Closing thoughts

In the first photo you see the runaway hit of the closing celebration: Group 1's performance of the Three Little Pigs. Each group presented a brief skit/slide show to provide entertainment following the dinner. Then off to celebrate the final evening or pack for departure the next day.

The first group left early Saturday morning to be able to get to Amsterdam by early evening, the rest of us left at 5 for the night train to Frankfurt.

The second picture shows the sculpture outside of the Kursbüro where we met daily. The last picture shows the group of Russian students performing one of the songs that they sang until the wee hours in the dorm kitchen. If you've been following the student blogs, you will have heard reference to them, and I thought you might like to see them.

Please read through the student blogs to see all of their reactions to living in, and having lived in, another culture for 3 weeks.

Eisenach/Wartburg

The students all participated in an excursion to the town of Eisenach and the nearby Wartburg. In the first photo they are all posing with the Wartburg Castle in the background. The castle has a long history, from Ludwig der Springerin the 12th-Century to Elizabeth of Thüringen and finally to Martin Luther in the 16th-Century. It is here that Luther first translated the bible into German while he was being hidden from the religious authorities to save his life. The small room shown below is the room where he worked on his translation. The Wartburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and enjoys a long history as a cultural jewel in Germany.

Eisenach is also the birthplace of Johann Sebastian Bach. The picture of his stature memorial shows him as the respected composer and organist he developed into. The final picture shows a contrasting Bach memorial located in nearby Arnstadt, where Bach had his very first appointment as church organist, a post he received at the age of 18. At the time, there was quite an uproar because Bach was considered too young, and he wasn't even a native of the city.

Night Life--the "Igel" Population

Just about everyone had spied the night time garden dwellers, the hedgehogs, except for me. I had gone looking for them around 9:30-10:00 p.m., but never was able to spot one. Everyone in the group who had seen one or more gave me hints: they seem to live in the woods near the Mensa, they freeze when you come upon them, and most importantly, they only come out late at night (i.e., past my bed time). Yesterday evening, I went in search later than I ever had--at 11:30 p.m., heading directly for the Mensa. Sure enough, as soon as I started to walk along the sidewalk between the woods and the Mensa, I quickly located this little critter. He froze when I started to talk to him, bushing up and spreading out his quill-like covering so that he would look as fierce as possible. Their quills are meant for defense purposes so that local dogs don't bother them. In the US, we only see them as small house pets.

Kickelhahn

Thanks to Mark for providing the photos from the Kickelhahn. The first photo shows the Kickelhahn, the second Goethe's little mountain top retreat. Both Mark and Nick made it to the top!

The third photo shows Torsten getting a drink from one of the springs along the path. The last photo shows the view from the top of the Kickelhahn.

Tracing Goethe's Path

This past Sunday we had the opportunity to hike through the forest, following the Goethe Wanderweg. Only three in group were up to this event, the rest were too tired out from the excursion to Berlin or their own activities. This was a hike I had always meant to take, but never did. I found myself making excuses: surely I'd be too tired from the Berlin excursion (we didn't get back until 1 a.m.), or maybe the weather would be too bad (it had rained in years past). I woke up at 7:30 to a beautiful day of sunshine and crisp weather. No excuses were possible, so I took off. I was glad to see Mark and Nick were also there.

The first photo is from the start of the trail at the highest point in the city of Ilmenau. The trail starts at the Rathaus, then up to the beginning of the forest. The trail was not particularly difficult, just up and up, so I needed to bring up the rear. Once in the forest, there was quite a long bit of level walking, with two major uphill portions. Luckily I found a walking stick near the start of the first really difficult (for me) one, which helped immensely. The second shot is Mark standing at the cross roads of three different paths deep in the forest. The path is well-marked with a "G" painted on the trees at intervals. The third picture is Nick relaxing in a wood-frame lookout after the second incline. The final shot is the location a picnic was delivered to us (after about 3 1/2 hours of walking a total of 5 km). The city immediately below the field is Manebach, one of the towns that make up greater Ilmenau. If you look carefully in the distance, near the top of the picture, you can see Ilmenau, where we started.

At this point, the group took off for the final ascent to the Kickelhahn and Goethe's house, where he wrote one of his most famous poems of reflection (Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh..). I was too worn out to continue, and will have to save that for a later date.

Berlin!

Here are some photos from the optional excursion to Berlin. The first shot show the group posing in front of the new American Embassy in Berlin, just opened July 4, 2008. The Embassy is on Pariser Platz, right next to the Brandenburg Gate. In the second shot you can see the group standing on the former location of the Berlin wall. The double brick path runs the complete length of the wall as a reminder of the once-divided city. This part of the wall is right in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the second shot. There were a lot of people in the city this day, but if you look closely you can see the group.

Part of the excursion included a boat tour on the Spree River, which offered an up-close view of both old and new Berlin, as well as the entire federal government area. The last picture shows part of the group on the boat with the Federal Government building in the distance (the glass dome).

Erfurt

The Sommerkurs left for Erfurt, the capital of the state of Thuringia, right after lunch. We spent the afternoon first with a guided tour, then free time. Some students went shopping, others sat in a cafe, some spent time investigating the town. Erfurt is unique in that is was directly on the via regia during the Middle Ages, and was very well know for the plant "Waid", which was used to make a vibrant blue dye. The first picture shows one of the buildings used for curing the plant. There had to be multiple windows in the roof due to the process of using urine/ammonia to cause the reaction.

The city also was never completely destroyed by war/fire so that there is a wide variety of buildings from the gothic cathedral (see the side portal with the "wise" and "foolish" virgins) to buildings in baroque and renaissance styles standing directly to Bauhaus and 21st century buildings.

One of the key sights remaining from the Middle Ages is the Krämerbrücke, a bridge that is filled completely with shops. The 14th century university buildings also still stand.

Bergfest

Here are a few scenes from our daily activities. The top photo is the ice cream truck that comes around almost every afternoon. He is very popular with everyone. The middle photo shows a bush that grows almost everywhere. Those orange-red seed pods are NOT rose hips (I asked). Can anyone identify the plant? The bottom photo shows the group and several of our German hosts in front of the Shortemühle restaurant where several local Ilmenauers treated the entire group to first a tour of the ore mine (fluorspar, used in steel production) then a delicious dinner afterward. Our host is the gentleman on the far right of the photo, who had visited Blue Ash in May with about 30 other people from the area. Yesterday was the half-way point of the course, and we all enjoyed the evening picnic and bonfire on the other side of the big lake to celebrate that event.

Weimar

The group travelled about 1 hour to Weimar, a UNESCO site, and 1999 Cultural Capital of Europe. The first picture is the town hall, complete with its Meissen porcelain bells (look carefully at the bell tower and you will see the different shaped white bells). Weimar is known not only for Goethe and Schiller, German authors and poets, (the two lower pictures show students posing with the statue in front of the National Theater), but was also the location where the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) drafted its constitution for Germany's short-lived first try at democracy. The second photo shows the UC students waiting for the tour guide. If you click on the third picture down and look carefully, you will see the Döner stand in the background where several of us had a lunch of falafel sandwiches.

More fun and games

What can I say....A much more successful group.

Fun and games

Friday evening's event was a series of competitions among all students here. In the first two pictures you see one event, a ski-type race, at the beginning when things were going well followed by a crash. Note that this group got up immediately following this shot and finished the race (ok-they did come in last).

Schnecken

The local wildlife includes something called a Schnecke (snail), but these critters are not what you mmight expect. They have no "house" and they are much longer than you would expect. Next to this one is a 10 cent coin (,10€--a little larger than an American dime.

Dresden

We've been walking considerably more than we are used to, which has everyone with sore calf muscles and achy feet.

This weekend was filled with an optional excursion to Dresden on Saturday. The first picture is taken from the bridge over the Elbe River, looking toward the city. The other pictures are of the Frauenkirche, which we learned was not destroyed during the bombing of the city in February 13-14, 1945, but whose windows were not secured. The ensuing fire was sucked into the cathedral, the sandstone material became porous with the high heat of the fire, and the cuppola collapsed on Feb. 15. The church was a "Mahnmal" (a memorial meant to warn others) from 1945 until following the fall of the Iron Curtain, when money poured into the city to restore it to its former beauty. The reconstruction process used all stone that could be salvaged, and brought stonemasons from around Europe to make the missing pieces. The church was rededicated on Reformation Day (Oct. 31) in 2005. The golden cross on the top of this baroque Lutheran church was donated by the son of the Englishman who flew the first bomber over the city. The church has a relativey small footprint, and is right in the middle of houses, so the architect had to be creative to get the 3000 seats required.

The bottom picture shows the church in late afternoon sun, the middle shows the paintings on the interior of the cuppola, and the top shows the view from the top of the cuppola looking down. The view from the top was well worth the hike up there.

A visit to the Apotheke

Three of the women in the group have come down with a bad cold/flu, necessitating a trip for a consultation with the local Apothekerin. The group went to the Goethe Apotheke, I described the various and sundry ailments, and the pharmacist asked questions, looking at the three patients. After considering all of the symptoms and ascertaining that all were adults, she fetched a packaged medicine designed to counteract sniffles, cough, aches/pains, and fever. She then advised that they the first dose and brought three cups of water while we sorted out two capsules per person. With directions on the need to avoid stress and sleep, as well as detailed instructions for future dosing, off we went to Kaufland (next door) to get chicken soup and cough drops. All of the patients reported feeling a slight change for the better within an hour, and all now appear to be on the path to recovery.

In Germany, doctor visits are reserved for the more seriously ill, and the pharmacist decides what medication is needed for milder illnesses. There are hardly any "over the counter" medications such as we would find at a Walgreens at home. Instead, you consult the professional pharmacist then drink your tea, take your drops or caplets as instructed, then watch for signs of improvement or worsening. I'm happy they all look better after one dose.

Joking around

Several of the students found the public art that was originally included with this blog, then posed with it.

Exploring

The first few days are completed, and most everyone has recovered from jet lag. The first photo shows several of the students sourrounding the bronze statue of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who sits in front of the city buildings. The second shows the entire group outside of the Rathaus with the city Mayor. We had an official reception and welcome from him, with about an hour for questions and answers. The bottom picture shows the several of the students in the Audimax immediately following the placement test.

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!

Leipzig

If time and the schedule permit, I plan to travel to Leipzig to visit the Museum of Contemporary History. I visited this museum in 2001, and recently learned that it underwent a renovation in 2007. You can see information about this museum, as well as its permanent and temporary exhibits at:

http://www.hdg.de/index.php?id=4726&L=1

The permanent exhibit chronicles the GDR history, cultural history and events from 1949 to 1989, and showcases an amazing variety of artifacts. The temporary exhibit in August is "Skandale in Deutschland nach 1945," which sounds very interesting.

The museum is free to get into, so the cost of the trip would be the train ticket. The specific day will be determined once we get there, but according to the temporary program, the Sunday of the second Weimar excursion is a good possibility.

Preliminary Schedule Provided by the Sommerkurs

Sonntag, 3.8
-14.00 Wanderung in die Umgebung Ilmenau/Schwimmbad

Montag, 4.8
-9.00 Eröffnung
-9.30 Sprachtest
-13.30 Einführung/Vorlesung Sommerkurs
-19.00 Eröffnungsabend

Dienstag, 5.8
-8:45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Vorlesung
-15.15 Einführung in die Projektarbeit
-17.00 Stadtführung Ilmenau

Mittwoch, 6.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Vorlesung
-15.15 oder 16.15 Gruppenphonetik
-20.00 Abendprogramm

Donnerstag, 7.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.00 Exkursion (Arnstadt)
-Rückfahrt nach Ilmenau

Freitag, 8.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Vorlesung/Arbeitsgruppe
-20.00 Vortrag/Abendprogramm

Samstag, 9.8 Exkursion: Dresden
-8.00 Treffpunkt Mensa
-22.00 Rückfahrt nach Ilmenau

Sonntag, 10.8 Exkursion: Weimar/Buchenwald
-8.45 Treffpunkt Mensa

Montag, 11.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Arbeitsgruppe
-15.00 Projektkonsultation
-20.00 Vortrag/Abendprogramm

Dienstag, 12.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Arbeitsgruppe
-15.15 oder 16.15 Gruppenphonetik
-20.00 Abendprogramm

Mittwoch, 13.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Arbeitsgruppe
-15.15 oder 16.15 Gruppenphonetik
-19.00 Bergfest

Donnerstag, 14.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.00 Exkursion: Erfurt
-19.00 Ruuckfahrt nach Ilmenau

Freitag, 15.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.15 Treffpunkt Mensa, Exkursion Berlin--mit Übernachtung

Samstag, 16.8 Exkursion Berlin
-20.00 Rückfahrt nach Ilmenau

Sonntag, 17.8 Exkursion Weimar
-9.00 Treffpunkt Mensa
-17.00 Rückfahrt nach Ilmenau

Montag, 18.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Arbeitsgruppe/Vorlesung
-20.00 Abendprogramm/Vortrag

Dienstag, 19.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Arbeitsgruppe
-15.15 oder 16.15 Gruppenphonetik
-20.00 Abendprogramm

Mittwoch, 20.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.30 Grundkurs/Vorlesung
-15.15 oder 16.15 Gruppenphonetik
-15.15 Präsentation der Projektarbeiten
-20.00 Abendprogramm

Donnerstag, 21.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-13.00 Exkursion (Eisenach)
-19.00 Rückfahrt nach Ilmenau

Freitag, 22.8
-8.45 Unterricht
-18.00 Abschlussabend

Samstag, 23.8 Abreise

Getting Close

Please finish your final preparations:
-create your blog and send me the URL so I can post it under "student blogs"
-register for 28 GRMN 261 (remember, you need to pay RWC tuition for the course)
-pack wisely

Our final meeting will be: Thursday, July 31, 5:00 p.m. at RWC. We will meet in the Language Lab. All family/friends/partners are welcome to come for our final pre-departure meeting.