(before the Reidel presentation)
(tempting...)
(dinner entertainment)
Today we made the relatively short drive from Innsbruck to Munich. On the way, we stopped for a professional visit at Reidel, a company that produces hand-blown wine glasses, decanters, and various other glass products. This was a fun visit because instead of spending the majority of our time listening to a presentation, we were able to actually go inside the factory and see firsthand how Reidel produces its products. The glass-blowing process itself was an amazing thing to watch- the employees work with melted glass at a temperature of up to 1400 degrees, so they must be incredibly skilled and precise so as to avoid injury and create beautiful, one of a kind products.
After visiting Reidel, we drove the rest of the way into Munich. We settled into our new hotel rooms, then went downstairs for our Germany orientation meeting and student presentations.
After the meeting, a group of students and I ventured out with Dr. Dan to learn how to use the S-Bahn metro system and to find somewhere to eat for dinner. We ended up deciding to eat at Hofbrauhaus, a gigantic famous German restaurant and pub. The food was pretty good and we were entertained by live German music and dancers while we ate.
What happened during dinner was possible one of my favorite study abroad moments to date: My friend Lulu was in the group that I went to dinner with. Lulu is Chinese and came to Texas A&M to study Accounting four years ago. We have noticed throughout this trip that everywhere we go there are huge crowds of Asian tourists, and every time they see Lulu, they all take pictures of her! Of course Lulu, being the sweet girl that she is, always takes the time to converse with them even if they are not Chinese (she speaks multiple languages), and to take a photo with them. Tonight, the same thing began to happen. There were well over 100 tourists from various parts of Asia eating at the Hofbrauhaus at the same time as us, and of course, as soon as they saw Lulu, they began to take pictures of her. We all noticed an older couple first discreetly photographing her, then, as they got the courage, actually coming over to our table to take a close-up picture, and motioning for her to pose like she was drinking a beer and taking a bite off of a pork bone. Finally, the husband ended up coming around the table to Lulu’s side and posing for a picture with her while his wife snapped several shots. Of course, our entire table was either laughing hysterically at the oddity of the situation, or growing a bit concerned at these people’s interest in Lulu. After the older couple had had their fill of Lulu pictures, a younger Asian man approached. I guess the older couple had given this young man the courage to come over and talk to the adorable Lulu. He even gave her a note written on a napkin introducing himself, complete with a variety of contact information. At the point that the guy asked Lulu to come over to meet his (giant) group of friends at his table, one of the guys with our group stood up protectively to hear more clearly what was going on. The younger Asian man looked quite taken aback and asked worriedly if this was Lulu’s boyfriend. Lulu said no, and politely went to meet more adoring fans. When she finally came back, we asked her what in the world that was all about. She told us that Asians, especially Chinese, are like Aggies- they love meeting each other no matter where around the world they may be. She explained that all the people who had approached her were very nice, and just wanted to connect with a fellow countryman, and share pride in their country together. Thinking about it like this makes sense, although I am fairly certain that I would not snap random pictures of another Aggie without permission. :) The night ended with Lulu a bit embarrassed from all the attention, and with the rest of the group insisting that she must be famous in Asia and that she came to Texas A&M to take a break from a life of fame and fortune.
(Lulu and an admirer. I started taking pictures of them, and this one hammed it up.)
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