This opinion was first published on ciao-germany 08 May 2002
all included persons are still members of the german community.

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“Daaaddy, its time to wake up. Its late !”
A loud voice called me out of my deepest dreams and I was looking in the bright blue eyes of Daniel.
“Daddy, why do you slept sooo long?”
“Oh Daniel, as you know, mummy and me had a few beer yesterday with some friends from the web.”
“Daddy, mummy said, you had more beer.”
“That’s right son, mummy always know the truth.”
Standing up I was feeling fine, finding my head at the right place and feeling no head-ache. I found the right way to the living-room and there I saw a big mug of coffee and my cigarillos on the table.

“Good morning darling, thanks for the coffee.” My lovely wife ‘hareda’ gets her early morning kiss and I felt down onto the sofa.
“Was it fine already after I was gone?” she was really fit, while I had my problems watching the scene clearly.
“Please daddy, tell me more about your friends.”
Daniel and hareda were looking at me, suspensefully waiting, but first I had to drink some coffee and light me a cigarillo.

“So,” I began “we met at the ‘Wolpertinger Brauhaus…”
“Is that where the kids-playground is?”
“Yes Daniel and the gigantic beer garden, unfortunately filled only by the raindrops yesterday.”
“Uhh Daddy, I told you that I wanted to come with you.”
Daniel’s lower lip was hanging down, he was looking angry.
“You want to hear what daddy will tell us, or better go to your room?”
Hareda found the right words to calm him down and he was listening again.

“Was that a meeting of dear friends there and do I know some of them ?”
“Yes Daniel, I think you’ll know some of them, cause they have their pictures in the web at ciao.”
“That’s funny, it’s like the italian ‘hello’. Ernesto says so, when we meet him.”
“There where a lot of people and we’ve had fun the whole evening.”
“Daddy, where do you got your beer, while it was raining outside?”
“We where all inside the pub and where sitting in a large room which has paintings on the walls, so it’s looking like a circus. It was former a little cinema.”
“You’ve met clowns there?”
“Not really, I think they would not be amused about this expression.”
“Tell me the names of the clowns.”
“Daniel, there was no clown, only funny people, laughing and making jokes. For example Tausi2000 who told us a lot of jokes and made us laugh. Even KleinesLicht (same as mediocrity) was funny, he was wearing a cap from Nike. Around there was FrankyMarc, always grinning and JoergWa with his enormous ears.”
“There’s also a boy called Joerg in my kindergarten, but he has ears of normal size.”

I became thirsty and so I drank from the wonderful coffee, which was the best stimulant after yesterdays beer.

“What about the other people daddy?”
“Later on Birgit-Judith and Tommi36 had found the right way to the pub *g*. Tommi hasn’t found the right direction, so they made a long detour. Birgit also laughed a lot and was talking here and there with all the other ones. Tommi is hairless like me, but the little rest of his hairs were longer than mine.”
“Just like Scrooge McDuck ?”
“He's not scrooge. We all tried to talk with each other, cause we only knew us from the reports, comments and the guestbooks. Some guys had dinner and they were looking full and satisfied. Others fetched some pieces from the neighbours plate and one guy was always calling for bananas.”
“Bananas ? I like bananas.”
“So you would like swec too, he’s a good friend of VulcanRaven. They are friends since they were little boys. But swec mostly was holding colada1985 in his arms, cause she was the youngest and largest girl at our table and even pretty. VulcanRaven is nice and he is a shy guy.”
“Sometimes I’m also shy.”
“That’s right Daniel, even when you are sleeping. Some of our friends are living far away and so they had to travel by train, for example Donovan50 and his wife Knuddelinchen. Gaylight and apriliaLord had a little bit fog in the car, while driving the highway. Elli-Spirelli was testing the super-highways and stations for some new opinions, together with Barracuda79. Waldweg was coming with half of her family and with her dog.”
“What’s the name of the dog?”
“The dog’s called Rachel, her husbands name is Rainer, schopfi is the name of her sister and KillerPueppi is schopfis boy-friend. Mama talked a long time with Waldweg, while I was making some foolish grimaces. There also was Queerdenker, taking some pictures, KRAWALLSCHACHTEL was ordering two dinners for the others satisfaction, even hollipolli had a long journey but he arrived first. Lutschlolli was another guy and Jenni29Mai80 always received calls on her portable-phone. Jezzy had to leave early, she had an invitation on a birthday-party.
Some people were drinking cocktails, mostly ordered by KRAWALLSCHACHTEL . He is the master of mixtures and recipes for drinks. Other people had some beer, just like me and some were drinking orange-juice or other beverages without alcohol, cause they had to drive home by car later on.”
“It’s not allowed to drive a car when you’re drunken.”
“Correct Daniel, that would be dangerous, but the members of ciao are sly people, so they don’t drink and drive.”

“Do I know somebody who was there yesterday?”
“You will become acquainted with Taschimaus, she managed the meeting together with
KRAWALLSCHACHTEL. That was very nice and well done. Someone has to do this work and it’s a lot of organisation. Taschimaus said she likes to meet you too.”

I filled up some hot coffee and lighted the second cigarillo.

“Daddy, do you have a little-present from yesterday?”
“The present will be, that I can tell you about my memoirs of yesterday and all the greets to you and to know, that we can meet some people at the web, whom we should meet in real live.”
“May I meet bob-the-builder one day ?”
"Who knows…”

“Daddy, have you had friendly waiters in the Wolpertinger?”
“Yes Daniel, they did a good work. Sometimes they had to search for the person who ordered a drink. The dinner was looking fine, the glasses were clean and the beer was cold enough. It was crowded in the house, but we never got thirsty.”

“Daddy, why did you come home late at night?”
“Our meeting ended suddenly, some people left for driving home. I went to a discotheque with the rest of our friends. Birgit wanted to hear songs from ABBA and we were dancing the whole night through, till it was closing-time and our meeting was finished.”

“Daddy, will the people meet again?”
“Not always the same people, but such meetings are planed in different cities, even in other countries.”

“Daddy, do you want to participate at all these meetings?”
“No Daniel, but I will try to go to some of them. That would be recommended for each member of ciao.”
“Daddy, may I come with you, when you'll meet again?”
“Daniel, when we meet in the evening, it would be to late for you and for other kids. Normally no kids
are invited, only some small people, but they’re still adults.”
“I don’t want you to drive without mummy and me.”
“Daniel you may try to write some opinion at ciao, is that okay?”
“Okay Daddy, I can write my name D-A-N-I-E-L.”

“Daddy, the last thing I want to know is, why all the people from ciao are new dear friends, they do not know each other yet.”
“Daniel, that’s why all the people in the web are talking sincerely. They’re telling us facts from their lives and we all share our problems. It makes no difference whether somebody is thick or thin, ugly or pretty. You will only see his individual personality. It doesn’t matter where they come from, no matter what kind of clothes they wear. The behaviour of our friends was kindly the whole evening through and no one has to be afraid of other ones. That’s why they’re all dear friends.”
“Daddy I like to meet some friends from the web too, when I’m grown-up.”
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ciao meeting 04 May 2002 Kassel / Germany
location: Wolpertinger Brauhaus, Hafenstr. 54

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Thanks for reading and be pleased to remind me of the mistakes in translation ;-)