Location: MUNICH, GERMANY
There is an English saying, "Never say never". Apparently, there is also a German translation...
Last night, I went out to eat with a few friends from the church group. One of the girls told us about how she had walked four hours to church that evening because she didn't have her S-bahn card. I said, "Well, I have never been checked for my card". She said, "Oh, I have been checked like six times. The S-Bahn they are dressed like police officers. But the U-Bahn ones, they are the scariest. They are dressed like normal people".
I thought of all the places I had ridden outside of my allocated circle, including the day before when I had gone to Dachau. That was about ten circles too far outside of my district. Just last weekend, I had just ridden the trains and disembarked when I felt like the ground above would be an interesting side trip. And I thought of all the "normal" people I had seen on the S and U-Bahns. How could I even know if they were, in fact, the "ticket police"?
On the train this morning, I was enjoying my coffee and about to get off at the next stop when a scruffy man with a long ponytail, said "Morgen". I looked at him as he rambled something else off in German. It was still before my German side of the brain kicks in and I was only half way through my coffee. Suddenly, I saw people around me pulling out their travel cards. I thought, "No way. Are you serious? I am actually getting carded". My heart dropped a little bit; I don't know why but being checked for proper identification in a foreign country by a man who looks like he belongs in a Daytona Beach biker organization is a little startling. I passed inspection and exited at the next stop.
On the way home, about two stops from mine, a larger man who smelt like vinegar elbowed his way into the already tightly crammed corner where I was standing. Suddenly, again, I saw him pull out his identification card and start checking for tickets. I managed mine out of a packed gepäck and watched as the Austrian man next to me was ticketed for not having his ticket.
I came off the train and thought, "Sag niemals nie". Never Say Never.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Abandoned Olympic U-Bahn Station
Location: MUNICH, GERMANY
In my last entry I wrote about the photographs I had taken at a derelict U-bahn(underground) station that was once used to shuttle spectators to the Olympic Stadium during the 1972 Summer Olympics. I found out about the station from a discussion on Toy Town and used the handy Google Earth imaging to locate the actual station, which coincidentally is about a six minute walk from my apartment. These are some of the photos I took that day.
In my last entry I wrote about the photographs I had taken at a derelict U-bahn(underground) station that was once used to shuttle spectators to the Olympic Stadium during the 1972 Summer Olympics. I found out about the station from a discussion on Toy Town and used the handy Google Earth imaging to locate the actual station, which coincidentally is about a six minute walk from my apartment. These are some of the photos I took that day.
Olympics in Olympiadorf
Location: MUNICH, GERMAY
Every morning since my arrival I have woken up in the 1972 Munich Olympic Village. I sit in my living room and see the Olympic Stadium, home of the Schwimmhalle, Radstadion, Boxhalle, Volleyballhalle, Hockeyanlage, and the Sporthalle. I take beautiful black and white photos of the now defunct OlympiaStadion train station. But, the site that I see while I drink my coffee is 31 Connollystraße.
At the Munich Olympics, American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven Gold Medals. The Olympic Officials took the Olympic Oath for the first time at these Games. The U.S. lost to the U.S.S.R. in basketball, a game the U.S. still considers the “most controversial game in international basketball history” and their silver medals are yet to be claimed.
But the 1972 Munich Olympics were only remembered for the massacre of 11 members of the Israeli team by members of the terrorist group, Black September. And every morning that I wake up in my apartment, I am reminded of the killings in the apartment, just adjacent to my own. A little historical reminder with a side of caffeine.
Although the site is a bit depressing, I was looking forward to celebrating an Olympics while living in Olympiadorf. I had been in Beijing for the five weeks leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics, studying abroad and watching the Chinese meticulously “edit” their country: closing down factories to halt the smog production, cleaning up streets, indoctrinating their countrymen on etiquette and producing positive articles through Xinhua, the government-run news outlet. However, the opening ceremonies were disrupted by the South Ossetia War between Georgia and Russia, though unlike the 1916, 1940 and 1944 Games, the Olympics were not cancelled. But only a few days following, the parents of former American volleyball Olympian, Elisabeth Bachman, who is also married to the coach for the U.S. Men’s Indoor Volleyball team, were attacked in Tiananmen Square’s Drum Tower. Her father was murdered and her mother was injured during a knife attack. The attacker jumped to his death moments after the attack, with seemingly no reason. 
Every morning since my arrival I have woken up in the 1972 Munich Olympic Village. I sit in my living room and see the Olympic Stadium, home of the Schwimmhalle, Radstadion, Boxhalle, Volleyballhalle, Hockeyanlage, and the Sporthalle. I take beautiful black and white photos of the now defunct OlympiaStadion train station. But, the site that I see while I drink my coffee is 31 Connollystraße.
At the Munich Olympics, American swimmer Mark Spitz won seven Gold Medals. The Olympic Officials took the Olympic Oath for the first time at these Games. The U.S. lost to the U.S.S.R. in basketball, a game the U.S. still considers the “most controversial game in international basketball history” and their silver medals are yet to be claimed.
But the 1972 Munich Olympics were only remembered for the massacre of 11 members of the Israeli team by members of the terrorist group, Black September. And every morning that I wake up in my apartment, I am reminded of the killings in the apartment, just adjacent to my own. A little historical reminder with a side of caffeine.
Now, in recent events at the Vancouver Games, another somber shadow was cast, this time on the luge practice course, where Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed and subsequently died of his injuries. His death, unfortunately, marks the fifth death at a Winter Olympics. And it seems like many Olympics in recent memory are plagued with these horrible accidents, while others with horrible atrocities.
As with the Munich, Atlanta and Beijing Olympics, the show in Vancouver must also go on. It is a horrible tragedy and will likely dampen some of the Games. But I’ll continue to drink my coffee and look out my front window every morning. This time I will be watching the rest of the Vancouver Olympics. A little history in the making with a side of caffeine.
As with the Munich, Atlanta and Beijing Olympics, the show in Vancouver must also go on. It is a horrible tragedy and will likely dampen some of the Games. But I’ll continue to drink my coffee and look out my front window every morning. This time I will be watching the rest of the Vancouver Olympics. A little history in the making with a side of caffeine.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Munich Security Conference 2010
Location: MUNICH, GERMANY
DISCLAIMER: I am excited to announce I have been given permission (more like strongly encouraged) to talk about my internship and the “company” for whom I work. Therefore, I am the Political and Economic Diplomacy Intern at the U.S. Consulate in Munich (my roommate is my German counterpart) and I took the internship to determine whether I wanted to pursue this career. As I said in an earlier entry, I really wanted to be involved in foreign policy decision making, travel the world, help end human trafficking, and speak foreign languages. Also, my father was a 28 year career Air Force officer, so serving my country is inherent in my genes. I also moved a lot during my childhood and therefore I have a knack for making friends quickly. Like my father told me, the State Department seems to be the best fit. And after this last weekend, I am prepared to enter the service.
Last weekend, Munich hosted the 2010 Munich Security Conference (München Sicherheitskonferenz). From the moment I knew about my internship in August, my boss had been stressing the importance of the Conference and the experience I would garner from just this one weekend. Last year, Vice President Biden attended the Conference and this year the Consulate was the staging ground for the U.S. Congressional Delegation (CODEL), including Senators McCain, Lieberman, Graham, Kyl, Kerry, and Chambliss and Representatives Harman, Sanchez and Flake. In addition, numerous other high-profile Americans joined the delegation including Madeline Albright and Henry Kissinger, both former Secretaries of State; James Jones, National Security Advisor; James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander of Europe; and Ivo Daalder, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, Brussels. Our delegation joined foreign ministers, prime ministers, defense ministers and other representatives from nearly 60 different countries, including Saudi Arabia, Germany, Israel, Afghanistan and Spain, to discuss “Peace in the Middle East”, “Resource Security and Shifting Global Power”, and “The Future of European and Global Security” among other topics. This namedropping gives you a little understanding of the backdrop of my weekend.
Now, I’ve always heard people say, “It can all change that quickly” or “It just happened so fast.” For instance, with this internship, I found out about the interview on Monday, on Tuesday I had the interview and on Wednesday I had the internship. While the semester leading up to my move was anything but short, I felt like suddenly “here, I am living in Munich”. And at the conclusion of this weekend working the Munich Security Conference and on the eve of returning to a regular work schedule, I realized how quickly the three days truly “happened so fast”. I find myself rethinking all the amazing moments, and how even though they are now permanent memories, they were fleeting moments. In fact, the moments that made the experience and work worthwhile, were seemingly all grouped into about a 5-6 hour window on Saturday afternoon.
Friday evening, my colleague (also my roommate) and I were site officers for a dinner hosted by the Mayor of Munich. In my own biased thoughts, it was an epic success. We had worked so hard for the weeks leading up to the event and it was great to see our work pay off in the positives. In those weeks leading up, I had to laugh because my boss would introduce my colleague as the Consulate’s “German Masters student”. Then he would say, “This is Heather, our American intern. You know what, she is getting her Masters in Aviation Accident Investigation and Reconstruction, so she will be able to handle anything that goes awry.” I would just smile and think “This is not an aviation accident. This is a train wreck”.
Train wreck avoided, I found myself bored on Saturday morning. After a few hours of unnecessary moping and failed attempts at helping out any of my busy colleagues, I took Kit’s advice of “Don’t take no for an answer” and applied it to my “make the most of your time” philosophy. So, with my hybrid philosophy, and hoping for some political celebrity watching, I sat in the hotel’s lounge and watched the speeches on television. I had only barely finished my first cappuccino when a tall man sat down next to me. We got to talking about the speeches and about our jobs, with me at the Consulate and him at NATO. “Oh, so you know the area? Can you suggest a restaurant with good, authentic Bavarian food, but edible food because I don’t want that offal stuff and without lederhosen,” he asked. I haven’t been in Munich long enough to give restaurant suggestions, but I told him I would find someone from the Consulate who knew of a good place. He scribbled down his email and headed off for a meeting.
Before the Conference began, I had noticed one of my father’s friends on the guest list. I had hoped to catch him before the end of the Conference, but had had no success. I had someone save my seat and headed over to the Congressional Delegation (CODEL) control room. This room is strictly guarded and only those with a certain mark are allowed in. I had gotten a special mark to get in on Friday, but even then, I wasn’t supposed to be in there. I knew the CODEL was in the plenary session so I went in to ask if anyone had seen my father’s friend. While chatting with one of the military escorts, he asked me where I was attending college. “Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University”, being sure to say the whole name since no one ever knows where that is. Not a second later, another military escort came up to me and said, “It is great to meet another alum”. A bit surprised to find each other, we chatted for a bit longer and he invited me to dinner later that night with the rest of the CODEL military escorts. I told him I would meet him back in the CODEL area after I was done.
By this point I was getting hungry and remembered the “good Bavarian food” request. I asked a fellow Consulate colleague where he would suggest and took those suggestions to write an email. I opened the slip of paper that the NATO guy had written his name on and it was almost illegible. I Googled the information I could read, hoping to get something. Instead, a few letters into the name, Google finished his name and sent me to a page full of his photos and Wikipedia page. I opened the page and found out that he was the spokesman for NATO! I sent him the information and headed downstairs to catch the CODEL press conference. While taking pictures, my phone rang. It was “NATO” calling and asking me to dinner. I told him drinks would be better, since I already had plans with the military escorts. We agreed on a time and I took off to meet with the military escorts.
I reiterate again: For weeks, all of the Consluate was told that the CODEL room was off-limits to EVERYONE. The only way to be allowed in was to be personally invited by one of the Congressional members. As I tip-toed to the front of the entrance, one of the escorts asked me if I had my camera. I said yes, a bit confused though, and handed it to him. I turned just in time to realize that he was leading me to my political hero, John McCain.
At this point, I literally had to remind myself to breathe. In the weeks leading up to the Conference, my mother, in her infinite wisdom, had told me to prepare for this moment because she knew how I would react. I had settled on “It is an honor to meet you”, which I hope actually came out my mouth. We took a picture together and talked, along with fellow Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R). As the conversation began to wind down, I leaned in to both of their ears and said, “I’m a Republican”. That was not part of the planned talk, but they both laughed and John McCain said, “Well, that seems to be your Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
DISCLAIMER: I am excited to announce I have been given permission (more like strongly encouraged) to talk about my internship and the “company” for whom I work. Therefore, I am the Political and Economic Diplomacy Intern at the U.S. Consulate in Munich (my roommate is my German counterpart) and I took the internship to determine whether I wanted to pursue this career. As I said in an earlier entry, I really wanted to be involved in foreign policy decision making, travel the world, help end human trafficking, and speak foreign languages. Also, my father was a 28 year career Air Force officer, so serving my country is inherent in my genes. I also moved a lot during my childhood and therefore I have a knack for making friends quickly. Like my father told me, the State Department seems to be the best fit. And after this last weekend, I am prepared to enter the service.
 |
| The CODEL press conference on the second day |
Last weekend, Munich hosted the 2010 Munich Security Conference (München Sicherheitskonferenz). From the moment I knew about my internship in August, my boss had been stressing the importance of the Conference and the experience I would garner from just this one weekend. Last year, Vice President Biden attended the Conference and this year the Consulate was the staging ground for the U.S. Congressional Delegation (CODEL), including Senators McCain, Lieberman, Graham, Kyl, Kerry, and Chambliss and Representatives Harman, Sanchez and Flake. In addition, numerous other high-profile Americans joined the delegation including Madeline Albright and Henry Kissinger, both former Secretaries of State; James Jones, National Security Advisor; James Stavridis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander of Europe; and Ivo Daalder, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, Brussels. Our delegation joined foreign ministers, prime ministers, defense ministers and other representatives from nearly 60 different countries, including Saudi Arabia, Germany, Israel, Afghanistan and Spain, to discuss “Peace in the Middle East”, “Resource Security and Shifting Global Power”, and “The Future of European and Global Security” among other topics. This namedropping gives you a little understanding of the backdrop of my weekend.
Now, I’ve always heard people say, “It can all change that quickly” or “It just happened so fast.” For instance, with this internship, I found out about the interview on Monday, on Tuesday I had the interview and on Wednesday I had the internship. While the semester leading up to my move was anything but short, I felt like suddenly “here, I am living in Munich”. And at the conclusion of this weekend working the Munich Security Conference and on the eve of returning to a regular work schedule, I realized how quickly the three days truly “happened so fast”. I find myself rethinking all the amazing moments, and how even though they are now permanent memories, they were fleeting moments. In fact, the moments that made the experience and work worthwhile, were seemingly all grouped into about a 5-6 hour window on Saturday afternoon.
 |
| Senator McCain and myself |
Train wreck avoided, I found myself bored on Saturday morning. After a few hours of unnecessary moping and failed attempts at helping out any of my busy colleagues, I took Kit’s advice of “Don’t take no for an answer” and applied it to my “make the most of your time” philosophy. So, with my hybrid philosophy, and hoping for some political celebrity watching, I sat in the hotel’s lounge and watched the speeches on television. I had only barely finished my first cappuccino when a tall man sat down next to me. We got to talking about the speeches and about our jobs, with me at the Consulate and him at NATO. “Oh, so you know the area? Can you suggest a restaurant with good, authentic Bavarian food, but edible food because I don’t want that offal stuff and without lederhosen,” he asked. I haven’t been in Munich long enough to give restaurant suggestions, but I told him I would find someone from the Consulate who knew of a good place. He scribbled down his email and headed off for a meeting.
By this point I was getting hungry and remembered the “good Bavarian food” request. I asked a fellow Consulate colleague where he would suggest and took those suggestions to write an email. I opened the slip of paper that the NATO guy had written his name on and it was almost illegible. I Googled the information I could read, hoping to get something. Instead, a few letters into the name, Google finished his name and sent me to a page full of his photos and Wikipedia page. I opened the page and found out that he was the spokesman for NATO! I sent him the information and headed downstairs to catch the CODEL press conference. While taking pictures, my phone rang. It was “NATO” calling and asking me to dinner. I told him drinks would be better, since I already had plans with the military escorts. We agreed on a time and I took off to meet with the military escorts.
I reiterate again: For weeks, all of the Consluate was told that the CODEL room was off-limits to EVERYONE. The only way to be allowed in was to be personally invited by one of the Congressional members. As I tip-toed to the front of the entrance, one of the escorts asked me if I had my camera. I said yes, a bit confused though, and handed it to him. I turned just in time to realize that he was leading me to my political hero, John McCain.
At this point, I literally had to remind myself to breathe. In the weeks leading up to the Conference, my mother, in her infinite wisdom, had told me to prepare for this moment because she knew how I would react. I had settled on “It is an honor to meet you”, which I hope actually came out my mouth. We took a picture together and talked, along with fellow Arizona Senator Jon Kyl (R). As the conversation began to wind down, I leaned in to both of their ears and said, “I’m a Republican”. That was not part of the planned talk, but they both laughed and John McCain said, “Well, that seems to be your Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.
I talked a little longer to Senator Kyl about NASCAR, humidity in Florida and Arizona’s beauty. At one point he said to me with a grin, “Let me get this straight. You are a Republican and you like NASCAR. You are just not cut out for the Foreign Service.”
After the talks and fearing retribution for being in the “off-limits” room, I tried to slink out, but was quickly brought back in my staffers, handed a glass of wine and sat down in front of a big screen TV. It was turned to CNN International, but more importantly to the CODEL press conference. It was truly surreal to hear the voices discussing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on TV, now discussing in person where to get drinks for the night. On a side note, apparently I was on CNN International a little later, but I haven’t been able to find the footage.
After some time, we all made it to the Hofbrauhaus for drinks. “NATO” and his friend also joined. I had to laugh because we ended up at the most touristy, Bavarian restaurant listening to a polka band who were all dressed in lederhosen.
“NATO” invited me the following day to watch his boss, the Secretary General of NATO, deliver a speech, which “NATO” had written. After watching the speech, I was able to stay in the plenary and watch speeches by Madeline Albright and Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai. Later, as I stood at a table in the coffee lounge reading the day’s press clips, I thought about how quickly everything had happened in just those few hours on Saturday: met the NATO spokesman, met a fellow ERAU alum, saw the CODEL press conference up-close, took a photo with John McCain, had a glass of wine with some of the CODEL members and drank beer at the Hofbrauhaus with my new acquaintances. I was relishing in my experience when suddenly I had coffee splatter all over the papers. I looked up to see what inconsiderate individual had done the deed and looked square at the German Minister of Defense. Suddenly it wasn’t such an offense by the Defense. After all, it was a quick cleanup and became another fleeting memory.
 |
| Senator Kyl and myself |
After the talks and fearing retribution for being in the “off-limits” room, I tried to slink out, but was quickly brought back in my staffers, handed a glass of wine and sat down in front of a big screen TV. It was turned to CNN International, but more importantly to the CODEL press conference. It was truly surreal to hear the voices discussing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on TV, now discussing in person where to get drinks for the night. On a side note, apparently I was on CNN International a little later, but I haven’t been able to find the footage.
After some time, we all made it to the Hofbrauhaus for drinks. “NATO” and his friend also joined. I had to laugh because we ended up at the most touristy, Bavarian restaurant listening to a polka band who were all dressed in lederhosen.
“NATO” invited me the following day to watch his boss, the Secretary General of NATO, deliver a speech, which “NATO” had written. After watching the speech, I was able to stay in the plenary and watch speeches by Madeline Albright and Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai. Later, as I stood at a table in the coffee lounge reading the day’s press clips, I thought about how quickly everything had happened in just those few hours on Saturday: met the NATO spokesman, met a fellow ERAU alum, saw the CODEL press conference up-close, took a photo with John McCain, had a glass of wine with some of the CODEL members and drank beer at the Hofbrauhaus with my new acquaintances. I was relishing in my experience when suddenly I had coffee splatter all over the papers. I looked up to see what inconsiderate individual had done the deed and looked square at the German Minister of Defense. Suddenly it wasn’t such an offense by the Defense. After all, it was a quick cleanup and became another fleeting memory.
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