Hi everybody! I haven't written anything for a while, but I've at least called my parents... =) For the weekend, I went to live with Eufronio, Cira & family. I hadn't stayed with them for more than a month, so it was nice to relax "at home". On Sunday night, we watched the soccer game Bolivia-Chile. Unfortunately, Bolivia lost. It was kind of funny though... Germany is fighting to make it to the quarterfinals of the European Championship - and I'm not really caring about it but watching South American soccer....Whatever... Right now I'm actually pretty... don't know... angry... disappointed... furious... confused... I'm sitting outside here on campus close to the sport facilities and there are 2 teams playing volleyball. The first time I heard that one team screaming "Heil Hitler" I thought I didn't clean my ears this morning, but they continued to scream "Heil Hitler" every time they scored. After some minutes, I couldn't bear it anymore and went over and asked them why the heck they chose this slogan. They said something like, "Well... Germany... you know..." I only had to tell them that in Germany, they would be chased off the court - at a public university as well as at a Christian institution. Whatever... They didn't seem to understand what I wanted to say and since they weren't in the right mood for a history lesson, I left them and they continued screaming even louder what I don't even want to write down. *sigh* Somehow I couldn't write anything for some minutes. I din't know how to go on with this blog either. It makes me sad because they're not just kids. They are some years older... including even adults. Future sport TEACHERS!!!! Last time I felt like this was when I was watching the high school volley ball team (boys) playing against the theology team some weeks ago. The high school guys had taped their numbers on their t-shirts - plus the Hitler cross... *sigh* I talked to somebody who seemed to be responsible for them... don't know if it changed anything...
I don't know why I'm writing about that stuff. I wanted to write about something completly different... Already uploaded my favourite picture of this past weekend... It's just... I felt I had to write it down in order not cry or explode. I love Bolivia and the Bolivians and I can put up with a lot, but this ignorance... made me cry now anyways... I don't want to make them appear in a bad light... I had to answer many crazy questions about "Germany and the Nazis" in the States, too. Well, I went over again and it seems like they're playing in teams that have given themselves names of different countries. If that's everything they can think of when it comes to Germany... even sadder... I should stop writing about it and go and talk with somebody afterwards. I wish them though, that they won't have to face a "Hitler situation" themselves... or the "curse" of having a past like that.
*sigh* How to go on? Don't know.
The pic is from Sabbath. I preached in "Nailson's church" and stayed with them the whole day. It was a great day. I like little churches with family feeling. And I like little girls =) This church has a whole bunch of them. The pic shows Nailson with 3 of his little friends and they LOVE him. Somehow, they immediately loved me, too, so I didn't die of boredom =) I really enjoyed my time with them and when I went "back home" at 10pm after even staying for "sports night", I felt so blessed that I was wondering why they (deans or university staff) don't encourage at least the responsible students to go and look for a church where they can be a part of, get challenged, help - and grow. Unfortunately, it's the complete opposite. You have to jump a lot of barriers to be allowed to leave campus for church on Sabbath. I mean I can understand them and some of their reasons and not everybody feels and thinks like me either, but it might be beneficial - not just for theology students - to become active and actually "part" of a church instead of just belonging to a church formally but occupying more a role of a visitor. Doing "special music" every now and then isn't enough for me. Mmmh... just some thouhgts. What about you? Do you prefer the visitor role?
However, I'm sad I'm leaving so soon. I would love to become part of Arturo's or Nailson's or some other little to medium size congregation. The disadventages of a traveller's life...
Still in a strange mood...
maria
3 comments:
During my trip to Latin America I encountered the name of Hitler more than once. Even a pastor told me about his admiration for Hitler, although he couldn't quite specify why. Why, a ecuatorean friend of mine even bears the middle name "Hitler". (That gave him somehow big problems when he came to Germany for a visit, he just didn't understand why and what all the fuss was about.)
I think it's simply ignorance. They just have no idea. It's not stupidity as such... most latin american people I met had very limited knowledge about anything outside their country, not to speak of the rest of the world. Don't feel sad or confused about it, this is just the way it is. Strange, though.
I know that you're right. Nevertheless - when it comes to university students and especially future teachers... you should only talk about and use stuff you know about. If you don't know the whole story - just don't let everybody know you're ignorant!!
Whatever. I won't change everything but I simply couldn't keep my mouth shut. Maybe only a German (European at the most) can understand my reaction. I don't want them to understand me though, but I want them to stop being ignorant when somebody tells them about it.
They sing their national anthym I don't know how often. They can't believe me that I haven't HEARD my national anthym as often in my life as I have sung theirs in 4 months. That Hitler could be the cause doesn't cross their mind.
Whatever. I don't have to preach you. You understand me anyways. Have fun with the quaterfinals and the rest! =)
Ah, but if everybodys ignorant, the ignorance of the individual doesn't come to show except as part of the mass. As long as the mass is self-sufficient, people don't even consider themselves ignorant. Its really a question of by what standards you're living.
Now, national pride doesn't suit us very well, does it? Probably with the exception of football/soccer where it seems to be socially acceptable, but anyway.
We're out, Germany dashed all of Austrias hopes with a real bad 1:0. I didn't expect too much of our national team though. Why, we almost beat Polska.
Apart from that, the Euro 2008 turns out to be a financial disaster and I'm on holiday three weeks early. But more on that later :)
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