Photos from Berlin and A Disturbing Trend in the Development of the Rights of Immigrants in Spain

Here are the photos from Berlin. This series focuses on most of the major and quirky sides of Berlin that appeared throughout my week in the city. Enjoy!

On another note, a disturbing trend in the regulation of the rights of immigrants in Spain. Recently, the police in Barcelona detained a friend of a coworker at my Spanish NGO who is an undocumented immigrant. The arrest did not occur in a raid in a factory, however. It occurred when the police officers went up to him - a man of Libyan decent - and asked him for his immigration documentation. The same fate fell on another friend of one my Fulbright colleagues, a Senegalese man who was selling DVDs on the side of the street in downtown Madrid. Police officers also approached another friend, who is a student at one of the Universities in Madrid and a Spanish citizen of Ecuadorian decent, to ask for her documentation. According to these individuals, police offices have started awarding commissions to officers who detain immigrants through these means. As far as I know, no such incentive existed before the adoption of this measure in 2009.

I will keep my comments on this issue brief. The rule of law is important in any society. Save for some cases such as the Jim Crow Laws, most individuals should follow the laws of a nation. However, the execution of these laws cannot undermine the basic rights of an individual. Any effort to do so through the arbitrary application of certain provisions of these laws (e.g accosting an individual merely because they look like an undocumented immigrants) undermines the foundations of democracy and, ironically, the rule of law itself. In short, this trend does not bode well for immigrant/human rights in Spain.

Berlin Photos Coming!

With a week's worth of memories and almost 300 photos, it's taking me some time to get the photos uploaded to my Facebook profile. Expect a few updates this week as I get back on track from a wonderful week in Germany...

Berlin: Some Observations from the German Fulbright Commission's Mid-Year Seminar

As I recover from a wonderful week in Berlin, let me recount the highlights of the German/European Fulbright Commission's Mid-Year Conference for American Grantees in Europe. The theme of the conference was "1989-2009: New Hopes - New Challenges." The theme was clearly aimed at commemorating one major historical landmark: the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The conference also addressed another historical landmark: the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Germany. Both themes were the uniting factors throughout the course of the conference, which brought together nearly 300 American Fulbright scholars and teachers to Berlin as well as over 200 German Fulbrighters who will studying in the United States.

So what to discuss?

First, the seminars and workshops deserve a mention. Although the Commission started off the conference on Sunday with a welcome dinner, the official events did not get underway until the following day with a panel titled "German Unification: Chances and Challenges," which was held at Humboldt University, Alma Mater to major historical figures such as Hegel, Marx, and Lenin. The evening's event was the opening ceremony, which featured a keynote speech by Dr. Klaus von Dohnanyi, Fulbright Alumnus, Secretary of Science and Education of the Brandt Administration, and former Mayor of Hamburg. His speech addressed the issues related to the shared Geopolitical interests of the USA and Europe. The speech, which echoed the themes raised at a Spanish Fulbright Association monthly meeting earlier this month, revolved around the convergences and divergences in the manner that United States and Europe were addressing issues such as climate change, the economy, and security issues.

Dr. Dohnanyi giving his speech

The Spanish Fulbrighters also had an opportunity to shine during the conference. One of my colleagues, a researcher who is studying how the right to vote for immigrants in Spain has raised major questions over the formation of new political communities, presented his work at the project presentation round table for Fulbright Researchers. The panel also featured presentations the identification of women through modern and contemporary Turkish art, the relationship between Turkish immigrants and 'Ethnic Banks' in Berlin, and a presentation from a teaching assistant who help organize a German elementary school's first science fair. Overall, it was a diverse array of strong research projects from a dedicated group of researchers; it's all the more impressive when one considers that most of these individuals are not enrolled in a doctorate or masters program back in the States.

Another one of my colleagues, a classical-trained guitarist who was researching contemporary classical guitar music in Spain, debuted two pieces of music at a formal Music Gala of performances by Fulbright Grantees. Several highlights from the gala included his pieces, Vientos de Primavera, written by David del Puerto, and La Fragua de Vulcano, written by Eduardo Morales-Caso; Billie, a music concrete piece for alto sax and a boom box written by Jacob te Velhuis that featured a mash up of beats, jazz samples, and recordings of Billie Holiday's voice; various Debussy preludes; and Carmen Fantasy Opus 25 for violin and piano, which is typecast as the "tango song" in commercials worldwide. It was an enormous pleasure watching this talent on stage covering a wide range of contemporary and classical music. Where else would you find hip hop beats creeping up in Billie followed by a cascade of arpeggios on a Bártok piece? Berlin, apparently.

The performers at the end of the night

On my end of things, I had a chance to appear on a panel called "European Dimensions," which discussed the experiences of several Fulbright grantees in Europe. The panel featured grantees from the UK, Slovak Republic, Italy, and Norway, each with their own views on the experience of living abroad as a Fulbrighter. I focused on the act of abandoning preconceived notions of Europe and utilizing one's own experience and careful observations to guide one's work and life as a Fulbright scholar.

Beyond my own topic, the panel engaged in a long ranging discussion over the importance of language in developing social ties with people in our respective countries, the importance of social networks in meeting our work goals as well as making friends over the course of our grant, the impact of the decline of the birthrate on our respective host countries' societies, and the prominence of xenophobia in our respective countries of research. Needless to say, I felt the workshop was a positive experience -- I clearly have been learning enough about Spain to answer various questions about the country without any problems -- and was happy to have represented the Spanish Fulbrighters on the panel.

How else would we represent Spain?

Finally, there were several parties thrown each evening in various swank venues in the city. I will simply leave it at this: the German Commission, of all organizations, knows how to throw a good dance party with delicious beer.

On my own time, I had an opportunity to visit the Jewish Museum, have coffee in the central offices of the STASI, which was the East German Government's secret police, the Pergamon, which features the gates of Babylon, various historical sites such as Hitler's Bunker - a parking lot, nowadays - remnants of the Berlin wall, the Brandenburg Gate, and the site of the Nazi sponsored book burning in the mid 1930s on a lengthy walking tour. I also had a chance to visit Sauchausen, a concentration camp near Berlin that housed, among others, Martin Niemöiler, a priest who made this famous reflection on the terror of the Third Reich:

"When the Nazis came for the Communists,
I said nothing,
for I was not a Communist.
When they locked up the Social Democrats,
I said nothing,
for I was not a Social Democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I said nothing,
for I was not a trade unionist.

And then they came for me, and there was no one left to protest."

Sadly, the terror did not end with the end of World War II. The camp became an internment site under the Soviet occupation until 1950. In both instances, many innocent people suffered and perished at the hands of brutal regimes that were determined to rob them of their humanity. The experience of walking through the camp cannot not be summarized in words.

Bathrooms from one of the prisoner's cabins

On a more positive note, I also had an chance to receive a private tour of the Reichstag, the upper house of the German parliamentary system, from one of my friends who was a coworker of mine at the Department of Justice. The photos will speak for themselves, but the rich history of this site can be found here. (I will add that the building's innovative use of space and light - interns' offices feature windows looking into an open courtyard - certainly could inspire some architects in the States to liven up the homely office building. Given the state of the economy, I am not holding my breathe.)

View from inside the glass dome that sits atop the Reichstag

All in all, it was an amazing week. Check out the photos in my next post to see how I spent the rest of my time in Germany.

And the Most Memorable Thing from Germany?

Given the diverse number of experiences from my time in Berlin, one encounter stands out. While I was getting falafel with a friend one night at a Turkish restaurant, the man working behind the counter asked us where we were from. We explained to him that we were from the United States. After telling us he was from Lebanon, he immediately went into a moving description of the time he spent in Flint, Michigan in the early 1990s. Despite the fact that the economy - then, as now - was in terrible shape, he said the city gave him the opportunity to socialize with people from different backgrounds and walks of life.

After two years, however, he returned to Germany and obtained German citizenship to stay with his family. (Note: obtaining German citizenship is extremely hard; children of immigrants born in Germany do not receive this legal status and all individuals must live in Germany for 8 years before taking a series of tests to obtain the status.) As he explained the reasons that prompted his return to Germany, he teared up and explained that the nation never embraced him as a fellow German, only as an immigrant. The man explained that he missed the openness of America, where "everyone can be an American" and stated that he was determined to return to the States soon. We thanked him for his time and wished him luck as we paid him for the sandwiches and left the restaurant.

I can begin to unpack this experience on several levels, but I will simply leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.

A Few More Comments About the Fulbright Program

Although the program is part of the State Department's Cultural Exchange Program, the International Institute for Education (IIE) manages the admission process of the program and serves as the liaison between the American Fulbright Commission and the Commissions in host nations. The funding of the program varies. In some instances, the Commission in a host country receives funds from public or private sources without any assistance from the American Fulbright Commission. In other instances, the State Department and the American Fulbright Commission funds the grants for a particular country. In the case of Spain, the Spanish Commission funds all grants without any outside assistance.

The management structure of the program also varies. In most instances, the Fulbright Offices and Commissions in other countries handle the daily administration of the program and work with the grantees to handle any issues that come up over the year. The Commissions also put on conferences such as the Andorra and Berlin seminars for their grantees and invited guests. It is a great deal of work on their part, but the result is worth it: happy Fulbrighters who are prepared to ask their representatives to support the Fulbright Program.

The Berlin Fulbright Conference and a Little Musical Diversion...

Quick note: I will be attending the German Fulbright Commission's Annual Conference for all American Fulbrighters studying in Europe. Almost 300 Fulbrighters will attend the event in Berlin, which will feature project presentations, discussion panels, professional development seminars, and several galas that feature the music of Fulbrighters conducting musical research in Europe.

I will be part of a panel called 'European Dimensions' that will discuss my experience as a Fulbright Scholar studying in Europe. Although I do not have a set speech set out, I do have a theme, which is a piece of advice from my headmaster in high school: "live through experience, not abstraction." In other words, the idea of Europe sometimes is merely an idea; the experience is something else entirely and serves as a motivation for the development of this blog. Like with Andorra, I will have some thoughts and photos up within a week and a half to two weeks.

In the meanwhile, enjoy this video of the most prominent Flamenco guitarist in the world, Paco de Lucía and my favorite jazz guitarist, John Mclaughlin, play one of Paco's compositions, Zyryrab at the Sevilla World Expo in 1992. The song is named after Ziryab, one of the most prominent musicians in the Ummayad courts in Cordoba who introduced the instrument that would eventually become the six string guitar to Spain. It is also a nice opportunity to hear some ridiculous guitar playing from two masters. Enjoy!

Five years ago...

Today is the fifth year anniversary of the 11 March Bombings in Madrid. I have commented on this tragic event in a previous post, but will note one minor observation. The memorial services that commemorated this tragic anniversary lacked the cohesion of commemoration ceremonies of the last four years that brought together different groups of Spaniards to honor lives of those who died in the attacks. Instead, various groups honored the memories of the dead in celebrations throughout the city.

In some instances, the infighting between the PSOE, PP, and victims associations groups marred some of the celebrations. At the ceremony at the ayuntamiento, the 'city hall' of the city, members of the PSOE boycotted the event, due to a political scandal involving the PP paying spies to uncover acts of corruption carried out by members of the PSOE. The PSOE of Madrid stated that the act was a protest against the city's mayor, Ezparanza Aguirre, a PP member, decision to give a false testimony over various details concerning the fiasco during the investigacions into the scandal. The victims' rights groups subsequently criticized both parties for failing to display unity during a time of somber reflection over the events that killed 192 people.

What would cause a community to break off into various groups to celebrate the fifth anniversary of one of the largest terrorist attacks in modern European history? I do not know; it seems that Americans continue to commemorate 9/11 in increasingly disperse ways as well. The process of grieving over a tragedy like 3/11 or 9/11 through a major public manifestation certainly can help a society come to terms with these events.

That said, a society is a dynamic force that can impact the manner a community commemorates a shared experience like these terrorist attacks as groups begin to form around specific interests - victim's rights groups, political parties, etc. And given that public space is a relatively open canvass for public commemorations, especially in Spanish society, it would make sense that groups would eventually find their own means of expressing their grief and anger over these attacks.

The process that initiated this dispersal of groups, however, remains a mystery to me. The Spanish people have demonstrated the ability to come together and celebrate the victory of the Spanish soccer team in the Eurocup or share in the grief over the death of a 17 year old girl who was murdered by her boyfriend in Sevilla last month. Perhaps it is a question that I should begin to ask around this city as my time in Spain draws to close and I prepare to return to another country that still is coming to terms with the events that killed so many on a Tuesday morning in September.

Andorra: Some Thoughts on the Mid Year Conference

As I begin the process of asking for an extension of my grant, I figure it would be a good opportunity to present some thoughts and reporting from the Spanish (and Andorran) Fulbrighter's Mid Year Conference in Andorra, a tiny principality that lies between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains.

How often do you see this sign? (Espanya is the top sign on the post)

First, some notes on traveling: the process of traveling from Madrid to Andorra, which is a popular ski resort for many a Madrileño, was a protracted affair. We needed to take a high speed AVE train from Madrid to the city of Lleida, which is near Barcelona; from Lleida, we took a bus to the tiny country in the Pyrenees. It was during this leg of the trip that we were caught some spectacular views of valleys, mountains, valleys, and rivers that canvassed the path to Andorra.

A view of the valley from the bus on the way to Andorra

Of course, these sights were nothing compared to the end destination: the Hotel Crowne Plaza, a four star hotel in the country's main urban center, Andorra La Vella. Although most people shared a room with another Fulbrighter, I had the fortunate luck of staying in a single room. We also had the opportunity to feast on a high quality buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that seemed to satiate the needs of Fulbrighters quite well. It didn't end there: the Commission bussed us around to various historical sites in the country throughout the trip and, most impressively, treated us to a wine and cheese party featuring fresh cheeses from the region surrounding the country. Needless to say, I was extremely happy with the accommodations after staying in a college dorm with a sub par cafeteria for the Fulbright orientation session at the beginning of the year.

The Iglesia románica de Santa Coloma, the oldest church in Andorra. The Church, which was built in the 9th century, features Islamic-style architecture in its main worship chamber that reflects the influence of the Moorish forces that entered the area in the 8th century.

Rock Star accommodations aside, the actual conference was a productive experience. The researchers had an opportunity to meet with colleagues who are working in similar fields such as natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences to discuss their respective work and develop strategies to meet the ongoing needs of their research. Each meeting featured a guest moderator, usually a professor from the States conducting research and teaching in Spain.

The Centre de Congressos d'Andorra la Vella, where we held our research workshops

As a social science researcher, I had the opportunity to meet and work with a professor from the Department of International Studies at the University of Miami, Coral Cables, Ambler Moss, who served as the American ambassador to Nicaragua for the Carter and Reagan administrations and currently is a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Barcelona. Aside from affectionately calling me a troublemaker for suggesting that the Fulbright teaching assistants should strike against the Communidad the Madrid's school system for better working conditions, Ambassador Moss suggested that I should look into interviewing members of the PSOE and other leftist parties to get a political perspective on my topic. The group also decided to take on the task of putting on a conference in June about immigration where the researchers who are focusing on immigration can present their work to the public. Expect more on this event in May and June.

The big event for researchers, however, was the Fulbright Full Grantees Panel where we gave five minute presentations on our work. The presentations' topics ranged from "Characterization of Myoblasts in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease using Traction Microscopy," to "Parental Perceptions of Childhood Obesity in Spain," to a presentation about making a documentary about sub-Saharan African men in Madrid, and, my favorite a performance of a contemporary classical guitar piece by a researcher studying modern classical guitar music in Spain. My presentation, which was titled "Breaking the Ties that Bind: The Role of the Spanish Tribunal Constitucional in Shaping the Rights of Undocumented Workers in the Zapatero Era." Given that the presentation was a focused version of my blog post on the subject, I think it would be redundant for me to outline its topic. But it was generally well received and I felt I presented a decent five minute overview on certain aspects of my work (e.g the right of undocumented immigrants to organize).

After the conference was over, I spent an extra day in the country to snowshoe and hang out with my friends. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this side of the trip was the moments of silence I spent snowshoing on a trail on my own. The opportunity to hear absolute silence in the middle of a snow covered valley was an excellent way to reflect on my experiences in Spain thus far and give me an imperative to make the most of the rest of my time in Spain.

Photos from Andorra

It's been a busy week since returning from the Mid-Year Conference in Andorra, but I have a moment to post up some photos from my trip. You can see them here.

More thoughts on the conference later this week.