Year of Germany Event 2 - The Berling wall

The second year of Germany event was aimed around the fall of the Berlin wall, in 1989. This was the wall that divided East and West Germany for so many years.
It was good to see some of my friends/teachers dress up in clothes that would depict the style warn back during that time.

When I cam to the event, I was greeted with questions regarding my knowledge of the Berlin wall and what I knew about it. I was clued up with the general facts but not a lot so was informed of many others. I then participated in a small game where I had to knock down a small brick wall with a ball. This was supposed to be done with ur hands, but as the guy running it knew I was a soccer player, he allowed me to kick it, but I would still have to kick it past him as he stood in the way as a goal keeper. My next task was to write/ draw  on a sheet of paper that spread a good number of yards in length. People had already added to it, and I was having a mind blank at that point so I decided to draw a soccer ball and goal.

History of the Berlin wall - The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. Between 1961 and 1989, the wall prevented almost all such emigration. During this period, around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall, with an estimated death toll of over 100 in and around Berlin.

I wasn't able to stay at the event longer than  25 minutes due to having class, but I enjoyed my time.

When I began researching the history of the Berlin wall, it originally stated that the wall was in placed by the East to prevent the wets from crossing over. This was because they felt not all of the Neo Nazis had been stopped and so didn't want the East being encouraged by fascist movements. I think that was harsh thing to put in place as I am sure, not all the West Germans were for Nazi's etc and so many had to live in a place they couldn't leave. I think the coming down of the wall has helped turn Germany into a European power, that will continue to grow every stronger.

Year of Germany Blog 1 - Oktoberfest

Reinhardt University this year decided to do a 'year of Germany' event. On the 17th October, at the Glass House an event was help allowing students and teachers to come along and indulge in the culture of Germany with informational booths relating to Germany, such as German culture, literature, art, business.

When I went along to this event, I didn't really know what to expect, but was quite interested to see that there were many tables set up offering information about the Country of German. I had been offered a Germany T shirt, but only if I could go to each table and get a signature. It was a lot easier said than done. It seemed that most of the tables required me to perform some sort of task, like answer questions about Germany, take part in a quiz and also try a variety of foods available.  Needless to say, I eventually answered the questions correctly, defeated the dragon and gained my prize.....the T shirt, which I now wear to the gym.

I think I enjoyed the booth which required me to read a couple of pages about the German culture and answer questions regarding it. It was hard at first, but I was able to learn the most from it. I always knew that the Germans had a work hard ethic which I have always respected as it has made them become a powerful country around the world. All you have to do is look at the cars they produce to see that the quality is with them. I think Germany have done well as a country in rebuilding itself since WW2 to become a powerhouse. I think it comes down to hard work and determination.

Overall, a enjoyable event, with the added bonuses of free food.