Revisiting History

Reflecting on last semester's journey, many things come to mind. My most-treasured portion of the trip was the time spent in Scotland, acting not only as a vacation from schoolwork but also a renewal of my vigorous love for the nation. Observing general cultural and physical differences between peoples and nations was of great value to my continuing development as a worldly human; as, too, was the beneficial struggle of language immersion and a heavy work load. My time in Vienna, Edinburgh, and Berlin fostered both a comfort and a longing to live in a large city, and they were a welcome reminder that culture runs through all levels of a society. Lessons upon the return are just as valuable, even if they are harder to accept; relationships with people one used to know have changed, some forever, while others remain consistent and resilient despite the time apart. Sometimes friendships are destroyed and people one shared intense experiences with become unknown, unpredictable, and even undesirable; other times one rediscovers old friendships that have borne the passage of time well. For me, I bear the memories of the trip in a unique plastic bag I received in Edinburgh, a stash of hundreds of tickets, mementos, brochures, and drawings; my transcript bears similar reminders, albeit in a graded format. Now, armed with those mementos and armored by the memories, I can set about planning my return to Edinburgh, Dundee, Carnoustie; my re-experiencing of Vienna, Jena, Berlin; and my exploration of other places I have yet to see.

Christkindllangos

Tonight is my last night in Vienna, and early tomorrow morning I head out to spend most of a day in transit, flying (and driving) home. My suitcases are packed, well-balanced to fit within the weight limits. I diligently spent parts of today downloading Falco music, preparing my carry-on luggage, showering and shaving, and wandering around the city. Striking out from the 18th district, I headed towards the Ringstraße, passing the Votivkirche, the world's most-perfect neo-Gothic cathedral, and making my way into the Rathausplatz. The Christkindlmarkt there was definitely overrun by people speaking all manner of languages, more foreign than German. After pushing my way through the crowd I bought a Langos, this being my second run-in with the deep fried item. It is a Hungarian food and tradition that leaked into Vienna; flat, potato-based bread fried and covered with garlic oil. I considered it a sort of goodbye present to Vienna by giving two-and-a-half euros for the carnival food before I headed back to my suitcases.

18. Bezirk ist Wien

This Sunday I visited my family in the 18th district for Jause, a meal occurring in between others, although for me it counted as lunch. Aaron came as well and as we left and made our way to the U-bahn Station (U6 Michelbeuern), he remarked to me that this district feels a lot more like Vienna to him. And it certainly does to me, as well. Besides the large amount of time I spent there last summer, it was the first place we stayed during this long, adventurous semester, as well as the first place we came when returning to Vienna after our time in Scotland. Something about the way the buildings are close together, but not so close as to feel suffocating; something about the one-way streets and small businesses on the corners; something about the proximity to the city's center: whatever the reason, the 18th district is, to me, the Vienna I know and the Vienna I love. Compared to the hour long journey to my current residence in the 23rd district, the distance between the 18th and the center of my academic and shopping lives in Austria is considerably less. I think after I return home from the program, even after the time I've spent in various other sectors of the capital city, even after seeing all the great and magnificent buildings that comprise the Ringstraße and the other areas, the 18th district will be how I remember Vienna.

A Cold City

Every day it gets a little colder here in Vienna, and in a rather suprising display of its latitude the sun sets a little earlier every day as well. Right now the average time for sunset is somewhere around four o'clock in the afternoon. The wind here makes me wish that I had chosen to bring long underwear, but in just 25 days I will be back in a similarly freezing Indiana, the long-johns close at hand. Today is Thanksgiving, and in an hour or so our group is meeting together in a Church Basement near Thaliastraße for a "pitch-in" with our host families and a few other people not on our program but somehow related to it. Seeing Wien from the 23rd district is very different than my previous experiences, which focused on the 16th, 1st and 2nd districts almost exclusively. There's a very different feeling in Vienna than in Berlin, and for some reason the Austrian capital city feels much larger, much grander than Berlin. The buses, however, are sadly not as reliably as in Germany.

Wien, Wien, nur Du allein

Unfortunately, and as with all vacations, mine passed all too quickly. It was very refreshing to be in Scotland, but after a somewhat dreadful 32 hour train ride back to Vienna, I realized that it would be tough to break back into German after speaking and thinking in English for a little over a week. Vienna was fortunately warmer than Germany was when we left, but now with storms on the horizon we can see now that the relative warmth will not last too long. I live in the 23rd district of Vienna, which is about an hour ride to the City center using public transportation. We have three classes - Austria and the European Union, Art History with a focus on Austria, and Austrian Literature - and many, many excursions. Vienna is still the same city as I left it before, but it is interesting to see the city from a different angle. A good example is my host family's house; I would have never known there were single-family four-storey houses in Vienna if I had not lived in one. It is also interesting to note the differences between Berlin and Vienna. The public transportation in Berlin, for instance, was more developed for a city considerably larger; a particularly aggravating aspect of the Public Transpo here in Vienna is the habit of trains and street cars and trains to leave early, even before their scheduled arrival time...

Edinburgh and Carnoustie

So Tuesday we arrived in Edinburgh, got set up in a Hostel, and did a lot of walking. Edinburgh is a rather impressive city, and I was glad I got to spend time there. But now I am in Carnoustie in Angus on the East coast, and I am happier here, I think, away from the bustling (and often confusing) metropolis. As much as I liked and felt comfortable in Berlin, I think a lot of it had to do with the anonymity that comes from not being fluent with the language - a sort of security when you can't eavesdrop on conversations, where you don't understand a lot of the media without considerable thought, where your goal is to blend in with the local culture. In Edinburgh and here in Carnoustie, it has been a hard switch going back to speaking English regularly. I have really been unable to stop myself totally from saying certain phrases in German, naturally leading to somewhat uncomfortable social situations. While in Edinburgh we visited the Scottish National Party headquarters to renew my membership, and along the walls were posters depicting various programs, slogans, and reasons for supporting the SNP; I was significantly reminded of my last Semester at The Indiana Academy where I had an Independent Art study making a series of pro-Independence posters for Scotland. An unrelated but welcome surprise here was the weather; it is definitely much, much warmer here - more temperate - than on the Continent, and I am enjoying the Fall breeze.

Berlin to Jena to London to...

I compose this message while on a train from London to Edinburgh... The following is the message I wrote to my host in Berlin the night before we left to head to Jena. Following is an approximate English translation. // 18.10.07 Liebe Eva, Es gibt viel zu sagen, und dieses Buch ist nur so groß. Aber ich kann doch natürlich versuchen! Vielen, vielen Dank für alle. Es war sehr nett, wann ich zurückkommen würde, und Du warst immer freundlich und großzügig, sogar wann ich nur am Morgen zurück kam. Frühstück war immer schön und leicht mit Dir, und ich lernte eigentlich viel von Dir hier. Ich werde unseres Unterhalten vermissen. Auch werde ich andere Dinge vermissen, aber so geht Leben. Ein paar Dinge tun mir ganz Leid: zum Beispiel war ich am ersten Tag so spät! Ich hatte zu viel Wasser auch benutzen, das ich weiß. Aber ich versuchte damit besser zu werden, und ich hoffe, dass Deine Rechnung nicht so groß ist. Aber sie sind negativen Dinge, und hier sollen wir an guten Dinge sprechen, und ich glaube, dass sie nicht so schlecht werden, wann Zeit vorbei ist. Ich war und bin dankbar jeden Tag für die Croissants – sie waren gut für meinen Hunger! Ich danke Dir für das Bett, das Dach, die Frühstücke, und so weiter, und so weiter, und so weiter! Ich war glücklich, Dir für meine Vermieterin/Gastgeberin zu haben. Ich hoffe, dass ich in Jena und in Wien Gastfamilien so wie Dich haben werde. Ich hoffe auch, dass Du mir schreiben wirst. Meine Addresse bei meiner Uni ist so: (Addresse) Ich hatte eine tolle Zeit bei Dir. Ich wünsche Dir total Glück und Spaß mit allen, den Du machtest. Vielleicht darf ich, nächstes mal ich in Berlin bin, Dich besuchen. (Ich hoffe, ,,Ja wohl.”) Bis dann! Mit herzlichen, dankvollen, freundlichen Grüße, Ian T. Cross, ,,Der Iv” // 10/18/07 Dear Eva, There is a lot to say, and this book is only so large. But I can try, of course! Thank you very, very much for everything. It was very nice, when I would come back, and you were always friendly and generous, even when I came back in the morning. Breakfast was always nice and easy with you, and I actually learned a lot from you here. I will miss our conversations. Also will I miss other things, but that’s how life is. A few things I am very sorry for: for example, I was so late on the first day! I have used too much water, too, that I know. But I tried to get better with that, and I hope that your bills are not so large. But those are negative things, and here we should speak about good things, and I believe that they will not be so bad when time has passed. I was and am thankful every day for the Croissants – they were good for my hunger! Thank you for the bed, the roof, the breakfasts, and so on, and so on, and so on! I was lucky to have you as my Landlady/host. I hope that in Jena and in Vienna I will have host families like you. I also hope that you will write to me. My address at my University is thus: (Address) I had a great time staying with you. I wish you complete luck and fun with everything that you do. Maybe I may visit you next time I am in Berlin. (I hope for “yes.”) Until then! With hearty, thankful, friendly greetings, Ian T. Cross, “The Ivf” // Jena was also very interesting, if busy and at times heavy. We saw Jena, Leipzig, Weimar, and the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where the fog was unbelievable and the desperate feeling of sadness and hopelessness was palpable. I have to admit that I find the former DDR (East Germany) citizens, lifestyle, and culture much more likable and alluring than what I have witnessed from the West. Still, Aaron and I are finally in Scotland, and hopefully our plans will work out at the same time that we are able to relax and recuperate. I am also looking forward to heading back to Wien.

Mein Geld ist Schon Weg

Yesterday, Friday, Aaron and I went to the Hauptbahnhof in Berlin and after consulting our options and some people, we decided that taking a train was the best and actually cheapest option for our journey to Scotland. Using our tickets as guides, here are the plans. On October 22, Monday, we'll leave Jena and travel to Berlin; from Berlin we go to Brussels; from Brussels we go to London; from London, Edinburgh. The total time for this leg is a little over 20 hours. The following Monday, we leave Edinburgh and travel once again to London; this time we go to Paris next; then a train to Munich; and finally a train to Vienna. Altogether it was certainly the most money I personally have ever spent at one time in my entire life, but Aaron and I figured it was probably the best option, considering flying entailed lots of flying and hotels and such, as well as motion sickness, medicine, anxiety, luggage check, and so on. I am happy with the decision, even if it was pricey. I am very excited to go to Scotland, although I did consider Poland and Italy as well. Scotland is very special to me, and I feel an almost mystical connection to it. Since we left in 2005 I have been anxious to return, and it will also be good to stop by the Scottish National Party office and inquire about the status of my membership; I also want to spend time in Edinburgh, seeing the "hidden gem of Europe" and perhaps researching some for my novel. There are also plans to spend time with some relatives of mine, and perhaps also spend some time in the Highlands (naturally my true calling). Before all of this, though, we first have most of a week left in Berlin; on Friday we go to Jena to spend a weekend there and hopefully gain further insight into the lives of East Germans before and since the fall of the Wall. In the week before we leave Berlin I must spend time researching for my Ethnographic Project; so far the plan is to study the Kinderspielplätze (Playgrounds) in the vicinity of my apartment, talking to Germans about the safety concerns and such. Today Max and I went around Berlin and saw such sights as the Brandenburger Tor, which was hosting a political rally at the time, the Siegersäule, and the Mac House im Schloß, who suggested I wait until Wien to get my CD drive fixed because of time constraints (I also bought a protective case for my iPod).

Berlin: the Twin Cities

I have now finished a week in Berlin, and we move inexorably towards finishing our time in Germany. On the 19th of October we will leave Berlin and head toward Jena, a significant town far in East Germany. There we will stay for a few days learning what we can about the East German culture and “Oster-gie,” nostalgia for the former DDR that exists in various degrees. After Jena, Aaron and I will depart on our journey towards and around Scotland. Berlin is really a large, busy city, hosting approximately 3.5 million residents. The public transportation system is wonderful, though, and when combined with Wien and even the transport system in comparably tiny Marburg, it makes one wonder what the United States does with all its money. I guess we don’t pay 40% taxes, though; I also guess we’re spending enormous amounts on our military. Speaking of money, I never thought I’d have to worry about banks loaning money to people in the States, but as the dollar moves relentlessly towards only two-thirds of the euro…I wish that several years ago I had purchased a few thousand euros when they were only half a dollar each. Here in Berlin the food is thankfully cheap enough that our dollar-funded program can continue to eat. I live in a large, East German apartment complex with a woman who has lived in East Berlin since 1949. In the morning I take a “rinse-soap-rinse” shower to conserve water and then eat toast with Nutella spread, tea, and fruit; by 0900 I am at our language institute after a short bus ride and walk and then I have class where we focus on speaking and language utilization. In the afternoons we eat – mostly Falafel sandwiches, my new favorite - and explore Berlin. I admit that here in Berlin I have allowed myself to become a Coca Cola and chocolate junkie, but we all have our vices. When I get back to the apartment after dinner and another bus ride, my host is usually in bed and I stay up until about 2300 working on homework, reading, or working on my novel. This last Saturday we spent a few hours in Dresden, and the architecture there is really impressive; a lot of it, of course, is relatively recent thanks to the US’s firebombing of the city during World War II. Overall I find Berlin a very different – certainly much more multi-cultural – experience than the others I have had, but it has also made me realize the extensive differences that exist between small-town living and city life. I do, however, feel safer in Berlin than in Muncie, or in Marburg; a very similar feeling to the one I had in Wien. I also found out a few days ago that Aaron and I will be living with the same family while we stay in Wien, which is great for me (hopefully he feels similarly). This Wednesday is both my birthday and a national holiday, marking the passing of my 20th year out-of-womb as well as celebrating the reunification of Germany after the Wall fell. There is a large free concert at the Brandenburger Tor, where I am sure almost every single Berliner will hear the Fantastischen Vier and other bands play all day long. I am particularly interested to see how Germans of the former DDR celebrate – or don’t – the reunification.

Schulsystem in Amerika

The following is an essay I wrote for my class about my high school, the Indiana Academy. Today was the last day for our class here in Marburg, and I think I did pretty well on the final test. In some ways it is sad to be moving on; in other ways it is a relief. The essay is first in the original, corrected German, and following it is given in translated English. _____________________________________________________ Schulsystem in Amerika/ High Schools für ausgezeichnete StudentInnen/ Ian Cross, 19.09.07/ In Amerika gibt es ein einfaches Schulsystem. Erst gehen die Kinder zur Vorschule (,,Pre-School"); das nächste ist der Kindergarten; dann die Grundschule, die Mittelschule, und endlich die ,,High School." Viele Leute gehen noch zur Universität. Unser System ist nicht so gut. Zum Beispiel gibt es ein großes Problem für ausgezeichnete StudentInnen, denn die normalen Schulen sind nicht genug. In meiner elften Klasse habe ich zu einer besonderen Schule nur für supere StudentInnen gewechselt. Es war sehr gut für mich, weil ich endlich lernen konnte. In Amerika gibt es nur ein paar ähnliche Schulen. Ich habe dort gewohnt; es war wie ein Studentwohnheim. Natürlich gab es viele Regeln wegen der Eltern. Zum Beispiel können Männer nicht auf die Frauenetagen gehen. Auch das Essen war schrecklich und ungesund, aber das Lernen war toll und wichtig. Wegen meiner Schule bin ich, wer ich bin./ _____________________________________________________ Schoolsystem in America/ High Schools for Exceptional Students/ Ian Cross, 9-19-07/ In America there is a simple school system. First children go to pre-school; next is Kindergarten; then Elementary School, Middle School, and finally High School. Many people then go to College. Our system is not so good. For example, there is a large problem for exceptional students, because the normal schools are not enough. In my junior year, I transfered to a special school for talented students. It was very healthy for me, because I could finally learn. In America there are only a few similar schools. I lived there; it was the same as a college dormitory. Naturally there were many rules because of parents. For example, boys could not go on the girls' floors. Also the food was terrible and unhealthy, but the learning was great and important. Because of my school, I am who I am.