German Memories in Asia - The German Hamlet

I once again came to the German hamlet of Asia.

I was invited by Dietmar Doering for the AGSEP's largest get-together at the discotheque and this time with a difference.


My visit to Aquarius this time was many-faceted.


I was supposed to meet Gunder Wagnar, a director of the International Institute of Ratings and Consultancy. Gunder Wagnar served the then East German Air Force as an officer and later started his entrepreneurial activities in the field of insurance. Pascal said he played a key role in insurance for Munich. Latter he directed his interest on the assignment of surveying the tsunami disaster which paved the way for concentrating on the activities of the IIRC.



While I was entering Dietmar Doering's room, I saw a well-built person and I guessed he was Gunder Wagner. I introduced myself. Gunder Wagner was surprised and asked me whether I was the one who wrote those articles. I had sent some of my articles which appeared in the local newspapers, the 'Ultimate Peace or War Again' and 'The Messed Paradise' where I had discussed local politics and international affairs.



Later we both went to our usual meeting place, the restaurant of Aquarius Hotel. While talking I sensed his disappointment with the US Administration of the present and past over several issues.


He is a less-talk and think-more person like his daughter Fredrike and left me to talk more and listened patiently and carefully all the time. His analytical and fact-finding mind kept the flow of information within him.



After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war, the Russian troops had been completely withdrawn and Russian influence in Germany was a forgotten matter, but the American bases were still occupying German territory under various acts or NATO agreements, giving the impression that Americans are aggressive and intruders.



A similar was felt some time back in Japan after some incidents where US soldiers from the US base in Japan misbehaved with some Japanese girls. There are generally suspicions on countries which have military bases in other countries. There are misunderstandings over even the UN Peace Keeping Forces, though they are under multilateral decisions and their operations were executed by the UN Secretariat and its chief independently. But the misunderstanding over the IPKF in Sri Lanka led both confronting forces join together to pull out the Indian Forces under the Peace-keeping flag.



After a lengthy discussion with Gunther Wagner, I left to have a small nap. The discussion with Gunther Wagner kept recurring, especially the issues on greater European Union and the United States and the future of world peace and harmony in the coming centuries. It is a truism that all major world wars started over minor or even unrelated issues. Hostility on many issues such as economic and military superiority went to create another cold war between the major economic blocs by aligning with some of the Asian and Latin American economic blocs.



After the tsunami disaster, I was extra cautious with the sea, though I could swim fairly well. The sea has more density than tank water, but the waves are always turbulent. I enjoyed sea swimming at the Mount Lavinia beach on the western coast of the island, which is famous since Dutch times. Maritsha was telling some jokes and Stefani, Romy and other Praktikum (Internship) students were laughing all the time. I was laughing without knowing what the jokes were all about. But one knows that laughter is infectious.



Romy spoke once in a way in English and in return I told Maritsha seemed a good joker. I met Maritsha at dinner yesterday. I never met or spoke to her, but gazed at her contemplative expression while she was having her meals. But now looking at her in swim suit and the hectic joking, I thought was work-hard and play-well type of character. My guess was confirmed in a few minutes.


She was a good belly-dancer also, and she was dancing marvellously for a while. The ocean's roaring sound gave good music and melody to her dancing and the beach-sand stage with the surrounding greeneries of coconut trees made it a fascinating time for all of us. Her belly dance took me back to the belly dance performances of Lebanon and Egypt



The German hamlet of Asia is a fascinating for both intellect and fun, giving a sense to life!