At a certain stage, during the privilege that was an Erasmus exchange year at the University of Leipzig, my friend and I finally had to make our way towards the library to do some actual reading. The University library in Leipzig remained in a ruined state during the years of the communist East German state, from 1949-1989, but by 1999 renovation was well underway and had almost been completed. On that day, in the late afternoon, a large crowd had gathered outside. No one was being let in. My friend and I, confused, asked the woman beside us what was…

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