Stories from the Work Front

I talked with my brother recently about this blog, and as I mentioned in my first post, it was he that encouraged me to start a blog to share interesting things that happen at work. None of my posts have been related to work, but I woke up this morning and thought I'd share a little bit.

One of the great benefits of working in college athletics is getting to know the student-athlete. I have not been able to really get to know many of our students, except I have had the chance to talk with a number of women's soccer players. Am I showing favoritism by only mentioning the women's soccer team? No. Simply because, the time that you get to know a group of players the best is when you travel with them. I have traveled with each fall sport, but none of the trips were over night. However I had the chance to spend a week in Kansas with our women's soccer team in the middle of November.

One of my most lengthy conversations with a student on that trip was with Manoo, our German. However, I found out that not only was she German, but East German. This is what carried our conversation for so long until I had to go run an errand real quick and then the conversation ended. But while we talked, I had the chance to hear from her about what it was like to grow up in Soviet influenced East Germany. To have a wall that divided the heart of a country's capital. She did not live in Berlin, but lists her home town as Poessneck, which is about 120 miles southwest of Berlin, about 110 miles northeast of Frankfurt and 40 miles west of the Czech border (the border that is due west of Prague). Ok, enough geography...hearing Manoo's responses to some of my questions about condititons of living and listening to her stories, was almost like being a cast member in "Goodby Lenin". She told me about how they used to expect the small toys as gifts on birthdays and never thought of asking for something bigger or better, but after the fall of the wall in October 1989 when she was 10-years old, she realized that she started to want the new things that those in the eastern side of Germany were being introduced to.

We talked about the people who went from being middle class or well off to being poor or slightly below middle class when the currency changed. In America, you could think of the Confederate dollars all of a sudden being worthless in 1965, however, I see that as a very, very small similarity, because during the American Civil War -- There had to be some hint that over the course of a four year span you would need to hold on to Union currency if you lived in the south. However in East Germany that was not the case. You were required to use to use a currency that was only worthy in the shadow of Moscow...worthless in other places. And it was not just a four year span of time, but almost a 45 year span, with hope that one day they would get out from under the heavy curtain. There was a period of time to transfer your currency, but not everyone was able to get it all done by then, plus the exchange rate was less than equal to go to the present day German Mark.

Some encyclopedias and websites say that neo-fascists beliefs are present in parts of eastern Germany because of their longterm unemployment and poverty. I'd believe it from watching "Goodbye Lenin" and even more from talking with Manoo. She expressed the thought that yes, it is good to have the freedom, but at the same time things were easier, simpler, there were not as many hard ships under the fascist regime. There were hardships and it wasn't good, but at the same time, you knew you could be provided for. That is probably the sentiment of most east Germans...not that they'd want to go back to the total control of a communist/fascist control, but some aspects of being "for the people" were good to have.

It was definitely interesting...of course, you can't leave out that East Germany beat West Germany in soccer a good bit too...thus being one of the good things about the fall of the wall is that Germany's soccer team improved, because now they had East Germans on it.

Well, I wrote a lot more than I expected to, and I didn't even get into my other story...so here it is real quick. We all want to be appreciated, to have a sense of worth and value bestowed upon us by others. This job has brought stressful times and long hours. To some I have expressed my wonders of remaining in the profession for more than just one to a few more years, but it helped to have our goalkeeper stop by my office last week. After we talked about a few other things, she stopped and said, "We've all been talking about how good of a job you're doing." "Who's we," I responded. "The girls. A bunch of us were hanging out the other night and were talking about how you are doing a (good job)."I won't write her exact words "Well, thanks," I said. "We hope you stay, I know the job has gotten you down, but we like you and we hope you stay."

Of course not that I was ever planning on leaving in the upcoming summer, but this visit and other sentiments expressed make me want to give my time to MMC where I can...I just home that time can be divided between the office and the people.

Map of Present Day Germany

Goodbye Lenin - Sony Pictures Website<

Good Sites to View

Hello everyone:
Sine moving to Pulaski, Tennessee in August I have been roughing it in my new townhouse without cable and internet at home. This has left me up to task of finding entertainment through books, movies and CDs. I thought I'd share with you some websites of people or groups that I have been thinking a lot about recently, whether through reading their books or listening to their music. Check these out and give me feed back if you like anything you see.

Take care,
Chris

Donald Miller - Author of Through Painted Deserts, Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What

Derek Webb - Some say he is today's Bob Dylan...His new album Mockingbird will be released just after Christmas.

Bob Dylan - You can't like the Dylan of today if you don't like the Dylan of yesterday and today. Through Derek Webb I have gained a new appreciation for Dylan and his lyrics...his attempt to find the truth and injustics in society through lyrics and song.

John Piper - An author and evangelist in Minneaplois, Minnesota who preaches truth, not Christianity.

Blood Water Misson - Check this out! This is a group dedicated to raise support for Africa to help fight the death of AIDS victims by building clean water wells in villages that's waters are filled with parasites that a weak immune system cannot begin to fight.

Movies:
Crash (2004) - A film that makes you examine your inner prejudice toward people of other ethnic back grounds.

Motorcylce Diaries - The story of Che's journey that set up the ideals that led him to Cuba to join the revolution in the 1950s...not political beliefs ai agree with but other intersteing things that make you think.

RENT (2005) - This will make you take a look within yourself on your response to those with AIDS and the "outcasts" of society.

Off the Map - I stumbled across this B-list movie and really liked it.

I guess my big thing recently has been developing my thoughts toward the seperation of relgion and a relationship with God. There is a difference. Religion gets too wrapped up in a set of dos and don'ts sometimes...too leagllistic, but Christianity is a relationship with a Savior...an acceptance of a gift that was freely given through sacrifice of salvation to be a transit for us to God. (don't get me wrong - community of believers in a church is needed, yet we should be seeking the right place to serve, not just any church that says it is a church for Christ.) These films, books, teachings and lyrics have made me examine the call to love our neighbor as we would love ourself - and hang up the hangups on theology and partisan lines. Christ is not a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green, Communist, Libertarian or of any political association. We should not try to make Him the head of our politics, yet the head of our life, through which we learn our values, to which we accept values, through which our opinions are made and politics manifested, yet through which human error is always vested.

My challenge for this New Year is to look outward, then inward. How do we respond to different situations life gives us? Who do we love more than others? Why do we love them more? What is so different? Who are we more willing to give ourself to in a time of deep need? When others are in need and we can help, who will we turn to and who will we turn away from? These are the introspections that I think need to be made daily in our lives - thus a challenge for 2006.