Facing My Future

So, where were we? Oh yah, that cool sticker that says I get to live and work in Germany. It was painless and priceless. Anyone who has legally immigrated to the States can attest to the hoops one jumps through and how much it costs. My wifes was not very special, if you do not cout the love at first sight, lets get married super bad ass romantic part. We are still madly in love and living it. Never had something so strong in my life. Back to the story. I recently went a road trip to Potsdam with a friend. On the ride I saw many more big windmills. There are thousands here. After the ongoing Fukushima disaster started Germany has opted to phase out nuclear power. They are gonna need more windmills. There is also a planned biomass generator being planed for the area that I am currently in. The Germans are world leaders in renewable energy. I am glad to witness this alternative to my Texas refinery town upbringing. The future has no bad odors and you can see stars! We passed the border of what was east and west. A dark spectre of a sniper tower surrounded by its cold towers of flood lights oozed oppression into the very air. I can not imagine what it must have been like not so long ago, the stasi, the isolation, the uniformity, the cold. It was a monument of intolerance, power and control such as the US-Mexico border, the Israeli apartheid wall, and the DMZ. A blight upon humanity that must be remembered, forgiven and dismantled. As we passed into east Germany some things changed. Just have to look. Like, at the trees. The mixed forest of the west gave way to mono cultures of some reddish conifer. Eerily, commonly, the only tree in the forest within view. Stark and uniform. Some villagers placed carts of fruits and vegetables at the end of driveway with honor boxes. That was new. The older houses were more in a state of disrepair. The newer houses were pretty much a like, with windows in the same place and the same size on the same road. A lot like an American suburb of mc mansions, just commie like. But in all, pretty and exotic to this wide eyed kid. We rounded the corner and arrived in Potsdam, next to Berlin. The town has great graffiti, and beautiful streets of homes. With somewhat whimsical architectural features and soft pleasing colors it was the grandest city I have been in. (I don't travel much, apparently.) I was with my friend because I was to help load kitchen counters. It was on the fourth floor and no elevators. I think the stairs and walking is one of the reasons Germans seem healthier. Stairs, lots of them. After the stairs, we went to see a 'castle'. So we walked into this beautiful park and it was very picturesque with swans and all! When we made a forced left, I saw one of the oddest things in my life. A big colorful spiraling roof with a gilded statue supported by round marble building surrounded by an amazing array of gilded staues the size of a man. I had never seen such a display of wealth. It was a 'teahouse'. I was thoroughly impressed.  We walked towards the palace through one of nicest gardens I have ever experienced. Along the promenade there were hundreds of marble statues. A huge fountain was in what was something of a legion of high art. It was the view from the Palace. I have never seen such a grand building and I stared at it like some slack jawed yokel. I was in shock I think. After walking around we headed for some lunch. Chantrells. The desired fungus of the northwest! They are great on pizza. On a later day I went to hunt some in the forest with some ladies I love, good times. After lunch we drove to zegg. Zegg is a experimental spiritual healing center. Yup, hippies. It has many buildings. Including a restaurant, pub, coffee shop and house for making love. We had a beer and I saw the things one would expect to see. Like group hugs, a celebratory picture to post online of a group of powered off cell phones, naked people, the blissed out stares. They reminded me of the trustafarians of Kaua'i. They just had more workshops and infrastructure. It was built on the site of an old stasi camp. The stasi were the 'secret' police force that 'disappered' folks in the DDR. It did not have a creepy vibe though. Probably to much enthusiastic love making to bring one down.
Tangent time! 'native American shaman'. Ok, I get that people over here have a very romantic image of indigenous people, especially the 'indiana'. I get people find the religious traditions of Europe a bit heavy. So make up your own! Like huna in Hawai'i. There are very few native people in the states who are 'healers' in their native community. They spend their time in their communities. They are not going to come to bless a hippie heaven. Granted there may be some folks here with native ancestry. Yet a healer is tied to their community. The tradition is tied to the community. That tradition is tied to land. There is no such thing as 'native american spirituality' it is a blend of the known parts of many cultures with fantasy mixed in. A cornucopia of culture vulture bullshit. It would be like saying 'European food' and implying it was all the same. Sure some people want a spiritual connection to things around them, but damn, don't steal. Stop romanticizing indigenous people, it denies the reality of the situation. I am done now. Soon Hannover. 

# I went to Potsdam with my Mother in law. Just me and her. I had a great time and enjoyed it all. I was not going to give much personal info about people in my life, but she wondererd why I did not say I took the trip with her. New to this whole sharing my life with people on the internet and taking it slowly.