Hanging with the Locals

Well, I hinted last week that I had something in “the works” for something to do this past weekend, so I will elaborate now. I’ve been trying to find some form of community engagement where a “foreigner” can actually be helpful despite language barriers. After talking with a few organizations, I landed at a place called Siloah. They are a nonprofit organization geared towards creating healthy and normal lives for people with and without physical handicaps. I met with the local supervisor last Thursday and was told that I could help out at a couple upcoming events.

On Friday I met with the group at the Kunsthalle downtown near Marianplatz. There we were to view an art exhibition guided by one of the museum curators. This was my first encounter with a very in-depth review of art pieces. This was seriously one of those museums with the giant rooms and plain walls with a few pictures hanging on them. Seismographs were attached to the walls to assure nobody touched them! Normally this is not my scene, but I did learn a few things. This wasn’t the first time Siloah had been there though. As I pushed around one of the member’s wheelchairs, I could see the attentiveness they all gave the curator. Afterwards, they assured me that after a few exhibitions and visits, one becomes really good at picking apart the symbolism and meaning behind what people see as ordinary pictures.

We continued that discussion later into the night over dinner at a local Wirtshaus. The atmosphere was extremely welcoming, and I was glad to get to know a few more locals in the process. They were a VERY fun group. It was especially neat to hear about how they each were able to continue completely independent and active lives despite their handicaps. Next week they are hosting their annual summer festival and I will be helping with setup and tear-down. In the mean time, I get to practice my speaking skills and meet some new people! I’m definitely cool with that.

Saturday was pretty relaxed on my end. It rained all day, so I did laundry and a few other chores. While most of my family and friends are at home burning up in the heat wave the US is experiencing, I am fairly certain that Munich is facing one of its coldest and wettest Julys in history. One of my coworkers verified that thought. The world’s weather has apparently gone crazy. When I come back in August I’ll be experiencing a 40 degree swing!

Sunday was a bit more interesting. I met up with one of my co-workers and we checked out the local airplane museum. This is actually a part of the larger Deutsches Museum I had already visited back in April. The airplane museum (Flugwerft) in Schleissheim was the first official airport in Germany and served as a major hub through World War II. During World War II, all of the Third Reich’s pilots trained at this airport and most of the Luftwaffe flew out of the port. The place was literally filled from door to door with airplanes, rockets, gliders, and engines. It was very family friendly too. Kids could fly model planes and blimps while their fathers gawked at 1000 h.p. rotary engines used on aircrafts.

Afterwards, we found our way to Hirschgarten for a couple beers and some AMAZING cheese dip. I am not a raw-onion guy, but dang… this cheese dip with some red onion and a GIANT pretzel… and naturally a beer… YUM.

Not a super crazy weekend, but considering the weather, not bad.