The Edge of Homework

I must say that I have not yet done the Ghosts reading :( but will get in my reflection asap!

Regarding The Edge of Heaven, I can't express how moved I was by that movie. I thought it was an excellent choice as a strong display of the lecture we had just been given - or, put another way, the lecture surved a perfect foundation for understanding the cultural undertones of the loud however silent film (loud in that it had a lot to say and silent in that it was not obnoxious in its expression of these themes). If the film at all served as a prompt for the passion which moves people in Istanbul and Germany, I cannot be more excited to go and be amongst these personalities. On another level, I was immensely touched by what the film had to profess about parent/child realtionships, their variant levels and variablility, their strength, and the natural love rooted in them which finds a way to communicate itself through other interpersonal relationships. This was the most profound message given to me by the film. On an arts level, the direction was supurb (which is saying a lot because I have just recently begun to acquire the movie culture to be able to make such an observation) and I felt that the writer's choice of not revealing the tangled web of past relationships between the characters was very brave (and almost necessary for the story).

I can't wait to go home and watch this movie with my parents!

Istanbul's Choice

It is a large project for a city to alter its entire demeanor, and as I sat reading this article about the undertaking of Istanbul, Berlin is working on the exact project. I loved the author's remarks about globalization and what problems it presents and found it interesting that what changes may come are the effects of social and cultural globalization itself. "Culture is implicated in everything now. Companies use culture for its image-building capacity." How true is that? And it's not only applicable to Istanbul but applies to Germany, America, and many other countries which are money, glitz, or facade-driven. The New Politics of Openness section discusses an interesting complex. I feel that class differences, belief separations, lifestyle barriers, etc. will always, always resonate and to try and mix them is to try to change what culture there is. The author, with his (her?) disagreement with globalization absolutely agrees with me in that the blending of differences of people for the sake of peace is evidently the taking away of a culture's essential richness. The last paragraph sums it up perfectly:
"We have to hope that all these moments of worldliness in Istanbul might turn into flagship experiences in maintaining a democratic basis of social solidarity where different identities coexist productively and creatively. Above all, we have to hope for a new politics of openness."

Starting the project...

It's an odd notion to begin in May a project which will not be thoroughly discovered until August. I have not began research as I intend to do it yet however I do plan on beginning to train myself to see the world as I will write it. I think that the most beneficiary research I can accomplish before finals is to read a book I bought, titled naturally, The Berlin Wall and I would also like to start a dialogue with Manuela and possibly other young Berliners I can find about social divisions in the city. After the "technical" research (if you can even call it that), thus, after finals, I want to work on training my eye to see social borders and generally people as I will want to see them for my writing purposes in Berlin. I also intend to work on my writing. This will happen during my cross-country road trip from late June to late July.

At The Crossroads

Come to the intersection of written word, performance, brilliance, and passion and this is what you will find:



We are here. Nothing more needs to be said.

So This is Spring

And here comes May. Flowers are blooming, rain is becoming more absent in all cities but this rained-in community of sun-glass buying confused consumerists. We don't make a big deal about it any more, but today is May first, the day we leave flowers on our friends' doorsteps. You grab your things, your money for flowers which you only spent on movies during dreary April, and you head out the door to welcome spring with your loving May Day thing. But then the sky turns darkandBOOM! Something happens toward the city and the flowers that have already made their way to your doorstep begin to wilt with anti-May anxiety. You are in Berlin, you soon realize, and the May Day riots have begun yet again.

This year, four adolescent rioters are being taken into custody after authorities saw what they believe were attempted murders of police officers. Naturally, the anarchist youth threw flammable liquids on the dark-blue men and tried to set them alit. Your flowers are now brown.





Petrol-filled explosives are flying at the police officers as the 5,800 rioters try to pull the loose strings at the ends of the city's structure. Over a hundred are being injured, 50 of which are being sent to the hospital, and as as you hear the sirens surrounding you, your porch gifted flowers tuck themselves safely under their dirt foundation. And it reminds you of when your daughter has a bad dream and hides herself under her blankets.

Your daughter! She's just seven and you're worried about what these anarchists, these emerging near neo-nazis might do to her influence, how she can possibly grow around them. Ah, but you (and she) are safe. You leap from your cable reality and come to the soft rain tapping on your window. The news has gobbled you up once again - it's time to shut it off. You send a thought to Germany, to the confused and raged youth groups, to the police and their families, and to the parents of these disgruntled teens for as a parent you know well what they feel. To Seattle's flower shops with your daughter's hand in yours. No NPR on the stereo today. You grab your keys and exit, tunes for your car, off to buy flowers for the doorsteps of your loved ones. And here comes May.

Project Proposals...

Opposing Sides Youth Case Studies

These would be case studies based on one-on-one interviews done with the 16-20 age group, youth who were not alive during the destruction of the wall and were therefore born into a "united" (geographically, if anything) Berlin. I would speak with Easterners and Westerners about their views of "the other side" and research why the youth, whose older relatives' experiences are their closest experience to the wall's effects, are divided still.

This altar would include:

-A high school history book

-Pre-1989 family photos

-Car keys

-iPod, cell phone

-Friends list from facebook (showing friends' networks)



Social Borders in Berlin's Marketplaces

I would spend hours, days in marketplaces and try to establish an understanding for Berlin's social divisions strictly by watching the people interact. The writing would be mainly ethnographic prose, much like my "Borders in Seattle" assignment, except for longer and more in-depth. This would definitely be image-driven prose, as Shawn is encouraging us to do, but it would also be personal reflection and narrative, investigative sociocultural work, and definite creative non-fiction.

This altar would include:

-Marketplace produce

-Loose change

-A wrinkled notebook

-Photographs of crowded squares

-A collection of differently-priced shoes



Stories of the Rising and Falling Wall

This project would be a creative writing project in which I would write short stories of made-up characters facing realities that have been historically proven to be very real. I would focus my writing on characters who were divided by the wall in the '60's and characters who were united (or met each other, but coming from different sides) after the destruction of the wall. Quite a bit of research would be required even though this is a fiction project, the setting and historical events I would require myself to keep accurate.

This altar would include:

-Debris from the wall

-Photographs of friends, lovers, or a family together during the pre-wall era

-A phone with the cord cut

-A collection of letters sent in the '60's and '70's

-Photographs of friends, lovers, or a family together in the present day



I really wish I could do all of these projects (really!). The idea of each of them really excites me. However, I have done ethnographic work before both in the form of case studies and experience-prompted writing (on scene). From my experience, I don't see how I could possibly establish any hypothesis (and still get the writing done) with the first prompt. Talking to someone respectfully about their life and their personal views on what are often touchy subjects is very time-consuming... and then comes the analysis of the data and the writing itself. I might be able to complete two full case studies to my satisfaction, which is not nearly enough to understand the youth divide in Berlin. The on-site experience and image prompted ethnographic work is something I do on my free time and am very comfortable with. I can very easily see myself cranking out 30+ mini ethnographies, which is more than enough to develop a hypothesis and write on it regarding social margins in Berlin's marketplaces. I feel very comfortable with this prompt. The short stories is a really exciting idea for me, but the time may be an issue as I am a perfectionist when it comes to accuracy and we only have four weeks. So in sum, the second research project is definitely looking the most appealing to me right now as I am comfortable with it, experienced in the work, and enjoy that type of ethnographic study very much.



WHEW!