TUC ZINE 1/2020
BAKED INDIAN PUFF STORY IN 6 WORDS
WRITERS MEET TO DRAW UMBRELLAS MARX WEARS A HAT
IMPRESSUM
TUCzine Issue 1/2020 tuczine@tu-chemnitz.de www.tuc-zine.tumblr.com www.instagram.com/tuc.zine www.twitter.com/tuc_zine
EDITOR: Natalia Przybysz ntl.przybysz@gmail.com
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SPONSORS:
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Jutta Landig REALITY CHECKS: Verena Traubinger CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP: Jutta Landig & Olha Dudechko VISUAL ARTS WORKSHOP: Annabel Fischer
A shoutout to the members of the Subdivision International Students of the StuRa for their help with the project. Printed in Chemnitz, Germany. This publication is available free of charge. It cannot be sold, duplicated, or published, electronically or otherwise, without the express written consent of the editor and/or the sponsors. 2
Dear reader, This zine comes out with an unexpected delay due to the epidemic, so I hope it finds you healthy and hopeful. TUCzine is a publication that gives voice to international students and German students with a migration background at TU Chemnitz, a distinct but largely unheard part of the student body. Allow us to introduce ourselves with photographs, artworks, stories, essays, national recipes and poems. We would like to take everyone who reaches for this publication on a journey where realities collide and blend. We are sure that on these pages, you will realise how familiar our voices are to you. Please, enjoy the ride. NATALIA PRZYBYSZ Editor
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Shubham Narkhede PHOTOGRAPH .................. p. 6 Yamini Gupta POEM ....................................... p. 7 Chelsea Burris – Taste of Home ESSAY ....... pp. 8-9 Kishan Suthar PHOTOGRAPHS ................ pp. 10-11 Olha Dudechko POEM ................................... p.12 Giriraj Pawar – Das Gedicht POEM ................. p. 13 Ranveersinh Jadav – Veg Indian Puff ESSAY AND RECIPE ......................................... pp. 14-17 Bassem Al Jogami – black beards trauma SHORT STORY ............................................ p. 18 Mahbub Rahman PHOTOGRAPH .................... p. 19
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Adriana Sofia Zubiate Pareja ARTWORK ............................................ pp. 20-21 Creative Writing Workshop REPORT ......... pp. 22-23 Chemnitz POEM .......................................... p. 24 Chemnitz POEM .......................................... p. 25
Tony – California Dreamin’ in Chemnitz SHORT STORY ............................................ p. 26 Natalia Przybysz – Chemnitz POEM................ p. 27 Diviyadeep Singh PHOTOGRAPH ................... p. 28 Farzaneh Sharifi PHOTOGRAPH .................... p. 29 Visual Arts Workshop REPORT ...................... p. 30 ARTWORK .................................................. p. 31 Vishnu Parappurath – Sunshine in Winter POEM ........................................................ p. 32 Natalia Przybysz PHOTOGRAPH ..................... p. 33 Ranveersinh Jadav – Christmas POEM .......... p. 34 Sanketh Personal PHOTOGRAPH ................... p. 35 Seema Hanumanthappa – The Last Drink SHORT STORY ...................................... pp. 36-37 If you want to see more... ..................... pp. 38-39 5
SHUBHAM NARKHEDE (India) Master's in Automotive Software Engineering 6
The air in Germany that we breathe, So clean and pure for all the breeds. I don't have to worry of being in crowd, Neither about people shouting out loud. So many types of bread and cheese, And giving out rooms on sublease. Making plans to roam around Europe, To know that the Views of Alps are so dope. Watching the essence of every season, Going into sunshine without any reason. Waiting for the snow to fall, And then wishing for the spring to call. Knocks on the desks after every lecture, Usage of health insurance for a fracture. Silence in the city 24 hours a day, People romancing on the street with their bae. Not to forget about sex toys and shops, And those bridges full of love locks. Watching at graffiti on every building, Reminds me of lack of creativity in our upbringing. Walking down the European streets is a feeling, So difficult to describe as an Asian being.
YAMINI GUPTA (India) MA Web Engineering Instagram: @an.unusual.canvas 7
The last time I was in
The American section at
Germany, I craved Nu-
the grocery store, how-
triGrain cereal bars for
ever, remains a strange,
two months solid. I hate
strange scene. The most
NutriGrain bars, but they
egregious offenders in-
somehow came to repre-
clude chili con carne piz-
sent everything I could-
za and popcorn flavored
n’t find here. When I fi-
yogurt.
nally
was
and yogurt are two of my
the most delicious thing
favorite foods, I did try
I’d ever eaten. I rationed
and enjoy the latter, but
them like it was life and
it has nothing to do with
death, despite the weird
what we eat in the Unit-
texture and flavor that
ed States. Contrary to
can best be described as
popular belief, we don’t
“cinnamon
drown
ate
one,
it
aroma”
“preservatives.” then,
everything
and Since has
Since
every
marshmallow pancake
popcorn
meal fluff
syrup.
in and
(That
changed. I can get prac-
honor is saved for peanut
tically everything I need
butter, which I do eat al-
to cook just the same as
most every day.)
I did at home in any Ger-
A lot of the other foods
man grocery store.
in the American section 8
are kid foods - the things
I miss food from home,
we crave when are sad
it’s the oven steak, beef
and
chalupas,
homesick,
not
and
chicken
the things we eat all the
enchiladas that I miss,
time
as
adults.
Gross
even after several years
mac
&
cheese
from
as a vegetarian. I want
a box, Pop Tarts, and
frozen
Doritos
kale to be easier to find;
are
delicious
corn
fresh
every once in a while.
I
But as an adult, I only
powder,
crave them when things
kling water, and vanilla
are going horribly and
extract. I’m doomed to
I
more
an unlucky year because
than to be a fourth grad-
I couldn’t find any black-
er again.
eyed peas to eat on New
My family, however, usu-
Year’s
want
nothing
ally cooked from scratch. We didn’t go to McDonald’s every night; eating in a restaurant happened about once a week and
was usually either pizza or Mexican food. When
miss
and
American LaCroix
Day,
chili spar-
which
is
a tradition in the American South. But overall, the food I find here isn’t that different. When I’m feeling sad, I can just make
myself
a
warm
bowl of chili. I close my eyes, and I’m home. ∎
CHELSEA BURRIS (United States) 9
KISHAN SUTHAR (India) Instagram: @kiishansuthar 10
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Staring into space
A crowd,
Of a tiny town
Strangers,
Could you be my base?
People,
For a little while.
Friends.
It’s not my fault,
Routines and duties,
I lived so near,
Duties and routines‌
I took a train, It brought me here.
Thesis defense. Ends.
Much space to breathe Slow trains, no stress
Staring into space
Straightforward streets
Of the big town
Have nothing to impress
That long, see you later,
And nothing to depress
Somehow.
OLHA DUDECHKO 12
GIRIRAJ PAWAR
Dedicated to Priyanka T., Yamini, Priyanka B. and Ester
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Ich würde gern… Ich würde gern… Ich würde gern…
Ich würde gern deine wangen küssen, wenn du gestresst bist.
Ich würde gern meine füße in sand mit dir einweichen.
Ich würde gern auf dich aufpassen, wenn du krank bist.
Ich würde gern dich in meine Arme nehmen, wenn du verängstigt bist.
Ich würde gern dich beruhigen, wenn du ärgerlich bist.
Ich würde gern für sie kochen, früher sie zur arbeit gehen.
Wann ich deinen augen sehen, ich würde gern in sie eintauchen.
Ich würde gern mit dir parken gehen.
D A S GEDICHT
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VEG INDIAN PUFF (PATTIES) Tasty and easy
An Indian puff or pastry is one of my favourite snacks,
easy to cook and easy to eat. It is also one of the famous snacks in India, where people like to eat it with tea. The good thing is ingredients are available in every store, so it is easy to make a puff at home. It is difficult to find it in a restaurant in Germany but a similar Indian snack, ‘Samosa’, is available in every Indian restaurant. My recipe is simple but not standard or ideal because everyone has their own recipe and everyone uses different ingredients as per choice and taste. From region to region, stuffing ingredients change, so there are a veg puff, egg puff, paneer puff, chicken puff etc. I am a foodie and I always try something new. I have tried to make this puff with different ingredients but I like the veg puff most because it has a good taste and aroma. I prefer to eat it with tea.
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INGREDIENTS: a potato peas puff pastry sheets some spices for extra taste optional: onion, chili, cheese or other vegetables
DIRECTIONS: 1.
Boil the potatoes and peas, then mash them well
with salt and lemon juice as per taste. Leave the mixture like this for a simple, mild taste or follow the next step for some extra spice.
2.
Heat the pan with little oil, add cumin seeds, on-
ions, some ginger-garlic paste and green chili. Saute till the onions turn brown. Add some spices for taste. Add the mashed potatoes and peas, mix everything well and saute for 1-2 minutes. It’s ready to use. 3.
Cut the puff pas-
try sheet into 4 pieces with a knife (shape as you like). 16
4.
Add 2-3 table-
spoons of the stuffing mixture to each piece. 5.
Fold the pastry and
seal the sides properly. 6.
Bake it in around
200*C for 15-20 minutes or till it puffs up and becomes golden-brown. 7.
Enjoy the puff with ketchup or chutney.
Note:
Puff pastry sheets (Frischer Blätterteig) are available in all German stores. They are used for sweet pastry mostly. ∎
RANVEERSINH JADAV (India) jadav@hrz.tu-chemnitz.de Instagram: @traveller_photobook
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black beards trauma At the airport in Dublin, all the
'blondies'
passed
smoothly through the security
check
point
and
I was the only suspect.
You know Who am I? I am the 'blacky' in a 'blonde' world. I am a natural born suspect. It is really nice to meet you. ∎ BASSEM AL JOGAMI
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MAHBUB RAHMAN
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Instagram: @adrianaszp
adrianazubiate@outlook.com
ADRIANA SOFIA ZUBIATE PAREJA (Peru)
21
C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G W O R K S H O P “Draw an umbrella,” greeted us Olha. When the room froze in surprise, she repeated excitedly: “Just draw an umbrella.” And so a group of puzzled writers-to-be sat down to draw umbrellas. Every umbrella was different, as Olha pointed out. She explained how our point of view influences our creative work. “You might think it’s just an umbrella but look: This one is designed against rain, but that one would be better suited to protect us from the sun. A big umbrella, a tiny one.” She smiled, “And if I may say, we’ve all drawn open umbrellas.” On 12.02.2020, two published students of English and American Studies, Jutta Landig and Olha Dudechko, held a creative writing workshop. While participants munched on cookies in a room smelling of gummi bears, Jutta and Olha shared their secret tips of the trade.
They showed the participants how pictures or photographs can be used as a source of inspiration, and how loose associations with them can serve as a starting point for writing. “Start with the picture and then go beyond it,” advised Jutta. She made a connection in her poem between the rainy weather behind the window and her beliefs. Finally, they encouraged everyone to throw dice with odd pictures on them. It turned out that this game, too, can help with writing: The pictograms helped generate ideas for plot twists in a short story. At the end of the workshop, two short stories and six poems (two written as a group) were ready for people to see. Some of them are available in the zine. Hear the voices of our brave participants over the next four pages! ∎ 22
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C H E M
Hello beer, goodbye coffee. Hello Schnitzel, goodbye curry. Hello Karl Marx,
goodbye Christians. Guten Tag, wie geht’s? Goodbye, how are you?
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N I T Z
you are a multicultural city you love to be silent you want to be a centre of culture you play with the weather you see beautiful people everyday you are seen by us you are afraid of who you can be you are happy to educate you are nervous about meeting Sabine you are excited for your future you are imperfect but you deserve to be loved
25
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN ’ IN CHEMNITZ Some park, golden leaves tall, adieu TONY you4334141@gmail.com
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Chemnitz is
a multicultural chimney that many are angry about, a traffic of hard-working students in a coffee snow. It’s beer as the only food in the fridge and a blinding sunset visible from the dorm. Chemnitz is also on the forgotten side of the country,
an empty collage of people old and new. It’s a friendly Indian and an angry German auntie. Chemnitz is what I dare to call my home. NATALIA PRZYBYSZ (Poland)
27
DIVIYADEEP SINGH MS Advanced Manufacturing 28
FARZANEH SHARIFI
29
VISUAL ARTS
to them where she draws
WORKSHOP
she works as a freelancer,
her inspiration from, how and to create a group art-
“I’m clearly afraid of col- work that would capture ours,” I said, pointing to the spirit of the collaboratmy monochromatic draw- ing participants. ing. Annabel was trying to In the end, colours were in encourage us to use col- the focus of the results of ours, complementary col- our main exercise in the ours in particular. “I used workshop.
In
order
to
to be afraid of colours, draw Chemnitz as a multitoo,” she admitted. On
21.02.2020,
a
cultural city, we got the free- idea of taking one of its
lance artist, Annabel Fisch- most recognizable features er
(Instagram:
@kaffee- - the big chimney - as the
kolakunst), held the visual basis, and we decided to arts workshop, the second draw objects and concepts event organised for TUC- from different cultures that zine. Works in her recog- are associated with specifnizable style are often re- ic colours. Marx’s head sits quested by local zines
and
maga- on top of it all like a cherry
organizers
of on a cake. And he is wear-
events in Chemnitz. She ing a hat. Who would ever invited both experienced suspect him to and inexperienced enthusi- funky?
Only
be
this
artists,
asts of visual arts to reveal I suppose. ∎ 30
31
SUNSHINE IN WINTER That day and many other days When I wake up early, lazy Seeing no sun, feeling chill that strange And the mind longs to sleep again
Through my window I see her Near the tree with leaves seems As if dissolved in misty morning She had silver hair and a cig in mouth She gazed into the distance with eyes wet Like the soil after the autumn rain Sometimes dried and sometimes misty The skin is wrinkled and loose but dressed gently She drew circles in the air with cigarette smoke Then woke up from the memory so long, She passed piercing the wind so strong Brave as if to face many other winters to come The endless loneliness in her misty blue pearls Gives me some sunshine to work In the terrain so puzzling And the weather that strange
VISHNU PARAPPURATH (India) 32
NATALIA PRZYBYSZ (Poland)
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CHRISTMAS Walk with Snowflakes. Glow of Lights. Crowd of People. Smell of Food. Flavor of Candy cane. Taste of Gluhwein. Waiting for Santa. Excitement for Gifts and Souds of ‘Merry Christmas’. These all make me beautiful. Yes, I am Christmas.
RANVEERSINH JADAV (India)
34
SANKETH PERSONAL
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They all sat down for
spoke out loud about
one last drink. Every-
all the wonderful mo-
one in their most com-
ments that they were
fortable
cherishing
clothes,
be-
together
cause that was what it
amidst those four walls
was like to be together
– sudden meetups, un-
– warm, cozy and com-
planned parties, cele-
fortable.
brating
That
couch
little
things,
celebrated life, happi-
picking up weird dance
ness, and joy. Uncon-
moves, cooking weird
sciously,
couch
food, gossips, explor-
had become what that
ing each other’s ward-
orange couch had been
robe,
to Friends in Central
cocktails,
Perk. They all raised
sloshed, rolling joints,
their last toast togeth-
baking brownies, play-
er, looking into each
ing new games. Every
other’s
eyes.
Their
time they all sat on
bright
shiny
eyes
that couch, they left
that
making
new getting
36
behind all worries of
changed
the real world and cre-
time,
ated their own surreal
grew stronger. They all
world of joy, fun, and
felt home, away from
happiness. That couch
home.
was bright and happy
the pinch of pain as
accommodating
smil-
the last sip rolled down
on
the tightened muscles
a gloomy dull winter
of their throat, strug-
day.
new
gling hard to keep all
was once tried in that
their emotions stuffed
room,
they
inside as they realized
had seen many people
change is inevitable. ∎
ing
faces
even
Everything together
slowly
but
the
They
all
over bond
felt
walk in and walk out,
but
one
mained Change!
thing constant
re–
Everything SEEMA HANUMANTHAPPA (India) www.tinylifebiguniverse.wordpress.com 37
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