German Student Blogs

Check out what Kate MacNamee '13 - German Studies and Psychology major - has to say in her  blog about her adventures and cultural observations during her January teaching internship at the Theodor Heuss Gymnasium in Göttingen, Germany.

This blog highlights some of the experiences of German minor Emily Shankle '13 during her time as a teaching assistant and intern at the northern German Internat Louisenlund in January 2012.

Curious how to spend a JanPlan doing research in Berlin? Follow Susie Hufstader's '12 blog about her observations and studies during her weeks in Germany's Hauptstadt exploring the representation of women in Weimar visual culture.

This blog highlights some of the experiences of Meredith Fast '11, a German Studies major, during her LOUISENLUND TEACHING INTERNSHIP in January 2011.

7 AM: A bustling terminal. People scurrying about and reading the English signs to make their flights on time. Coffee in hand, Beyoncé's dulcet tones ring softly in the background.

Welcome to!.. Hamburg?

 I don't know why I'm surprised to hear Beyonce crooning on this early morning in Germany, nor why I do a double take when I see the bathroom stalls stretching from ceiling to floor. I don't know why my simultaneous thrill and terror at the prospect of being plunked in a foreign country more or less alone catches me off guard-- my experience in Germany familiarized me to these aspects—the differences, the emotions—that come with living abroad.

It's Culture Shock Round Two: the surprise you experience once the original culture shock upon arrival and reverse culture shock upon return. It's that which you learned about the first time and then forgot about, its rediscovery giving you the warm-fuzzies, much like the ones I got when first hearing the German instructions over an intercom in the Hamburg airport.

It's great to be back in Germany—my first day has been absolutely filled with CSRT and happy rediscoveries. After 13 hours of travel by car, bus, and plane, the wonderful Donata von Hoff picked me up from the Hamburg airport and introduced me to my home for the next three weeks.

Louisenlund is absolutely beautiful. The deep forest surrounding the quaint dormitory and academic buildings by the water presents a more ideal picture for a three-week stay than I could ever have thought possible. Though the students are not here yet, I imagine they will only add to the idyllic feel—presenting opportunities for friendships and lessons to learn and to teach. I can't wait to meet them and to begin working. If my acquaintances here thus far, including Donata and her mother, are any indication of the rest of Louisenlund's residents, I am in for such a treat.

So here's to twenty-one days work of adventure, lessons, friendships, discovery and rediscovery (the most current of which is, alas, massive jetlag. How could I forget?.

TOP OF Meredith's Blog

My first day of real-world work began in the middle of the night.

I awoke at 6 AM sharp: readying myself for a full day of learning to teach. Outside was dark, dark, dark—the sun wouldn't rise for at least another 2-3 hours. After breakfast, I made my way to my very first class, English! I was a little nervous, but ready as can be to start my internship.

In English, as well as in most of the classes I've participated in since, I sat with the students and observed the teacher-student dynamic. It's interesting: I though while in my first class how sort of kooky it is to be on the other side of Language Instruction. I've always been an American attempting to speak German, so seeing German students learning to speak English sort of threw me for a loop. To native speakers, a language of course seems so simple and intuitive, but my experience as a student struggling to string coherent sentences together in a foreign language is not the least bit easy. I've always admired how well German students can speak English, and part of me just chalked up their knowledge to something like magic- instantaneous and easy. Sitting in on this and a second 11^th grade English class made me so appreciate the work that both students and teachers put into classes.

Today was a bit different… I got to work with fifth graders! For me, this was a total dream come true. I fist sat in on Frau Donovan's English class, again observing the building blocks of learning another language. The kids all introduced themselves to me and told me some of their hobbies. As they started on some of their bookwork, I walked about the room and got to know some of them a bit better. I.LOVE.THEM.

I got to sit in with this same class during Herr Gnade's Math class (not my best subject, so I didn't understand as much as would be ideal, but it was still a blast and very interesting). These classes have gotten me really excited about the possibility that I too could be teaching kids a foreign language. After these few hours, I'm starting to really consider the dreaded "F" word (the "future," every upcoming graduate's worst nightmare). Could this be a version of my life in ten or so years?

After observing how to teach students to write a five-paragraph essay, building English vocabulary, and learning how to lead a discussion on dystopian literature, my work was done for the day. Time to get to know the students!

Being naturally rather shy, being abroad has taught me that twiddling my thumbs and waiting for friends to come to me will make for a very lonely three weeks. So, here's to a plunge into the unknown and learning to stand on my own two feet!

The students here are quite nice and understanding, and several have taken me under their wing. The first night, a very sweet girl invited me to a get-together with a bunch of returning students, which, as it turns out, was the best thing I could have done. We all sat and talked for hours—they hugging each other after many weeks apart, me shaking hands and memorizing names and faces.

In the dining halls since then, I've recognized some of those wonderfully welcoming faces calling to me to join them. I couldn't be more appreciative! During lunch, I try to sit with someone new to get to know as many people as I can in my short stay here. Some particularly welcoming students invited me to theater and volleyball-turned-soccer practice (none of which I'm good at, but boy was it nice! and fun!).

My goals for the next few days, along with getting involved in classes, meeting more people, and exploring the area, will be to get to know the teachers a little better. I've already gotten to know my supervisor, Frau Vardag, and my Hausmutter, Frau von Hoff, a little bit, and they have been extremely wonderful and helpful thus far. Through teachers' meetings and observations, the other teachers are completely welcoming and ever so friendly. I can't wait to spend more time with them.

Classes, festivities, and a new blanket of snow will be sure to make for an exciting end to my first week at Louisenlund. Das geht ab!

TOP OF Meredith's Blog

Yesterday I asked a teacher here if, after 24 years at Louisenlund, he still likes his job.

To this, he replied with a wry smile and said, "usually."

For 16+ years of my life, I've seen schools and classes, and the world, in essence, through the eyes of a student. Not until my experience at Louisenlund have I really observed what it would be like to be a teacher… in good times and in bad.

I sat in on this wonderfully kind teacher's history class yesterday. One by one, the sophomores came in and took their seats as he excitedly prepared to begin class.

The class was about Black Friday. You could tell how much work the teacher had put into the lesson, which was complete with power point and several poems to be read aloud.

Alas, there will always be students who want nothing to do with what you're teaching them, those who think it's pointless or doesn't apply to them. There will always be the guy who spontaneously develops narcolepsy when it becomes convenient, the chronic flirters, the talktalktalkers. Sometimes teaching doesn't reach everyone because not everyone cares to be taught.

 Though this lesson was more or less lost on the class who, by the end, was very obviously not paying attention, the teacher never stopped teaching or trying.

I can't recall ever feeling more frustrated at a group of students. Then again, never before have I not explicitly been a student. My time at Louisenlund so far has allowed me to examine my past and present as a student as well as my possible future as a teacher from a teacher's perspective. I am sure, at some point or another, I was one of those ruckus-y kids. I'm learning that teaching isn't always epiphanies, pats on the back and gold stars. Sometimes, it's frustrating and discouraging.

For the most part, though, he likes his job. Loves it, in fact. You can tell in his persistence and method of teaching. Despite the disheartening moments, he kept on going. Obviously, all those epiphanies, pats on the back, and the endless supply of gold stars he gives out is far more rewarding, far more important than the ruckus. Those who listen and benefit from what he says make his job so rewarding, and makes him continue to teach. What is learned outweighs what is ignored.

So, to teeter toward the trite and the sappy, here's a big fat THANK YOU to every teacher to whom I didn't give me full attention or from whom I learned a great deal. Among the many things I've learned at Louisenlund thus far, I can now view a class through the eyes of a teacher: I now know that no matter what, a career as a teacher is worth every eye-roll along the way.

TOP OF Meredith's Blog

During my time at Louisenlund, I have undergone a complete transformation of identity.

I am no longer “Meredith.” I’m not “Miss Fast” or even “Frau Fast.”

To at least one group of fifth graders, I am "Frau Breakfast," known to shock and astound with my funny accent and impressive ability to choke down laughter at the sight of a hilariously and grotesquely distorted little face during class time (WAY harder than you might think!).

When I’m not stifling a laugh in a fifth grade English class or breaking up a particularly violent game of Junge Jäger (watch out, these girls are FEISTY!), I've been spending more time with the teachers and older students. The art room, for instance, has proven the perfect sanctuary and meeting place for students and teachers alike.  I met a few of the teachers there for third period, and we schemed and plotted for the coming week over cappuccino and oatmeal cookies (If there’s anything more comforting, say so immediately!). The teachers are all so kind, open, and insanely smart. Their English is at the very least near perfect (even though some ask me for English lessons, they can’t fool me. They’re AWESOME!), and they’ll jump at the slightest chance to make me feel at home at Louisenlund (see: home-cooked dinner, setting me up for a coffee date with some other foreigners, chatting over a cup of tea).

Even when there’s nothing to do at Louisenlund, there’s always something to do at Louisenlund. Though I stayed at an essentially vacant campus this weekend, I remained quite busy with walks around the beautiful campus or into town to buy an insanely delicious and enormous Currywurst (You don’t even want to know how much I ate—along with my change of name, I’m taking my transformation to the next level, bound to step off the plane resembling some sort of walking/talking Wurst). I also went to Schleswig, a nearby town, with a teacher who served as the perfect tour guide. We visited a huge and impressive cathedral and a castle-turned-museum (complete with Viking Ship!!). Alas, cameras were forbidden, but had they not been, I would have had a day in both the church and the Whether it be through gobbling my way through Güby, helping kids with a Referat or essay auf Englisch, or getting massive welts on my wrists by not having the slightest clue how to whack a volleyball (Stop laughing! I met some great folks!), I’m keeping mighty busy, and I quite like it that way.

This week is off to a promising start. Academically, I’ve been sitting in on a lot of interesting and enjoyable classes, such as IB Deutsch, History, English, and, of course, with my fast friends from the fifth grade. Socially, I’ve been playing volleyball, going to various clubs, and watching some serious Deutsch TV. Through all this, my brain has becoming completely and irreversibly a little scrambled, which I’ll take as a good sign. The lack of English, though confusing and sometimes frustrating if I can't express myself properly, overall really helps improve my German skills (grade school vocabulary is wont to wow and leave one speechless. WINK!),

And so, to bed for Frau Breakfast, to dream of Currywurst and the what's to come.

TOP OF Meredith's Blog

If memory serves me correctly, I blinked on Monday this one time.

And suddenly it’s FRIDAY? And I have but one week left?? How did this happen?

Certainly, the fact that I have become exceedingly busy within the past few days has made the time slip out the back door without leaving so much as a Dear John. Aside from the fact that it’s gotten extremely cold in the past few days, the number of essays and Referate I’m reading, listening to, and editing have made lackadaisical jaunts to Paasch a rarity.

If anything demonstrates the similarities across cultures, it’s finals week at school. Just like at Colby, and, presumably, and other place of education in the universe, students are rushing, cramming, and stressing to complete all of their assignments as best as they can.

This flurry of due dates and late-night editing sessions has definitely brought out my sadistic side: While the students are sweating the grade, I’ve been having SO much fun learning about their various topics of research and getting to know students individually in the process (this could make me a horrible person, a nerd, or someone with a long and happy career in teaching ahead of her. Maybe it’s all three?). It can be a touch difficult to navigate the school system as a half-teacher half-student sort of beast, but these study/hangout sessions, along with the teachers’ eternally open arms, have so helped me find my way.

Next week looks equally exciting and busy: In the past few days, two separate teachers have asked me to make a presentation to their students. EEK! I know I’m up to the challenge of giving helpful hints to writing a good essay and leading a discussion about poetry in London, but I’ve never quite done this before. How exciting, if not mildly nerve wracking!

Also, I’LL BE GOING TO HAMBURG ON TUESDAY! I’m serving as an English assistant to the IB art class here as they visit a famous museum, stroll through the streets of the beautiful city, and tuck into regional delicacies. It’s a tough life I lead, but I’m managing to get through. Definite touristy photos to come!

To gear up for Hamburg, I’ve practiced my photography and exploration skills on Eckenförde, an adorable little town which, in juxtaposition to Louisenlund, feels like the very center of urban life. Complete with coffee and clothing shops, a beautifully sandy beach, and large and active port, Eckenförde is one of the loveliest little towns I’ve ever seen. I snapped some pictures on the beach of the full moon shining on Schleswig-Holstein—an absolutely wonderful sight!

With my time left here now so very limited, I’m going to try to fill up this weekend and coming week with as much fun and excitement as I possible can. With a few trips, parties, and lessons to look forward to, I’m feeling pretty confident.

Top of Meredith's Blog

I've had some sort of vague idea from the beginning, but it's just now really dawning on me how exceptional this place is.

I just watched a rather exciting argument at the Debating Society. Headed by Mr. Caskie, Theory of Knowledge teacher and just generally awesome guy, the two groups student groups maintain their views on a given topic, which was in this case whether or not beauty pageants are degrading. Even though I didn't get everything, I was super impressed by both sets of students as well as those in the audience who piped up. I have to admit, at the end I wasn't sure with whom I agreed more—the side that depicted these pageants as unhealthy and superficial or that which described pageants as a contest like any other (football, soccer, spelling bee, etc.) These guys know their stuff!

Due to the other various talents with which students at Louisenlund are blessed,  the campus has become a bit empty. The chorus, theater department, and orchestra have all gone on vacation to Denmark, where they'll get ready for an upcoming performance. With the huge dent in the student population since the trip took off this morning, I can't help but remark about how these students are all so well-rounded (in debating/art/sporty/intellectual terms). Astounding.

Although I'm insanely jealous of their travels (and general ability), I can't complain too much. Tomorrow is my much-anticipated visit to Hamburg, in which an art class and I will visit an art museum and prepare for their upcoming IB presentations. This weekend, I also made a lovely, albeit quick, trip to Kiel, a nearby city. We treated ourselves to a movie and a relaxing Italian dinner. We saw "Black Swan," whose confusing and disorienting concept I think was made all the more poignant for me by the fact that it was auf Deutsch. The day was all very laid-back, and it was very nice just to visit a new German city.

This weekend proved both exciting and relaxing. With the BBS workshop, in which Louisenlund graduates meet students and talk about their current professions and how they have come to be, most students were busy during the day on Saturday. That gave me time to walk into town and get some rest for, alas, most people here are pretty sick, and I am no exception. After that, I took part in the "German Weekend"—the IB class's make-up class, Saturday edition. For four hours, we talked about Homo Faber and ate some delicious chocolate supplied by the wonderful and sympathetic teacher. Once again, the students demonstrated their friendliness ("Meredith!! You don't have to be shy! We're open! Let's be friends!!!") and invited me to the weekly Schülerhaus, a dance party for some of the upperclassmen. It did not disappoint!

I'm now in the process of planning my lesson for an English class in the Oberschule on Wednesday. Since they're learning about London, I've been planning to read and compare some songs by The Kinks with a biography of Ray Davies to give them a bit of an introduction to the city. I hope it works!

Over the next few days, I'm going to try to have the most "German/Louisenlund" experience as I possibly can. My time here has gone by almost impossibly quickly, and I'm sure the next few days will be no exception. So, bring on the lessons, the language, the Wurst und Kartoffeln, the mini bus rides to exciting German cities, the Milka, the students and teachers I've grown to love. Now that the knowledge of how amazing Louisenlund is is finally sinking in, it's going to be extremely hard to leave.

Top of Meredith's Blog

Following his journeys through Europe, see what Ramsey to say about life in a German boarding school? Andabout studying in Göttingen, at one of Germany's most prestigious universities?

Ever curious what he's up to?  So are we! So come back and find out!

BACK TO TOP OF PAGE