Berlin: Buddy Bears

Everywhere in Berlin you can find these guys. This  is not the famous "Berliner Bär", the bear of the Berlin coat-of-arms, but a Buddy Bear. Never heard of them? What a pity.

They are the invention of two Berlin residents, Eva and Klaus Herlitz. They thought of the idea to ask artists around the world to decorate these fiberglass bears and then the United Circle of Buddy Bears travelled around the world to promote the message of global peace, tolerance and friendship. In the cities, where the bears are shown, charity auctions and activities raise money for good causes and from time to time some of them are sold for charity.

I was introduced to the Buddy Bears by Jackie Chan's website, to be more precise, the Kids Corner of it. When Jackie Chan learnt about these bears, he became a fan and has supported the project ever since. You can find more information on his website and you can also download your own Buddy Bear to decorate.

http://www.jackiechankids.com/files/Buddy_Bears.htm

Oh, I forgot, the Buddy Bear is the chap in the suit, the bear in the anorak is me on a cool May day in Berlin...

Berlin: The Reichstag

Berlin has not always been the German capital, mainly, because for most of our history there was no "Germany" that needed a capital. In the Middle Ages there was a German Empire that consisted of a loose connection of territories. After the Thirty-Years-War in 1648 they gained a lot of independence and the Kaiser just had a pretty crown, but no power over the whole Reich. So Berlin was the capital of the territory of Brandenburg that later became the kingdom of Preußen (Prussia).

In 1806 even this loose-knit empire was dismantled and not restored after Napoleon had been sent to exile. It was not until 1871 that a German national state was founded by Otto von Bismarck. The capital was Berlin and the King of Prussia became the German Kaiser (emperor).
This Reich had a constitution and even a parliament that was called "Reichstag", just like the building where the representatives met. However, at that time the main power still was with the Kaiser. After World War I the German people established the first real democratic state on German soil and the Reichstag became the building where the representatives of the people controlled the government and made the laws.

But in 1933 Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor. In February 1933 there was a fire in the Reichstag, which Hitler took as an excuse to abolish the basic human rights of the constitution, which was the first step to establishing the Nazi dictatorship.

After the war the building was restored, but without the dome that was blown up in 1945. It was situated next to the Berlin Wall and hosted an exhibition about German history. When Germany was reunited in 1990 and Berlin became capital again, also the Reichstag got its old function back: since 1999 it has been the place where the representatives of the German people meet, discuss and rule. Today it is one of the most famous attractions of the city - from the roof and the top of the new glass dome you have a wonderful view of the city.

Berlin: The divided city

Last week I was in Berlin with a group of students. Berlin is not only the capital of Germany, but it is also a city with a lot of tragic history, particularly when you consider the time of the Cold War. Between 1949 and 1990 there were two German states, a Communist eastern state (German Democratic Republic) and a parliamentary democracy in the west, the Federal Republic of Germany. West Berlin was sort of part of the FRG, whereas East Berlin was the capital of the GDR. And West Berlin was an like an island in the Communist system, always in danger of being cut off from supplies. This happened in 1948/49, when the Soviets blocked all the roads and railways from West Germany to West Berlin and American and British planes flew everything that was needed into the city. There is a monument for this "Luftbrücke" (literally: air bridge) at Frankfurt airport and when you see that the planes used were so small compared to modern freight planes, you get an idea of the enormous task that was done then.

In 1961 the East German government decided to stop people from trying to leave the GDR via West Berlin and built a wall that was to divide the city until 1989. Today you can only see a line on the ground where the wall once was and some remains that show visitors how it was. The most famous one is "Checkpoint Charlie", which was the place where international military and diplomats could cross to the other half of the city. In October 1961, Soviet and American tanks stood here facing each other and ready to shoot ... Berlin was right in the middle of all the tension of those days.

The first picture shows the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate), which used to be on East Berlin territory - how wonderful that everybody can walk through it again ! The other pictures show how "Checkpoint Charlie" looked when it was still in use and the line that signifies where the wall used to be.

Cave Woman

Last weekend my computer crashed - first I thought it was only the system that had been affected by a virus, but in the end it was the hard drive that was broken and had to be substituted by a new one. On Sunday morning it ceased to function, on Tuesday evening I was reconnected to the world. THREE WHOLE DAYS without computer !!!!!!

To give you the good news first, I had done a backup of my files on Saturday morning, so in the end only one school worksheet and five photos were lost. But I found it amazing, how handicapped I felt without my computer. To mention just a few things:

- I had to write an important letter
- I had to design a test for my 5th year English group
- I wanted to work on some more writing
- I wanted to upload and send away some photos I had taken that day
- I needed some information for my lessons
- I could not talk to my friends around the world

I had to go down on my knees to beg my son to allow me to use his computer for five minutes for two emails, one professional and one private one. Reluctantly he let me approach his precious machine for five minutes, standing next to me counting the seconds and suspiciously viewing my every move. After all, my role in this household is that of the computer idiot and I probably had done something that caused the hard drive to break. I could also do some things at school on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, but that meant I had to stay in school longer on days with an already very busy schedule.

So, the computer makes my professional life a lot easier. But what I missed most were the conversations with my online friends - sure, we could exchange emails, and those are faster than the old, pre-Internet method, but still, I have so gotten used to a little chat here and there with someone on the other side of the globe.

Well, in the end I could leave the age of smoke signals and was reconnected to the world again. But it makes me wonder, what would happen, if by some disaster we were thrown back to an age without electricity and gadgets that pass a message around the world at the click of a button...

PS:
I have to add that after my son had built in the new hard drive, I was able to set up everything that was needed, but had problems with my old monitor. I asked my son to help me and that caused him to raise eyes to the sky and declare mothers the most annoying people on this planet. I pointed out to him that his annoying mother was paying for the new brakes for his car... it turned out to be a convincing argument...

Learning from my Cat

Today was one of the first warm and sunny days of this year - did I go out to enjoy the sun ? No, I had to sit at my desk and work all day. During a short break I watched my cat who had taken up her favourite place on the table on the balcony … she was lying in the sun, totally relaxed, eyes closed, the ideal of well-being. Later she came into the house and sauntered into the kitchen to get some food before she elegantly jumped onto the sofa.

I looked at the furry ball on my most expensive silk cushion and thought that I could learn a lot from my cat. For example she always does what she wants, she never does what others expect from her. When we get visitors, she does not play the cute little friendly kitty, but throws a cold look at the intruder and then disappears until the strange person has left. Sometimes she grants the great privilege of her presence and people feel flattered when she comes. Nobody takes her for granted, not even I, her main food giver, can do that.

Her pride and elegance in every situation is something I would love to have as well. She knows very well that she is the most beautiful creature on earth. Never does she stand in front of the mirror scrutinizing her face for wrinkles or her aging body for fat. In fact, she ignores mirrors. Last year she reacted to the winter by extensively cleaning her fur which had the effect that she lost almost all her hair on her hind legs and stomach. A human woman would never go out of the house looking like this, but my cat walked around, tail raised proudly, totally ignoring the fact that she might look, hmm, “ugly” - and I am worried about a few wrinkles and pounds too many?

We women could learn a lot from cats !!!

About a real man

What is a real man ? Apart from the obvious biological differences - what makes a man a man ?

A few months ago I was on a sailing trip with a group of 18/19-year-old students . On the first evening the chores on the ship had to be organized. One young man, very masculine appearance, made it very clear that he would do a lot of things but not clean the toilets. In his opinion a real man did not clean toilets. In fact, he refused to do anything that made it necessary for him to let his hands touch water. A real man is allergic to water !?

Another young man was (well, still is) a completely different type and a lot calmer. But in his quiet and modest way he made a deep impression on me. For example, he quickly learned how to steer the ship, and he was so good at it that the captain called him whenever things got complicated. One morning I got my chance at the wheel and I made a real mess at first, until this student came and stood next to me for about an hour, quietly explaining and giving tips. Suddenly he was gone and that meant he felt I could cope on my own.

Now, who is a "real man" ... someone who does not clean toilets or someone who can steer a big sailing ship with 25 people on board safely into the harbour ?

Animal Farm and a Lesson

In my 11th year English class I am reading George Orwell, Animal Farm, with the kids. You may know that it is a sort of political fable about a revolution and the subsequent establishment of another dictatorship, until at the end the pigs (the new rulers) and the humans cannot be distinguished any more. Orwell wrote this under the impression of Communist dictatorships, particularly that of Stalin.

It was funny, when we started reading and the students read that the animals were talking, they at first did not know what to make of it. They soon realized that this was not a children's book ("No pictures!") and then someone mentioned the word "fable" and another one "Russian Revolution" and so we got on the right track.

Today we discussed chapter three. The revolution has taken place and life is better for all the animals on the farm. No more oppression, no more being exploited. But already in this second chapter after the rebellion you can see how the three leading pigs establish a privileged position on the farm. It is interesting to see how they do that: a subtle mix of fake altruism ("we are doing this for your good") and threats ("the farmer will come back if we, the most intelligent animals, are not there").

I asked my students if we could learn something from this for our own lives. Because the names are different, but the system of establishing and preserving control is the same, so we can recognize a lot of our politicians' behaviour if we look closely. What I want my kids to do is to be critical and vigilant.

In the break I talked to a colleague teaching politics and we found out that the state curriculum sees the independent critical citizen as the goal of our education. But, of course, there is the "hidden curriculum" of economy as advertised in the media: what is wanted is the obedient consumer slave. It is hard work being a teacher...

But, I have yet to come to a point where I want to give up.