Empty Fields-Exposed

The trip to Leipzig for the day exposed me to a different way of life, one where city life and suburbia can coexist, yet be contained in separate worlds. It was a great experience for me, from the BMW building- including the lengthy travel time, to the gallery, and even the chance to see a "city" from a New Yorker's perspective. Throughout my travels in Germany I have found daily life to be quite different than I am used to. It is very interesting to explore other metropolitan areas and learn from them. In Leipzig there are many facets that make up this unique place including diversity and urbanization.

After a two hour ride to Leipzig, I took a tram with two other girls heading towards the BMW factory. The tram brought us to a deserted place where there was a beautiful building. Next to the building stood the flags of every country. I stood there, as an American with a Spanish girl and a Belgian girl and reflected on the connection we have with each other as students, standing under our national symbols. There are so many problems in the world, yet for this unique moment all the problems dissipate in my mind and I only thought of the world's similarities. Each flag represents a nation, a culture and a person. When viewed together all the flags appear uniform-all are rectangular atop a high pole. Yet when in focus one can see the differences between the colors and symbols embroidered on them. I though about this connection while waiting for the bus to come, in the middle of a strange place where there were no other visitors in sight.

Then the bus came taking us to the BMW factory. On the ride there we passed fields full of healthy green grass. Coming from a strictly urban background I marveled in the idea that one could live in a small house with no neighbors in sight, where one could completely disappear. Back in the United States I often see old factories in city centers polluting the sky with clouds of smoke. The factories in the United States can not even compare to the beauty of the BMW factory in Leipzig. The drive there presented many questions. I began to wonder how in Leipzig there are extreme opposites of urbanization from consumerism to suburban farmland in the same vicinity.

When we arrived at the BMW factory, we stepped off the bus into a parking lot filled with cars-most not BMW brand. There were no people in sight. We explored the building designed by Zaha Hadid. It was really very beautiful and complex. We walked around the factory complex taking tons of pictures and had a look at some of their new models. We saw at the most 10 people come and go from the building, probably factory workers.

After the BMW factory we went to the city center to immerse ourselves in the consumerism and urban atmosphere of Leipzig. We watched people shop, eat and have fun. It reminded me a lot of my neighborhood back home on any given day. Except in Leipzig the city center was only a few blocks long and there were probably more people out because it was a Saturday.

In the evening we went to a gallery to have a tour from the curator of a photo exhibition about the fall of the Berlin wall. I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit and felt a real connection with the people in the photographs. I think it's interesting how even though I was not in Germany during this time and have no physical connection with the event, seeing the personal photographs collected from people around the world helped me to better grasp the emotions the people felt. The photos were arranged in a way that left a lot up to the viewer. As a child in the United States we learn in history class the notion of the Berlin wall but in a way that made it seems so distant and I never completely understood how life for the common person must have been during this time. I think this historical event is often not talked about in the United States with the same integrity as it is here in Germany.

At the end of the day, when the sun had already set, we took the train back to the small town of Weimar. Overall it was a great day and taught me a lot about urbanization in a different setting.