They like you; they hate you.

From: kmunch@mip.sdu.dk 
To: rgeib@rjgeib.com 
Subject: Americans abroad - sigh 
Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 01:44:54 +0200 (MET DST) 

Hello Richard,

My name is Kasper, I've read your pages on europe, and was glad to see how much you seem to have learned on your travels.

Excuse my bad english, not exactly my native language.

I understand that it is 6 years since you was over here, well, much have changed. I come from Denmark. If you haven't heard of it I'll understand. It's a small 
country, but we have a culture and a legacy that is thousands of years old. When i read that you think you come "the most powerful country on the earth." I can't 
help being a bit bored with the American attitude. Yes, I know that USA is a mighty country, but please. If you ever come to Europe again remember that we are a people who has been fighting and dying for about 2000 years for our country, for our language for OUR way of life.

We are not as mighty as the US, not by far. But don't ever, ever talk to a Dane like you are any better than him. Once we ruled the entire nothern Europe. (Iceland, 
England, Normandy, north Gernamy, the Baltics, Norway and Sweden). Once we were great, powerful and unbeatable. We lost almost all of it. Through long and 
horribel wars. No empire stand forever, you, such a thoughtfull character, should think about that.

The Europeans are proud of their countries. Sometimes a bit too proud, the old feudes are always there. It is all that keeps us from forming the ultimate union, like 
the US. If we did, we would be just as mighty as the US.

I'm not angry that we are small and weak compare to the US. I don't mean to be rude or anything. But don't forget your own heritage, the Irish. They are a 
wonderful people. Next time you think of your great-
grandfather or whatever be proud.

I love Europe, and I spend as much time as possible traveling all around the world. But I never get tired of the many cultures and wonderful people in Europe.

Remember us - in all your might and glory.

Thor be with you.

Kasper

From: "Julia Eisenberg" <Julia.G.Eisenberg@med.uni-giessen.de> 
To: "Richard Geib" <rgeib@rjgeib.com> 
Subject: 
Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 03:21:02 +0200 

Dear Richard Geib,

Quite by accident I stumbled upon your webpage (I entered "panem et circenses" into a search engine). 

I found it very interesting, there is much food for thought there.  Browsing through your Europe journal I read the parts which referred to Germany with great interest and since you apologize several times throughout your webpage for your youthful arrogance I just wanted to tell you that I was actually very impressed by your entries. Most Americans who travel through Europe usually do these "Europe in 10 days trips", going from one capital to the other and in the case of Germany rather visit Neuschwanstein (a place most Germans abhor) than Dachau. To me it seemed that your entries mirrored a vivid interested into the different countries and its peoples with a deep appreciation for history, something quite out of the common and a stark contrast to the usual "Sightseeing".

I was surprised to hear that you didn't find many Germans wanting to discuss the Third Reich with you. Being part of a generation whose parents were born at the end of WWII I have discussed this part of our history many times in many HIstory, Religion, Social Studies and German classes. Don't get me wrong, I believe that to be very important in order to understand not only the past, but also the present and of course as a warning that nothing like this should ever happen again. Usually I don't think my generation, unlike the older generation, is unwilling to talk about these times, but of course for us it's a whole lot easier than for our grandparents who were involved in it. Helmut Kohl called this "the mercy of the late birth", a phrase I usually don't like because it's sometimes used as an excuse to deny any responsibility for the actions of our grandparents and great-grandparents, but in this case I think it's appropriate. 

I was also very surprised by your favorite music pieces. That list is very similar to my own. Since my love for Mozart's "Requiem" is considered quite morbid by almost everybody I know, I was surprised (and happy) to see that there are other people out there loving it as well.

Do you know Schubert's "Death and the Maiden"? It's a very beautiful piece of chamber music and there is also an excellent movie out there with the same title (and the same music) by Roman Polanski. Actually it's the movie version of a play; I think the author's name is Ariel Dorfmann. I know you don't like television, I don't either, but this is really worth watching.

I got many ideas out of your webpage for books which I would like to read. I love poetry but I have just started discovering English authors and therefore I am very thankful for all those hints. DANKE!

I don't want to bore you with my favorite pieces of music and literature but just in case that you haven't discovered these authors already and as a small "Thank you", I will just name two authors which I think you might like.

One of them is Rainer Maria Rilke, a German poet, who lived from 1875 to 1926. A lot of his poems are available in English (and on the Web) and even though they suffer a little from the translation I think they are still quite beautiful. There is also a little prose available, for example his "Letters to a young poet". 

The second author is Gioconda Belli. She actually lives in L.A. (and Managua). I have just read some very beautiful poems by her, the book is called "Sortilego contra el frio; Poemas Eroticos". Unfortunately I can't read Spanish, I read them in the German translation; but if it's possible then they can only be more beautiful in the original. 

Just to get you hooked, here is the beginning of one my favorites:

"Pequenas lecciones de erotismo"

Recorrer un cuerpo en su extension de vela
Es dar la vuelta al mundo
Atravesar sin brujula la rosa de los vientos
Islas golfos peninsulas disques de aguas embravecidas
No es tarea facil - si placenterea -
No creas hacerlo en un dia o noche de sabanas explayadas
Hay secretos en los poros para Ilenar muchas lunas


Tastes differ, fortunately; this was just an idea. If you don't like these authors (or don't want to read them), that's of course o.k.

Just one more thing: Is there a reason for you always writing "Johann Wolfgang Goethe" instead of "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"? I am just curious.

Thanks again for sharing your interests.

Yours,

Julia Eisenberg.