It was quiet outside. Not even the Swans had started taunting the world around them, but laid still in their corner of the river bank as I passed by on my bike. Another early morning. Another day of travel. A trip to Heidelberg with our summer interns was underway, that is, as soon as I … [Read More]
Questions, Old Walls, and (still) Going through It
“You’ve got to go through it, Tony.” It’s maybe a hundred meters long, jagged stones stacked on one another. Though it is centuries old, the constant presence of young people on its ledge erases ideas of noble conquest or stately affair. No, it is just the Neckarmauer, the wall that runs alongside the Neckar River. … [Read More]
White Mountains and other deceiving things
It was deceiving, really. They’re actually blue. I don’t know why they are called the White Mountains in New Hampshire. From every angle I saw, they looked blue in the midsummer light. The tent, however, was white. It’s peaks pointed to the sky, as if it was calling the whole earth to the party that … [Read More]
Early Morning Bus Stops and Going Through It
“You’ve got to go through it, Tony.” The sun was well into the sky as I walked down the street to the bus stop at 6:25am. I walked up to the bus driver, and asked if it was ok if I boarded. He obliged, and I found my way to a seat that would take … [Read More]
Zwischenzeiten and Shards of Glass
There are glass shards everywhere. Of course there are, it’s Sunday morning. Club 27 is right down the street from my apartment, and everyone knows that it’s no party if there are not drunkenly broken bottles there the next morning. It’s a small wonder that the broom is practically a cultural icon here. It’s Sunday … [Read More]
Long-Board Questions and Believing Konfis
The sun beat against the platform concrete, making it bright enough that my eyes need to squint a bit. I sat on a long-board with my friend as we waited for my train to come. I was going to dare a solo adventure to a town a few villages away, so I could buy a … [Read More]
Stone Giants and Belonging to the Trees
I never knew trees could be that beautiful. They sprawled over the hills, interrupted by meadows of tall grass and wildflowers. Green in a dozen different shades, moving in the wind, shimmering in the evening light… zooming past me as I rode the train across a few villages. I smile as I take in this … [Read More]
Stupid Projectors and Being Good Enough to Talk
It was just a stupid projector. Two of my coworkers were in the basement, trying to set up an outline so we could sketch some final signs for our semester projects. We had a projector, a small room, and a little canvas… and it needed to line up perfectly if this was going to work. … [Read More]
Giving away the Broken Pieces
We were connected. We sat in a row, the five of us, waiting to see our friend Emily let her voice echo through the high ceilings of the church. Sure, we didn’t know what we had gotten ourselves into. It was my first Grün-Donnerstag, and most of the others were feeling just as out of … [Read More]
Foreign Things and Smiles to Guide the Way
She smiled at me again. I walked into Padeffke on Mühlstraße, and the barista smiled at me again. Her smile gives me a bit of courage, and I stumble my way through an order that is six or seven sentences long, because I’m just not sure what the bread with the olives and cucumbers is … [Read More]