Politics Unusual

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” --Dalai Lama

Happy International Day of Friendship. Given the tone of this year's election so far, it seems unlikely our would-be national leaders will be celebrating this today.* They’re probably also not going to lead by example on “Bring Your Manners to Work Day” in September or “Do Something Nice Day” in October.

And the ever-timely “Golden Rule” seems to have long flown out the window.

Ugliness in politics is not unusual. What’s unusual for me is the fact that I’m writing this post at all. I'm passionate about individual issues. Politics in general is a science that has never held any appeal for me. But the incredibly base nature of this year’s presidential race has filled me with such a sense of disgust that I decided to say something.

I am a million miles away, in shock, and at the same time, not distanced enough. People over here mention our presidential race with sympathy. As personally embarrassing as it is to me, it affects them, too. America is a major player on the world stage. And right now it feels like we’re standing up there drunk, disheveled, and flailing about for our next line.

I have some small hope that as we move past the conventions, our official nominees will look beyond personal jabs to address the bigger picture. Unfortunately, I just don't think that's possible for the Republicans.

So here’s the part where I talk about Donald Trump. To put it mildly, I am not a fan. In fact, I haven’t felt this much shame since Arnold, the porn star, and what seemed like a third of the state ran for California governor in 2003.

Having a free election does not equate to having a free-for-all.

For me, Trump is the poster child for “prevaricate.” It’s a word that’s not used often enough, but he seems to be a master of it. And when he’s called out on his exaggerations, innuendos, or outright untruths--like any insecure and unqualified individual--he goes on the offensive.

I'll be generous and say his lack of civility is subterfuge, designed to distract us from very real problems. Like his political platform, which appears to be a celebration of subjugation and dehumanization. Rather than engaging in discourse with his detractors, he blocks their access or bullies them. No wonder he’s been compared to the most distasteful dictators of the past.

This is not to say I’m all in for Hillary Clinton. I admire her personal and professional strength, but I'm still waiting to be inspired. In light of Trump’s divisive agenda, she has a responsibility to remind everyone that America was built on the backs of diverse peoples who worked hard to make it so, not the cretins who sit back, put their feet up, and conveniently forget how it all came to be.

Speaking of forgetting history, Trump and his supporters keep talking about returning our country to greatness and oppressing, expelling, or turning away those who are different. Different than whom? Trump’s grandfather came here in 1885. There are a lot of us darker Americans--particularly Native Americans--who were here long before then. Guess we should have built a wall.

I truly believe Trump wants us to be fearful and ignorant and keep to ourselves. He’s like the abusive boyfriend trying to isolate us from the independent thinking that would liberate us. And if that weren’t enough, he’s encouraging internal unrest. What kind of leader who loves his country as much as he professes to love America, actively works to fracture it?

At least Clinton isn't courting hate-mongers to gain support so she can use America up at her own whim and then toss us in the Goodwill bin. I think Trump sees us as his personal plaything that he’ll become bored with when it doesn’t do what he wants, when he wants. Then where will we be?

The sad thing is the rhetoric isn’t even in full force yet. When it comes time for the debates, are we going to get more bombastic theatre, or an intelligent examination of the issues? Right now everything is set out in shades of black vs. white, good vs. evil, us vs. them. But life is lived in shades of gray, not absolutes.

To both parties, I ask: Is this the example of leadership you want to set? Is this the legacy you want to leave for the children of America?

This is the road to infamy, not greatness.

Ok, getting back to the kindness quoted at the beginning. It would be wonderfully kind of my fellow voters to let productive purpose, decency, and some light of humanity prevail in the November elections. Don’t embrace dogma to the exclusion of your reason and your heart. Don’t be less than who you are.

If we don’t demand respectful consideration of everyone who has contributed to make the U.S. the envy of other nations, then Trump & Co. will be returning us to “greatness” by establishing the most openly hateful, dismal period American history has seen for more than 100 years.

#AmericanUnityNotEnmity

*for the record, I am not naive enough to think that actual friendship applies to politicians opposing each other in a race. If they’re so intent on putting on a show to garner attention, however, how about modelling some friendly behavior and stop being so gauche?

Tying Up Some Loose Ends

I debated the end of this blog--whether or not to do it, when to do it, etc.--and decided to stick to my original one-year plan. Today we’re one month out from that auspicious date (!) so I thought I would go back to some things I mentioned in an early post and see where they stand:

And there are "party tacos"
for making nachos!

Food. As you might expect, street food here is bratwurst and pommes frites. I have eaten (and will continue to eat) my yummy share of those, but sometimes I crave my San Francisco Mission neighborhood favorites--tortillas filled with seasoned, meaty goodness. 

I've heard rumors of a good burrito place a short distance from our apartment, but have yet to check it out. In the meantime, I’ve found tortillas to make my own burritos and enchiladas, and I’ve learned how to make a pretty mean empanada from scratch.

Weather. I didn’t expect Hamburg to come close to San Francisco weather-wise, but I also didn’t expect it to surpass it in extremes. The Bay Area is infamous for its many microclimates. Hamburg has only one: uncertainty. 

Those dreams of leaving layers behind were just that—dreams. (Although layers here usually mean including some form of rain protection.) 

When the weather changes literally every hour, you just have to go with the flow. A lot of times people don’t even bother with umbrellas, because in the next hour it could very well be warm and sunny again.

It's been a good test of adaptability, especially for someone as fond of pre-planning as I am.

Views. I love Hamburg’s beautiful architecture and blend of urban and protected landscapes. Attractive downtown, lakes, river, beaches, fertile farmland, nature preserves and parks--I can easily see how it earned a Germany's favorite city title last year.

Craigslist. Again, as I expected from some state-side exploration, Craigslist is just not as popular here. Thankfully, given our current lack of storage, our acquisitions have been minimal, and have come easily enough through word-of-mouth, flea markets, or Amazon.de.

Yes, that is a friendly
neighborhood cigarette-
dispensing machine

Smoking. I don’t want to say I’ve gotten used to it, but I no longer whip my head around to see who’s lighting up (because in reality, there are usually more of them than me). 

And I actually find it intriguing to watch the whole cigarette-rolling process, complete with specialty pouches for supplies, and carefully timed breaks during the rhythm of a restaurant meal. 

My most memorable smoking-related moment to date? Watching a man in a three-piece suit pushing a baby carriage while smoking.

Friends. The hardest part of being overseas has been the distance from family and friends. When you’re used to your support network being a phone call, a text, a desk, or an ultimate frisbee tournament away, it’s tough when you find yourself far away with new obstacles to overcome (Internet connections, phone plans, time zone differences, etc.). 

And it's particularly distressing when things go wrong. In the past year one of my friends passed away, and two of my dearest friends have been battling breast cancer. Being closer wouldn’t have given me anymore power, but I don’t think I would have felt as powerless. 

Despite the lack of office mates and some language differences, I have found a small circle here, and continue to try new things to meet new people. I've even made some inroads cracking some of these tough northern German exteriors, because I already know from experience what incredibly funny, warm people you'll find inside.

So even though I know it’s time, it’s tough to think about bringing this virtual part of my journey to an end. I keep thinking of little things I haven't shared, because they're becoming so much part of my new normal. But over the next several weeks, I’ll do a few final observational posts on some of the differences I’ve noticed while living in Hamburg for the past year. 

On the GO in Hamburg

I talked about nostalgia in my last post, but I didn’t actually pay much attention to Pokémon when it was wildly popular 20 years ago. I don’t know any of the characters, or really anything about their world. Now the franchise has had a resurgence through Pokémon Go, and when I saw last week that Germany was the first official launch site in Europe, I thought, why not have a little fun?

Hmm. Looks like I've acquired
two writing partners.

Unlike others seized by Pokémon madness, I did not fall in a pond, discover a corpse, get banned from a zoo, or traipse over sacred memorials in my efforts. In the beginning I did have the same issues with server overloads, meaning the best time for me to search was in the mornings, while most of the U.S. was asleep.

I'm not sure this little guy
understands the usual relationship
between cats and birds.

I’ve seen others here in Hamburg who I suspect are also looking for Pokémon, and the Hamburg police recently issued six “rules” to follow while playing—things that would have been common sense B.P.G. (Before Pokémon Go), e.g., respect special places and private homes, beware of dark and potentially dangerous places, don’t play while riding a bike or driving, etc.

After a week of hunting and capturing these little creatures, I can see how consuming it can be. So here are a few snapshots of Pokémon hanging around Hamburg, and I'm going to go delete this app from my phone before it's too late... ;)

This slightly scary fellow was hanging out, appropriately enough,
near the Uebel und Gefährlich (evil & dangerous) bunker.

Speaking of nature,
I found this interesting
fellow at the Planten
und Blomen park near
downtown.

A good thing about the wetter, cooler weather
in Hamburg: a longer blooming season. I guess that's
what's captured this guy's fancy.

A gold star for the

Rickmer-Rickmers Museum on the Elbe.

I know the top of the Elbphilharmonie 

looks a bit like an aquarium,

but this little lady is out of luck.

Able to cruise around the Alster lakes under its own power...

...taking the luxury cruise option

Hurray! The Speicherstadt is one of
my favorite parts of the city, too!

I found this literal fish-out-of-water
on my afternoon bus ride.

Enjoying a nice day at the Rathaus

Oh, the sights you see along the infamous Reeperbahn!

This big-eyed, whatever-it-is was near
the entrance to St. Michaelis.

I'm pretty sure this perch above
the Autobahn is ill-advised.

The Art of the Brick

There seems to be a lot of nostalgia in the air right now--from Pokemon Go, to Netflix's new 80s hit, to the 60s-themed party festival in Hamburg this weekend. Maybe it's that need for a security blanket in an ever-uncertain world.

In the exhibit gift shop

I got my own dose of nostalgia yesterday, when Larry and I went to The Art of the Brick. Normally I don't post about the individual exhibits I see, but I wanted to share this one because it was so exceptional.

The artist, Nathan Sawaya, is a former lawyer who creates his work using...LEGO bricks!

I'm not even sure how many hours my sister and I logged over the years playing with our LEGO sets, but Sawaya's work is inspirational and a challenge to look at things--even the most familiar things--in a new way.

If you get the chance to see this exhibit, go! Here are just a few of my picks from the show:

I think we can all relate to this at one time or another

Larry's just chillin' with a new friend

Sawaya's most well-known piece, "Yellow"

"Hands" conveys his nightmare
as an artist--losing the source
of his expression

I loved "The Writer" because to me, it
represents the fear and struggle around
getting words to MOVE

"Despair" reminded me of the statue at St. Nikolai

"The Boy" was my favorite sculpture. The emotion he's able to convey here is amazing.

Stranger in a Not-So-Strange Landscape

I wanted to continue my post-cruise buzz with a fun follow-up post, but the world I know right now seems less than fun.

For every story about immigrants and refugees finding common ground through volunteer work or support of national soccer teams, there are stories about racist public comments and social media posts, Nazi marches in the streets of Sweden, physical assaults on non-whites in the wake of the Brexit, and mind-boggling restrictions by the Danish government on people who marry non-Danes.

The refugee crisis has awoken a barely dormant beast. Insecurity and fear have taken root on a continental scale, and it seems just a matter of time before we reach a tipping point.

What happens if we enter an endless loop of unrest leading to violence leading to refugee emigrations? What happens when the dead soils and rising seas of our damaged environment force even more people into flight?

Over in the U.S., we have an African American president, but 400 years of racial history that periodically bubbles up to a boil. These days, we seem to be a scant few degrees away from scalding.

Right now I feel far from home, but not far at all from a climate where human wholeheartedness is battling ignorance and intolerance. Before sinking into despair, I ran across this article about BLM solidarity demonstrations here in Europe.

Despite the deaths that have brought us to this point, it was refreshing to hear about more people who remember that we all are, in fact, people first, and the labels and boxes and associated prejudices we have for each other mean nothing in the face of that bigger picture.

If we choose to see it.

I thought of two outings I made early last week. The first was to the site of two shipwrecks. In light of recent events, those shipwrecks are, to me, symbols of the beautiful fragility of what we can achieve and how quickly it can be taken from us.

My second outing was to the Ohlsdorf section of Hamburg, home to the largest park cemetery in the world. Walking the grounds, I noticed a difference: the gravestones read “Here rests…” rather than “Here lies…”

It was a reminder that we live our lives—and perhaps we struggle—but then we enjoy peace. The question I have now is why we choose the struggle and the strife in life.

None of us are guaranteed to have what we have forever. None of us can say with certainty that we will never be scared, hungry, stripped of our possessions, or staring down the barrel of a gun.

Maybe, instead of focusing on our differences and what we can gain for ourselves, we can work together on finding a common understanding and some peace--before we're laid to rest.

Postcard: People and Places

My final "postcard" blog about my recent river cruise is just that--a collection of pictures of some of the people we met, silly fun we had, and things we saw on our 15-day journey from the Netherlands to Austria.

Large, ornate, seagoing vessels? Thumbs-up.

Teeny tiny cars that can park
on a sidewalk? Angela gives 
that a thumbs-down.

Safety drill!
photo courtesy of Angela Pratt

Our Program Director, Udo, shows us how to
eat raw fish the Dutch way--
with plenty of onions and pickles.

The birthplace of cologne

You know it's been a rough night in Amsterdam 
when the streetlights need a break!

Kaiser Wilhelm statue in Koblenz

View of Heidelberg from the castle

Saw this...whatever it is...on a building
as we sailed out of Frankfurt

Rain was keeping river levels high, making our passage
under some bridges rather tricky. A couple of times we were
near the point of having to leave the ship and
continue our journey via bus.

Although I wasn't awake for all 66 locks we sailed
through, I watched our passage through
as many as possible. As you can see,
not a lot of wiggle room, and our crew
steered through them manually,
with no GPS or radar aids.

Wertheim is known for glassblowing, so we got a private demo
by a local artist before we set out for the day.

The old main bridge in Würzburg

Good clean fun in Rothenburg

A pig in--where else--Schweinfurt!

Früschoppen - a brunch tradition that, in some parts of Germany,
may involve more beer than food

Another German tradition is that of journeyman workers. While walking toward old town Bamberg we ran into this roofing journeyman, who will travel for the next couple of years with just the belongings under his arm, finding work, food, and shelter by the grace of the people in the towns through which he travels.

I thought maybe it was something that was only alive and well in the southern areas of Germany, but when I got back, I noticed a couple of journeymen in their traditional garb walking through downtown Hamburg.

One side of an incredibly creepy statue 
in Nuremberg

and...the other side

An example of the lovelier side of Nuremberg's history

Yes, this is a highway overpass, which means that the cars you see are driving under us as we sail across!

Ferry ride through the Danube Gorge

...and by the afternoon he's picked up
a new hat in Regensburg!

All in a day's work!
After a morning visit to the Weltenburg
Abbey, Larry has secured a baby keg
of the monks' very good beer...

Looking down over the city of Passau. There's our ship, Grand Circle Cruise Line's MS River Harmony!

The Loreley rock

Ruins of the castle in Düernstein where Richard the Lionheart was held captive in 1192.

We saw numerous examples of Fachwerkhaus construction in some not-so-common colors. 

Although this looks like some kind of fake photo backdrop,
the abbey on the hill is real. I'm guessing the wheel 
is a semi-permanent way to promote the show 
on the poster behind me. 

A few members of our incredible crew
photo courtesy of Angela Pratt

This swimming pool is the only part of
Danube we saw that was actually blue.

The Wachau Nose

at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna
photo courtesy of Angela Pratt

This is a video clip of a troupe that came aboard and 

performed some traditional Bavarian dances for us.

photo courtesy of Angela Pratt

Did you miss any of my previous "postcards" from this trip? You can find them here:

Time Travel
Medieval Madness
The Royal Treatment
Abbeys & Cathedrals
Darker Days