Midterms, Internship

As the final exams fly by in the US (for most of you they are already done), I'm taking a little break from studying for my midterms, which are coming up this week.

This is interesting, because it means that I've hit the halfway point here. Maybe I'll write a little halfway-retrospective later.

This past week was the official start to my internship at the Kurt Tucholsky Oberschule in Pankow. Pankow is the northeast area of Berlin. The area is definitely very nice for old east Berlin, although I find the school building itself a little bit old and stuffy, perhaps underfunded.

I am interning primarily under Frau Isensee who teaches English at the school. The kids that I work with range from the 5th grade all the way up to the 12th Grade - a wide and interesting spread. I assist Frau Isensee in class, and she passes me off to other English courses as needed. The art teacher also wants me to help develop projects for kids in the seventh grade.

I began on Monday assisting Frau Isensee with the 12th Grade. The class was mainly a discussion about Media, and the students divided themselves based on two positions: (1) I can live without media and (2) I cannot live without Media. I, of course, fell into the "can't live without media" camp, so I joined the group and got to know them. Overall, the discussion went well and the kids were focused and friendly.

After that, Frau Isensee passed me off to a 5th grade class. The teacher didn't assign me a role, so I spent the period wandering around and looking over the kids shoulders as they worked on in-class assignments.

Then the teacher left the room.

Now, despite the fact that I felt a lot more useful directing the classroom myself, I have no formal educational training. So I was rather surprised that she trusted me enough to do this. She did not leave me completely hanging, either. The kids had work to do, and all I really had to do was help, discuss and supervise. The kids were also really well-behaved, probably because they were young enough to still be awed by my presence, and they respected me as an adult.

I'd like to think I did really well, considering it was my first time managing a class like this. Of course, I've spent years as a student observing teachers at work, so I've got a good grasp of the basics. I had a little more trouble on Friday when I returned to help with a 7th grade class and, once again, the teacher left the room (this time I was responsible for more than half of the class period and wrapping up).

Maybe it was TGIF syndrome, but most of the kids would not focus or even try the exercise, which asked that they practice going into a store and asking the salesperson to help them find an article of clothing. Maybe I set too high standards for myself, because it's not as if I lost complete control of the class and ended up crying in the corner.... No, it's just that four or five kids out of the 17 or so there were not at all interested in the lesson, and no matter what I tried, I could not seem to turn them on to the subject.

On the other hand, there were also five or six students who seemed very happy to have me there. They complimented me on my German and stayed to talk with me a little after class. That was very cool.

It's not what it looks like!

Well, here's an image before my internet runs out. I did a double-take when I saw it, and then I saw the little advertisement below for The Producers. 

Travel Update #3! Arrived in Berlin

Well, here I am in Berlin two weeks before the IES Program officially begins with nothing much to do! I'm sitting in the Mitte's Backpacker Youth Hostel hammering out this entry before I pay to connect to the internet and post it. Everything I write here is the truth and happened, unless I say it isn't and didn't in which case you should believe the latter, okay? Why would I pay 3 Euros an hour to lie to you?

I arrived two days ago (truth!) and did a little exploring of the Mitte (Middle) area of Berlin, which is just up the street from here. Pictures and video will come soon! I did not see any Nazis (truth!), but I did see some Nazi-esque banners with silhouettes of Pretzels on them. I once heard the swastika is illegal here; I wonder if that's true? For the curious among you, the banners were an advertisement for a performance of The Producers. 

I ventured a little farther afield on the tourist track yesterday. I figure I've got to see these things at least once! First it was Brandenburg Gate and then the Bundestag, which has been the seat of the German government since 1999. I mention the date because I just learned it today, and I was struck by how recently it occurred. Then again, it is only (almost) the 20th anniversary of Germany's reunification (truth!), and Germany was separated for over thirty years. Perspective!

On that topic, Germans, Berliners especially, are still very conscious of reunification. Every map of Berlin I have seen, for instance, including the English one I bought at home, has a red line indicating the former location of the Berlin Wall. From this I know my hostel is in what was once East Berlin, and so is the so-called Mitte.

Berlin is a sprawl. There are multiple city centers connected by an excellent mass-transportation system. The Mitte is one of these, and Potsdamer Platz is another. That's where I ended up after gawking at the Rathaus for a while. I wandered through the Tiergarten, Berlin's enormous central park, which was very beautiful even in the desolation of winter. I have pictures, so I'll spare you the poetry. :)

Guided by an enormous, spinning Mercedes Star atop a distant skyscraper (imagery!), I reached the Sony Center, which occupies its own block cornering the Potsdamer Platz. It is a really interesting structure that forms a high courtyard topped with a twisted tarp-like thing. My guidebook told me that I could get free Wifi there, but no dice (found the network, but wouldn't connect).

After considering a nearby memorial to the Berlin Wall, I wandered into the train station and discovered that it was connected to an underground shopping mall. H&M had two outlets, one was entirely women's underwear (fal- nope, sadly true). I fairly lol'd at that, to use the parlance of our times. I also laughed out loud when I saw a "Bob der Baumeister" (Bob the Builder) poster, too. Forgive me, but I think 'Baumeister' is a really funny word.

After wandering around the mall for a while, I paid 5 Euros to pee (false! I only paid 10 cents). No, it wasn't mandatory, but everyone else what putting change on the plate. And when everyone else is putting change on the plate, what can one do?

Well, that's it! Thanks for reading the first dispatch from Berlin. You'll hear from me again soon.

Hey, also drop me a comment! Was this post too long? Too short? To detailed? Too vague? Less talk, and more pictures of cute animals? Anything! What do you want to hear about? This blog may be all about me, but I'm writing it for you!

Travel Update #1

So much for habitual updates!

Actually, my cat chewed up the internet cable Typical!

My plans are set for the next month, so I thought I might relate them here.

I'm going to spend the next two weeks in Washington, D.C. I've a new goal to make a video every week, so I'm thinking about putting together an inauguration video. Tonight I am at my parent's house in Indianapolis. Tomorrow night, I will be at Georgetown U. with my ol' buddy Neil.

Since I have this time off before I leave for Germany, I've decided to spend some of it with my friends out at Georgetown. Besides hanging out when they're not in class, I'll be doing some work on our not-for-profit project, Compass Consulting, which I'll write more about in the next post.

I'll be back in Bloomington around the 30th. Then I have half of February to relax. Of course, I'll be preparing for my travels (departure date: February 15th), but more importantly, Sylvia's birthday is coming up, and then there is Valentine's Day.

Well, I have a long drive ahead of me....