We've arrived

The group successfully completed the journey here without incident: 9 hours of flying, 4 hours of train (ICE and local trains), transport to Kursbüro and to the CJD dorm rooms. Exhaustion took over, but yesterday everyone had the chance to hike outside to start to recover from jet lag. This morning saw the beginning of the official program with welcoming speeches, several pieces by two classical guitarists and the Einstufungstest.

The students are in the first stage of noticing cultural differences and coming to grips with doing everyday tasks differently. The intricacies of Kaufland shopping and surley cashiers have already been addressed. Most enjoyed a hearty lunch at the Mensa.

The Einstufungstest was different this year. Students were asked to complete Cloze activities in six different texts, each of increasing difficulty. Most thought it was very difficult-in fact I was initially stumped by one of the fill ins. The exam was fairly well balanced to differentiate between vocabulary, grammar, and fluency abilities, and I'm sure it was easy to grade. There is an additional oral test for all students at the beginner level, where most of the group placed. Tonight the students will learn which group they've been assigned to.

Watch for student blog updates!