Cologne's Students

''More than 75,000 students are registered at the various universities in Cologne. 47,000 of those are at the University of Cologne. Founded in 1388. . . the University of Cologne is number one as far as the number of foreign students is concerned, [which] gives some indication of the university's international reputation. The University of Applied Science of the Rhine (Rheinische Fachhochschule) is geared toward training engineers and economic scientists. The Academy of Media Arts, founded in 1990, was Germany's first university specifically for audio-visual media. Courses include directing, camera, editing and multi-media art. Cologne's Academy of Music is also top class. Roughly a third of its 1,500 students come from abroad. With some 400 lecturers the academy is one of Europe's biggest. Part of the academy's prestige stems from its excellent classical music education, though contemporary music isn't lacking. The German Sport University also enjoys an outstanding reputation. Some 5,500 budding sports scientists hit the books there. Cologne is an urbane location for study with numerous fields to choose from. It attracts students not only from Germany, but the whole world. And even though Cologne is a large city, the sheer number of students make here still makes it a regular college town. And that has an effect on the city's unusually varied cultural scene, and its nightlife. (adapted from www.campus-germany.de)

Summer of Music and Arts Festival

This past weekend my friend Tom invited me to the Summer of Music and Arts Festival in Koeln. After walking through 30 minutes of torrential rain Friday night, things took a turn for the better. Although the festival was billed as focusing on electronic music, we heard everything from Regge to Eastern European rock. Afternoons were packed with juggling acts, comedians, and lots of stuff with a new age feel. The Balkan Beat was my favorite group, despite their strong anti-US tirades between sets. The other highlight of the weekend was that Tom (an avid cyclist) fixed the bike that another friend had given me. Now the breaks mostly work and it also has a functional light, which is required in Germany.

Illegal Tour Guide

For our last day of Mittelstufe 2 (German Class) we journeyed through the city together. You can see one of the highlights here. It is a picture of us at a Jewish Ritual Bath from the Middle ages. Another high point was a city official coming over to scold me for giving ''an official tour'' without the proper license. Apparently he thought that because I was explaining the Cathedral to a clearly international group, I must be a tour operator!

Soccer Fever

Mood: Tooooor!!
Noise: Everyone in the background watching the game.

For the next four weeks the world will be watching Germany as we host the Soccer World Cup games. Every bar is filled to bursting and I expect that it will be a great time to meet new people and have fun with the regulars.

Culture Note: Germans tend to be wary of anything that smacks of nationalism. As a result it is rare to see a German flag being displayed by private citizens. In response to the World Cup, however, this has dramatically changed. German colors are everywhere. I think that it's good to see.

Garbage man

Mood: organized
Stage notes: I've spent the morning ironing out details for the Riverview STM that is coming this Sunday. I can't wait!

The Trash People visit Cologne.

The Dom. . .again

Mood: catching up with life! (Ok, so maybe that's not exactly a mood, but it's the best I've got)
What I'm reading: lots of old e-mails

I came over to the Bonnets this morning so that someone would be here when Jonathan got back from school. I'm still here catching up on more e-mails. The highlight of the day came in the form of a trip to the city with Heike and Jonathan. We climbed the Dom, went to the Lego store, and bought a pack of gum. You may think that all of these elements are not so important, but to Jonathan, each was a valuable part of the experience so I am faithfully recording them. In case you're interested, I found some really good 2 min videos explaining the Dom here.

Karnival Report

Mood: red ;)
What I'm Reading: The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels; The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis

Karnival break has come and gone. Here are some of the events I participated in (Quotes are taken from here):

Weiber-Fastnacht ''Women's Day'' (23 Feb.):
''Early in the morning, the streets are alive with ladies in fancy-dress. . .At 11.11 a.m. the street Carnival is officially opened by the three principal Carnival figures: the Prince, the Peasant and the Virgin. On this day women [are given the keys to the city and] assume complete power for the day. Any man foolish enough to wear a tie on this day runs the risk of having it cut off just below the knot.'' The tie cutting is no longer a bad thing for the men, because these days they get a kiss at the same time. After the morning festivities a group of classmates got together and had a study session.

Friday (24 Feb.):
Today was spent sleeping off hangovers by most of the people I know. A group of my classmates got together for an all-day study session. I offered to provide food, so I got up early to prepare an American meal. I made cornbread, salad with homemade Ranch, BBQ, and baked apple crisp. Later that night I went went to Pizza night at the Simmons house with a new acquaintance.

Saturday (25 Feb.):
''This day is usually celebrated with a traditional "Frühschoppen" or early-morning drink followed by parties, parties and even more parties. In the afternoon Rhineland cities are commonly overflowing with "Jecken" or Carnival figures, by the evening the party continues with popular ghost processions, otherwise known as 'Geisterzug'.'' I went to a neighborhood parade in Wahn with the house church crew and afterwards we had pizza.

Rose Monday (27 Feb.):
''Climax of Carnival, with big official parades. Processions consist of decorated carts, coaches, giant Hollywood style walking dummies, often depicting well known political or international figures, groups of masked fools, brass bands, horses and costumed groups on foot. Thousands of bars of chocolate, sweets and flowers are thrown into the crowd. Even after the procession has passed by, many continue to celebrate either at specially organised dances, informal private parties or in local bars.'' I put a few of my pictures from this parade below.There is a rivalry between Köln and Düsseldorf. That explains why this man is about to be kicked in the behind.Political satire is a theme throughout Karnival. These figures represent popular political figures.

Karnival Pictures

Mood: quiet
What I'm Reading: Night by Elie Wiesel

Karnival is a celebration devoted to rejoicing in the pleasures of life before Lent comes to steal them away. Despite this, there is more despair than delight visible on the streets of Köln this week. It is simply dressed up more gaudily, bringing it into sharper contrast with the more potent delights that I have found through a relationship with Christ. Although normally seeing so many weeping and puking drunks and scantily clad high-school girls would bring me a bit down, I have spent a lot of good time with my classmates this week which has had a softening effect.

Below are some pictures I took at a parade in the Bonnets neighborhood. Martin posted some more here if you would like to see what my costume looked like that day.

Floating Along

Mood: pretty good
What I'm reading: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I got to go swimming today with my friend Katta. The place we went to (Agrippabad) was awesome! Among its many features was a big water slide, 2 children's pools (one of which had water-shooting cartoon characters), a huge diving pool, a heated outdoor pool that had constantly circulating water that pushed you around in a big circle, and a really hot salt-water pool with fountains, and whirlpools. There was also a wave pool that had a giant ball (10 ft. diameter?) in the middle. As the ball was agitated, choppy ocean-like waves were created. This is much better than the standard US wave pools which have more oscillating, predictable waves. I definitely think that the next time a group from MSU comes some of them should pay the place a visit. As an added bonus, the woman who left me her apartment also gave me her Köln swim card which will let me go 4 more times for free :).

Katta and I also visited our friend Heidi for tea and later went and had Döner together. It has been a long, but satisfying day.

Rave Review

In Kohln, a town of monks and bones,
And pavements fang'd with murderous stones
And rags, and hags, and hideous wenches;
I counted two and seventy stenches,
All well defined, and several stinks!
Ye Nymphs that reign o'er sewers and sinks,
The river Rhine, it is well known,
Doth wash your city of Cologne;
But tell me, Nymphs, what power divine
Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine?

-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1814)

Weihnachten Markts

Mood: tired
Stage notes: Neumarkt internet cafe; the street is filled with a Babel of languages

Christmas is fast approaching. As a result the Köln streets are filled with shoppers frantically searching for that final perfect gift. The Christmas markets here are filled to the brim with tourists, many of whom speak English. Every so often you can hear a German voice derisively speaking about all the ''tourists'' who come to buy overpriced German-made things.

I must admit, I have become one of these tourists today. A German and Iranian friend took me out for a night on the town. We sampled a significant selection of traditional German Christmas food, and browsed through the hundreds of stalls set up on the streets here in honor of the biggest shopping season of the year. The Köln Weihnachten Markts really are pretty. All of the stalls are decorated with white lights, and they stretch miles from the Dom through Neumarkt, Heumarkt, and along the Rhine. The air is filled with the scent of food and music is piped through the streets.

After shopping for a while, my friends and I found our way to a quaint coffee shop/antique shop and talked about things ranging from Middle Eastern politics to how to find a good spouse. We had a really nice time and I was able to finish up most of my Christmas shopping just in time to go home.

E-Werk

Mood: cold, busy, good
Stage notes: Skimming ''Jesus Among Other Gods'' by Ravi Zacharias as I wait for this very slow computer

Heike and I spent a couple of hours at the ''Cologne Worship Night'' last evening. Hundreds of people crowded into a warehouse that has metamorphosed into a concert hall in the middle of an industrial district. The music was influenced by rock and jazz, and vacillated between English and German. One of my favorites was a folksy rendition of ''I'm Trading My Sorrows''. I think that I will attend more of the concerts in the future as a place to meet potential co-laborers.

My social calendar seems to be filled this week. Between babysitting and meeting with students, I'm envisioning some serious piles of unwashed dishes and laundry. This Friday I'm heading to an unknown location to help with childcare for a weekend-long church retreat (It's not my church, and I have no idea where they are having the event :) I'm looking forward to it. Pray that I help the kids have fun and that it is also a time of encouragement for me.

Multi-Kulti Kuche, Night of Churches

Mood: well-fed
Stage notes: eating at the Wooliscroft's

5 minute Overview:

Wednesday: I've been visiting an English/German Bible study most Wednesday nights. (It is lead by the American coach, married to a German woman, of the Koeln Centurions Football team). This week we spent most of the time reflecting on our gratitude towards God, which was encouraging. Some my current points of gratitude include a new palm pilot (courtesy of Daniel), a new set of dishes (church), a bunch of books (Annette), and several new aquaintances from school who are coming over for "Thanksgiving" dinner this Thursday.

Thursday: There was an International Food night at the Uni Mensa. Instead of the standard English Conversation, we decided to meet over dinner. The food was great, and there was live music as well. 5 EUR for all-you-could-eat, GREAT!

Friday: After helping a friend to move, I met a group of students for "Night of Churches". The cathedrals in the city were open into the early morning hours. They were dark except for the glow of candles, and the air was filled with softly playing music and incense. It was a really nice atmosphere to get to know the 5 friends who came.

Ethiopian Cuisine

Mood: relaxed
Stage notes: finishing up the last touches before house church tonight.

Last night I was invited to an Ethiopian restaurant with some friends here. The group included three Ethiopians, three Americans, and a German. The first difference one notices when eating an Ethiopian meal is that no silverware is used. Everyone shares a communal plate, and a bowl of water is available to rinse your fingers. If you wish, you can use a flat piece of ''bread'' to help you gather food. The grain that this is composed of can only grow in Ethiopia, and forms a dark, spongy crepe-like food. The coffee made here is the first that I have ever enjoyed. The involved process of brewing it starts with a pot and burner being arranged on a bed of long scented grasses. The coffee beans are roasted over a tiny charcoal stove, the rich smell blending with the heady scent of incense that is always burned during the ceremony. The lady who is conducting the ceremony washes a handful of coffee beans on the heated pan, then stirs and shakes the husks away. When the coffee beans have turned black and shining and the aromatic oil is coaxed out of them, they are ground with a long handled mortar. The ground coffee is slowly stirred into the black clay coffee pot known as a 'jebena', which has a round bottom with a straw lid.

living bricks

One of many bricks that are imbedded in the streets of Cologne. They are placed in front of the buildings where the people who were deported lived. Each has the person's name, when they were deported, and their date of death.

Seeing Christ

A classmate invited me to the Wallraf-Richartz museum today. They had a special exhibit titled ''Aspects of Christ''. You can see pictures here. It was difficult to process so many powerful images in one visit. The works were representative of artists from vastly different time periods and lands. I appreciated having the opportunity to see Christ through so many different lenses. It is easy to become numbed to the reality of His sacrifice, and seeing things in a fresh way is helpful to me.

Remembering the Dead

Mood: somber
Stage notes: listening to sounds of construction at Neumarkt

Yesterday I spent several hours with God in a cemetary on the outskirts of Cologne. In the far back corner there is a seldom visited WWII memorial. The graves of 85 men and women are enclosed with a dense hedge. Simple stone crosses arrainged in a horseshoe mark the resting place of each person. Those which simply state ''unbekannter soldat'' are interspersed with the graves of women and young children who presumably died during Allied bombings, and old men who were either forced to fight at the end or who fell to bombs like the children.

Cologne was the fourth largest city in Germany during the War and was the first city to be bombed by the Allies in 1942. ''Operation Millenium'' dispatched over 1000 aircraft to destroy it. In a BBC broadcast, George Orwell stated, ''the amount of bombs dropped on [Cologne were] three times as much as the Germans ever dropped in any one of their heaviest raids on Britain.'' Of the 800,000 inhabitants before the war, only 40,000 remained in 1945 and 90% of the city was demolished.

Ringfest

Mood: great
Stage notes: listening to Glashaus, just returned from here

I just got back from one of the best concerts I have ever been too. The best part--all I had to pay for a place in the front row was a few elbows to the ribs, reduced ability to hear for a couple of days, and lungs full of smoke :-). RingFest is billed as the largest free open-air music festival in the world. Among the groups I heard tonight were Glashaus (soul with solid lyrics, G rated video) and CulchaCandela (rap and reggae mix, PG-13 video). Several people I have been spending time with showed interest in going together, so I think that I will be able to catch more with them tomorrow.

Introvert on Board!

Mood: a bit overloaded with people
Stage notes: Bahnhof--there are hundreds of police and military within sight. The train station was temporarily closed today because it flooded with too many people (easily more than the total population of my hometown)

I've just spent 16+ hours in the city, so it is naptime. I'll just give a quick recap of my day. My classmates delighted in blaming war, famine, and traffic jams on religion in general and Christians in particular. My ability to respond was a bit improved, but still fell short of my hopes. They seem to respect and like me without taking anything I say as potentially being true! After school I went to the library with Yeap. It took us longer than normal to get there because the Pope unexpectedly came by and all of the streets were closed down. At least we got a great view. Later I toured the city with Thomas (from conversation) looking for good photo opportunities.

After we parted I went to the Dominican cloister hoping to find a relatively quiet spot. I also thought I might run into the woman who gave me a 'Dominican history' tour of the city few weeks ago. My hopes were shattered by a significant throng of people. They were expectantly pressing towards the cloister. I squeezed my way through and found someone to ask what the fuss was about. I was soon able to see for myself. A large cross that had '1853' etched into the back was being carried out of the church by two men. Apparently it is on a continual pilgrimage to every nation of the world. Whenever there is a WYD it makes an appearance. Call me callous, but I was underwhelmed.

A little crowded

Germans don't show their flag very often (I have heard people say that they think this is arrogant). This week in Köln, however, there are flags everywhere you look. Pilgrims from the around the globe are packing the subway stations. They wave flags, sing national anthems, and chant. Today platforms that usually have 50 people were holding 1000+. In some places people were even sitting on the shoulders of others so that they could fit in the train. I saw one monk get his cowl stuck in the doors of the train as they shut. Oops!