Happy German Reunification!!!

When the wall came down, I was in 9th grade and I was taking German 1 in school. We stopped all regular lessons so we could talk about history and everything that was going on.

One day a few weeks after the wall came down, our teacher told us about a project (pre-internet, by the way) that a German Language teachers group had decided to start. We, the American German Language students, could write letters to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl requesting German penpals. I think everyone in the class did this.

Weeks and months later, we found out that the Chancellor's office had been swamped with BAGS of letters from American students requesting penpals. The Chancellor had to hire staff just to handle the mail.

As a thank you, we all received posters of the people standing on and around the wall. I found the poster again recently, in the garage when we were cleaning it out. He also sent a letter in both English and German, saying that because of our initiative we were now part of the history that surrounded the events.

Months after that I got my penpal. Her name was Kirstin and she was from East Berlin. We corresponded for years. I still have her picture somewhere.

What is your German Reunification story?

For 8 Years.... (update)

...I have had to pass these pictures on my way to work. Every day, I pass these smirking faces on the wall, and I am SO happy that shortly, just a matter of hours, really, they will be GONE from the wall forever.

**The pictures were removed as of MONDAY, according to a coworker.**

And in a few weeks, new faces will appear.

And I will smile at those new faces every day I pass them.

And I think they will smile back...even if it is just my imagination.

(with the exception of this one. ^^ I will miss this one, he was one of the good ones)

It is a new day, America.

It must have been about 15 years ago I was home at my parents house and Oprah was on. I don't know why I was watching, but this particular show (IIRC) was about the beauty industry and how stringent it was with what was considered 'beautiful,' meaning tall, thin and white. I remember a slew of models coming out and none of them were what was considered to be the ideal: they were either 'flawed' by eyes too close together or something equally stupid or they were ethnically non-white.

The part I remember most vividly was Oprah standing on the runway with an African woman who was very tall, her hair was cropped into a tight cap, and she was so black that her eyes and teeth almost glowed. She was smiling and laughing, and Oprah said to great applause: "It is a new day, America. A new day."

This is a new day.

We have the opportunity for the first time in the history of this country to really do some healing. This is the first time we, as a country, can finally work through some of the race issues we've been carrying with us for 200 years. It is an incredible opportunity, and one I hope we don't screw up.

This is the right person in the right place at the right time, and he has an ability to bring people together that we need after 8+ years of tearing this country apart.

As much as I think he is a hipocrite, it was moving to see Rev. Jesse Jackson crying last night, and I knew he was thinking about his time spent with Dr. King. The scene at Ebenezer Baptist Church last night was equally moving. McCain's speech was also eloquent and gracious (no matter what he must have been actually thinking), and I thought it very crass the way the crowd was booing him.

It was time for this to happen, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. I know in my own family not all is happiness and light right now. My father voted yesterday for the first time since Kennedy, specifically AGAINST Obama. Not FOR McCain, but against Obama. My FIL is convinced that Michelle is going to persuade Obama as president to make it so blacks in this country basically get a free ride. Nevermind the fact that our government doesn't work that way, the president does not have a blank check even when the congress is stacked in his favor.

Fear and anger can make even the smartest person ignorant. Don't let them get away with it: call them on it. Take them to task, make them back up their beliefs with fact, not opinion...not 'I heard someone say...' Do it nicely. Make them think, really THINK about what they are saying and believing. Don't let this opportunity pass. The torch has been passed, and we're the ones holding it.