extreme creativity and dedi-
cation, not to mention orga-
nization, that go into produc-
ing each and every opera and
ballet we have the privilege
of experiencing at the Staat-
soper.
Our group’s next visit to the
opera house will be at a per-
formance of Bellini’s “Nor-
ma,” as we finish out our first
project of 2020. After our
peek backstage at the Sta-
atsoper’s props and prepara-
tions, this next outing should
be a richer experience than
ever. We are grateful to have
had this opportunity for the
backstage tour and highly rec-
ommend it to all Hamburg fans
of opera, ballet, and theater.
by Elizabeth R.
Photo from Michael Beherns from Flickr
Mahjong
A Wall of Tiles can be Fun!
When I was in third grade, one
of my girlfriends invited us over
to play a game. I didn’t know the
game but was curious to check it
out. The game comes from a far-
away place that sounded exotic
to someone living in the middle
of America. Mahjong originated
in China and the oldest written
record of the game dates back to
the 1880’s; although it is said to be
far older than that. But since then,
it has spread out
across the borders
of many countries
and has become so
popular that people
have made their
own rules depend-
ing on where the
players are. There is
a Japanese, a Hong
Kong, and even
a New York style.
What I remember
Photos of Mahjong Club from Shelly S.
from my childhood was the four of
us making walls with beautiful tile
pieces containing different pat-
terns. I mostly remember beauti-
ful flowers, birds, and dragons but
not much else.
It is not surprising that our own
AWCH had two groups emerge,
each with it’s own style of Mahjong.
One is Japanese Mahjong which
members can play at Ulrike’s house
every Wednesday. The other is a
Hong Kong style Mahjong, which is
coordinated by Stella K. and meets
once a month in the evening at
different member’s house, and
alongside it, is a potluck dinner.
Please contact Stella K. if you are
interested. For a new adventure
into meeting more people in our
club and doing something a little
different, come join us for a couple
of games of Mahjong. The groups
are very patient
with newcomers to
the game.
(Please look at the
AWCH calendar for
details as well as the
directory for con-
tact information.)
by Selly S.
www.awchamburg.org
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