GAPP in Heidelberg and St. Wendelö

Too many goodies not to share even before we go to Heidelberg today!

It's fun seeing the kids grow more comfortable with the town.  They are talking about the best places to grab a döner (a Turkish pita-type pocket with shaved lamb meat, veggies, sauces, and cheese that has become the German go-to fast food but is much healthier than typical fast food), which teachers they enjoy, etc.  They are hanging out in the school bistro with crowds of Germans, moving comfortably through the school, and out and about town.  I spotted Maija, Natalie, and Leah enjoying a soda with some of their hosts right beside the church on Friday, and on Monday Mia and Rayna joined their hosts for hot chocolate at the Schlossplatz, the town square.  John B bought a birthday gift for his host's little brother--and the host promptly went in on it with him as he had forgotten his brother's birthday!  They are really having fun in class, and I heard the field trip to Trier on Thursday was good for those who went.

Our final group member, Margaret, arrived after a bit of train confusion on Monday.  Her host family and I met her at the platform, and after a good night's sleep she was smiling and greeting people at school on Tuesday.  She was being greater with a squeal and a hug from another of the Germans whom she had known in Eugene.

I got to teach a 9th grade English class with a Q&A about America (they conveniently did not know I also spoke German).  It was pretty fun from my perspective, and I think the kids preferred it to the grammar lesson with homework that had originally been scheduled!

Some fun stories from check in Tuesday (Mia, Natalie, and Leah on field trip, Margaret on other campus):
John M had more amusing translator app anecdotes.  Apparently they ate "a German" the other night while his host was at driver's ed.  Andrea C ended up on a walk that lasted 4 hours and also got gas in Luxembourg (where it is cheaper) when the family was driving near the border.  Andrea S took a long nap the other day, so she was feeling pretty dang good.  Lucas spent math class learning German regular verb conjugations and loved hearing that in the local dialect, many irregular verbs are turned into regular ones.  Isabella is overseeing his progress.  There was a general exclamation as Suzanne shared how little she had spent on Birkenstocks.  Lucas may be planning a black market operation, and everyone else was thinking shopping---well, except Payton and me, as we aren't huge Birkenstock folks.  John B decided that John M had comfortable knuckles as he was falling asleep on JM's hand.  Several students noticed a bulletin board with the CAS abbreviation and asked if it meant the students here had to do CAS hours (the actual announcement was about permissible calculators for an exam, which turns out to be pretty similar and prompted yet more comparative discussions).

Now for our trip to Heidelberg:
After a night of HEAVY rain and an ominous morning, the skies parted into lovely weather during our 2 hour drive to Heidelberg.  We rode the funicular up to the castle ruins (along with a large kindergarten class), where we had about 25 minutes to admire the view, take photos, and shop until our tour started.  Ulli, our guide, was knowledgeable and eager to share.  We started at the Elizabeth gate.  Elizabeth Stuart (granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots) was in an arranged marriage to Frederick V, Prince Elector of Palatine, but they fell in love and had a happy life in Heidelberg Castle.  Then we ventured past the crowds and under the massive portcullis.  We saw the door knocker, which was cracked.  The legend is that if you could bite through the knocker, you would inherit the castle.  When a witch only managed to crack it, she flew up on her broomstick and cursed the castle, saying it would be destroyed (it was).  After hearing more of what the castle looked like and learning about the tumultuous relationship the region had with Louis XIV of France, the Catholic/Protestant conflict, and the destruction (filling a tower with "kraut"--gunpowder--and then blowing it is a pretty effective way to do it, and lightning-induced fires don't help!), we headed to the courtyard.  We learned about their toilets, the history of tennis, and how the stones were moved and then signed by stone masons to create the several-meter-thick defensive walls through which we walked.

After seeing the more modern room used for concerts (and even proms from the American schools on the nearby military bases!), we headed to the giant wine barrel, the world's largest.  Kids walked up to the dance floor on top, then came back down to hear the story of Perkeo, the Italian court jester who had been induced to come to Heidelberg by the cask.  When asked if he wanted wine, he would answer "perch no?" ("why not?"), giving birth to his nickname.  He also liked to convince ladies in waiting to pull a lever.  Maija tried it and held her ground when a fluffy raccoon tail attached to a bell jumped out at her!  Perkeo's doctors talked him into finally substituting one glass of water for wine--and the day after he tried it, he was found dead.  Some say he haunts the now-empty cask and the room.

We moved on to the castle chapel, then the exterior overlooking the river.  Here we all put our footprint in that of the night who saved the princess from the burning castle by jumping down onto the patio, into the river, and onto the hillside beyond.  You can make a wish, so we all did that.  Then we left the castle to go down the steep cobbled walkway into the old town.  The city of 150,000 is home to 40,000 university students, most of them at the University of Heidelberg, Germany's oldest and a premier school for medicine and sciences.  We saw the statue of Catholic baby Jesus stabbing the snake that represented Protestants, the square with the church and town hall, and then walked down an alley to the place that sells Students' Kiss chocolate.  We visited the bridge monkey, a cheeky fellow there to mock us all, and admired the bridge.  Then it was up past the flood markers to the student prison.  We ended our tour at the old university building (most of the campus is not in the old city as the university grew too large) and the Christmas shop.  From here we said goodbye to Ulli and spent the next few hours shopping and exploring the old city on our own.

Our drive back was a bit dramatic.  The air conditioner on the bus malfunctioned, and it was quite warm in the back of the bus.  Only the front windows opened, and as we were stuck in pretty nasty traffic and hardly moving, this provided no real relief.  Students took turns rotating to the front of the bus where it was much cooler, and we are requesting a refund from the bus company.  The Stau (German for traffic jam, a word the students all came to love!) meant we got back much later than planned, but we made it in the end with fun memories of a great city (most of us rubbed the monkey's fingers and will thus return to Heidelberg)!

Thursday Maija didn't have morning class and just did a brief check in, while Mia was on another field trip, this time to Bad Kreuznach.  Students were a bit quieter--mostly still tired from the day before.  The talk of the end of the exchange caused some sadness.  Plans were made for the coming days, and deteriorating "American" skills were laughed at.

Friday a group of students headed to Metz in France with the fifth graders.  This was an optional trip for those who didn't have big plans with their families, and Suzanne accompanied them.  There were graduation events going on, so only 2 classes.  Since there is no school on Monday, many of the students had big weekend plans--either locally or in the greater region.  Should be a fun weekend, especially since Germany plays Italy in the quarterfinals tonight!

GAPP celebrates!

So first off, a note about the weather.  Before we arrived, they had three straight weeks of rain.  When we came, so did the sunshine, and it was HOT!  The result was that life was muggy and sticky for most of the first week (thus all the mentions of swimming at the pool or lake).  Saturday finally cooled off a bit, and yesterday alternated between sunny, partly cloudy and breezy, and even the occasional showers.  We are getting the full range.

We had two birthdays this week--Mia last Monday (our first full day here) and Leah on Saturday.  Each received a card and enough money for a chocolate bar of their choice from us.  So that was a fun way to celebrate!  On Friday we had our regular check in (minus Natalie, who was so into the English lesson that she wanted to stay in class, and Isabella, who took advantage of the lack of early classes her partner had and slept in a bit), partly due to the extreme heat, we decided to ditch third period and get spaghetti ice cream.  This is a traditional German ice cream.  Not a normal brunch, but it really was hot, and it's something everyone needs to try (and we shared).

On our way down, we stopped first to look at some "Stolpersteine" (Stumbling Stones).  These are little  4x4 brass squares with the names and fates of Holocaust victims placed in front of homes where they last lived or worked by choice ("Here lived __________, born 1884, fled to Holland 1935, interned Westerbork 1942, deported to Auschwitz, murdered Auschwitz Nov 2, 1942").  They are in fact a powerful reminder of the fact that Holocaust victims were real people living lives just like ours in towns like this.  The memorial exists all over Europe and consists of over 50,000 (and increasing) stones in 18 countries.  It's incredibly powerful to "stumble" across these--way more than a statue or monument with  a list of names nobody reads.

After our ice cream we headed into the church--most of the students had not been inside yet (nor had I).  The organist was practicing some pretty grim sounding music, but there was nothing else going on and we were able to look around at a typical European Catholic cathedral.  Then we walked down to the drug store and grabbed a few items before the weekend, stopped in a school supply store for students to buy German style pens and pencils (they like the fountain pens and Stabilo colored pens favored by most Germans) before returning to the school.  Andrea C shared that several of them had been in a politics/government class and had discussed the Brexit vote (ie class to English).  It was fun having intelligent conversations with students about Brexit over ice cream in the EU.

We also celebrated soccer this week.  Last Tuesday, Germany defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 to win its group and advance to the round of 16.  Well, yesterday Germany's offense finally got rolling, and we defeated Slovakia 3-0 to head to the quarterfinals (opponent will be winner of Spain-Italy this afternoon).  From what I heard, some of the kids headed to public viewing.  Some of them also went on various outings with families or had family viewing parties over the weekend.  I know that the Power Man Duathalon world series was in town on Sunday (10 km run, 120 km bike, 20 km run).  I watched and cheered on the athletes.  Saturday was the shorter version (5 km, 40 km, 5 km), which our host teacher completed.  So lots of sports!

On Friday Andrea C shared that several of them had been in a politics/government class and had discussed the Brexit vote (in English!  The teacher, a former GAPP coordinator who has been to Eugene often, switched the entire class to English).  It was fun having intelligent conversations with students about Brexit over ice cream in the EU!  Today an English teacher shared how a few of our kids (she specifically mentioned John and Andrea, though as we have two of each, I don't know which ones!) were in a class and students got the opportunity to practice in groups with native speakers over topics that actually interest teenagers.  I also just ran into Lucas, Maija, and Natalie in the bistro, where they enjoyed a free period.  I saw Isaac and John M. in the hallway, each surrounded by a group of Germans.  Andrea S, Rayna, Mia, and John used their free 3rd to walk to the bakery.  Then Payton, Isabella, and Andrea C. (who missed check in this morning because they were having too much fun in class) grabbed them to help finish filming a video for English class that was due at the end of next period.  I would say they are being fully integrated!  They have mentioned meeting people who are not part of the exchange--friends of their hosts, etc.--and I know Mia, Leah, and Natalie (and maybe others) are joining the Latin class on a field trip to Trier tomorrow.

Today and tomorrow are mellow school days, and Wednesday we head to Heidelberg with Josephine, the other host teacher.

Here are a few more pictures from Iceland and from our trip to Castle Eltz.

Payton at Thingvellir

John and John wait for the ferry

Live reporting of the hakarl (shark)

John M and Maija

Maija and Isabella are between continents in no man's land!

This is the castle

Isaac measures the distance

Natalie and John enjoy the view

The group at the entrance

Rayna, Andrea S, Mia, Andrea C, Isabella, Isaac, Maija, Natalie, John B, Payton

Lucas, John M, Leah

The chapel is in a bay so that nothing is above it because no man may be above God

Payton and Isaac

Yep, this is how my public restrooms usually look

Inside the courtyard

Waiting for the tour (and our guide Paulina)

Hiking back

Mia needs water

I finally got my camera shy boys!

 Sitting outside at check in

 Talking about plans, challenges, funny language experiences, etc.

 Impressions of St. Wendel

 The cones are for the duathalon, but you can see the cobbled streets and the Catholic church

 The Catholic church

The old clock on the wall of the church

The reconstructed city wall, destroyed in the Thirty Years War

GAPP pictures (finally)! Part 1

John M and Payton enjoy a breakfast over luggage at the Keflavik Airport

Maija, Leah, Andrea S, and Rayna wait for the bus

John B creates a windbreak as we wait for our bus to the Blue Lagoon

Payton, Mia, and John M arrive at the Blue Lagoon

Isaac is all smiles

Impressions of the lagoon

Impressions of the lagoon

Impressions of the lagoon

Impressions of the lagoon

John M, Payton, and I try mud masks

Rayna, Andrea S., and Mia after showers

Maija and Andrea C. are feeling relaxed

Leah, Natalie, Lucas, Isaac, and Isabella show off their glowing skin

Natalie and Leah take a few last photographs of the bar selling the blue Krap 

Icelandic landscape--volcanic rocks, mosses, and flowers 

The blue waters on the outside of the lagoon bathing areas

 Driving to Reykjavik, volcanoes in the background

 Canadian lupine was introduced to help with erosion.  It is now a beautifulpart of Reykjavik and Iceland's countryside.

Not sure what John B. and Isaac were trying to accomplish with this knot, but they were happy on our walk to the grocery store.  Even if we did get a bit lost.

Suzanne, Rayna, and Andrea relax in our hostel with the bright green sheets

Rayna, Andrea, Payton, and Mia at the lighthouse as we wait for the ferry.  Payton knows this is serious business.

Leah, Natalie, and Maija

Isaac and Andrea S board the ferry

On Videy Island

 This nature retreat is right in the city and only takes a few minutes to reach by ferry!

 Videy is known for its birdwatching.

Mia, Andrea S., and Rayna prepare to return to the "mainland."

Andrea C. and John M. figure out the bus maps

Enjoying ice cream at the Hallgrimskirkja

Mia enjoys the view. . . 

. . .which really is fantastic.  That's Leif Eriksson at the base of the church.

John M., Andrea S. Rayna, Isaac, Isabella, and Maija

Getting ready to try hakarl, the fermented shark 

It comes in bite sizes for sampling

Rayna is brave as John M prepares for his own experience

Mia isn't sure she likes it

Isaac is going to make his first meat in years fermented shark!

It didn't go down well

The Hallgrimskirkja is really impressive

John B., Andrea C., Leah, and Natalie loved the museum

Mia, Necdek, Rayna, Andrea S, Isaac, Payton, and John M. at public viewing in Reykjavik

Payton and John M. trusted this sign.  To their detriment

The viking ship sculpture on the bay

This picture was taken at 10pm as we returned to the hostel.  Look how light it is!

Friends

Impressions of Iceland

Thingvellir National Park 

Maija and Isabella

Andrea C and Lucas enjoy Thingvellir

This is the split between the North American and European tectonic plates

It's windy here! 

John, Isaac, Payton, and Isabella on the bus

Andrea C. and John B. (who doesn't want me to take his picture)

We learned about Iceland's transition from paganism to Christianity as we drove past here

Taking pictures of Geysir

One of the reasons it's hard to take pictures of some students is that they were too busy exploring--like climbing to the top of this butte for a view of the geysers

Geysir from much higher

This kind man allowed me to take his picture to demonstrate how windy it was.  He was seriously walking sideways and turned around at this moment.  It was SO windy!

Yep, we went here.  We walked down to the little bluff on the left of the photo.  This is Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall

Lucas, Andrea S, Isabella, Rayna, Leah, Maija, Andrea C, John B, John M, and Natalie

Leah takes pictures

The gorge below the falls

Isabella, Andrea S, Rayna, and Lucas

Secret agents

So who wants to move here?

Helping each other out

Iceland's horses are famous!

Mia and Natalie on the train.  It was unusually crowded, but we did all end up with seats!

John M. and Oliver reunite at the train station upon arrival in St. Wendel

Sankt Wendel from the parking lot of the major shopping center.  You can see the large Catholic church

The long yellow building at the top of the town is the school (Gymnasium Wendalinum)

Impressions of the school:  Lockers and the Hof (courtyard).  Students are required to be outside in the long breaks, mostly in this courtyard.

 Table tennis in the courtyard and the basement doors on this historic building.

 Student artwork makes the basement classrooms more inviting.

 The bistro, where students can get a snack or hang out during free periods

 Pretty great view from the chem hallway!

School isn't school without a fountain!