Camp Kiez

5.31.10

Today we traveled to a camp in the Harz Mountains where we will stay for a week. The Harz mountains are legendary. They're supposed to be the home of witches, goblins and fairies! Also, there's a Hexenplatz where the witches danced with the devils. I'm trying to take pictures of all of the witches I see. It's so fun!

I’ve been given six ten and nine-year-old girls hopped up on candy. The girls know I don’t speak German fluently, but they’re sweet about it. Half of the time, I feel like a we’re playing charades. A lot of girls brought animals or something special to sleep with tonight. It’s nice they can still do that without facing ridicule. The kids seem anxious to leave Grundschule and go onto Gymnasium. I find it hard to believe that some of them won’t finish or go on to college. Unfortunately, the walls are very thin. It’s only after lunch and I’m so tired.

They do everything fast in Germany. They drive fast. They eat fast. They walk fast. Slow down, enjoy life!

Tip of the day: Get to know your schedule. German schools have a lot of breaks and snack-time. Take this into consideration when planning meals.

(Click to enlarge pictures)





Camp Kiez!



The view



The Harz Mountains are supposed to be the home of witches, fairies and goblins. So, there are witches everywhere!



One of THREE big ass hills.



A nice herb garden. Nope, there was no Dill.






The cabins.

Leipzig

Today the CC students took a little trip to the city of Leipzig. It was the first time I'd traveled by myself in Germany. Okay, so it might also be the first time I've traveled alone abroad. In England, we formed somewhat of a buddy system. Whenever we went out, we were at least in pairs. It didn't matter if it was to the grocery store or to the night club. No one went home or out alone. In Germany, it isn't practical to do that. We aren't living together in groups of students. Each student from USC is assigned a family to live with. Most of the time, if you need or want to do something downtown, you can wait for your hosts to help you or go on your own. I opted to go on my own simply because my host was always doing something or working on school assignments. She printed off a map of the Strassenbahn, told me how to buy tickets and off I went! That map is my lifeline. I always keep it with me and I remember the routes which will take me back to the apartment. However, today was a day to venture on my own. I walked the 2km to the hauptbahnhoff and bought my ticket. Magdeburg has the option of buying tickets at an automatic machine or a counter. The machines won't let you have an open return ticket, which means you can come back at any time. There are also different speeds of trains. There are the ICE and the IC/EC trains. The ICE runs normal stops while the EC is an express that doesn't take as many stops. I took the EC on the way to Leipzig and the ICE on the way back. I'd definitely go with the fewer stops!






The traditional towns were set up so that there was a town hall in the town square and businesses/important buildings surrounding it. It is typical for there to be a town hall surrounded by pedestrian-only streets and courtyards. It's impractical to drive around cities such as Leipzig. You'd be unable to access half of the streets! Usually, the newer, paved streets are for cars and the older, stone streets are for walking. Bicycles are always welcomed no matter where you are!

Here we have Bach! The man of the hour. If there are two symbols of Leipzig, it would be Goethe and Bach. Herr Bach worked and is buried in Leipzig. He held concerts in Thomaskirche where he is buried today. I found out that after Bach died of a stroke, he was buried in an unmarked grave in St. John's churchyard. 150 years later, the bombing of WWII destroyed the church and unearthed Bach's remains. He was then moved to his present resting place inside of Thomaskirche where he is adored and remembered by all. I actually thought to myself, "I wonder if that is really him?" It's kind of like Martin Luther's remains in Wittenberg. People are unsure if it's really Martin Luther or if it is his best friend, but that is another post!


Here is the grave of Bach, located in the center of the church altar. Kind of creepy. Kind of blasphemous. Eh, I like it.


Here we have a major indoor shopping center.

One of the church towers. It was dark and hard to get good photos.

The local University had glass windows and reminded me of the Richland County Public Library in Columbia.
Bockwurst with curry ketchup and potato salad. Num-Nummy!
I have a thing for doors. The detailing! Oh, the detailing!

Typical streets.

Each city I've been to has some pretty unique and interesting manholes. I'm going to try to get a picture from every place I visit!

These pictures are out of order. Here is a nice sculpture from the hauptbahnhof in Magdeburg.

On the train!

I have to write about these bookbags because they are so awesome! When kids are younger (Grundschule) they have a particular type of books bag. It's harder an more square that the usual American ones and has a flap that opens over the top so that students can easily take out and put in school things. They are so different! However, they are also very, very expensive. I wanted to bring one home, but not for the usual price of 160 euros. Nope! They better last at least four years. I miss the days when a US bookbag was $14.00!

Here is a little someone named Ms. Sarah Nell. She is enjoying a typical German treat of Spaghetti Eis! It is vanilla ice cream pushed through a spaetzle press to make it look like noodles. It's like playdough being squeezed out of a mold- only you're supposed to eat it. The "noodles" are then topped with raspberry or strawberry sauce and sprinkled with saved white chocolate to look like parmesan cheese. Sadly, I don't like vanilla ice cream or white chocolate. So, I basically had an "adult beverage" disguised as ice cream.
Close up.
Amanda Claire had Lasagna Eis!
Prepare yourself because I failed to do so. This little concoction will make your nose burn! (Note the red face- okay so it was from being cold outside) It's chocolate ice cream with hazelnut balls swimming in all sorts of Bailey's! There was more alcohol than ice cream! Why are you looking at me like that? 24 is of legal age no matter where you go!

Here we have Nikolai Kirche. Unlike the other churches, this one was white and open with a lot of light.

I'm not going to hate on the green and pink decorations. I actually really like it.

Typical altar

I don't want to get the name for this wrong. I keep calling it the priest's house. I'm pretty sure it's something like the pulpit.

There was art everywhere! On the ceiling, walls, floors, in orders and crevasses! You couldn't get away from it!

It looks like a cake.

I am guilty of taking pictures of the names of places so I remember where I was.

What? No cushions on the pews?

Organ.

Now we get to the goods! Here we have statues dedicated to Goethe's characters of Faust and Mephistopheles. In this one, Faust is being arrested.

And here Faust is making his legendary deal with the devil. Goethe went to school in Leipzig. There was a restaurant below these statues where he would eat and drink. Goethe actually used this restaurant for the setting of Faust's deal with Mephistopheles. I was giddy with excitement!

The Leipzig hauptbahhoff was huge! It reminded me so much of King's Cross in London!

Yep, McClean. It's a public bathroom that can be accessed for one euro. And it was, in fact, McClean.


After going to bed late and getting up early, I had to top off with a cappuccino at McDonald's McCafe, which is completely different in Germany! They've basically taken a Starbucks and put it into the McDonald's. It was great.

First Day

Today was the first day of school since the holidays. Before the classes begin, I met with several of the teachers and parents. It was a rush of names and a swirl of faces! Before coming into the classroom, the students take off their shoes and place them into cubby holes then hook their jackets on the wall. The teacher rings a bell, signaling the students to raise their hands and be quiet. The children begin by sitting in a circle on different colored pillows. The teacher tasks each color (Red, Blue, Yellow) to sit down individually to avoid chaos. Next, one of the children lights a candle and they begin by presenting any new news. It's a very calming and tranquil event. Things are quiet, which allows the students to adjust from playing outside and in the hallways to being in the classroom. One girl has broken her arm so the children are reminded to be careful and not hit her accidentally.


I then introduced myself in German. Each of the students did the same and presented one of their hobbies. The children go back to their seats one at a time. The teachers asks who has forgotten their homework. A few hands go up. The school teaches trust and honesty, which is reflected in the organization of the lessons. We move on to the social studies portion of the class. The students are studying Sachsen-Anhalt this year. They mark important terrain on maps and color in the flag. They are also learning what lies North, East, South and West of Sachsen-Anhlat. This also teaches the students directions and topographical skills. An assignment is given. The answers are written on the back of the chalkboard. The boards can move up and down. They also open outward like a double door.

(More to be finished later. It's getting late.)

Stadtfest

Today we went to the Magdeburg "Stadtfest" the city festival. Unfortunately, it began to rain shortly after we arrived and my umbrella wouldn't stay up! I was able to get some good pictures of the city. I'll have to try later to get the photos up. It isn't working now.

Heute gehen wir zu Stadtfest von Magdeburg. Es regnet zu viel und wir mussen nach Hause gehen. Donner und Blitzen gehen euch nicht gut! Mein Regenschirm war kaputt. Schade. Ich könnte gute Fotos aufnehmen.

We tried some Schmaltzkuchen at the Stadtfest! Sehr lecker! It tastes like little bits of funnel cake.




They also had Quarkbaellchen, which is fried milk curd.



The rain began to pour!



There were a lot of stands with goods from Mexico, including ponchos for kids.






Oh, yes. And they had rides! Notice the Musikladen with Tina Turner and Rod Stewart painted on the front.






Here's a big candy stand. They had cookie hearts that read "Ich liebe dich." Ich liebe auch dich Kese.

Sabine told me these are two characters from a cartoon she watched as a child.

This is the "Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg," a creation of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The building houses shops, a hotel and kindergarten. It looks like candy and feels like Willy Wonka's factory!

This is the "Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg," a creation of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The building houses shops, a hotel and kindergarten. It looks like candy and feels like Willy Wonka's factory!

Each one of the pillars is decorated differently.



The bricks painted against the pink make the building look like it's leaning!



One of the inner courtyards. The pillars outside of this cafe look like spun sugar! Lecker!



Opps, a blurry picture of another courtyard. It began to rain as I took this picture.