Hannah Claudia : Mecklenburg's Best: An Afternoon in Wismar and Schwerin

Part II of our time in Germany (catch Pt I in Warnemünde, here) was spent in Wismar, another town in the Hanseatic League, and Schwerin, capital of Mecklenburg and home to Schwerin Palace. While only about a half hour apart, Wismar's preserved, medieval touch stands in contrast to Schwerin's regality. Walking through Wismar, all you want to do is sing "little town, it's a quiet village", much like in Tallinn. Schwerin, on the other hand, makes you stand a little taller and lift your chin a bit. Yet however different they may appear, both towns felt equally as quaint and peaceful on this lazy afternoon, and there was nothing better than capping our time in Germany off with kaffee und kuchen.

Wismar:

St. Mary's Church (Marienkirche), whose damage from WWII still lingers.

Lunch at Brauhaus am Lohberg

Schwerin:

Schwerin Cathedral

Today in micro-fashion...

Because sausages + mustard = Germany?

"Stolpersteins", stumbling stones you'll find throughout Europe, but particularly in Germany, memorializing Holocaust victims. Outside of a home in the Jewish Quarter, Christian expressed the urgent need for us to break out of complacency. Most Germans, like himself, are so apologetic for their ancestors' past, but he noted that history is repetitive - his current work with refugees in light of growing and somewhat ironic national dissent speaks to that. My initial thoughts then were, how much better would America be if the government apologized for our country's past? It's so easy to criticize others for not rising to the occasion, but I think many of the disparities that linger and the implicit biases beneath each person's surface can be addressed on an individual level, too. National, macro-level changes need to happen, but so do the individual, micro-level apologies. If we can't ask for the forgiveness of a friend we hurt in the past, how can we possibly address the ever-present racism in our country?

I spoke to my public health professor recently about the lifelong implications of poor maternal health. I presented her a research study idea with the goal of stimulating another federal nutrition assurance program, but her goal for me was different - her goal was to inspire me to be an advocate for the marginalized, outside of my career, through interpersonal relationships and community/grass-roots level actions. We think big changes = progress, but small actions have their impact, too.

(food for thought)