It was a beautiful thing to see and feel ... the warmth of the Willkommen, reach for ideal ...
Reality bites, though. Has bitten back, seemingly hard, already ...
As the Munich HBF has become increasingly a protected zone -- and too easily, perhaps a target -- the gift-givers and welcome-Sänger advised to stay home, the permanent residents of Stadt München incovenienced and detoured onto their own separate overcrowded and painfully efficient Züge and Wagen just to get where they're going, back home or to work each day ... Reality is biting back.
Seemingly hard.
First of all, there is no more room at the Gasthof. The borders are now closed. Munich has "welcomed" (allowed in) more than 13,000 refugees this weekend alone. Just overnight, from yesterday to today! Sexy, but not arm, proud München can ...
Luckily. Since the end of August -- in less than two weeks -- the city herself has seen (and admirably, handled) an influx of 63,000 people. That's almost 5,000 human beings per day ... pouring in on the trains, into HBF ... to the city, the country and hopefully, the societal fabric.
They're not here for Oktoberfest. They won't be buying Lederhosen, beer and Trachten hats, and bringing these back with them to Aleppo. Die Flüchtlinge are here to stay ... and as warmly and efficiently as Munich, Bavaria and Germany have so far rolled out the welcome mats, practical integration must now be applied.
I stop just short of saying "enforced" ... yet that, in fact, is what must be reality.
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| “Integration Blue(s)”, ©Jeff Glovsky |
