Sunrise over New York City

Liebe Freunde,

kurz vor Sonnenaufgang bin ich wach geworden um diese Bilder der New Yorker Skyline mit euch zu teilen. Nach über 9 Jahren zurückzukommen war eindeutig zu spät für eine Stadt diesen Kalibers. Ich bin froh, dass ich sie in einem der komfortabelsten Reisebusse mit Internet und Stromanschluss in gut 15 Std erreichen kann. Wenn ich dann noch ein Auge zubekomme, dann lohnt sich der Trip auch für Frühstück mit Addy oder Agnes.

Es grüßt Euch ganz herzlich,

Euer Matti

Toronto

Dear friends,

I am less then four weeks in the country and I already had to go again. The call of my friend's wedding was simply too strong to let the opportunity go by. So I booked a bus ticket all the way from London, ON to Richmond, almost 1000 miles to go explore the US. But before I headed out of Canada, I first had to go to Toronto. Catching an earlier bus gave me 2 hours of undisturbed quality time to explore this beautiful city. Here are some impressions of how old sandstone facade meets commercialized downtown shopping. It is only a very brief snapshot, since shortly after sunset I had to go on to New York.

Have a good day,

Mat

UWO Campus

Liebe Freunde nah und fern,

ich hoffe ihr habt ein wunderschönes Wochenende und seid alle wählen gegangen. Ich grüße Euch heute mit ein paar Bildern meines Schulweges. Der Campus der Universität Western Ontarios gleicht einem großen Park, mit vielen alten Burgen uns Schlössern. Wer würde nicht gerne umringt von Sandsteinfassaden und Parkanalgen studieren? Einzig die Business School tanzt mit ihrer Glasfassade etwas aus der Reihe. Da wir unsere Büros leider im Keller haben, bekommen wir noch nicht einmal viel mit von dem Lichteinfall. Aber das wird sich in wenigen Jahren auch schon wieder erledigt haben, denn letztes Wochenende war Spatenstich für das neue Gebäude der Richard Ivey School of Business, ein gut CAD 110 Millionen Projekt, was unseren Elfenbeinturm gegen einen futuristischen Glaspalast eintauschen wird. Dann wird das Mosaikspiel auf dem Campus, mit vielen verschiedenen Anlaufstationen auch etwas besser koordinierbar. Ich hoffe ich kann euch davon auch einst ein paar Bilder schicken.

Bis dahin schicke ich euch

Alles Liebe und Gute,

Matthias

447 Platt's Lane

Dear friends and family,

here comes finally the post that I should have shown as early as Sep 2nd, when I set foot into Canada again after almost precisely 11 years. Thanks for your patience! What you see is the little townhouse I am staying at, very close to the University, actually owned by the University. My nice room on the second floor has four corners (surprisingly) three of which are displayed here. Only the door was not worthwhile showing. If the nice digital picture frame was running, you would probably find your picture up there :-)
I like this place a lot! My roommate is very friendly and a good cook, that is important as you might imagine :-)
The internet connection is secure and stable, no more Chinese firewalls, I also enjoy that.
Even more do I enjoy the chance to share all my happiness with you, as happiness is one of the few things that keeps becoming bigger and bigger as you share it!

All my happiness for you!

Your Matti

At home in the US

Dear Jones, dear readers,

I hope my few pictures find you very well. I wanted to share the wonderful time I spend with my US-family in Missouri before I continued my student life in Canada in this small post. At the same time it is important for me to say thank you again to the Jones, who after as much as nice years are still allowing me to use their fridge as if it was mine :-) !
It is always a blessing to come back to this great place at 4090 US Hwy 61 that smells so nicely like lavender. The feeling of being at home again sets in as early as I see them at the airport!
This summer we spend some time in the pool, some in the lake, some in the Fox theater but most in discussion in the back bedroom. Like in the good old days during my high school exchange, I did not catch any big fish, but enjoyed the sunrise over the Lake of the Ozarks!
Thanks Mary, Mike, Tim and Jess for making those few days with you so eventful, fun and refreshing!
I hope I have a chance to welcome you in Canada soon!

All the best and all my love,

Matti

The Blanco Wedding

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

once in our lifetime, things turn so happy that you have to cry! I wish it was at each of our weddings, like it was at the one of Luis and Michelle. Having been on the top of a hill (mountain is a pretty big word for the midwest) skiing together in the US, climbing through riverbeds and underneath the waterfalls in the Colombian Jungle in search for some real coffee trees and finally I get to see my friend from Highschool marry the girl of his dreams... what a happy day for me, much more so for them! We guys stared out the day at Paul's, from where we went for a photo shoot around the old town in a party-bus that Luis had arranged for the entire wedding party.
At the actual reception, standing at the front, gave me a first real life impression of how it is to be so close to the rings that will change your life forever.
Afterwards the entire crew started to dance and I was very happy to see Lela (bottom right) and Nancy (not captured) again, friends from the old days! How nice it is to stay in touch for more than 9 years by now!

All the best for you Luis and Michelle, may your bounds be blessed!

Matthias

Berlin

My dear friends,

during my short time at home I did a short stopover in Berlin to arrange for my Student Visa to Canada. Initially unfitting into my schedule, the trip turned out to be a success, not only from the touristy point of view, because I got to see the "Island of the Museums" and some other famous sights, but much more importantly, because I got to meet with two of my very best friends that I had not seen for so long. It was great when Robert and I went to the Biergarten and had time and peace to catch up on old times. I also enjoyed sitting on the steps of a Church, overlooking the busy plaza, while enjoying dinner with Philipp.
Without you two, this trip would have not been as sunny and happy as it was!

Thank you and until soon,

Matthias

Home Sweet Home

Liebe Freunde und Lesebegeisterte,

nach meinem langen und blogreichen Aufenthalt in Asien habe ich mich sehr auf ein paar Tage "zu Hause" gefreut. In Solingen gibt es immer das beste Essen und so viele nette Menschen zu treffen. Einen kleinen Auszug seht ihr hier:
Oben links: (v.l.n.r.) Opa Alfred, Mutter Bärbel, ich und Oma Inge.
Oben rechts: Mom and Dad
Unten links: (v.l.n.r.) Tim Anton, Anke Anton, Jan Anton, Mom, ich, Rosel Meis und Guido Anton.
Wenn ihr mich auf diesen Bildern glücklich lachend seht, liegt das daran, dass ich glücklich und zufrieden war, meine Familie wiederzusehen. Ich hoffe das ist schon bald wieder der Fall.

Alles Liebe,

Euer Matti

Macau

Dear Readers,

my last adventure in Asia for this year might have well been Macau with its many Portugese churches and beautifully lit casinos. Grace and I explored this little enclave on a one day trip, taking the ferry from HK to Macau (where you need a passport to enter :-)
We were greeted by tasty egg-tarts and old colonial architecture, before we got tired of sightseeing and chose to chill out at the free coffee bars of the most colorful casinos. Tempted to gamble away the few dollars in my possession, I actually played on a slot machine for the first time in my life legally (Las Vegas still saw me too young). Upon my first try I won... 75 cents, whereas the bet was 1 Dollar. So I decided to claim my "wins" and went on to the next machine.

Good luck for your adventures as well,

Mat

Back in Hongkong - Science Museum

Dear friends near and far,

I send you a weird wave that I produced with the help of a Dutch friend in the Science Museum in HK. Mirrors challenged our senses.
I also got pierced by really sharp spikes, but when lying totally flat and still, they only mildly hurt. I had, however, quite some marks, because the tips were the size and the sharpness of a newly sharpened pencil.

Should I maybe go to school to be a fakir?

All the best for your chosen career,

Matthias

Taipei 101

Liebe Leser, lieber Tim und lieber Jan,

wie bei meinem letzten Besuch in Solingen besprochen kommen heute nun endlich die Bilder von einem der höchsten Gebäude der Welt auf meinen Blog. Leider war ich nicht oben in der Besucheretage, denn das Gebäude war schon geschlossen. Nach 21 Uhr wird auch das Licht stark gedimmt, so dass nur noch die Spitze des Turmes den Flugverkehr warnt.

Liebe Grüße aus dem zweiten Stock in einem kleinen Kanadischen Reihenhäuschen,

Euer Matti

Meeting with friends in Taipei

Dear friends and family,

so wonderfully small is the world that theoretically there is a high chance that you will know someone that knows someone who is currently nearby, even if you go to Taiwan and are stuck in a Taifun for five days. Thanks to Vicky, who the interested reader will certainly remember from the pictures of the Philippines and Singapore, I had a group of friends to hang out with as of day one. I met Karen and her friends to go to the National Palace Museum, where plenty of the Chinese History can be discovered and to a Japanese BBQ all you can eat place with Daniel and Jen. Since pretty much all of my five days in Taiwan were subject to the natural powers unleashed by the Taifun Morakat (remember, I did not even get to see the symphony of lights in HK because of it), I spend most of the rainy days inside reading my traveling literature. But when we did go out in the evenings, thanks to Karen, Daniel and Jen, I had a wonderful time.

Thanks a lot my friends,

Mat

Honkong with my friend Grace

Liebe Leser,

nach meiner Chinareise durch Guilin und Yangzhou, war ich auf Kurzbesuch in Hongkong, bei meiner Studienkollegin Grace. Es macht natürlich einen himmelweiten Unterschied, wenn man bei Locals einen authentischen Eindruck ins Leben der Menschen gewinnen kann. Daher habe ich nicht so viel Sightseeing unternommen wie zuvor, allerdings dafür mehr Zeit am Küchentisch in Diskussionen verbracht. Den Ausflug zur "Symphony of Light", dem Lichtspektakel im Hafen von Hongkong ist leider dem Taifun Morakat zum Opfer gefallen, denn an jenem Abend wurde die Show abgesagt. Der Ausflug zum Peak of Hongkong, dem höchsten Hügel, den sie weit und breit finden konnten war dafür deutlich schöner, sofern die Wolken einmal einen Blick gewährten.

Alles Liebe,

Euer Matti