Real Quotes by Real Students – Credulous

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.
As such, I’d like to share these snippets with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.


Since the beginning of the school year, I’ve maintained a masquerade with my students. H had me pretend not to speak German, and mostly I succeeded at masking my actual knowledge. Sometimes, however, I wasn’t terribly successful. It can be awfully hard not to react automatically to a language you’ve been learning for thirteen years. And thus arose situations like the following:

Remember, Richard from this story? Well, he set the stage here as well.

Richard: “Kannst du bitte herüber rutschen?” (Can you please scoot over?)

(I do it.)

Meng (the girl who sits in front of him): “Sie versteht dich?” (She understands you?)

(Richard shakes his head “yes” and I shake mine “no.”)

Meng believed me even though I had reacted to what she said in German.

Or like this one in the 9th grade:

As I was walking around the classroom, I overheard this snippet.

Joey (the class clown): N* kann sehr gut Deutsch! (N* can speak German very well!)

Uwe: Nein! (No!)

J: “Doch!” (Literally “however”, but functions as the fantastic one-word German comeback for expressing disagreement)

U: Nein!

The emphatic refusal to believe that I might speak German on Uwe’s part was priceless.

Many of my students now know I speak German…it’s not hard to figure out if you think about it, but there is still a sizeable population that remains unconvinced. Regardless of their opinion, they all speak only English to me, so I guess H’s strategy worked.

Deine,
N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.


As such, I’d like to share these snippets with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.

Dessau has a good-sized Vietnamese population, and the parents of these families very often run shops that are full of just about anything you can imagine, from scarves to thread to tablecloths to cards to tools. One of the 8th grader’s parents has such a shop, and during the unit about jobs, he was trying to describe the store.

He said, “My parents store sells EVERYTHING…clothes, garden…Dingen…”

“Ding” is akin to “thing” in English. And this was one of those perfect situations where Dinglish* (no pun intended) came to the rescue perfectly.

Deine,
N*

*For those of you who don’t know, “Dinglish” refers fondly to situations where German (Deutsch) and English are mixed together.

Sächsische...Silly!

19. Mai 2011

On occasion I have been known to be silly. Silly mixed with a healthy dose of the comic events that seem to saunter along in my wake. Combined with the fact that I'm super busy and a little stressed at the moment, a good friend of mine, my salsa buddy from university (and current penpal), T, is coming to visit me in Germany this week, and I'm so excited I'm practically spinning. All this crazy energy has certainly made for an interesting past week or so.


I shouldn't be allowed a bike.

 It all started two weekends ago when the inevitable happened. I finally fell off my bike. I can't really explain it any other way than by saying this: I have no fear. And on my bike, if you know me at all, you know that I SHOULD have fear. But apparently not. Here is the inner monologue I had with myself in the five or so seconds prior to crashing:

"Gee, look at that car parked half way in the bike lane. It's pretty narrow. Can I fit there? Sure, why not? Well, maybe not, but I could take that curb, right? Um, bad call. AHHHHHHHHHH!"

In my attempt not to look stupid by having to do the awkward hop-run off my bike, I effectively willing rode into a seven inch curb, resulting in a stunning display of my side-hopping abilibes as my bike rebounded off the curb into me before I took it over with me into the rock bed surrounding a tree. Fantastic. I landed on my hands, knees ricochetting painfully off bike bars. Somehow my knees and my dignity were the only parts that came out bruised. I guess I wasn't going that fast. In what world did hitting a curb seem like a good idea? No fear, I tell you.

Come to think of it, this isn't the only recent bike disaster of mine. A week or so prior to the curb incident, I inadvertently let all the air out of my tire when I was trying to pump it up five mintues before I needed to head to Wernigerode. It came rushing out at record speed, which I wasn't expecting, and I really wondered how it could be so hard to pump up a bike tire. Granted I did end up having a flat, so I wasn't totally to blame, but it still added insult to incompetency. It turned out to be lucky that I went forth sans bike because, aside from the fact that my tire probably would've died on my trip, my train to Dessau was so late that I had to run two flights of stairs to change platforms, which I never could've managed while lugging my bike.



Hiking in the Sächsische Schweiz
The Bastei

 Last weekend was spent with a fellow ETA, Emily, in Leipzig because we wanted to visit the Saechsische Schweiz for a hike. We got out at Kurort Rathen and took the ferry over the river to climb the hundreds of stairs up to the Bastei. The view was magnificent over the blue-skied, fertile valley and the fresh air and enticingly eerie magic specific to German forests gave me the getaway I'd been craving. ä



You can probs see the Czech Rep.
from here



To get back to my main point, though, my mind works in mysterious

ways, linking from one thing to the next at the speed of light, and in part because she thinks this way as well, Emily and I are epic conversationalists. When she and I get together or talk on the phone, you can guarantee that no work will actually get done as we bounce from topic to topic, with each one increasing the nerdiness quotient of the conversation, the longer we talk. Usually we subject bounce



Literally right out of
Caspar David Friedrich



simultaneously, but it has been proven that we are NOT indeed telepathic. In a rare silent moment as we descended scores of metal squares on the Schwedenloecher (Swedish holes) Trail, my energetic frenzy helped me take about ten gigantic mental steps away from the previous conversation we'd had before saying, "There are a lot of German verbs that start with 'e'," in a quippy yet contemplative tone. Emily just laughed. I would've too, honestly.

The night of the Castle season finale was not better...it was perhaps the so-called icing on the cake, in fact. The particularly wrenching finish to the third season did not help make me any calmer, and post-Castle that evening I was pouring my energy into my favorite new activity: travel enabling. I got on g-chat to enable Emily.

Me: We have to go through Leipzig on the way to Weimar. You should come with T and me.

E: Well, I'd like to, but I have to see about money.

Me: We all go on a Sachsen-Anhalt Ticket, then it's 10 Euros each.

E: Oh, well I should be able to handle 10 Euros.

We proceeded through a variety of tangents before landing on the topic of if getting to Croatia in July is feasible. WE were discussing potentially flying with EasyJet from Hamburg.

Me: I'm trying to figure out where they fly...It looks like they fly to Zagreb from Hamburg on EasyJet.

E: but we'd have to get to hamburg

Me: Querdurch ticket.

Emily: ah, right. i feel like that's just your comeback now

Me: :)

E: i could make a "your mom" joke and you would find a logical way to say "querdurch ticket."
 
At least my energy's being put to good use. And that brings me to today, Monday, where I am sitting antsily in school, waiting for the moment when I can throw the 80s tunes on now my Ipod and suppress the urge to dance down the street (I should be banned from the 80s when I'm excited...they don't do anything to help that situation!), so I can get home to pack a bag and then hop on a train to the Berlin airport, where at 21:30 this evening, if all goes as planned, I can start putting all my frenetic energy into being a good hostess!!

Deine,
N*

Travel by Number

Sweet street art

23. Mai 2011

Springtime in Vienna!

Vienna Secession...art dork!

Naschmarkt, Vienna

Handpainted Easter eggs!

My Easter Break trip in April was epic.  I saw and experienced so much that any amount I write about it really can’t do it justice.  The magnitude of both the distance I traveled and the sites I visited is truly massive…honestly there is no honest way that I can accurately verbalize my sensual impressions of Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, but I can leave a road map of my journey and hopefully spark some part of you to give due time to these three capital cities on the Danube river if you haven’t already or remind you of hidden memories of a prior trip that are still lingering off in the corners of your mind.

Poppyseed noodles!  Europe has the best fair food!

Enjoying the little things

Train to Bratislava...Wiesel???

Far from home

Eating veggie with the Hare Krishna

• 3 capital cities • 90 kilometers walking • 26 hours in the train • 1 Danube River • 20 Lipizzaner Stallions • 1 terraced palace view • 2 world class museums • 1000s of hand painted Easter eggs • 1 Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” • 1 contemporary ballet mystery • 2 angry Brits • 2 turtles in a train station • 1 advertisement for my homeopathic flu medication • 3 grumpy Slovak train station employees • 3 sweet Slovak “grandparents” pointing me in the right direction • 1 €5 (and somewhat useless) map of Bratislava • 1 failed trip to Devin Castle • 3 vegetarian restaurants • 5 Hare Krishna • 2 fair trade stores • 2 questionable statues • 1 drinking fountain feeding directly from underground springs • 1 world class performance of Ravel’s “Bolero” • 10 thermal bath pools • 1 Gellert Hill hike • 7 days of gorgeous weather • 2 Chinese twin roommates • 5 vibrant markets • 1 Polish hippy hostel • 6 postcards with international postage • 1000s of new sights, sounds, smells, tastes and impressions •

Never seen an ad for my flu meds before

I love traveling in Eastern Europe!

Deine,

N*

Lock gates started in Budapest

Artsy Fischerbastei

Jewish memorial

Poppyseed ice cream???  Yum!

Danube from Gellert Hill, Budapest

Sunset behind Gellert Hill...perfect last night!

N* sucht den Supermarkt

6. Mai 2011

If there is one thing Germany gives generously, it's vacations during the school year. The break for Easter was a week and a half long, and the first week was the perfect time for my second solo trip. What started as a trip to Budapest turned into a trip to Budapest with a day trip to Vienna, turned into a trip to Vienna and Budapest with a day trip through Bratislava.

After four trains and 10.5 hours, I arrived in Vienna. Having decided that saving money was probably wise, I set out for the city center hoping to find a supermarket. This began a week-long saga or what I narrated in my head as "N* sucht den Supermarkt." In Germany, the show "Deutschland sucht den Superstar," (Germany looks for a Superstar), "DSDS" for short, is similarish to "American Idol" in the U.S. I think, and is incredibly popular. So much so in fact that Lena came over on the Saturday night preceding my trip to show it to me because "Everyone watches it, and if you want to be in on conversations, you have to know what's going on." So with this recent cultural experience on my mind, "NSDS" sort of popped into my head throughout my perpretual supermarket search.

Finding a grocery store in a new country is not always easy; if you don't know what to look for, they can blend right in! But once you do find them, having a look around is fascinating! You can tell a lot about a culture just by seeing what they typicall buy. Plus, it's always an adventure figuring out the system in the grocery store and then getting to try new things as your reward for getting it right.

Deine,
N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – Looks like German…sounds like German…

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.


As such, I’d like to share these snippets with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.

In class, we encourage all the students to speak only in English, and sometimes I’ll call them out on speaking German if I catch them at it when I’m walking around. The cleverest comeback I’ve heard all year actually came from Frank-Frederick’s (you can read about him here, here or here)  friend, “Timo”:

N* (to the student speaking German): “That’s an awfully interesting form of English your speaking.”

T: “Oh, it’s a new dialect.”

N*: “Oh really…and it sounds so much like German, too”

T: “Yes, they wanted to make it easier for us.”

Well, you can’t beat that can you? A+ for creativity.

Deine,
N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – Just Like N*

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.

As such, I’d like to share these snippets with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.


Frank-Frederick often leaves little comments for me in his essays if he knows I’ll be grading, which after hours of reading about something like the American school system, I really appreciate. In that particular essay, this is what he wrote:

“The two biggest dances of the year are Prom and Homecoming. There you can take pictures as souvenirs [like N* :D].”

I’m glad that my students did enjoy the photos that I put into my presentation.

Deine,
N*

American Cooking 101

3. Mai 2011

My “Russian” friends plus Elise, Lara’s good friend and one of the 11th graders I know from the dance group at school and the ski trip joined me for dinner and English movie night. In true N* fashion, I planned far too many things to do and through a well-honed combination of over-procrastination and under-estimation, my apartment was clean, but the cooking portion of the evening was left egregiously lacking in doneness by the time Lara, Ben and Elise arrived. In fact, of the three things to be made, none were finished. The doorbell rang just as I poured the quark layer over top of the chocolate dough for the Russische Zupfkuche (literally: Russian pluck cake) I was baking.

“Dinner’s not ready, but I’m baking a cake,” I told my friends as we walked up the stairs. They “ah’d” appreciatively at the prospect of cake and appeared to be more concerned with the art in the stairwell than with the fact that it was 6:30 P.M., and they had a delinquent cook on their hands. Granted the art in the stairwell is quite…startling (It’s not mine, lol!), but more on that at a later date.

Once in my apartment, they politely offered to help, and as much cutting was required, everyone had plenty to do while I finished making the remaining cake batter into flat, pulled-off pieces over the top of the cake. Much like me at that age, my students don’t have so much experience in the kitchen, but they are fast learners. The kitchen was a friendly bustle of chatter in English and German.

“What can I do next?” Elise asked, as I pulled a bunch of green onions from the fridge.

“Green onions,” I replied.

“What?”

“Um…these…I can’t remember the word in German.”

“Das ist doch Lauch, wahr?” interjected Ben. (That’s green onions, right?)

“Was ist dann Schnittlauch?“ said Elise. (What’s chives then?)

“Wann es geschnitten ist,“ replied Ben (When it’s cut.)  (I love this story...and included it because when I was looking through a German cookbook I was given as a birthday present, I thought the same thing at first!)

“Nee, stimmt gar nicht. Der ist dünner,“ Lara cut in. (That’s not true. Chives are thinner.)

“Ach sooooo, das stimmt,“ conceded Ben. (Ohhhhh, that’s right.)

“You mean chives?” I guessed.

“Was denn? Chi…was?” Three puzzled faces looked over at me.

“They’re skinny and green.”

“What means skinny in English?” was the next question.

“Thin. Not fat,” I suggested.

“Ach so,” said Lara, who promptly got her list and made a quick note. Being me, I happened to have a bag of dried chives in the cupboard.

“These things?” I inquired.

“Yes,” said answered Elise decisively, as she held onto one end of the bunch of green onions, “but which part of the Lauch do we eat?”

After successfully identifying and cutting up the Lauch (and the three of them crying from a combination of hysterical laughter and green onion fumes – who knew they could be potent enough to draw tears?), we were ready to make salad dressing and mix the seasoning for the oven fries. This was an experience in itself because none of them had ever seen American measuring cups and spoons.

Finally the cake came out of the oven, smelling of cocoa, the fries were put in to bake in its place, and the four of us crowded around my laptop with plates of tortellini salad to watch “Singing in the Rain” in English. I have seen the movie enough times that I can practically quote it, and it was even more fun than usual to be able to watch my companion’s reactions. “…but you have to talk into the mike first. In the bush!” and the song, “Moses Supposes,” were particular favorites.

The perfect cake

The fries were also a hit, as was the cake with its perfectly creamy quark sinking delectably into the moist chocolate layer which had a slightly crunchy crust – something that I find to be the pinnacle of cakey perfection. Surprisingly, the three different dishes, not normally served together mad ea satisfying trifecta. Lara even made the tortellini salad again with her family.

I only hope that Lara, Ben and Elise had as much fun as I did and that they didn’t mind the cooking lesson. I so much prefer cooking with people, and there’s something magical about sharing a meal that connects us to each other in a different, but just as vital way as our verbal interactions.

Deine,
N*

P.S.  My German friends are FANTASTIC!

It’s Like GREEN…and Then Mountains!

07. April 2011

Last weekend I finally made “the pilgrimage.” Ever since I started learning German, I’ve been inoculated with photos of Bavaria and castles, especially Neuschwanstein. So although it’s definitely the American cliché, when a fellow ETA mentioned she’d be going to Neuschwanstein and needed a travel buddy, I was in!

 

German countryside from train

After eight hours in three different trains (regional, to save money, and also why it took so long), I arrived in Munich and set right to work being a tourist. I did a self-guided city-center tour, visiting three churches, including one that looked like Rococo threw up on it. Seriously, I don’t think it gets more intense than the Asamkirche. Can you say phantasmagoric? Between the stunning stark three dimensional visual impression of black marble, laced with white curls, the gilding and the ornamentation that is so impossibly intricate, I think the décor’s extent is actually unfathomable. Another church, the Theatinerkirche, was chalky white stucco and covered over with floral elements – also white – in high relief, relying on the contrast of the shadows on its surface for visual impact. I have yet to visit a city that matches Munich for such a truly out of this world church viewing experience.

Then I moseyed my way past the royal palace, and an obelisk to where else but the museum? For three thrilling hours I allowed my senses to be enchanted by the sights, sounds and smells of art, including among other noteworthy specimens (I like to think of art having a life of its own. Museums breathe life into me by the bucketful and sometimes it amazes me that the sturdy walls of these metaphorical fortresses are capable of playing host to those lively, rattling art souls.), Overbeck’s “Italia and Germania”, Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and some real stunners by Klimt to remind me of the frenetic energy smoothed into soothing color and patterns I find so hypnotizing in his works, just in case I had forgotten.

That evening April arrived and we went in search of dinner and strolled through the lighted cobblestone streets in peaceful preparation for the excitement that was to come on the following day when we took the eight hour Neuschwanstein tour.



Beautiful Alps!



“Oh my gosh!...It’s like GREEN…and then mountains!” proclaimed the Michiganesque Valley Girl behind us on the train, her words rolling off her tongue blithely as our train rolled through the staunchly green and blue panorama of hills and sky that suggested the opening scenes from “The Sound of Music” to my ready imagination. The views from the rest of the day were no less visually stimulating as I entered the magical world of Neuschwanstein, left unfinished by the “Fairytale King” Ludwig II of Bavaria’s mysterious death. “Es ist ein Märchen” (It’s a fairytale), just like Frau Doktor T, my Russian teacher, told me it would be. From the bridge you can see the stony white turrets reflecting brightly against the green valley and plains near


Neuschwanstein!



the town of Füßen below. Inside the few (relatively speaking, since there are about a hundred rooms) rooms Ludwig II managed to fully decorate and furnish, the intensity of the detail, the richness of the colors and the dedication to bringing all things Wagner to life is unbelievable. It’s a shame that Ludwig II never had the chance to really live there or finish this one of the many projects to which he was so dedicated. I would also be curious to know what was really going on in the mind of a man who dedicated so much time and money to building such extravagant castles. All in all, it was a perfect day; the perfect escape, as perhaps Ludwig once thought of it too. Thanks, April, for being an awesome travel buddy and making the trip happen!

Sunday morning found me museuming again. Several of the museums are €1 on Sundays and special exhibitions are reduced as well, so I got into the visiting exhibit (with a Vermeer!! – “Woman Holding a Balance”) and the permanent collection of the Alte Pinakothek for €4. It just doesn’t get better than spending the morning wandering among Reubens, Rembrandt and Rosalba. Rosalba Carriera was a pastel portrait artist was able to do the near impossible and make a decent living as an artist as a woman during this the 18th century. Looking at her work you can see why. Not only are her pieces incredibly accurately personalized, but all the details of clothing and accessories are so painstakingly lifelike that it’s all you can do not to touch them just to see if they aren’t somehow real. Plus the depths of the pastels seem to breathe life into the subjects’ features. I feel like seeing all these works live is putting the 3rd dimension into my Art History education. I can only imagine the ultimate learning experience: Lecture IN the museum. Sublime.



Hohenschwangau and Schwannsee



Along the train ride home, the announcements gradually morphed from Southern dialect back to the relatively accentless German I am accustomed to. But I smiled as I left Hof – on my way southward two days before, my fellow passengers and I had glanced at each other in surprise as an intelligible, but distinctly different German blared forth for the announcements. That was the first of many times during the trip that I thought to myself, “Dorothy, you’re not in ‘Kansas’ anymore.” Today I was ready for it, but I’ll admit that as magical as my time in Southern German ‘Oz’ was, I’m still never disappointed to return to Sachsen-Anhalt – the place in Germany that I now truly feel at home.

Deine,


Amazing Apfelstrudel

N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – Teacher Old

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.

To give you an idea of real life in the classroom (and hopefully a laugh or two) I’d like to share these snippets of conversation with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.


Today is two for one day at “Real Quotes by Real Students.”

My first day in the 7th grade class I work with on Mondays, the class of 28 students literally asked me questions for 45 minutes. A major contributor to this lengthy session was a talkative young man named “Fabian”. He fired off these two gems among his many queries:

“Are there some gangsters in your town?” I was not expecting this, but I guess that if you watch movies that come out of Hollywood, and you’ve never been to the U.S., this is a valid question. And well, there are some gangsters some places in the country. :)

This was followed by:

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Teacher: “Oh, you have an admirer.”

F: “No, she’s much too old for me!”

Well, glad that we’re clear about that. Apparently, I’ve entered the realm of “teacher old.”

Deine,
N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – Comic

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.

To give you an idea of real life in the classroom (and hopefully a laugh or two) I’d like to share these snippets of conversation with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.

Do you remember "Frank-Frederick", one of my 9th graders? He’s just one of those people who can always make you laugh. He is funny and he knows it, but it’s a natural kind of funny. Well, his short story on Australia was no exception to this. The whole story was well-written and full of humor, but to this day, this particular excerpt gives me a reason to smile:

“No panic on the Titanic! The tank is full and I have some reserves.”

Apparently people use the phrase, “Keine panisch auf der Titanisch” in German, but it was new certainly new to me.  I appreciate moments like these after I've been grading for hours.

Deine,
N*

Russian in Germany

19. März 2011

Over the past few months, I have been trying to learn Russian (with varying degrees of diligence). I sit in a 9th grade class a couple times a week, meet with a Russian teacher and a GT student after school and meet with two Russian students for Russian-English conversation hour on Fridays. Despite this, I often find it difficult to stay motivated without actually having a consistent class at my level. Not to mention that I’m learning in German. Oy. I have made a decent amount of progress, though, and it’s fun. I love the way the language sounds, although my pronunciation is terrible. At least the grammar makes sense to me.



Check it out!



I anticipated that my learning curve might be steeper than with previous languages I’ve learned because first I

had to learn to read and write Cyrillic (and of course, cursive and print are fairly different, just to make it more confusing), so I’ll just keep trying. If nothing else, I can speak (very) simply and I learned to read and write, which is an accomplishment in itself! Also, I find myself being able to pick the limited words I know out of conversations in Slavic languages while I’m traveling…cool!

What I really want to talk about here, though, are the relationships that I’ve gained in my attempted to learn Russian in Germany.

First, there’s my Russian teacher, Frau Doktor T (Don’t you love the German titles?). She has so much passion for the Russian language, and I actually thought she was Russian for a while. It turns out her Mom did a Russian radio show during DDR times, so she grew up with the language. She’s been really helpful in the learning process and is now a friend in the teacher room. There are around 100 teachers at my school, and I really only have a relationship with a few because people are in and out so much, so making a new friend was definitely positive. Plus, she’s really full of life and fascinating to talk to. We speak German together, and she tries out the English phrases she knows sometimes, too.

I’ve also gotten to know “der kleine Kostya,” the GT student learning Russian. I actually knew him from my time at T’s (my former host mom) school during my previous visits to Germany, so it’s funny we’ve been brought together again. He’s very shy, but lately we walk together to the train station after Russian lessons, as he goes that way to walk home. He talks and I talk – mostly in German – and it’s interesting to hear what he has to say. Sometimes you can tell that there’s so much going on in his head at once that he can’t express it all quickly enough. You can almost see wheels spinning and gears whirring – adorable. His Mom has even said that he can’t read before bed because he starts thinking about so many things that it’s impossible for him to sleep afterwards.

Perhaps some of my favorite people are my Russian-English speaking partners, Lara and Ben. They’re 9th graders, but in the U.S. you’d never believe it because they’re so smart and mature. Lara always comes to our sessions armed with a notebook to write down any words we talk about that she doesn’t know. Smart really since she and Ben are two of the 16 students from our school who will participate in the month-long exchange program in Texas this fall. Since I know them primarily from outside the classroom setting (Lara is also in the dance group I teach in at school), I’ve really gotten to know them on a much more personal level, and I think we’ve all been able to benefit from the exchange. They’ve taught me about a myriad of things in Germany from Bleigießen (lead figures that are melted over a candle on a spoon and then dropped into cold water before their shape is “read” to show what is the come in the new year) to how to tell someone their zipper is unzipped in German (valuable information, I tell you…if someone tells me that, I need to know!) to everything under the sun about the German school system to when you should (and shouldn’t) ring your bike bell. Not to mention that they’ve helped me feel truly integrated in both the school and the culture. I only hope that I’ve been able to share as much of my culture with them as they have their culture with me.



Making guac



One night they came over and we made burritos and guacamole. They’d never had guacamole before (gasp!), and we had a lot of fun mashing the avocados. In true Chipotle fashion, I helped them learn how to roll a burrito and they really managed it quite well. I was pretty sure that they enjoyed their first foray into the realm of Mexican food, and sure enough a couple of weeks later, they told me that they made burritos with their families one weekend. That really made my day.

Who would’ve thought that such fantastic relationships would come out of learning Russian in Germany? My life here is full of wonderful people, and I am so thankful for their warmness and acceptance.



Rolling like a pro...note the pinky!



Deine,

N* 



Beautiful flowers they brought me



 

Real Quotes by Real Students – Spot On

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.

To give you an idea of real life in the classroom (and hopefully a laugh or two) I’d like to share these snippets of conversation with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.

I was not privy to this conversation, which actually took place in German, but H told me about it later. It took place during in the 5th grade class, while H was spending a month observing the student teacher and I was just observing, rather than assisting for that time. There were often a lot of problems during the class; needless to say, it was not my favorite time of day. Apparently this was more obvious (at least to my seatmate – a highly perceptive…and sometimes disruptive…young man) than I thought.

“Richard”: Mrs. H, I think N* likes me.

H: What makes you think that?

R: Well, sometimes she smiles at me, but she doesn’t smile at Mrs. Student Teacher.”

Zing. In my defense, let me just say that none of the other teachers smile at “Mrs. Student Teacher” while she’s teaching either.

Deine,
N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – Confessional

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.

To give you an idea of real life in the classroom (and hopefully a laugh or two) I’d like to share these snippets of conversation with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.
In the 8th grade, the students were practicing expressing something that they did not think would happen but had indeed happened.

“Chen” raises his hand, and when called upon asks, “Does it have to be true?”

His teacher has known him since 5th grade, so she responds jokingly that they all “know he’s a liar anyways” and to “go ahead.”

“Chen” says, “I was not expecting it, but I think I’m gay.”

Gales of laughter shake the classroom. “Chen” looks pleased. Way 458 to disrupt class: falsely confess to being gay.

Deine,
N*

Always Check the Parking Space

19. März 2011

“Did you check the parking space?” my sister screams almost frenetically as we leave every location on family trips. Someone always answers that of course they have, even if they haven’t and then looks guiltily back to make sure karma doesn’t have her way with them for it. This frenzy of my sister’s stems back to our family’s first camping trip when she was four and I was nine. On such trips, our family station wagon is always packed so full that just opening a door leaves you in danger of having something tumble out. In that case, an Eeyore baseball cap belonging to my sister was the offending item. We replaced it later, but even 13 years afterwards, she’s never forgotten the incident. So that’s the rule: No matter what, you check the parking space.

Perhaps you are wondering what exactly this has to do with Germany. Well, now comes the part of the story where N* is stupid…very stupid…twice. Towards the end of our stay in Dresden, Michelle’s wisdom teeth started acting up. Badly. Now as I am prone to losing things, being careless and generally “not thinking” about all things common sense related, I can by no means say that what happened next was a result of that situation, but I can guess that having worry as a distraction did not play in my favor. Something had to give. And so I broke the rule: I did not pass go, I did not collect $200, and I definitely did not check the “parking space”.

About 30 minutes after leaving the train station, I noticed that I did not have my gift bag – a cause for great concern, since all my purchases from the trip were in it. I had already felt a little guilty, worrying that I had spent too much, so of course my first thought was that this was karma “getting me”. My second thought was accompanied by an empty ache because aside from at the Christmas markets, I haven’t really bought myself much in Germany, and the items I purchased in Dresden were effectively irreplaceable. My third thought was, “Please God, don’t let anything happen to my camera.” (If you missed that story, you can catch up on it here).

By some stroke of luck, the conductor had seen my poor abandoned bag all lonely and yellow on the platform, and it was still there when someone came up to fetch it. She gave me a number to call, and I managed to arrange to have my belongings sent back to me. For the nominal fee of (drum roll please…) €20, of course. Way to add insult to injury, but at least I received everything back intact yesterday. So please don’t pull an N* and leave things on train platforms, but of you should…ASK! The Deutsche Bahn just might have put its exacting efficiency into play and rescued your abandoned belongings.

Now this really should have been enough, but apparently it was just that kind of day. On our way to Berlin, we spent a couple of hours in Roßlau so I could grab some groceries since everything would be closed on Sunday when I cam back. While I was shopping, I was also on the phone with my Mom, talking about what was going on with Michelle. As we have just seen, distractions and I do not mix. As far as I can figure out, I must have forgotten to take my German debit card back out of the reader, or I accidentally dropped it on my way back. Either way, I didn’t need it in Berlin, so I didn’t notice it was gone until I was trying to buy my train ticket back to Roßlau.

Of course by the time I managed to change the €50 bill I luckily had with me into smaller bills, I had missed the only direct train to Roßlau for two hours and had to take one via Wittenberg, thus undergoing a three-hour trip while worrying about identity theft, rather than an hour and a half one. I was able to call the bank hotline and lock my card, and on Monday I called the bank and ordered a new one (there goes another €10). Like my package, I also received that yesterday.

While the whole situation was incredibly frustrating and stressful, at least my debit card was protected by a pin number and I didn’t lose any money, and I did get everything back, even if I had to pay (literally) for my carelessness. So as I continue on my travels, I will try to return to the decent track record I had held of not losing things in Germany up until last weekend, and I will always, ALWAYS check the parking space.

Deine,
N*

Real Quotes by Real Students – She’s a Man!

12. April 2011

Ever since my first day teaching, my students have said some pretty unpredictable, strange or just downright hilarious things. In class you learn to expected the unexpected, and I’ve found that a either snappy reaction to turn a comment on its head or good acting skills (especially poker face skills!) are my best friends in the classroom when put in a situation that leaves the classroom precariously on the edge of disorder. Funny, awkward or otherwise, these moments in class never cease to make me remember why I adore working with each and every one of my students (although sometimes the situation is not funny until afterwards) and having the chance to get to know them and their vibrant personalities.

To give you an idea of real life in the classroom (and hopefully a laugh or two) I’d like to share these snippets of conversation with you. I’ve been keeping track of them, and I’ll post them from time to time. Of course, they are all anonymous for the protection of the innocent. Here we go.

Maybe you remember this from long, long ago, but on my first day, in my second class ever, this situation transpired:

In the 9th class we were working on the construction “used to” today. Each of the students was to write five sentences. The standout sentence was by a boy in the front row, we’ll call him "Max", who wants to be cool. He contrived to achieve this reputation with the following remark:

“When he was young, "Phillip" used to be a girl.”

The amazing thing, is that "Phillip" thought this was funny.  This was a true test of my teacher poker face.

Deine,
N*

Florence on the Elbe

 13. März 2011

Bright and early Wednesday morning, Michelle and I were on a train rocketing east at a furious pace while we still struggled in vain to maintain even a semi-conscious state after only a few hours sleep and a 4:30 A.M. wakeup call. But by the time we got to Dresden and checked into our hostel, we were ready to start exploring. We would spend the next few days discovering what a cultural treasure Dresden is.

After days on the go, it’s hard to be poetic, so a descriptive list of suggested sites and restaurants will have to do for now.



Der Zwinger back view

 1. The Zwinger – We didn’t actually go there on this trip, but I’ve been there previously. If art from the Middle Ages through the 18th c. or so is your thing, GO! There is a good selection of famous works by artists like Rafael, Titian, Rembrandt and Canaletto, and the way the large galleries are hung floor to ceiling as they would have been in art exhibitions through history is a worthwhile experience in itself.

 

Die Frauenkirche

 2. The Frauenkirche – The majority of Dresden was destroyed by Allied bombs in WWII, including the Frauenkirche (The Church of Our Lady). Since then the city has been restored incredibly accurately and historical monuments such as this one have been painstakingly reconstructed using original materials wherever possible. Today the Frauenkirche boasts a spectacular pastel and gold-leafed Rococo-style interior well up the three balconies and into the dome. The ascent up the dome itself is long and full of stairs, but you get an intimate understanding of the church’s construction as you are taken through the many subparts as you ascend the dome. The 360° panoramic view of the city isn’t bad either, but hold onto your hats! The wind at the top actually made walking a challenge.

View from Frauenkirche Dom

3. The Albertinum – This art museum was an excellent choice for Michelle and I because I hadn’t been there before and this is exactly the kind of art (late 1800s, 1900s and contemporary) that she enjoys the most. The top floor had German Realism, German and French Impressionism (including a fantastic Degas pastel piece and a famous Gauguin depicting two Tahitian women, which used to grace the wall of my dorm room). The middle floor was mix of stimulating Contemporary Art and storage display cases full to the seams with statues. The exhibits were set up as a ring, so starting and ending with sculpture was an interesting, but oddly satisfying bookend to the Contemporary section. On the ground floor was the Sculpture Hall. One of the Degas “Little Dancer” sculptures was there too – fantastic!

4. The Dresden Zoo – Yes, the zoo with animals. We were asked incredulously if that’s what we meant several times while trying to get directions at the hostel. Honestly I wouldn’t have thought to go to the zoo, but props to Michelle because it was a great idea! Even though it wasn’t super warm, we still got to see most of the animals including a snow leopard, a lynx, ring-tailed cats, red pandas and a sloth with a baby on its belly. Aside from the sloths and lynx, all these animals had fantastically fluffy tails. I don’t know why, but I am really a sucker for awesome tails…so cute! What a fun way to spend he afternoon, especially since the weather warmed up to the 50s this week.

  



Der Semperoper



 5. The Semperoper – The opera house is well worth the visit. Especially if you can get 10€ student tickets for the ninth row 30 minutes before the show! We went to see the Magic Flute (an opera that is actually in German and whose libretto I’ve studied intensively). Honestly, I wasn’t such a fan of the modern adaptation of the show, but the singing and orchestra themselves were unbelievable beyond words! We couldn’t believe we were sitting amongst ladies in elegant dresses and well-suited gentlemen in an ornate opera house with four stories of wall-ringing tiered seats extending far above the main floor to the Rococoesque ceiling. Sadly I made the mistake of bringing only jeans on the trip and I also wore my hiking boots that day. Thankfully, as at other German theatre events I’ve attended, people dress up only as much or as little as they feel like, so I really wasn’t too out of place.



Traditional "Blue Onion" Pattern


6. Meißen Porcelain Factory – We spent our third day on the trip in Meißen, a small but quaint town to the Northwest of Dresen. As the first ones to arrive at the porcelain factory, we got a private tour! There were four (live!) demonstration stations showing how porcelain is made, shaped and created, along with an audio explanation. I couldn’t believe how quickly the artists worked on the wheel or created parts, like individual flowers, out of thin air. I’d love to be skilled enough to do that kind of work. The museum of all the old porcelain patterns (all of which are still produced or still can be ordered today!) was interesting and full of beautiful artworks – utile and decorative – from the whole history of the production of porcelain. Meißen was the first location in Europe where someone figured out how to make white porcelain, which up until that point had only been available as an import from the Far East. It was fascinating how deeply the tradition rooted itself there and remains important today. I bought a small piece in the traditional blue onion pattern – handmade and hand painted in the factory. Can you believe it?



Eine Mietzekatze!



7. The rest of Meißen – We took a walk into downtown Meißen, where the friendly lady in the tourist office gave us suggestions on where to go. The Frauenkirche there has a set of porcelain bells (everything here is centered around porcelain, even today), which we were lucky enough to visit at the right time to hear. I really should start taking my voice recorder with my when I travel! Then we climbed up the stairs which wrapped along the side of the hill. At the top we visited the church as well as the castle where the porcelain was originally produced. The inside was lavishly painted; I can’t imagine actually living somewhere like that!



"Spicy Cauliflower Curry"



Those are the main sightseeing attractions I can recommend, so now let’s talk about food! It’s pretty exciting

to visit a new city and actually have recommendations to give. One day we ate lunch at “Cafe áha” – a little place over a Free Trade Shop (also worth a visit, but don’t be surprised if your wallet ends up significantly lighter afterwards) that offers many organic and vegetarian options. The food was excellent. I had “Spicy Cauliflower Curry”. You could also order half-portions. I did. We visited “Leonardo”  for dinner. They are a bit more off the beaten path in a restaurant area often frequented by locals. They feature a small fixed menu, but most of the main dishes change daily and can be read from a chalkboard. Michelle and I shared a “Topf” (best translation: foods baked together in a cast-iron pan in the oven…could be casserole-ish) of scalloped potatoes with tomatoes, mushrooms and basil and then splurged and each got apple strudel with ice cream for dessert. Yum. The other two nights we went to a fantastic little Italian place  in the square where the Frauenkirche is. I ate there with my former German host Mom, so I already knew it would be good. I can definitely recommend the “Spinach and Gorgonzola Pizza”, but I’m pretty sure you can’t really go wrong there. We definitely enjoyed a variety of good food available in Dresden for a decent price!



Meißner Fummel

 And while we're on the topic of food...I forgot to mention the Meißen specialty...Meißner Fummel!  Fummel are made from increidbly thin noodle dough and they are like a dough balloon once baked.  They were invented because the couriers carrying the porcelain from Meißen were breaking their cargo far too often, as they were indulging in Meißner wine.  In order to test if they were careful enough, they were required to transport the Fummel with them and present them whole at the destination.  Of course, we had to try one.  It was chewier than I expected...kind of like a sweet, tough cracker, but it tasted good.  And of course, it was full of air, haha.

Through really old glass...

Overall I highly recommend Dresden as a short trip destination. It certainly lives up to the name it was christened with in its heyday – “Florence on the Elbe”. The city itself is beautiful, there’s lots to do, many places are easily walkable (we ended up walked about 26 miles in the day we were there…not because we had to, but because we like to walk…a lot) and if that’s not so your thing, the public transportation appeared well-connected, and overall the city seemed very safe. And of course, I was lucky enough to have the BEST travel buddy!

Deine,

N*