Networking, Networking, Networking.

Well I am finally back in Kiel after a whirlwind past few weeks.  This post will specifically cover the week from March 18-22, when I was in Berlin for our big Fulbright conference.  The conference was a gathering of all the Teaching Assistants (such as myself), student researchers, professors and journalists who are receiving grants here in Germany.  The Fulbright program also welcomed people who have received grants for other countries, so people from Italy, Norway, Slovakia and a bunch of other places were there as well.

I spent the night of Saturday the 17th in Hamburg and took a train the next morning with the Hamburg Fulbrighters, who I went to Turkey with in October, to Berlin.  We had all had pretty long nights and the 4 hour train ride didn't really help much to stave off the fatigue.  Finally we arrived at Alexanderplatz in former East Berlin and checked into our hotel, the very nice Park Inn, the expenses of which were completely covered by Fulbright. Score!

Directly after checking in and dropping off my stuff, I was off on one of the Fulbright arranged tours.  I opted for visiting the Pergamon, where a lot of ancient Greek and Babylonian artifacts (or at least their replicas) are displayed.  A tour guide was on hand for us and though he was very knowledgeable and extremely, extremely thorough with his histories and explinations, the tour went over an hour longer than the scheduled two hours and we only made it to three rooms!

Our enthusiastic tour guide talking about the Pergamon Alter.

Recreation of a Greek market... I think. This was when I really started to space out.

Recreated ancient Babylonian gate.

Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral)

Right after I had to rush back to the hotel to freshen up and great ready for the welcome speakers and our first of many networking opportunities.  This dining experience was nice, though lacked a bit of networking as we seemed to sort of just hang out with people we already knew.  Give us a break, we were too tired to mingle!

non-mingling

The next day was bright and sunny was we headed to Haus der Kulturen der Welt which was a gift to Germany from the US in 1957.  

Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower from my and Erika's hotel window

There we listened to speakers emphasizing networking and praising us for being so incredibly smart and awesome.  

There were also grantees studying music who preformed in between the speakers.

After we had lunch by the Spree and did some sightseeing around Berlin.  First we mosied over to the Reichstag, which was by the Haus der Kulturen der Welt.  After lying on the grass and enjoying the sunshine a bit, a large group of us made our way over to the Brandenburg Gate to get the must-have tourist photo. 

Lunching by the Spree

Oh hey, that's me.

Oh... there I am again!

And this is where Michael Jackson dangled his baby out a window.

After parting ways with some of the group, the rest of us went to the Holocaust Memorial.  The symbolism of the monument is very moving, but it is unfortunate that a lot of people simply see it as a giant playground of sorts.  We were able to appreciate the space without interruption thankfully. You can read more about it HERE, since I'm way too tired right now to type it all out.

Susi

Me

Wes

We slowly made our way back to the hotel, with a stop at Dunkin Donuts (frosted, creme filled donut anyone?!) and got ourselves ready for the next Fulbright obligation. But I forgot what it was... so I won't explain anymore about it.  It was probably a long long list of speakers emphasizing networking and using people, and involving lots of wine/beer.

The walk back to the hotel along Unter den Linden.

The next morning some of us decided to go to the East Side Gallery, which is a big section of the Berlin Wall which is still standing and is decorated by different artists. It was one of the few things in Berlin I hadn't seen yet, so I was excited to check it out.  Now I'd have to say I give it two thumbs up!

Me, Jessica, Keriin and Ariel

We left our marks too.

After that I broke off and met up with my friend Richard who I studied with in Graz and is now living in Berlin.  It was great nice to catch up after so long, but after getting some coffee and walking around a bit he had to head off to work. 

That night we attended a "music gala" where more of the grantees studying music preformed their talents.  I was very impressed by all the musicians, but goodness it was hard to keep my eyes open, even with only half the week finished. 

The next day was filled with more speakers, including a panel discussion with all the teaching assistants, which I found very interesting.  During one of the breaks everyone made a mad dash to a near-by burrito shop, as I think it's safe to say all the Americans in Germany have been craving good Tex-Mex.  

Even our resident Mexican approved!

That evening Fulbright threw a big final evening party, complete with lots of alcohol and great danceable music.  The next morning after breakfast, we all checked out of the hotel and had some free time before getting the train.  I was able to meet up with Richard one more time for coffee and he gave me a sampling of his tour he likes to give when he has guests visit (very informative, let me tell you!)

Reunited!

One thing you learn on the Richard Riley Tour: this is where Angela Merkel lives... right across from the Pergamon Museum.

Afterward I met back up with the Kiel/Neumünster girls and we took the four hour train ride back home.  Exhausted, but happy and proud to call ourselves Fulbrighters. ;)

Some more exhausted than others... *coughARIELcough*

Until Next Time,

Chelsea

KONY 2012

By now, you have undoubtedly seen the above video.  Since it was put online March 5^th 2012, a mere three days ago, the clip has been watched almost 50 MILLION times on YouTube and Vimeo.  That is astronomical.  Browsing any sort of social networking site, you probably have also seen the slogan “KONY 2012” a fair bit.  I was surprised today actually to see that one of my 8^th grade German students had printed out a small “KONY 2012” poster and put it on the cover of his notebook… but something about the whole thing sort of bugs me.

If you’re unaware, the movement which was started by Invisible Children Inc. is an effort on the part of the organization to bring to justice Uganda’s Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), who for decades has been kidnapping children and forcing them to become soldiers in his army, sometimes making them kill their own families in the process.   While it is true that Uganda has been ripped apart, mostly due to the terror inflicted by the LRA, the area is now at peace after Kony and his army left the region; now taking refuge in the jungles of neighboring countries.

When I first saw the video last night, I became emotional and rushed to post it for all of Facebook to see that, “I am behind these efforts!”  The more I thought about it though, the more I didn’t like the idea of what was happening.  Don’t get me wrong; lord knows I am all about advocacy and supporting human rights issues, but the whole movement feels a little icky to me now.

During my freshman year of college I went to a small screening of Invisible Children’s first film, which was about three college students going to Africa and ending up in the middle of the Ugandan conflict.  They became emotionally entwined in the stories of the people they met and ended up coming back to the US and forming an organization to help the children of Uganda whose families were torn apart and their homes destroyed.  It was incredibly moving and I remember going back to my dorm and crying for hours that night.

This time around however, the camera work is flashy, compared to shaky and hand held; the voices are confident to the point of being pretentious, instead of heartfelt and concerned; and the movement is a multi-million dollar endeavor, instead of a grassroots effort funded by the pennies of students and the hearts of volunteers.  But I am not here to criticize the organization as a whole, as I do think a lot of their efforts have had positive outcomes and have raised a lot of awareness about what is happening in Africa (even if the specific problem in Uganda seems to no longer be as dire as the organization likes to make it out to be.)

My criticism is more aimed at the participants of the KONY 2012 campaign.  Don’t get me wrong, I am pleased as shit that people are finally starting to be “concerned” with international issues and are finally using their resources to stand up for what’s right, but what will happen in a year? A month? A week, even?  Will you still be as fired up about the problem after the memory of what you saw is replaced with the latest gossip about Snooki’s pending spawn?  Has this made you feel the need to get involved in other humanitarian issues? And for that matter, how involved are you really?

I have to say that social media, while being one of the best marketing tools to come out of the 21^st century so far, will NOT stop the leader of a rebel army from killing innocent people.  Just because EVERYONE on Facebook posted the KONY 2012 video and thousands and thousands of people are “attending” the Invisible Children’s Cover the Night event to plaster posters on city walls everywhere, does not mean anything will actually be accomplished.  Most people will watch the video, get upset about it… probably write a status update concerning how terrible Kony is and that’s about it.  Who actually bought the Cover the Night posters?  Who actually plans to plaster them around their town?  Who will follow this story for more than 6 months tops? 

Remember that whole “Save Darfur” thing?  That’s still going on.  Even though Sudan is now split into Sudan and the new South Sudan, genocide and violence still consume the region. When stars like Ryan Gosling and George Clooney (yum&yum) get behind an issue, it usually ends up getting a lot of attention.  But for how long?  Until the problem is solved?  What about the issues that don’t have backing star power? The world is full of huge numbers of humanitarian problems but the lack of awareness and/or concern from the general public can be depressing. 

When was the last time you saw a news piece about the escalating genocidal acts in Syria, sex trafficking in India or the sickening human rights violations in North Korea and actually spared more than a second’s thought for it? For most people today, if something isn’t presented in glittering HD, it won’t be much of a blip on their radar; but those are often the issues that need the most attention.

So this is my request to you, dear reader:  Be aware.  Be concerned… But know the issues to be concerned about without having to be told by a hipster DILF and his oh-so-adorable son.  Really fight for what you believe in.  That doesn’t mean post a Facebook status (or a ranting blog post, for that matter) but be active.  Write letters to your congressperson asking them to back legislation supporting your cause.  Or hell, even donate money to worthy organizations (yes, I know we’re all broke but how about not going out one Friday night a month and sending that $15 to support something good instead?) 

I’ll get off my soapbox now, but just ask you to be aware.  It’s great to support something you believe in, but know that there are other things going on in the world that desperately need attention as well.  Don’t be afraid to open your eyes to see them and open your hearts to help make them right.

Hohenwestedt Tag & Nacht

Take 25 eleven year olds, stick them together all day, everyday and add just a dash of drama and what do you get? No, not the world's youngest production of Les Mis... RIDICULOUSNESS is the answer I was looking for.

Today I went for the second time to a 6th grade Regionalschule class.  Last week when I went they were extremely interested (albeit fidgety) and asked me tons of questions about myself.  This week however, as soon as the teacher and I walked into the room fighting broke out (or more likely continued) among the students and two girls burst into tears.  I sat myself down at the teacher's desk in the corner while the real teacher took over in German to try to solve the problem.  As I sat there, slack-jawed and squinty-eyed, trying to concentrate and follow the discussion of what had happened, the voices just kept rising and more tears started flowing. 

It was just like watching a reality drama show! But it was real! And it was 6th graders! That made it not so great.  Once I finally figured out what they had been fighting about, I almost stood up and yelled at them in English, "Are you guys really THAT ridiculous??"  From the sounds of it, one girl had been looking weirdly at another girl and the other girl got mad and familial insults flew, then one girl shoved another but the other told everyone she punched her... and that's where I got lost.  By that point in the lesson most of the class was giving their input against one girl and the one who's side everyone was on was sobbing on her friend's shoulder while intermittedly yelling things that, if translated to English, could have sounded like something from Jerry Springer.  It was in German though, so the interaction was more like this:

Thankfully there was half a room between the girls, or else it might have ended the same way. The teacher I was with did a wonderful job of being fair and settling everyone down as much as possible, and we were able to finish the last third or so of the lesson as planned.  Or so I thought.  While the students were supposed to be writing down "celebration words" in groups, I walked around and noticed one group had only written down "borrring".  I told them to write more and they flat out refused.  While we were going over the words the groups had written down I noticed two boys in the front eating glue sticks.  What the hell?  On top of that, hardly anyone was paying attention at all and the poor teacher had to continually stop to get everyone to listen again. 

The whole lesson was so weird and so not what I'm used to, but I suppose that might be what all the teachers refer to as the difference between the Gymnasium students and the Regionalshule students.  It could also be an example of "Pubertät" that the teachers are constantly complaining about.  The other 6th grade class I have loves answering questions, is always engaged, (for the most part) listens intently, and I usually teach a half of the class without the teacher there at all.  The class today sort of scared me.  One of the more vocal and rough looking girls was much bigger than me too, which wasn't a good feeling.  

It was only after class that I remembered why most of the kids looked familiar.  In the first weeks at the school I had to do a substitution lesson for a gym class.  Their gym class... and it basically had gone the same way, but with more flustered-ness from me and even more crying on the girls' parts.  One girl had even run away from the gym building and we couldn't find her! Super! They scarred me in my first month, but I am determined to over come them.  I will gain their respect and they will end up listening to me, if its the last thing I do.

Ahoy there!

Well well... it has been a few weeks since I last posted about my winter break trip and honestly, not too much has been happening in Schleswig-Holstein.  The snow piled up, the temperature dropped and then the next week the sun was out and everything melted.  That's fine with me though; bring on Spring!

In mid-January the new semester started at Schule Hohe Geest (where I work), but I lucked out by still only having to teach Tuesday-Thursday.  I'm looking forward to soon starting my after school English Club, where hopefully I'll be able to encourage the students to use English more and to show them that learning a language can be fun! w00t!

February is rounding the corner to being almost over and as March approaches I am getting ever more excited for our Berlin conference.  In mid-March all of the English Teaching Assistants in Germany (and from some other countries around Europe) will be attending a week long gathering with other Fulbright grantees from the US and Germany.  Judging by what other people said of it last year, it is quite the week.  I'm excited to see other ETAs that I haven't seen since the orientation and to also meet some new people as well.  There will be tours of Berlin, speakers, networking sessions, talent showcases and of course parties.  I haven't been to Berlin since our Rotary Berlin Tour in 2005, so I can't wait to see it through older, more educated and experienced eyes.

In other, less work related news, my German class finished last week.  I was pretty happy with the grade of "2" that I got.  Just in case you freaked out when you read that, the grade scale is from 1-6, with 1 being the best. ;) I am debating taking another course next semester, in hopes of getting my C1 certificate, C1 being the highest level of foreign language certification you can get in Europe.  That would certainly be a good thing to have!  On the other hand, the class last semester was Thursdays from 7:30pm-9pm and Fridays from 3:15pm-6:30pm... which was a huge drag.  Well, considering the new semester doesn't start until April I have some time to debate it.

Last weekend I took a little trip to Hamburg to do some sightseeing.  My friend and I visited the Miniature Wunderland museum, which has huge rooms full of model trains that chug through tiny and intricate scenes from different countrysides.  We also went to The Beatles museum!  Since The Beatles were playing in Hamburg when they started to blow up.  It is a big source of pride for Hamburgers (and yes, people from Hamburg are called 'Hamburgers').  It was pretty awesome seeing it too, since I'm a huge Beatles fan. :) Another very cool thing we did was walk out onto the frozen Alster. The Alster is a lake in the middle of the city and it is very rare that the temperature drops enough for it to entirely freeze. Well, last weekend it was the perfect conditions so the city opened the ice for people to skate on and enjoy.  It was pretty much a once or twice in a lifetime experience!  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me.  Fail.

Speaking of pictures, I got the roll of film I brought to Turkey with me developed.  Some came out pretty well, so here they are:

There were also miscellaneous photos from the first half of my year here:

Kiel

Dr. Soldberg

Denmark

Annie (fellow ETA) and her boyfriend, Matt, in Denmark.

Flensburg

Flensburg

Well, that's all I've got for now so...

Until Next Time,
Chelsea