europe I want to have with me but there are parts of the US which I feel so accustomed to as well. I will not make the judgement that one country is "better" than the other or anything like that. I have really not explored either country very much and don't feel I could make that judgement in all truthfulness. But this trip has fed my wanderlust and I intend that I shall return to Germany (probably specific Bavaria, and maybe Berlin again) and my desire to see the rest of Europe has grown tremendously. But for now, I am home and rested.