by Eman Al-Nafjan aus Riad

The glass dome that tops the Reichstag in Berlin was designed as a symbol of transparency in government. Flickr user alles-schlumpf

I was invited by the German Foreign Ministry to spend ten days in Berlin as part of a blogger tour initiative. I’ve never been to Germany before as a tourist, let alone a guest of the government. It was an educational experience in which I learned a lot about Germany and also the countries of the 14 other bloggers who were invited too.

As a Saudi coming from a strict Islamic country, it took me a couple of days to get into the swing of things–like walking around without my mandatory black cloak on and not stopping to wonder when the next prayer break is when everything has to shut down for thirty minutes.

Only 14 more days until the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup! Photo (cc) flickr user TheBusyBrain

On June 23rd Kevin-Prince Boateng will be meeting his brother Jerome in South Africa.  But this won’t be your run of the mill family reunion.  These two brothers, both German-born Ghanians, will be battling it out on the soccer pitch–one playing on the German National Team, the other playing on the Ghanian.

Several weeks ago tension had already begun building between Ghana and Germany, and Kevin-Prince will be at the center  of this controversy when these two nations  clash at the world cup because it was his grueling tackle that injured German team captain Michael Ballack during an FA cup final recently.  Though Kevin-Prince has  apologized, who knows how Ballack is feeling about the man whose tackle will keep him off South Africa’s pitches during this year’s World Cup.

Philip Bright Mensah is joining the Young Germany World Cup Blogger Team from Ghana.

Last week you met Der Irische Berliner and Fazal Adnan.  This week we’ve got another Young Germany blogger to introduce to you: Philip Bright Mensah.  Philip will be bringing you blogs about the World Cup all the way from Ghana.

Now 24 years old, Philip got his BSc in statistics and actuarial science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. He is passionate about soccer and is an Arsenal fan.  He currently lives in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

Photo (cc) flickr user Leo Reynolds

Poor Jogi.  While Germany was still digesting the news that talismanic captain Michael Ballack wouldn’t be able to lead out his team, one of his potential replacements was also ruled out. Christian Träsch cropped his ankle too and will now have to watch the World Cup on TV like the rest of us.

The national media, Bild in particular, is in mourning, believing Jogi Löw’s men now have no chance of bringing the coveted trophy back from South Africa. On the ground however, among the commoners with whom I spend my time, the feeling is different.

“Who do you think will win?” I asked a teammate on my local team as we returned from one of our customary thrashings.

Bergwerk Zollverein, Photo courtesy of Stefan Maria Rother

Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Central Station). The clock reads 10:27 am. My train is set to leave in three minutes, yet still I am disoriented in this maze of what seem like a thousand platforms. A sign tells me to head to the third floor, where the ICE (Inter City Express) is waiting for the last passengers to board. The door closes behind me. At last I can take my seat. A four-hour journey lies ahead of me before I can reach my destination – the birthplace of my father and the hometown of my grandparents, Essen, a city in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. My last visit was three years ago and I’m anticipating new impressions. Especially now, during this time, in this year. In 2010,  UNESCO puts the spotlight on the ingeniously designed industrial machines and centuries-old culture in Essen’s former Zeche Zollverein (Coal Mine Zollverein), honoring Essen with the prestigious title of “Weltkulturerbe“ (World Heritage Site).

Sialkot ball-producers export up to 60 million footballs annually. Photo (cc) flickr user the(?)

If you are a football fan you’ve probably heard of Sialkot, Pakistan – about 70 percent of the world’s hand-sewn footballs are made there.

In the 1980s, Sialkot gained international celebrity status when it produced the Tango ball used in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.  Today Sialkot’s hand-stitched balls face competition from the machine-made and machine-glued balls produced in China. The balls that will be used in World Cup matches this summer, made by hand in Sialkot in previous years, are now being produced in China by machine.

Last week you met Der Irische Berliner, one of this year’s Young Germany World Cup Bloggers.  This week we’ve got someone else to introduce to you: Fazal Adnan.

Fazal Adnan, newest member of the Young Germany World Cup blogging team

Fazal is a 27-year-old biotechnology student from Peshawar, Pakistan.  This past March he received a DAAD scholarship to complete his Ph.D. in Germany at the Graduate School of Life Sciences in Giessen starting in June.  As he settles into German student life, he’ll be blogging about his impressions of life in Germany and the 2010 World Cup on Young Germany.