VISITING AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE APRIL 2009 AAS HEIMATMUSEUM Forwarded From American Aid Society of German Descendants BY Hilde Neumayer
Museums are so often thought of as boring and tiresome and "nothing but a bunch of old stuff that I've seen already and don't need to see again". I, like many others, am guilty of this frame of mind with our very busy and fast paced lives.
I was lucky to have been able to go on a trip to Greece last month with my sister and daughters. Greece, like so much of the rest of world has so much history it makes us realize how young the United States is. Seeing buildings in ruins that date back to Before Christ is amazing and nearly unbelievable. It takes us back a huge step in time as many of us have only experienced in the movies.
We were able to visit only a few of the many museums available, but one in particular reminded me of our own A.A.S. Museum in Lake Villa. We visited a museum on the Greek island of Santorini. So many of the items on display were very similar to those we have in our own museum in Lake Villa and the Sindelfingen museum we visited on the Jugendgruppe trip to Europe. From everyday items to the clothes worn by ancestors of the area, the history of the people unfolded as we walked through the museum.
At our next picnic I invite all of you to come and see the museum again and look at the displays with a fresh mind. For the older generation who was part of this history, let it bring back memories of a different time and place and help realize how special these times were. Although often mixed with sad and terrible times, these memories and experiences are responsible for the lessons you have taught your children and grandchildren. For the younger generations, let us try to understand how our parents and grandparents lived, the hardships they endured, the conveniences they lived without and the remarkable journey they have taken to allow us to enjoy the life we all have here in the US.
My trip to Greece allowed me to appreciate the museum we have in Lake Villa to keep the Donauschwaben history alive for each us. Please join me this summer in visiting us again to learn and appreciate the times that have come before us.
Tracht from A.A.S. Museum, Lake Villa Tracht from Santorini Museum, Greece Tracht from Sindelfingen Museum: Germany
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