Monthly Archives: September 2012

NATO visit, Brussels

by

As we flew over rows and rows of trees into Belgium with the dusk sun peeking through the clouds, I suddenly became overwhelmed with emotions. I felt like pinching myself to make sure I was really here, flying across countries, visiting places and seeing officials I only heard about or read about. I hid the tears from my crew by looking out of the window (now they will know). My RIAS crew have all experienced over seas traveling. Each one has gone somewhere abroad, but for me this was my first experience! I was just so thankful to be chosen. Thankful that I could see the things that I’ve seen and that I am able to tell others about RIAS.
I purchased my passport six years ago and always hoped that someday I would use it. I’ve used it more in these two weeks than all those wishful years. Get your passport now! You never know when a colleague might whisper in your ear about an exchange program in your professional field or do your own research to find a legitimate organization. This has been well worth it! Before I log off for the night, I want to share more with you about Brussels.
Yesterday we spent the day at the European Commission. We heard from officials about the countries that form the European Union, the Euro zone and the and role of the commissioners. We sat in on a live press conference in the EU press room. It reminded me of the White House briefing (not that I’ve ever been to one, but I imagine that’s what it would feel like). It was presented in two languages, French and English. We wore headphones for the translation.
Today we spent the day and lunch at NATO’s (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s) headquarters in Brussels. I could only take a picture from the bus that NATO sent for us. No cameras, or cell phones allowed inside. This was one of the most interesting seminars.
We spoke with NATO officials about NATO’s duty to keep the bonds between nations and defend each of those nations against attacks. I learned that there are 26 countries along with the U.S. and Germany…that are members of NATO and 22 countries including Russia that are partners with NATO and there is dialogue going on with several others.
I learned so much about Afghanistan and how NATO is working with the country to build and maintain a security and police force there.
Right now, even though there are other operatives going on such as Kosovo, and Operation Ocean Shield concerning piracy, Afghanistan is the top priority. A NATO official who spoke with us stated that they hope to achieve the goal of Afghanistan taking control of its own security force and police force by 2014. NATO also wants to make sure Afghanistan will never be another safe haven for terrorists.
But this will take time and NATO says it will continue advising, assisting and training troops for Afghanistan.
It was fascinating to listen to this because I understood it better after I was able to ask questions.
NATO also talked about its missile defense concept and the recent summit where they discussed ways to bring all nations within NATO under the same model of weaponry defense.
I thought it was going to be difficult to understand, but our NATO speakers were great.
Our last day will be a trip to Bruges. I’ll have one more entry for you. Until then…

Radio Free, last day in Prague

by

Our last visit in Prague was to the offices of Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, RFE/RL.
It’s a radio, television and Internet not for profit service funded by the U.S. These journalist risks their lives to provide radio, tv broadcasts to countries that ban free radio. Journalists have been murdered, kidnapped, jailed, threatened, their families threatened because they provide informational broadcasts to places that restrict what’s on the public radio. Our guide mentioned that she remembers her father climbing to the tops of mountains to get a radio signal that gave the facts and not propaganda.
There are bureaus all over including Russia, U.S., Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan. I felt privileged to be among these journalists who believe in what they do. Bringing justice and information to people who would not otherwise here the truth. Pictures were not allowed inside. But the website is http://www.rferl.org.
We had quick lunch at Nota Bene, an authentic Czech cafe which was delicious, (see photo me and another RIAS fellow) and we’re on a plane to Belgium. Until then…

In Prague!

by

The images below are real. It looks as if I’m surrounded by palaces. The cobblestones streets of Prague in the Czech Republic leads you through narrow roads of apartment homes and cozy little cafes. Prague is busier than the other cities we’ve visited. Dresden in Berlin had an older crowd, here in Prague…lots of young people.
Our first appointment, after the 3 hour bus ride from Saxony, was inside the German Embassy in Prague. Maike, the press secretary showed us the gates where nearly 6,000 refugees from East Germany camped on the grounds for weeks.
It was in 1989, East Germans were trying to escape to freedom and went to the German Embassy in Prague for help. It was heartbreaking seeing mothers trying to get their babies and children over the steel gates and into embassy territory to escape East Germany. The yellow building in the first photo is the balcony of the embassy where the secretary of state made the announcement to the Germans telling them they were free to leave the embassy and enter into West Germany. Many people had know idea how they would start their new lives as free people in West Germany, they just knew they would be free. They left everything behind. There’s a video on-line…if you search Genscher, Prague 1989 you should see it. After our visit at the embassy we strolled through the streets of Prague.
A castle that’s at least three to five blocks long sits at the very top of the hill. The city is picturesque and people are moving, walking fast. I see more cars here than I did in Berlin where it seemed everyone was riding a bike but still people do a lot of walking here.
Tomorrow we visit Radio Free Europe. Only one night in Prague, so tonight we feast!

A unique factory, a Jayhawk in Germany!

by

Dresden, Saxony in Germany is also the home of one of the Volkswagen manufacturers. But the one we visited today was unlike any other factory. Here, Volkswagen produces the Phaeton. A luxury line of cars. These cars are made only at the customers’ request. You won’t find a parking lot full of Phaetons. Leather interior and a fridge in the back seat is standard! One customer put a 19″ TV screen in his Phaeton! And they showed us the raw wood from which the paneling comes from. It didn’t even sound like a factory. They call it the “transparent factory” and its green environment feels like an office. I mean, have you ever seen a car factory with wooden floors! It smells like a new car inside the factory. A Phaeton price range starts at 67, thousand Euros and can cost up to 105 thousand Euros ($130,000 U.S. dollars) and currently their biggest buyers market is Asia. Volkswagen presented the Phaeton in the U.S. market in 2006 but discovered that Americans were more interested in SUV’s so they pulled the Phaeton out of the U.S. and introduced the Toureg instead. They employ about 500 workers all of them are from the state of Saxony. And the crew on the line has a minimum of three years experience. The line moves very slow and workers have 12 to 16 minutes to put in their specific part. Mostly all work is manual. Very few robots. Here are a few photos of us in our white coats, no goggles or ear plugs. We all got a chance to sit in style in one of these luxury cars.
After our tour, we visited with a professor and currently Saxony Commissioner of Integration over cake and coffee (an afternoon thing here in Germany). When I mentioned I was from the Kansas City market, imagine my surprise when the German professor Dr. Gillo, said, “Rock Chalk Jayhawk!”. He completed his graduate studies at KU and spent 20 years in America. When asked what he liked the most about the states…”I loved Kansas and the people” was among his remarks.
Dr. Martin Gillo, in the last photo, talked about the immigration issues in East Germany. Saxony is in East Germany. This part of Germany has very few foreigners. I mean, 98 percent are white Saxons. I walked the beautiful streets of Dresden and I didn’t see any black people, Turkish people, dark people. Sometimes I felt as if I was in display. Nothing bad, but I caught a few second glances. I saw a few groups of Asians. Dr. Gillo says the state is working on increasing integration but its moving slow. Refugees seek asylum in Germany mostly coming from Vietnam and Russia.
It’s difficult for Saxons to open up to foreigners. Dr. Gillo explained. He says long ago the SS, Secret Service, often followed foreigners, so people stayed away from them. Saxons are not the type of people who will come and talk to you but if you talk to them they will likely open up to you says Dr. Gillo. The former chancellor of Germany Chancellor Kohl would often say, “Germany is not the place for integration!” but the current Chancellor Angela Merkel says the opposite says Dr. Gillo. Recently, Saxony citizens completed a research survey and were asked if they wanted to change things and open up to integration or do they want things to stay the same…56 percent said yes. But the other 44 percent wanted things to stay the same. And its worse in rural areas.
Saxony is the first state in Germany to implement a migration program. The state is working on better conditions for refugees to become German citizens by changing the laws so they can work in this country upon arrival instead of waiting a full year. Also, allowing refugees to live in apartments other than the dormitories they are required to live in today. This was among one of the best speakers I think we’ve had. Not because he was Jayhawk but because he helped me to understand Germany a little better. Tomorrow, we leave Dresden and head to Prague. More to come…

Dresden, Saxony…gorgeous view

by

Dresden is a remarkably beautiful town. It’s the capitol of the state of Saxony in the country of Germany. Unlike Berlin which is a city/state.
It’s hard to believe that most of the town, well practically the entire town, had to be rebuilt from the ground up after World War II. Our tour guide, Tom Ehrlich, who could definitely serve as Brad Pitt’s stand-in, showed us pictures of what Dresden looked like after Russia’s air bombings in 1945. Thousands were killed and the town was leveled with merely shells of buildings left standing. It has taken nearly 70 years to rebuild. Some of the buildings finished as early as 1993. Masons used what pieces of sand stone were left to try to reconstruct Dresden to its original version. But you can tell where the original pieces start because of the black sand stones on the statues and brick moldings. Every corner warranted a picture. It was that cool! Unfortunately, I haven’t learned yet how to post them all.
Below is my group, RIAS Fall 2012,(good looking crowd,huh) sitting in one of the “chill out” houses of King Augustus the Strong’s courtyard. He once held a wedding for his son which lasted 30 days. I’m sure there’s more things important to remember about him but the one thing that sticks out in my mind was that he had a beautiful mansion built for one of his many mistresses with a bridge connecting it to the palace. With his Queen in the palace! Then on the other side a bridge connected to the church. In the words of our tour guide, “I call that rude!” 🙂 My sentiments exactly.
Our evening ended with a traditional German dinner and our guest was a professor of economics and former mayor of Dresden, Dr. Georg Milbradt. He talked about the Euro Debt Crisis in-depth. It seems parliament has a different opinion than Dr. Milbradt about what to do with debt laden Greece. Dr. Milbradt, from what I gathered, believes Greece should put a tight belt on its spending and work themselves out of the debt situation rather than depend on Germany or other countries in the Euro Zone to bail them out. Taxing others to pay for Greece’s irresponsible leaders…who he says ignored warning signs…bothers some Germans. On the other hand, the countries started this treaty with the intent to unify. They are one with one currency. Together, the euro is strong. And if they turn their backs on Greece and the people who are reeling from unemployment and uncertainty then what does that say about why the Eurozone was formed in the first place. I don’t know.
I’m still learning about all of this but I can keep learning over a hot plate of German food. We visit the Volkswagen plant tomorrow. Till’ then…

Bye to Berlin, On to Dresden!

by

This is our last day in Berlin. Tomorrow we take a bus to Dresden to the Volkswagen Factory and later to Prague and Brussels to NATO.
But I have to say my last day in Berlin was a both somber and fascinating day. All of these emotions!
We took a bus to Potsdam. This is where the “House of Wannasee Conference” mansion still stands. It’s the place where plans were drawn to murder all European Jews. We read the actual documents drawn up and carried out by the Reicht and the SS, Secret Service. They discussed killing methods…gas or executions. How to deport Jews. It was all written down by governing officials.
Our next meeting house was after Hitler’s dictatorship and allies took control of Germany. We visited the Cecilienhof Palace. Cameras were not allowed inside. We saw a huge round table where the treaty was signed by then three leaders…President Harry Truman of United States, The Soviet Union leader and the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. They made the decision to divide Germany into sectors. It was decided that United States, Great Britain and France allies would take over West Germany, the Soviet Union took over the East. Thus became a country divided…East and West Germany.
We then went to a palace…the home of King Frederick the Great…Sanssouci. It is the yellow brick palace below and it was beautiful. And this was just his summer home! We toured the garden and saw where King Frederick was buried.
The last half of the day we were to explore on our own. I chose to visit the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. The large gray rectangular stones represent a mass grave of millions of slaughtered Jews. Underneath the stones, there’s a museum where cameras weren’t allowed. This was very emotional. My heart dropped as I read a letter from a 12 year old girl who decsribed how children were being executed. It was taking longer than the German police had expected. Some of the police would run out of ammo, so the children waited and watched as the officers reloaded and killed more children. Their bodies fell into a pit. This little girl wrote a letter to her father while she waited in line to be killed and threw the note to the side before her death. It was only a few lines detailing what was happening but the words that I remember most were, “I’d rather live but I cannot.” She along with six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
There were many stories like this throughout the memorial. Mothers killed with their babies in their arms..babies left to starve to death in the pit.
It was so troubling and unbelievable that it was hard to read. But at the beginning of the tour, you understand why you are there. To never forget. At the entrance a quote from Primo Levi reads, “It happened, therefore it can happen again”.
I feel forever changed.

Blind Date, Real Life

by

On this day we got the chance to see real life in Berlin.
We walked one of the districts in Berlin called Kruezberg. It is one of the areas with the highest unemployment rate and most of the residents are of Turkish descent. Their district representative, Mr. Ozcan Mutlu, walked us through the area. He is of Turkish descent and fights for equality and civil rights for what is considered the minority population in Berlin, the Turkish. This was a real eye opener for me. After visiting with officials in parliament and the foreign office, I had the impression that poverty and discrimination were minimal but I saw the poor, the homeless people in Kruezberg today. Mr. Mutlu told us about a case of discrimination that his office fought against. Parents wanted their German children separated from the Turkish children in the classrooms and the principal granted this request. Even though the Turkish children were born in Germany but because they were Turkish, they were considered “not smart enough”. This happened recently…not ten, 20 or 30 years ago. Mr. Mutlu says he spoke out about the unconstitutionality of such a request and helped others put an end to the segregation in that school. But he told us, he was only able to because someone spoke out. He’s concerned that the same thing could be happening in other schools.
It was something I wasn’t aware of and I thank RIAS for showing us real life in Berlin, the good and not so pretty.
We also toured one of the cable news stations, N24. This is similar to our CNN. I was under the impression that all news channels were only hard core news channels. But I learned differently today. N24’s target audiences are ages 14-49. Mostly young people watch N24. Older people, 63 and above, watch ARD 1…the other newsroom we visited.
Something that I learned which was a shock…during campaigns, those who are running for elections do not pay for ads (commercials) for TV time. What! They place ads in order of who had the most votes during the last election. And finally…
Yes, I went on a blind date but my date was married with two children. Not a real date, I’m married too.
This is the one night that RIAS pairs each one of us with a person who does the same job as you in Germany. We don’t know who they are until we meet them and vice versa. My date was wonderful! Her name is Katharina Kroll, a correspondent for Hauptstadtstudio here in Berlin. She was just as kind as she was funny. And she had a sense of humor, check out the gift she gave me along with a bottle of wine…it’s an Angela Merkel juicer :). She took me to her home and I spent time with her family.
Her two friends, who are also in our field, joined us at a fab restaurant called Jolly. We talked about everything…women working, balancing working and motherhood. They were very interested in politics and the upcoming presidential elections. Katharina was surprised that I did stories everyday. She says, she gets a few days to write a piece. I was privileged to have met such warm and welcoming people. I gave her a book of some of my favorite places in Kansas City…the jazz museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. And coffee that I bought at the Kansas City store. Her son plays baseball, so I think it was a hit.
She gave me all of her attention and a girls’ night out that I will never forget. Here’s to new friends and new experiences.

Birthday in Berlin

by

This will have to go down as one of the most memorable birthdays ever! I celebrated a milestone (and I dare not say which one) with my RIAS fellows and it was fantastic! The only thing missing was my beloved family and friends back home.
Today started with chocolates, flowers and my very own Beer-stein (mug) at breakfast. At lunch, another fellow treated me to a large basil and cheese pizza (Thanks Shanda:), and for dinner a chocolate cake topped with a sparkle to finish off a delicious meal. I was so surprised, I couldn’t even take pictures at dinner but it was so thoughtful and fun. The learning continued in between birthday songs and treats.
Our first speaker of the day was the senior political editor Mr. Thomas Habicht. He filled us in on German unification between East Germany and West. I didn’t realize that unification at one point, some Germans thought would never happen. After the Soviet sector take over of East Germany and even with the fall of the Berlin wall, some were not prepared for unification. Many lost jobs and currency became void so they had no money and psychologically both sides were unprepared for the future.
Shortly after, we heard from an MP, (member of parliament) similar to our U.S. Congressmen and women.
Interestingly enough, Mr. Klose will soon be retiring from parliament but he said some of issues he would have liked to see settle was something I didn’t even know was an issue in Germany…demographic problems. Germany’s birth rate is very low. Fewer babies are born and the older generation is well…getting older. Fewer people marry in Germany. Some couples stay together for a decade before marriage. Right now the population is about 80 million but in the next century, if more babies aren’t born, it will decrease to about 60 million.
Another thing I thought was interesting, because of the demographic issue…Germany welcomes immigrants. Currently, legislators are working to find out how they can implement religious studies…all kinds of religion…into schools. Educate their children about different cultures. That is completely opposite in the U.S.
We also visited the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. No cameras or phones allowed. We spoke with the U.S. Deputy Chief, James Melville and Ruth Bennett and Peter Claussen.
Mr. Melville explained the duties of the ambassador in Berlin and as I understand it, it’s to keep open lines of communication between countries. The ambassadors are representatives of the American President’s presence in other countries. Most of that discussion was off the record so I can’t discuss it but it was very interesting.
Our last speaker, Dr. Lutterbach filled us in on trade unions in Germany. This was particularly interesting to me because of the unions in my state. Unions in Germany work very closely with companies…large and small. Unions in Germany cannot give political funding to campaigns here because they represent all parties and there are at least four different parties, I think.
Currently, the Federation of Trade Unions are fighting for minimum wage for all workers. There is not a set minimum wage here. They are pushing for at least 8.50 euros/ hour.
Union leaders are also a part of boards of companies. Which I found that fascinating. Gotta turn in…big day tomorrow.
Here are a few of my RIAS colleagues below and a picture of me at the Brandenburg Gate…Napoleon and John F. Kennedy past through these same pillars and a nice ride on the Spree. Prost!

Race Relations, Stasi Prison and Foreign Trade

by

I will attempt to tell you all I’ve learned today. There was so much, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ll start with where we started.
At breakfast, we were introduced to an American journalist working in Berlin. I remember his first name was Eric and how he ended up making this his home. He told us, when he was a young man he left his home in the U.S. He didn’t have a job in Berlin but here, he was given health insurance. He was astonished! He said he was able to go to the doctor, the dentist without a job and it was taken care of by the government. If you have a job in Germany, health insurance is automatic and even if you don’t have a job. Oh, and by the way, mothers can take up to a year off with their newborns. And kindergarten (German word) starts at age 1 in Germany.
Anyway, back to Eric. He began writing for Reutgers. He became involved with stories on reusable energy. In addition to writing, he and his colleague started a successful business putting solar panels in homes, businesses and schools. Solar energy and the Euro are two major issues here. I remember him saying just one hour of solar energy could produce enough energy for one human for a year. Some side with utility companies and argue that solar energy is too expensive and it takes time to install the equipment.
After breakfast we headed to a Stasi prison museum where we met a former prisoner. The way I understand it, after the war…World War II…West Germany became more viable and alive as it was restored by allies but in East Germany, the conditions were worse. Many Germans kept moving to West Germany, leaving the East to decay. You may have heard that famous line , “There are no plans to build a wall”, weeks later, the wall went up. People began trying to escape. The Stasi captured and persecuted those who tried to leave East Germany. Our guide, Cliewe, tried to escape three times. He spent 18 months in prison because he bought a one way ticket on a train, which sparked suspicion. In those cells, prisoners had nothing but concrete walls and a bucket to go to the restroom. They were tortured and interrogated for trying to leave or criticizing Stalin. Some never knew what their sentences would be. The prison we visited opened in 1946. Very emotional to see the films of the slain Germans who tried to flee before the wall come down in 1989.
We also went to the Foreign Office…I guess you can say…the states office in U.S. I learned more about foreign trade. Last year Germany traded more with China than with the U.S….that’s the first time the U.S. has come in second, according to our guest.
It sounds as if some Germans are hoping President Obama wins another term. Germany and US governmental relations are good. They are in alliance on issues such as climate change and nuclear disarmament.
Lastly, at dinner we met with two members of the RIAS Kommission. Dr. Richard Meng, the press speaker of the Berlin Government and Peter Claussen, public affairs for the US Embassy in Berlin. RIAS is the organization that sponsored this entire educational trip. We discussed everything from race relations to families in Berlin.
I was curious about the minority population, naturally. They said in some parts of Germany…mostly rural…some Germans are not accustomed to seeing Blacks, immigrants, etc. There is a large Turkish population here (considered a minority group) and racism is still something Germany is working on. Some parts of Germany are very much integrated and there are leadership figures who are openly gay. Gay marriage is also legal here. But in other parts, Blacks might be snubbed. Sounds like the U.S. to me in that regard. I thought I was being shooed away because my German sucked (trying to ask for directions). Now, I don’t know. Maybe the two people I asked, at two different times, were just rude. My experience, however has been great and the people…genuinely kind. I wouldn’t change I thing. I’m taking it all in, even the small snubs. After all, I believe America is still working on race relations too.
Check out my Vienne Schnitzel! It was good!!! Especially with my lager but I thought if I put a beer on my work website, I might get called into the office. Hey…when in Berlin.

Germany and America, different or the same???

by

Another exciting day in Berlin. We visited the Federal Chancellory today, equivalent to the White House back home. We met with one of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s top aides. One of her 3 right-hand men. He would be considered the U.S. Deputy Chief of Staff.
I couldn’t believe he took the time to speak with us for an hour. This man was busy running the country but he met with the 12 of us American journalists. It was interesting. For example, the Eurozone…comprised of 17 countries including Germany…is in crisis, as I’m sure you have heard. Germany is the largest and strongest economy of them all and other countries, straddled with debt and weak economies, look to Germany for help (bailouts). the Chancellor won’t leave countries like Greece hanging…even though some think that she should. The euro is stronger now than the Deutsch mark ever was. I asked him, what he thought of America’s debt. He said he thought it was concerning and America at one point was the leading economic country but now our dependence on China is concerning.
I could go on and on with our discussion but I want to tell more about where we went today. We had a delicious lunch at Tucher…a meal, cappuccino then desert.
We visited one of the first TV and radio stations in Berlin, ARD 1. Here, all the news is political news on the public TV station. No Hollywood gossip, sex scandals or rich wives charged with murder or vice versa on this channel. It’s all politics. One of the TV reporters who spoke with us visited a news station in the U.S. recently. She says she couldn’t believe that in America, journalists could obtain police records and personal records of others. In Germany she says, privacy laws are very strict. And famous tv personalities don’t make the 17 million dollar salary that Matt Louer makes. Highest earning, maybe a cool million. I could live with that.
One more thing, we saw the Reichstag parliament building, I would say that’s equivalent to our congress. It was incredible. Names of the MP (members of parliment) who were killed during Hitler’s reign are recognized throughout the building. The Reichstag’s glass dome was phenomenal (last picture)! When you reach the top…which spirals towards the sky…you can see all of Berlin. Until tomorrow.

I have arrived!

by

First day in Berlin.
I’ve met half of the RIAS crew at the hotel and our helpful instructor and guide, Rainer, on this journalism exchange program. First thing first, we found a cafe.
Later we split up to do some sight seeing. Some wanted the market, the Brandenburg Gate, others wanted museums and some wanted to sleep. I went for Museum Hall and what was the Berlin Wall. It’s 5:50 in the evening here…about 11 a.m there, I think. The flight was seven hours long. But it didn’t feel long at all. Flew into Newark from KCI and from Newark all the way to Berlin.
I watched Snowwhite and the Huntsman on my own little tV in the headrest (ok, I haven’t traveled much) and when I woke up, it was 40 minutes to landing. Nice view outside my window. There’s a huge hot air balloon. Everyone bicycles everywhere…kids in tow, women and men in business suits. Learning and classes start tomorrow.
Later, Heather

Time to Go!

by

Well, here I go again. Trying to do something adventurous…something I’ve never done before. Funny thing about dreaming…you never seem to stop. I told myself, “your time has come and gone”…the time to do things like travel abroad, work internationally and learn a new language should have been done when I was younger. It would all have to wait. Wait until the girls were gone to college or wait until I had more money. I just thought it seemed impossible and I would just pour myself into what my family needed…keep working and stay afloat, pay the bills. But when I learned about RIAS/ RTDNA and the American/ German journalism exchange program, I started dreaming again. Dreaming of becoming that journalist I’ve always wanted to be. One that was well rounded, well traveled and one that could write from a different, broader perspective. And even better when I found out it was an all-expenses paid trip, for two weeks! I’m so grateful to my colleague…Clare for introducing it to me. I researched for my essays, told the heartfelt truth about why I wanted to be chosen as a fellow for RIAS and nagged others for recommendation letters (Thanks Brenda:) and waited five months for a moment I’ve been waiting for since I began my career as a reporter 17 years ago. Here I am waiting in the airport lobby to board a plane to Europe. I hope you join me to Berlin, Brussels, Prague and Dresden. I want to share everything with anyone who will read it. I love it when my children experience something new…like when my 2 year old saw Tigger at Disneyland for the first time. I thought she was going to explode with excitement. I think that’s about how I feel at this moment. And this is just the beginning. Here I go!