I feel this is worthy of six and half minutes of your life.

I have decided to post this video to my blog as an interesting and eye-opening view of the current state of being in the United States.  This blog is not intended to be a forum for my political views or any thing like that, rather this is an opportunity for my American and European friends to see something that I feel is lost to many of us in the media.  Not only for 'my' generation, but for the generations to follow.  As many of my students know, I have spoken at length about the world we are leaving for my nieces and nephews.

Dresden

High Tatras Mountains, Slovakia

Slovakia

Slovakia

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau II

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Arbeit Macht Frei (Work makes [you] free)

Saturday the 20th we took an hour drive (from Krakow) to the town of Oświęcim which was the location of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II.  When the Nazis entered the area in late 1939 they removed more than 17,000 local residents and built a 40km perimeter around the area, eventually building Auschwitz I (the base camp), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the extermination camp), Auschwitz III (the labor camp) and 45 satellite camps.

Originally designed to be a camp for political dissidents and prisoners of war, it was later seen to be a perfect location for the Nazis to find their solution to the Jewish question.  Because of it's central location in Europe and vast connections to train networks, it became the biggest and deadliest camp of the war.  Between 1940 and 1945 at least 1 and a half million people lost their lives, of which about 90% were Jews.  It was a difficult and emotional day and I was surprised by just how much I learned.  This is now the third camp I have visited and I found the size and scale of it to be the biggest surprise as the extermination camp is absolutely massive.

Being that we visited the camp on a Saturday in the middle of July, likely the busiest day of the year for visitors, there was a ton of people there to tour the camp.  This is where we had our biggest problem with visiting Auschwitz.  When we arrived we saw this huge line to get into the camp and it became clear that we would be waiting a very long time to get in.  In the two plus hours we waited, we noticed one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen.  People were laughing and joking around, eating pizza, ice cream and sandwiches while they waited to enter the site of possibly the most evil place on earth.  We both saw this as unbelievably disrespectful and made me think about what it would feel like if we were first time visitors to the camp and had lost a friend or family member to this series of camps.  While it was an excellent experience, and one I will never forget, I think the impact could easily be lost when the very camp that saw so much suffering and starvation serves ice cream and pizzas just outside the gates.  An excellent Wikipedia article on the camp can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp

Kraków

Main Market Square

Kraków

Wawel Castle

Poland

Vainstream 2013

In an odd story (that I will not go into), I was given a free ticket to this years Vainstream Rockfest here in Münster. While I was not really interested in most of the bands performing, there was one band that I have followed since high school - Clutch. They are definitely one of my all time favorites and they would be closing the show. While walking around the festival grounds I was given a chance to meet the band, and after not seeing them perform in over ten years that was a pretty cool experience.

Just another year at the BWZ.

Last Friday marked the last day at the BWZ for this year, and what a great group to share it with.  We had a great time together from start to finish.  I was originally supposed to have a different group and it was changed last minute.  I am very happy it happened the way it did. Best of luck to all of them.

Pictured from left: Maria, Julia, Chris, Me, Kosi, Christoph (Panda), Maria, Carla, Robin

So now that I am finished working at the BWZ for the year, that frees up enough time to begin traveling again.  Sarah and I will leave next Thursday for Poland.  We will spend a few days in Krakow before heading to Slovakia and a night in Dresden on our way back.  Pictures to follow.

Almost finished...

After finishing this May class it leaves just one more for the BWZ season.  And like last year, I have had great luck enjoying excellent classes throughout the year and this class was another great one.  We did lose a couple students to testing half-way through, but we had some great laughs as well. I wish them all the best.

From left: Nancy, Nicole, Me, Lea, Michael, Steve, Sven  (Not Pictured Anja, Carina, and Steffen)

So with just one month left of real, full time work, it's time to start thinking about summer plans.  I need to get a work visa soon, and I needed to replace my now expired Passport, so that will be the immediate focus.  When the visa arrives I hope to make a couple trips throughout the summer.  However, nothing planned just yet.

Bruges

Last Saturday, while in Brussels, we decided to take a day trip to Bruges about an hour away.  Bruges is a very old, canal-based city and is absolutely beautiful.  It's like something out of a fairy-tale.

Brussels, Belgium

The best 2 euros you can spend.

A quick trip to Belgium

Throughout April, Sarah and I talked about going to Belgium for a few days in early May.  We both had a window of four or five days where we could take a short trip and we ended up planning one day in Maastricht, Holland, and three days in Brussels. While in Maastricht we were able to catch up with Samantha Giessinger, a friend from Sauk Rapids and have a couple excellent Belgian beers in the city center.

Our Botel in Maastricht

April English at the BWZ

After a month off of work and a great trip back to the U.S. it was time to get back at it. Here is my April class and when I had their attention they were a great class.

Pictured from left: Torsten, Martin, Silke, Frank, me,
 Stephanie, Phillip, Songül, Daniel and Caroline

It's been a couple busy months

During the month of March I found myself back in the U.S. for the first time in almost two years. While the trip was a little too short, it was great to catch up with friends and family between Minnesota, Colorado and New Mexico. My mother and I drove over 3000 miles and we enjoyed every minute.

Time for a break.

Today marks the finish of the Customs English part of this years BWZ (January/February) and the beginning of my next adventure, a month back in the U.S.  I have just over a month off of work, so I am leaving for Minneapolis on Sunday.  While the month is not planned, it will involve spending some time back in Colorado and Minnesota, as well as moving my sister Jennifer to California.

Once again, this month I was lucky enough the have an excellent class.  Whilst each battling a cold over the course of the month, we shared many memorable moments and laughed a lot.  Whether it was enjoying a little too much wine at La Corrida or getting down at Rathlin's and the Black Sheep, it sure was fun to see Customs officers get a little crazy outside the classroom.  Thanks B11 for a great month!!

From left: Pascal, Ramona, Olli, Valerie, Steffi,
Natalie, Stefan, Me and Florian (Britta not pictured)

Customs English 2013

So it's back to work at the Bildungs- und Wissenschaftszentrum (BWZ) for another round of Customs English.  Like last year, I will teach English to German Customs Officers over the next six months.  January and February is for students in their 3rd year of study and April, May and June for 1st year students.  With the month of March free, I will return to the U.S. for three weeks after nearly two years of being away.

Pictured below is my first class of the year.  We had a great time together and I will be happy to see them again when they return for more studies in April.  A big thank you to all of them for a great start to another year at the BWZ.

Pictured from left: Me, Angela, Florian, Andreas, Klaus,
 Andrea, Alicia, Frederic, and Sabastian (Axel not pictured).

An overhead view of the BWZ.

Bildungs- und Wissenschaftszentrum

Weihnachtsmarkt 2012

One of my favorite things about winter in Germany is the annual Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market).  My goal for this Christmas season was to visit as many as I could.  I spent several afternoons walking through Münster's different markets as well as Osnabrück, Bad Salzuflen, Herford and Hamburg.  Each one is a little different, but the food, smells, and of course Glühwein are always great.

Bad Salzuflen Weihnachtsmarkt

Hamburg Rathaus (City Hall)

Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt