Six in the morning, taxi at my door. Fresh Adidas sneakers squeak across the hotel floor…never had words from a song ever rang out so true. Ice-T’s 6 in the Morning was talking about starting his day with some early unexpected challenges. So too would be our day, as our group of 16 split up and parted ways to three separate destinations-Hamburg, Germany, Amsterdam Netherlands and Strasbourg/Paris, France. I, along with Jen, Deanna, Doua, Autumn and Paul made our sleepy way to the train station in Brussels headed to Strasbourg. At this time of the morning and this amount of traveling, some refreshments were needed.
As we sat at the café in the train station hopefully waiting for our train platform to register on the screen, I was faced with my first of many European Encounters that would inject some needed comical relief and remind me of the outreach and influence of American entertainment mediums (radio, TV, film). An African gentleman, who I suspect “hangs out” at the station due to the nicotine cologne he was wearing came out to me and asked in African accented English “Where are you from?” So I tiredly replied, “Chicago.” He then pounds his chest and while “raising the roof” starts to sing in the worst falsetto ever “No, No, Notorious!!!” I was so tired, I couldn’t react. I wanted to show him some Chicago South Side “hospitality”, but I quickly recollected the humor in it all and how influential our Medias have become. I also felt honored because he thought of one of the greatest hip-hop artist of all times. Still, it was too early for this.
We finally discovered our platform and made our way up there. I must say that a train ride through Europe was just what the doctored ordered. It was a four hour ride, but it was tranquil to say the…Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry-I dozed off. Actually I passed out from the tranquility or the three hours of sleep I got the night before until the rumble of my snore made my travel companions wake me up. I’m back now. As we rock back and forth on the tracks, the ticket agents get to our group and ask for our tickets. One of our tickets was the receipt and not the actual ticket, so one ticket was missing. After getting the ticket agents translation, one of our group members would have to pay for a leg of the train ride. In a show of unselfishness and team work, every one of us began to reach for our wallets, purses, etc. She was able to purchase it on her own and was reimbursed by the GMF office, but to see that showed that no matter where you’re from or who you are, there are some people in this world that still think unselfishness is a good trait to have. Now of course we teased her for the rest of the trip, but little did we know this was only the beginning of our bonding, our togetherness and more important, our growth as professionals and people.
STRASBOURG-FRANCE’S BEST KEPT SECRET OUTSIDE OF EUROPE
WEDNESDAY
We arrived in Strasbourg, France with a young looking fellow holding up a sign, eagerly looking
for six people that may not belong in Strasbourg. Edouard, the Program Associate with the GMF office in Paris, would be our coordinator for this leg, but would end up becoming a great friend as we concluded our stay. We gathered some taxis and were whisked away to our hotels. We were not dropped off in front of our hotel though. Why; because the road of the hotel doubles as a pedestrian walk way to the Strasbourg Cathedral Square. The square was bustling with merchants, whose goods were prominently on display on the road and people moving back and forth checking out what the merchants had to offer or taking in the scene. Of course as we exited the taxi and collected our things, we stuck out like a sore thumb, but we were in awe as well, because of the energy we were seeing. After we checked in, each of us took a turn riding on the movable coffin that they called their lift (elevator). It would not be the last time we would ride movable coffins in Europe, so get used to it.
After having a briefing lunch about our schedule and expectations, we began our city tour of old town Strasbourg. You may or may not know, Strasbourg has been both a city of Germany and France in its rich history. Its cultural influences are contributed by these two countries as we soon discovered on our tour. Much of old town Strasbourg has been kept intact, including the “Derrick Rose-break your ankle, crossover” cobble streets. Weaving through this labyrinth of local history and preservation we hit old town square were we witness the crossroads of history come together. We worked our way back to the hotel, but before we concluded we did one final stop-at the Strasbourg Cathedral. Now mind you this edifice is one of the tallest buildings in the city and we did not notice it until she pointed it out at the beginning of our tour. It is truly a sight to see, inside and out. As we ventured inside, you felt the pride of accomplishment from those that built this cathedral. The details of the building truly say pride, honor and reverence to their creator. The most interesting item (in my opinion) was the magnificent clock tower that was located inside the cathedral. I can’t begin to describe it properly, but we’ll just say that it took you on a journey of time, space and dimension (starting to sound like Rod Serling).
Speaking of journey, it was time to go to our first meeting of our France leg. We had a welcome briefing with the representatives from the City Hall of Strasbourg including Ms. Nawel Rafik-Elmrinir, the Deputy Mayor in charge of international af
fairs. Ms. Rafik-Elmrinir briefed our group on how Strasbourg manages international issues, due to its role as the seat of the European Council and the European Parliament. She also gave the group some insight on how the international issues impact the city on a local level including the economy, education and service delivery. One of the things that struck me about Deputy Mayor Rafik-Elmrinir was how astute she was both politically and culturally. It also didn’t her that Chicago was one of her favorite cities because of the 1980 John Landis film, The Blues Brothers, which happens to be her favorite movie. ;-) At the conclusion of the meeting, she gave us a tour of the local council chambers and presented us with a photography book of Strasbourg that was commissioned for President Obama’s visit.
After we took the tram back to the vicinity of the hotel, we made our way through to dinner with Francois Lafond, the GMF Director for the Paris office. As we dined, we conversed about the
complexities of the European Union including its identity on the global stage. The conversation took an interesting turn when we asked about what is it the European Union seeks to accomplish in this modern day era of transatlantic relations. As we headed back to the hotel being peppered with rain, I thought for a moment that this leg of the trip had the makings of something memorable. It also would set the tone for the other parts of this fellowship.Bring on tomorrow.
THURSDAY
Compared with the early starts in Brussels, the 10:00 and 9:30 starts in Strasbourg were a much needed change of pace. We started our day off with a meeting at the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe (French: Conseil de l'Europe) is the oldest international organisation working towards European integration, having been founded in 1949. It has a particular emphasis on legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation. It has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens. Its statutory institutions are the Committee of Ministers comprising the foreign ministers of each member state, the Parliamentary Assembly composed of MPs from the Parliament of each member state, and the Secretary General heading the secretariat of the Council of Europe (Taken from Wikipedia).
We were first given a tour of the Council of Europe chambers and given an overview of what the Council of Europe is. Then we had our first meeting was with Horst Schade, Director of the Secretariat of the Assembly at the Council of Europe. Horst is an alum of the Marshall Memorial Fellowship program
, participating as a European fellow visiting America in 1994. Horst discussed some of the key issues taken up by the Council including the Court of Human Rights, which sparked a very intense discussion from the fellows on how these issues impact Europe and American abroad. We then continued this discussion over lunch in the restaurant on the campus of the Council of Europe.
After partaking on some outstanding cuisine including this simple dessert that featured fresh strawberries laced over vanilla hinted custard over puff pastry with ice cream, we walked off our afternoon meal with a stroll to the US Consulate post in Strasbourg for our afternoon meeting with Consul Vincent Carver, who also serves as the Deputy Permanent Observer for the US in the European Council. Consul Carver, a gracious and engaging host, talked to us about the US presence in Strasbourg and the country’s overall strategy with the various European institutions. He then turned the table and began to engage us with various questions about Europe, the German Marshall Fund program and other issues, which made the conversation escalate with fascination. Here we are sitting here with a Chief Mission Officer for a major European city talking about what “we” thought on various transatlantic issues; only in the Marshall Memorial Fellowship.
SIDE NOTE-one of our colleagues had an injury and was concerned that the injury may clot. Our local coordinator along with the US Consulate handled the situation with precision, professionalism and tact. Too often we point out when someone does something wrong, especially our government institutions, but I want to point out when it does something right. So hats off to the men and women in the US Consulate offices across the globe for ensuring the well being of Americans abroad.
The meeting had to end due to the individual appointments scheduled for the group. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an individual appointment, so I took the time to do what any person with some free time in France would do-I hit the nearest café. I took my readings on the French education system and sat in the middle of Strasbourg square to brush up on how I can compare France with the US. The square was packed with life-shoppers, tourist, local residents, school kids heading home and me, sitting in the middle of it all with my bottle of water, some pomme frites and my trusty iPod.
FOOD MOMENT of STRASBOURG
We gathered back at the hotel and headed out for dinner. We went the opposite direction of the tourist crowd because we wanted to do as the locals do. After heading down a few narrow roads and turns, we walked into a cobble stone mall full of local eateries and watering holes. We’ve hit local jackpot!!! After standing in the middle and blowing our tourist cover we chose this quaint Italian restaurant that could have been no bigger than a Chicago “in and out” hot dog stand. We sat outside and the server brought over the chalk board menu. Immediately I thought GREAT SIGN. Why? In culinary arts, a set menu sometimes means set standards of reproduction and set standards of “stifled creativity”. We also began to choose our selections including this HUGE salad of simple mozzarella and tomatoes with a fresh pesto drizzle to wake up the salad. Trying to eat right, I chose the penne pasta with the grilled shrimp. Little did I know that eating healthy on this was going to reward me with a healthy taste of ecstasy. The pasta was laced with a lemon fussed pesto and the shrimp was grilled with some basil, vinegar, garlic and a hint of something that was driving my taste buds wild. This simple bowl of pasta and shrimp worked beautifully. In fact everyone’s dished worked beautifully. My other Foodie-in-Crime, Autumn, adored her dish as well.
FRIDAY
Our third day in Strasbourg will be the most packed but also the most exciting. We started our day off with a visit to the IRCAD, a private institute, dedicated to improving the status of basic research against cancer and developing new computer technologies in the field of medicine. As we were taken to the main presentation room, that rivaled the parliament chambers of some small countries, it became apparent that we were about to see some advancements in medical science.Our presentation included how the institute was utilizing computers to better map out surgeries,
which minimizes the patient’s time need for the medical procedure. The institute also demonstrated how laser insertions minimize infections, healing time and increases accuracies. We also saw how all of these techniques were captured on film and then archived on the Internet via their website for training material for surgeons around the world. They even use remote surgery where the doctor can perform the surgical procedures from one location and then it’s done via transmission to a robot that executes the procedure. Talk about long distance impact. We were then taken upstairs to view an actual training session that was going on with some surgeons. The whole concept of coupling technology and medical practices has some exciting possibilities and also some concerns, which we pointed out during our conversations with the institute. One of the concerns that were raised was the possibility a growing dependence on technology at the expense of the surgeon’s “instinctive and practical skills”. The institute representative responded that this is a growing concern in the medical industry as well.
We then heads to the outskirts of the town square for a lunch meeting with Kayhan Karaca, Correspondent for NTV Turkey. While awaiting the arrival of the others, I was waiting outside the restaurant when I was involved in something of international proportions. As I waited, a group of mischievous kids sprayed me with water on the back of my suit coat. I had to realize that my reaction to this would be reflective of not only me, but the program, GMF, the US and everything else that I represent. So what did I do? You guessed it; I picked up the water bottle and gave chase giving them a taste of their own medicine. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. It was also funny to see a big, black American playfully chasing children with water. Now the professional side of me reconciled by buying some ice cream and having one of the locals who saw what happened give it to them. If nothing else, I truly understood the phrase of “These colors don’t run” LOL.
We started the lunch in a German cuisine restaurant where the conversation began about the perceptions of Turkey as a potential EU member and the potential opposition to this possibility. Some of the discussion revealed a hypocritical sentiment of some of the opposition. One them that would becoming recurring is the argument of Turkey as a Muslim country in the EU, which can be perceived as the “Christian Club”. We would continue to hear this argument, both for and against throughout our travels.
The next visit was an interesting stop. We went to ARTE, which is a model Franco-German television and entertainment cooperative. It promotes arts and entertainment to increase French and German contributions to these fields. The French headquarters was phenomenal in every sense. They sat us in their viewing theater and showed us a video presentation of ARTE. We then began our tour of the studio. There in the studio we saw the many facets of ARTE programming including news, production, transmission and the story room. Our tour was interrupted by one of the production managers who were so excited we were there; he began to take over giving us a tour. At the conclusion of the tour, much of the senior staff hosted a reception for us where we engaged one on one conversation about the work they do, what they are achieving and what could be done to promote European contributions to the arts and entertainment.Our last day in Strasbourg concluded with a very interesting dinner with two outstanding guests. First, we were joined by the Honorable Fabienne Keller, a Senator in the French National Assembly and former Mayor of Strasbourg. Our other dinner guest of the evening was Prof. Ramon Bach, Center for European Studies, University of Syracuse in Strasbourg. The dinner was held in a restaurant on an off beat path called Chez Yvonne. What was unique about this restaurant was that is was the favorite of many of France’s movers and shakers, as evident by their pictures on the wall with personal autographs to the proprietors. The conversation over dinner gave those present some great insight on the dynamics of local and national politics in France, particularly from a woman participant. We talked about the European Union, NATO, the scope of French politics in reference to international affairs and most of all; we talked about them as people. As the desserts were passed around, I suspect that everyone their had a new gained respect-for public servants, professionals in higher education and us-young professional Americans.
As we walked back to the hotel and the cathedral’s shadow peppered the cobble stone streets, I realized that Strasbourg was coming to and end, but something else awaited us. This something includes no meetings scheduled, a destination full of culture, history, character and most of all an empty canvass for one to paint their memorable masterpiece. This something is called Paris.
Click here to see other pics from Strasbourg
PARIS-WHAT YOU GIVE IS WHAT YOU GET
SATURDAY
We headed to the train station in Strasbourg ready to venture off into the unknown of Paris. This time it was not going to be a tranquil ride. This time we were on the TGV or better know as the “Bullet”, so if you want to view the scenery, you better not blink or you better have a high speed shutter camera or you will miss. No; for real.
We got to Paris in two hours flat; amazing to say the least. When we left the train station, I could see, hear and smell the past and present. The only thing I couldn’t smell was the future because we have not lived it yet. As I hopped into the taxi with Edouard, I realized that one of the cities I always wanted to visit was being realized. I also decided that I was going to give it my all as I and the other fellows would soon discover, Paris gives you what you give it.
After we checked into our hotel, which reminded me of a college dorm, but then again who was going to lay up in a hotel in Paris, we hit the café. In Paris, do as the Parisians do. So we did. However, this moment was soon tarnished as we decided to lighten our load and ship off all the books, materials and gifts we had gotten on the trip thus far. So we’re walking down the street with boxes in hand looking like, you guessed it-tourist; proud of it too. Again, these colors don’t run. We walk with their heads held high to that post office and after the packets were accepted, it felt like a great load was lifted off of us.
After that, we all split up into different groups, paths and destinations, determined to see what Paris had to offer. I walked with Paul and Jen, two of the finest professionals you’ll ever meet. In fact, all of these 2009 summer AMMF’s are. Paul was on a mission for this special chocolate. So Jen and I walked with him. It was a good way to see Paris by foot and fulfill a mission at the same time. After a few kilometers and some turns, we made it. Now that the mission was completed, we decided to keep on walking, similar to Forrest Gump running across America, except we were walking across Paris.Of course we walked to the Lourve, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Bastille. However, I won’t get into every piece of detail, stops, etc, because words cannot do justice to being blessed enough to see Paris with your own eyes, being there with your own spirit and living in the moment. However, pictures do say a thousand words, so I hope the pictures say enough to get you to experience Paris for yourself. Click here to see pics from my time in Paris.
The next day, we split up again and this time my Parisian partner in crime was Doua. We decided to see Paris from the top of a double-decker bus. The tour itself was amazing. What was more amazing was the insightful guide given on the bus. For example, did you know they called the prison below Notre Dame Cathedral the “Rat Trap”? I won’t tell you why, but I invite you to click on Rat Trap to find out why. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Sorry, GI Joe flashback.Of course we made our way through the city and we got to the grand prize of the Paris attractions, the Eiffel Tower. The best recollection I have of this monument is in Superman II, where Superman saves Lois from a terrorist bomb on the elevator of the tower or when Grace Jones leaped off of it and parachuted to her awaiting vehicle in the James Bond film, A View to a Kill. I will confess that seeing it up close and personal has replaced that memory.
I will close out this blog with this observation and I hope they don’t mind. One of the places we walked through was Luxemburg Park, which is central everything as far as Paris leisure is concern. Everyone was there; from families, couples, seniors, juniors, etc. You name it, you saw it. What I noticed was when we walked pass the children’s park of the grounds, Paul and Jen stopped and just watched the kids play. I took notice because I have never seen such a simple and tranquil moment stir up so many emotions. Paul and Jen were reminded of what they left back at home to do this Fellowship-their loved ones. It occurred to me that all of us left something back at home; a husband, wife, son, daughter, boyfriend, girlfriend, dog, cat, or just the comforts of comfort. Traveling for 24 days to a minimum of five countries and having minimum time to communicate with whatever you left back can take some toll on you. It can also motivate you as to why you’re doing this fellowship, so that what you left behind can exist in a better, cooperative and peaceful world through understanding international issues, particularly transatlantic issues.
So to all we left behind for this one in a lifetime opportunity, we THANK YOU for allowing us to fulfill this fellowship so we can be better professionals, citizens and people in general. We’ll be home soon enough.
That’s a wrap on Strasbourg/Paris. Tune in to find out what Ankara and Istanbul has to offer and if I will learn what’s the issue with Turkey’s
A video to conclude our time in Paris...
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