A German Graduation

Day 3-Kandern/Wittgenstein, 8 June, 2007

This bright foggy Friday of Graduation began with an early trip to Shannon's former dorm in the town of Wittgenstein. Our stated purpose being retrieval of Shannon's Kit, our alterior motive to tour the dorm. Most of the dorms at BFA were Gasthauses in there prior lives, and the dorms resulting from such a transformation are full of character, albeit inconveniently laid out. As an example, the shortest path between two particular halls on the same floor of the single building is by exiting onto the fire escape and using it as a catwalk. So it was an interesting tour: the basement, a dank place containing a table-tennis set, weights, and a punching bag across from a swastika carved into the wall underneath several German names, near a trough for watering all the sorts of animals that don't fit into basements.
Also of interest was a rustic kitchen, a cheerily lit dining room reminiscent of a Pub, and a backyard producing walnuts and raspberries that people like to eat, Äpfel und Erdbeere that people don't like to eat, and several lengths of terracotta piping and an old brick wall that are, in fact, entirely inedible.
After making these earth-shattering discoveries and loading the car with luggage, we sped away at speeds nearing 100 km/hr, over narrow German roads, went shopping, and went home to the Ludington's Flat.
Graduation ensued, doing what Graduations do best: taking their time, providing photo-ops, and wearing thin a certain famous piece of music. What stood out about this graduation was that something personal was said about each graduate, and though each graduate had to pay for this privilege, they did so in foreign currencies, thereby thwarting this capitalist plot with a plot of their own. Continuing in the tradition of dodging tradition, the exit music was not Elgar, in this case, Theme from Gettysburg composed by somebody other than Elgar.*
Gowns were shed but tears were not as family and (ahem) some others headed upstairs to the reception of meager food to any expecting lunch. The best role for bored non-graduates was that of Paparazzi, that is, taking pictures of those you don't know standing with those you do.
After the graduates grew tired of this, Susan,¹ Robert,² Cheri, Rachelle, Megan,³ and I wandered off into the Student Lounge and played B.S., Bull, and other games that involve little skill apart from those involving Lying. Robert beat the rest of us soundly at Bull,ª but I beat everyone else at Indian Poker. Robert is great fun to be around, but was the first one to leave Germany after the Graduate Cruise on the River Rhine, leaving everyone else glum and dejected. But what do I know of it?
I wasn't there!

*Randy Edelman composed this stirring piece of music.
¹Susan Willson, my specified target as Paparazzi
²Robert Headrick looks like Russell Crowe and is world-famous as the creator of the iKorean
³Megan Ludington, who looks like Jessica in The Man from Snowy River
ªBull is similar to BS or Bluff, but based on Poker hands. Indian Poker involves everyone picking up one card and (without looking at it) holding it, value out, against your forehead. You look at everyone else's cards, and either fold or don't, and then you all compare, and see who won.