Foreword / Vorwort

Moin moin - willkommen im Norden!


To speak about the past could be easy;
about the present should be hard;
but about the future... i think that demands the assessment of risks and to confrontate all fears.

To read this blog is like to read a book,

but starting from the last page!!

On July 14, 2005 i closed the period related with the studies in Germany, and arose the opportunity to publish a site with the professional milestones related with this "Qualifizierungsphase": here the public answer to the question How was the life in Hamburg?.

Ab diese Tag, monatenlang voller intensiver Erlebnisse und Erfahrungen liegt hinter mir und ich bin schon sehr gespannt, was nun darauf folgen wird, wie es weiter gehen wird...

The "Rückkehrphase" - starting when i took the airplane in Hamburg to Paris- brings me also the trouble of "die Wiedereinglinderung", which was running on the following months under the "Dissonanz-modell".

• A correct Foreword is normally written by other person than the author; then the correct title of this sheet should be better : "Preface".

Some parts of the contain here shared with you, do not belong to the performing of a study in a University of Technology, but belong to the human being exposed temporally to another country under the stressing factors like language, cultural schock and the confrontation with the unfamiliar.

• Divided by topics, but organized along the timeline, every single blog have commentaries a photos trying to explain specific situations in which i was embeded. Quotations were selected to give inspiration to the reader.

In the Library at the TUHH
(Photo taken by Sergio Carrillo)

I broke my mind seeking a quotation for this Preface, but the list was quite big: to make simple the criteria, i said to me "he/she should be a german-born bestseller writter", but in this category appears names as Günther Grass and Dieter Bohlen (!). Then, i was forced to search with a better criteria and i found from Joseph Kardinal Ratzinger one very interesting "Zitation" in his mother tongue:

"Gedächtnis ist nichts
ein mechanischer Aufbewahrungsort für
eingespeicherte Informationen wie der Computer:
Das ist es auch, aber viel mehr als das."

Unterwegs zu Jesus Christus, Sankt Ulrich Verlag, Augsburg 2004 , seite 82

Hugo

WS 2005: Hannover Messe

"... technology comes from employing and manipulating Science into concepts, processes and devices."
(Paul Trott , 1998)

With the student´s association called Bonding ( i am member since 2002) i had the opportunity to visit by last time the world-famous Industrial Exhibition: Hannover Messe.

The tour was sponsored by important companies, as EON, ABB, Blohm & Voss, in order to increase the contact between the engineering students from TUHH and these firms (recruitment).

On the road to Hannover, in a gas station, we found some trucks transporting the large rotor blades for the deployment of new electric wind turbines (Windanlage, in german).

Hours later, we saw small versions of these blades, in the stand of Vestas (photo).

These blades are designed with mathematical models and build with advanced materials as the carbon-fiber reinforced composites.


Further information here



Hugo

Research with ceramic materials

A brave man struggling with adversity
is a spectacle for the gods (Seneca)

In the winter semester (WS) 2004/2005 i had the opportunity to perform a the research project for the Thesis in the field of superconductive ceramic materials based in Yttrium-Copper, within the Advanced Ceramic Group at the TUHH.

In the picture i am with Dr.Felten, my academic advisor and his team.


This "Diplomarbeit" was only possible after attending lectures related with processing methods and composition of non-metallic materials (the lecture of carbon- fiber composite materials was also a good help).


The researchers team help me in countless scientific details, e.g. the special characterization procedures and the strategies for experiment-design.

I submit my project for evaluation on March 11. Two months later it was printed by publisher in Berlin.

Taize II & Bolivarplatz

At the end of Rothenbaumchausse one can find the "Bolivarplatz".


Is very generous that the city of Hamburg permited 30 years ago the installation of this monument (Photo); "Der Befreier" means the Liberator.


The figure of Simon Bolivar is also in the Rathaus:
Danke Hamburg!

***

Since 1847 the figure of S.Bolivar becomes another god for some of venezuelans; but for others, he is the only one (!). I think that it was a side-effect of the local culture & some religious trends.

I found, that the cult to Bolivar had an important milestone, when a christian temple, in Caracas, was transformed into a cementery to preserve his sacred body: Legal Profanity. It elevated him, by law, to the level of deity...

To insist that "Bolivar said * * * " or "The Liberator done * * * ", as a valid reason for inter-generational brainwashing, is clearly inmoral, insane, sick. Ende der Diskussion.

***

In front of Bolivarplatz is placed the beatiful Nikolaikirche, which belongs to the Lut. Evangelische Gemeinde: this church is probably the 2nd best accoustical place in Hamburg, due its design where an orchestra could play above the hall in the central part of the building.

In Christmas is possible to attend in that church very beatiful concerts!

This Church placed in front of "Klosterstern", a site which has a "traurige Geschichte": 500 years ago, was not allow here to teach basic orthography to the girls, because it was "not catholic". One can read this history in a stonewall, in a square located in front of the U-1 station.

From September until November 2004, we were (photo) several times there to assist to the weekly "Taize" prayer, in preparation (vorbereitung) to the big meeting in Portugal: Kati, Tina, Iryna-Sonja, Maria, Wolfang, Daniel, Dana, Angela, Heather, Sigrid, Thomas Seifert and Magda...

"En Libertad, ni ofendo ni temo"
(José Artigas)

SS 2004 und Lat - tuhh

Treffen der Lat-tuhh bei Aussermuehlen (Harburg EastSouth), um der Geburgstag u. verabschiedungsparty von Guillermo aus El Salvador mitzufeiern. An dieser Tag haben wir eine jede Menge Bier getrunken y Fleisch gegessen..
.

Sommer 2004: airplanes factories

"Esta bien tener suerte,
pero prefiero hacer lo que debo.

Así, cuando la suerte llega,
estoy preparado."

(Ernest Hemingway, El Viejo y el Mar)

During 2002 - 2004 i have the opportunity to visit with several groups (as the VDE) the most important airplane factories in north Germany: Lufthansa Technik (located in the Hamburg Airport) and Airbus (located in Hamburg-Finkenwerder and, Bremen). In fact, those companies are proud to shown to the engineering students their procedures and methods, in airplane construction, re-design and development.

In Summer 2004 we went to the Airbus Airplane Factory placed in Bremen: they are focused there to produce the Wings, tail and indoor composite parts as divisory panels for walls, ceiling and floor. The tour was organized by the "Freundeskreis-DAAD Hamburg", under the responsability of the local "heads": Rudolf, Katerina and Katho (photo).

When you have some notions about hydraulic systems, reliability, aircraft engines, production processes, design of parts with composite materials, advanced ceramic materials, and deployment of communication networks, this kind of activities are ever charge of opportunities to learn more...

This other picture is not a unconventional stammtisch. We were waiting for the famous local beer: Becks.

Prosst!





By the way, in Hamburg-Finkenweder is located the biggest facility of Airbus in Germany. I was there several times, but the best was in Nov 19, 2003 because it was with another group: VDE.

The visit with the VDE (the assoc. of electronic engineers) incluided the Museum (Haus 23) and the most relevant production halls.

Hugo

St. MichaelisKirche

For the turist of today, this church could be only a well-placed monument or another temple with a high tower, designed with elegant lines, from which is possible to apreciate the Harbour and the complete city (Photo). Michaeliskirche is a Main Church (Hauptkirche) for Hamburg, maybe the most important one.

"Du sollst keine andere Götter
neben mir haben"
(2.Mose 20,3)

The city of Hamburg -placed in north Europe- is well know to have a population who does not put active interest to any faith-tendency (Glaube), and this is reinforced with the liberal lifestyle in the everyday issues, which makes a strong contrast with others cities in that country. More or less the 55% of the population do not believe in God or follow any organized group (Gemeinde).


In the other hand, the city is proud by the economical strenght given by many reasons, as the Port facilities, the arts, industries, well organized public services and research network. The rest of population (maybe around 35%) belong to the protestant branch of the christian family, which is the most spread tendency in the local culture and this fact, was decisive in the self-definition of the city in the last 300 years.


After Reformation, the goverment of the Free-and-Hanseatic city of Hamburg, forbid the public activities of the catholic branch of the christians. Hence that people should built another temple outside the city, and the solution is founded today as milestone of the contradition: a unique temple was built in the west sector of city's borderlines, exactly where started the Danish side, the "Big Freedom" (Große Freiheit)...


From the post-Reformation times there are today several churches in the downtown, and the first possible to see from the Elbe is the Michaelis (St.Michael Church), then if you go to the Main-station will find the Nikolai (yet burned ruins), then St.Katherine, then Petri, then Pauli, and so on.




Maybe due its history, the strategic localization, relative high tower, and nice architecture, the Michaeliskirche is today an important symbol as a "heart" of the city: It receives the support of private and public organizations, and is a active "treffenpunkt" for charity events. Apart from the politic and cultural point of view around this Church, i found that a piece of art on the "Fassade", which is unique, extraordinary...


The other two photos illustrate a very dinamic statue inspired on a from old history from Monoteismus (Jew, Christian, Muslim): the fallen angel lost the first big fight after the Creation of the world. This fight was not directly with God (Gott) himself, but with a very brave and loyal angel (Engel).

Michael (Michel) was designated by G-d for a singular duty: to defeat the Devil. Michel was called due his loyallity and bravery, required skills to beat the rebel angel in a unique battle.

As we should remember, the fall of the humankind was preceded for the fall of the rebel angel. The detail in this statue, the Cross in the hand of the angel, is the distinctive signal of faith in the Messiah (from Hebrew "Mäshiach", the anointed): the main principle that join the christians worldwide.



Hugo