Barca

When I last wrote we were leaving Lyon and heading for Spain. We made it but, it was one hell of a ride. It all started when we arrived at the train station: An interesting fact about Spain: you have to reserve ALL trains in advance. Unfortunately, this rule applies only to Spain so our party was unawares of the situation. The attendant was able to get us on a train however, we had to travel to Avignon where we would switch to another train heading towards Narbonne, switch again to a train going to Figueres, and switch one more time for Barcelona. It seemed simple enough, but I should have known that looks can be deceiving. The first train ride starts off smoothly; especially considering that a beautiful blonde woman decided to sit next to me. This is when the trouble begins...she takes her seat and looks at me with these fantastic blue eyes. I'm not kidding you this girl is radiating beauty. Ask Matt or Lee. Being the "Casanova"(That's for Fabio) that I am decided to open with some French. "Parle Vu Angle(my opening move on all french woman)" she replied with a exasperated "no". If there is a hell, I was just dropped right in it. Here she is, the woman of my dreams, and I can't communicate with her! It's pretty obvious that she wants to have some sort of conversation, but it's impossible. I speak no French and she speaks absolutely no English so instead of getting to know my future wife I'm forced to awkwardly(and I mean awkward, she was absently flipping pages in some magazine while I fiddled with anything in the vicinity) sit next to her, powerless. I blame it on karma...and I vow to take French 1 in the fall so this situation never occurs again. Maybe if Matt, Tucker, and I actually follow with this trip next summer I'll have a chance to redeem myself with her.
Fastforward about three hours and we arrive at Narbonne. We have about an hour until our new train arrives at the station so we break for lunch. We end up grabbing some Doners(they are Matt's favortie lunch) and chilling for a bit. We take our seats on the train and start reading. We wait...and wait...and wait.
"What the hell is going on? This train was supposed to leave thirty minutes ago!?!"
"I don't know" Lee sarcastically replied
Then the three beeps that prelude an announcement play. The conductor comes on and speaks some ridiculous sounding French at hyperspeed. We manage to catch the last few words...something about connection to Barcelona. Matt, Lee, and I just kind of sit there thinking, "What are we gonna do?" Then I realize, they are all waiting for me to do something! Damn it, when was I elected Public Relations Chair for our trip through Europe? I leave the train and try and look for somebody official. Yellow vest with red stripes, sounds perfect.
"Parle Vu Angle?"
"No".
I'm going to pause here and ask any of you if you have ever been lost or confused(or both because I was definitely both) and everybody around you speaks a different language? It is not a very good experience. While I'm running around trying to find somebody who speaks even the slightest bit of English, I see people getting off of our train and running to the front of a station, following the crowd seems like a great idea. A little more investigation and I find there is a bus there waiting. Lots of possibilites are running through my head...Is our train broken? Is this bus taking us to our next stop? Should we get on the bus? What if the bus takes us the wrong way? I decide that it definitely isn't a good idea to get on a bus which I cannot pronounce the destination of, even if everybody from our train is flocking to it. At this point I was going to head back to the train to tell Matt and Lee and see what they thought when I see a man who looks Spanish hanging out on a bench near our train. BINGO! Spanish I can do. I approach and ask him what's going on. He let me know that he thinks the bus was called to bring all of the passengers to the trains next stop and that we were on our own to try and get to Barcelona. He also informed me the cables for the bus were broken and they wouldn't be fixed that day. Now we have a serious issue. The next stop on the train is some random french town which isn't even bold on the map. Do you know what that means!?!?! It's not a major city, which also means not many people are going to speak English. We were in some serious trouble. I run to the train and report my findings to Matt and Lee. We grab our bags and head for the bus...but it's gone. So not only is our train not moving but we missed the bus to the next city. The best part of this is that we didn't even freak out. I think that we were expecting something like this to happen eventually, we all kept our cool and tried to figure out what to do next. It was decided that our resident PR chair would go in to the station office once again to try and speak with the officials. Unless I spontaneously mastered French in the five minutes we were outside the train station I saw failure on the horizon. I approached the desk once again and asked if anybody there spoke English, no good. I ask if they speak Spanish, and they give me the little bit gesture. Ok...this may work out. For about five minutes I try to converse with the official when a man walks in from the back of the office. He was wearing riding leathers and had a motorcycle helmet in his hand, who knew Evel Kennivel would end up saving our asses. The officials face changes from confused and frustrated to elated. He called the other man over, and proudly announced that he spoke English. Fantastic, we were saved. He informed me the train cables were indeed broken but they would be fixed in about an hour and that the bus outside was only for those who needed to go to the next stop. Those of us who were heading to Barcelona should wait on the train and they would figure out how we were getting to Barcelona when we arrived at Figueres. I relay the news to my waiting compadres and we commence our waiting on the train. I silently renewed my vow to take French 1 in the Fall before I dove into my book.
We picked up two other guys in all of the`commotion who joined us on our part of the train. One of them was from Vancouver and the other was from New York. We now had a squad of five ready to take on anymore crisis that came our way.
A couple of hours passed and the slumbering beast lurched to a hesitant start. We got about twenty feet before it stopped again. That's when the incessant beeping began. We sat for another twenty minutes or so while they resolved whatever issue it was they were having. Of course we had no clue what was going on. We arrived at Perpignan and heard those three horrible beeps again. It was like the calm before the storm, nothing good follows those damn beeps. The conductor came on and this time he spoke in Spanish. Who flipped the language switch on this guy? That would have been helpful about three hours ago...He announced that we would have to wait at this station because one of the other passenegers was "ill" and a fire engine was on its way to pick him up. Are you serious? Throw him off the train and lets go, we still had 30 minutes to Figueres and it was pushing 12:00 in the morning. We ended up waiting there for another thirty minutes which pushed our arrival to 1:00 AM. When the bus arrived at Figueres everybody scrambled. Why is everybody running and why do I always have no idea what's going on!? I'm assuming my insticts took over because I started acting like Washington during the revolution. I simulatenously(maybe not simulatenously but it happened pretty fast) spoke to an official of the station in complete and unbroken Spanish, translated this to some American girls, yelled at Matt to stop flirting with said American girls, threw our bags on the bus and ran on the bus. I'm not sure if there were enough busses for all the passenegers or what the deal was but, I was not trying to find out.
We had a two and half hour ride to Barcelona, so I decided to make friends with the guy behind me. The beauty of this is that I got the real story about the sick guy on the train. He reported that what really happened was the man was asked for his train ticket and when he couldn't provide it he faked an allergic reaction to some food that the trainline had given him. Seriously!?! I wish I would have been in that cabin so I could have seen this guy fake dying. That must have been some serious comedy.
I woke up just as we arrived in Barcelona. The bus pulled to the front of the train station(which was of course closed since it was now 3:00 AM) and opened the doors. The thing I've learned about Europe is that they really don't hold you hand over here, they are pretty big fans of the sink or swim concept. Matt, Lee, myself, and our two new friends get off the bus and look at each other. Let's recap what just happened:

• Instead of arriving at 10:45 PM like we were supposed to we made to Barcelona at 3:00 AM.


• We had absolutely no maps of Barcelona


• EvERYTHING is closed


• We have no clue if our hostel is still open, or how to get there


• We have all of our bags on us, so we look like complete tourists

So we did the obvious thing. We walked the complete opposite direction of everybody else and tried to find a bus station. The five of us set off with enough determiniation to scare off Bear Grillis. We probably looked like a mini Mod Squad coming out of the station. Myself in the front looking like a glorified packmule with this 70 pound travelling bag on my back and extra pair of shoes hanging from the side(This is Matt's. I in no way claim that I brought TWO pairs of shoes on a backpacking trip through Europe or a big ass backpack), Matt to my left with his newly purchased swiss army knife at the ready, he was determined to skewer any fiends that dare try us, and Lee to my right with his rolley suitcase and murse looking like he was on his way to his five star hotel but his chauffer forgot him (aka pissed). Then there were the two companions we picked up on the train. They just looked...confused. Whatever, I had bigger things to worry about. We find a small bus station with a map. You would have thought we found the holy grail the way we reacted. We were able to figure out our position and where we needed to go, so we were no longer wandering through an unknown city. Along the way we dropped off one of the new guys and so our party was reduced to four. Our new friend announced to the group that he had to pee and he was going to go down the nearest alley. Thinking back on all my movie knowledge(which is limited), I know that every bad thing happens in an alley. They are dark, full of shadows, and cramped. Is this kid out of his mind? Matt informs him that this is the surest way to end up in a bathtub than you started the trip with. Eventually we drop him off and we are down to the three muskateers. We had to cross the entire city to get to our hostel. It was quite the journey. I wish something exciting happened to write about but...nothing did. We did notice that the bums of Barcelona come out at night and claim all the bank waiting rooms as their beds, which is mildly interesting.
We arrived at our hostel and luckily they are open. I speak with the employee and he informs me that they lost our reservation. I'd like to take a moment here to let you all know that this all really did happen. We were that unlucky. My brain is fried, and I'm out of ideas. Luckily, we booked with a hostel chain and they had another location which had some openings for us. Only downside was it was on the other side of town. There is no way in hell I am walking back across Barcelona at 4:30 AM with a 70 lb backpack. I made this clear to the employee and he offered to pay for a cab for us.
After taking the money we go to the street corner and try to hail a cab. You would think that at 4:30 AM it would be hard to find a cab. Quite the opposite. We walk outside and see a literal fleet of cabs driving down the road. The three lane road is packed out with five car lengths worth of cabs(15 for math challenged readers). It was like they all gathered in there mini-coups and were paving a yellow brick highway to their taxi convention. Interesting...and no they didn't stop. We wait a few more minutes and finally hail one. We tell him the name of our hostel and he looks at us with a look of dread. that's discomforting. He quickly informs us that he doesn't know where it is, and we part company. Let's try again.
The second taxi we hailed took us to the other side of town. We get out of the car and realize two things: Our hostel is on the top of a friggin mountain and this mountain is located in the hood. Piece of advice for all travelers: never trust a 10 euro a night hostel. The cab driver tells us "Buenos Dias" and departs(this is when you know your up too late. People are saying good morning instead of good night). We enter our palace, check-in and the employee tries to give us a tour. Do you think I care where the common room is at this time? No. He takes us to our room and we realize we are sharing it with two girls from South Africa. This would be a great opportunity to learn about their country but I'm tired and they were half asleep. Let's call this one a night and save the culture lessons for tomorrow, or should I say today?
I'm on my way to Seville as I write this. So there are some more things to write about but this post is already way too long. Plus I'm tired of writing. We stay three days at Seville, and have a few day trips planned. I'll write again soon.

Balu und Du

My experience with the Bale und du project was a quite positive one for many reasons. 1) I love children and working with them 2) I like challenges 3) I really like interacting with people. I believe this was a good course for me because of these things and because I love traveling so much. I could not wait to get a chance to interact with the locals and understand what mentoring means across borders.

I have to admit I was quite nervous at first, especially because I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SPEAK GERMAN! Communication was limited at first because of this which was quite frustrating for me since I like talking so much! I wanted to say something but I could not find the words and as I tried to practice the little German I knew, I very quickly got intimidated and reverted back to English. Most people in Germany speak English very well which is good for people like me who would not be able to communicate otherwise but I also think that it can be a problem as well. Because I knew that people could understand me when I spoke English, I have to admit that I wasn’t trying too hard to speak proper German. Things changed after our first week of “German language survival course”. The children were adorable as all children can be and the balus were all incredibly nice so trying out my German skills was not that scary any more. “Ich bin Sara” I would say to the kids and they all kind of giggled because of my terrible accent probably, but I am sure they could understand me! Lol.

The most helpful part of the project was definitely the individual interview I had with the balu Christoph. He gave me lots of insight on simple things about mentoring a child that comes from a complicated household or that has issues at school… I was fortunate enough to participate in mentorship project when I was in high school so I’ve had some experience, but never with something as intensive as the Balu und du project. Honestly, I wish we could have gotten to visit with the mentors earlier in our stay, I believe it would have helped us establish more of a relationship with them and therefore possibly improve our experience with interacted with the children. Talking to the kids still remained a challenge for me, they were all very responsive yet you can’t really form a bond without communication. Also, our past experience with the kids from Tallahassee wasn’t that helpful to us for this project because they differed too much. With my mentee Ariel I established a bond only by virtual messaging of emails while with the mowglis words did not play a major role while body language did. Overall the experience was interesting but for sure challenging.

A haircut to remember!

A haircut is needed by every human being on this planet we call Earth. Getting a haircut is normally an easy and regular task. Getting a haircut today was anything but easy or regular...

I know one phrase in French. Parlez-vous anglais (Do you speak English)? The stylists in the salon sure didn't know how to speak English, but had mastered how to say the word no in the language. I was prepared to get my haircut by some French guy that I couldn't even communicate with. His hair looked nice, so I figured it was okay to let him cut mine. After the fondue incident in Zurich, I decided to discuss the price of the haircut with him first. He had to call a friend to figure out how to tell me the price in English. He finally told me it would be 18 euro. This looked like the deal of the year after being in Switzerland for a few days.

I ran up to my couchsurfing headquarters to get some money. I came back to find my stylist walking out with his motorcycle helmet and pink murse on. A beautiful French hair dresser then walked in and I had realized how lucky I was. Trading out a murse wearing male hairdresser for a hot French stylist is a good deal.

She started the haircut by asking what type of style I wanted. It was then that she realized that I knew no french, and I realized she knew no English. After a few failed attempts at communicating in Spanish, she busted out the book that displays all haircuts. She pointed out the weirdest haircut in the book and asked if that was what I wanted. It is funny how I understood she was joking with me, even though she made the joke in French. We finally settled on a more traditional cut after a few more options were shown to me.

The haircut looked good and it was time for me to pay her. At the register she kept telling me it was fourtEAn (Yes this is spelled wrong for emphasis on how the word sounded to me) Euro. I couldn't tell if she was saying 14 or 40. I knew the guy earlier had quoted me 18, but maybe she was an expert stylist or felt like ripping off a tourist that could not speak in French. I had her write down the price and it turned out to be 14. Thank god! I then tried to pay with the only bill I had in my wallet. The problem was that this bill happened to be a 100. She would not let me pay with the only bill I had on me.

Now I had to pay for a haircut with money that I did not have. Luckily, I brought my debit card to Europe for emergencies like this. A debit card was the perfect solution to my monetary dilemma, but there was a catch. I had not called my bank to tell them I would be traveling abroad. I was worried that the transaction would be cancelled and my card would be declined by my bank. Somehow the french haircut charge slipped through the financial cracks and went through. I tipped her 5 euro and left with a fresh look, a good story, and a debit card that has most likely had all activity frozen by now... Merci (thank you) France!

Lyon - The stop before Spain

Our group managed to make it out of Zurich with our bank accounts(though injured), still intact. A few cool things that you should see/do in Zurich or Geneva:

• Cops arrest two naked men(this is definitely a must see, if only for the awkward looks on the officers faces as they try and escort the men off the premises and I'd do my best to make sure that naked person is not you I hear that foreign prisons aren't as nice.)
• Get lost - Just get off your tram at a random stop, it's a great experience trying to find your way around the city
• Pay 18 franks(about $21) for a piece of bread and coke
• See the worlds largest clock face(note: clock FACE not the world's largest clock)
• Travel 30 minutes outside of the city to see the Cern LHC(Large Hydrogen Collider)

That just about summed up the rest of our time in Switzerland. We did have the opportunity to go the the UN headquarters in Geneva which was actually really great. Only issue was we couldn't afford to go on a guided tour because it was the same price as lunch. Unfortunately, eating is a priority for me so we skipped the tour.

Now for the good stuff. We arrived in Lyon and you could immediately feel the change in attitude. Where the Swiss were cold and unwelcoming the French were warm and jovial. It was like a weird episode of the twilight zone(then again they are all weird so maybe just a regular episode). It took us a total of forty five minutes to meet up with our couch surfing hosts, which was very frustrating. Our host knew relatively little English and I knew absolutely no French so you could imagine how the phone conversation went...not well. We managed to find our host in the subway and she and her friend escorted us to her flat where we would be spending the next few days.

I would like to point out there is a significant difference between couch surfing with a 33 year old school teacher and three 21 year old students, I leave the details up to the imagination for now. The next day we decided to explore Lyon's park and let me say it was friggin awesome. The park is about 150 acres, making it the largest in France, and contains all sorts of wonderful nature related activities. There is a massive zoo in the middle, which is free, two sprawling rose gardens and a lake that would make lake Erie blush(ok maybe I'm exaggerating but it was pretty big). In total it took about three hours to explore its entirety. The whole time I was thinking why is there nothing like this in Florida, something like this brings some serious value to a community. But, I'm not a mayor so I'm probably not qualified to say that.

Tonight we stay again in Lyon and we will explore the old town tomorrow. Our train for Barcelona leaves at 4:30 and we will finally be in Spain at around 11:30. As of my writing this, we do not have a couch to rest our heads on. We'll see if we get lucky between now and 11:30.

-Also Michael left our company today he decided to head to Milan early. Our party is now down to four(Eilis, Matt, Lee, Myself)

Au Revoir,

Billy

Balu und Du Interview

I’m really happy we had the opportunity to work with Balu und Du. Maren’s presentation was short and informative and the video also gave us more insight into how the program works. I was very impressed by the amount of analyses they do on the information they collect via surveys. It was also encouraging that their analyses found that Mowglis in general improve in their interaction and focus inside and outside of the classroom.

The interview with the Balu also went really well. My Balu, Lutz (a political science major interested in law), was slightly reserved at first but as we talked he was willing to share more stories about himself and his Mowgli, Hamno. He has been spending time with his Mowgli since last November. When I asked him how he thinks he will feel when his Balu year is over and he said that he was sure that both he and Hamno will be sad. He also told me that Hamno’s father had passed away a few weeks ago. Although they did not really discuss it much, he admitted that ever since then Hamno had told his teacher that he did not want a Balu anymore. Lutz suspected that he said this because he felt that he had to stay with his mother, who was hysterical about the death of Hamno’s father. We talked about how many children, like Hamno, that come from difficult backgrounds almost lose out on the opportunity of having a fulfilled childhood. We both agreed that Balu und Du gave children like Hamno a little bit of their childhood back.

Lutz’ favorite memory with Hamno was when they were playing a game to promote ‘informal learning’ and Lutz complimented him on his reading skills. He said that right after he gave him this small bit of encouragement, Hamno’s chest swelled up with pride and you could see the confidence on his face. Lutz shyly admitted that he sees a bit of his childhood self in Hamno. He also admitted that Hamno needs encouragement on a regular basis because he is not very confident in his abilities. When I asked why Lutz decided to become a Balu, he told me that his older brother had been a “Balu” for him and still is so he liked the idea of being a similar figure for someone else. I told Lutz that I can relate because I feel like my sister is my “Balu”.

One of the most important things I took away from my interview is that the desire to help others is not specific to a single a nation or peoples. It is universal and there are young people everywhere (just like us) who are willing and capable to make the effort to change their world for the better. This could involve making a barefoot path for children to play on or giving up free time every week to make improve the quality of someone’s life.

When comparing mentorship programs in the United States to Balu und Du, there are certain differences that we recognized as we learned more about the program but the goal is the same. Because each person’s childhood is such a delicate phase in his or her life, a small bit of positive attention and influence at a young age can make a world of difference. What I liked most about my Balu is that he had no specific goals or agenda in terms of his Mowgli. He was very calm when he explained, “we just spend time together” and I realized that is all it takes.

Sara Garcia's Balu und Du blog:

It has been almost one week since our lovely adventure to Germany
ended. I was quite sadden upon my arrival to regular life. No more
waking up early and getting a nutella croissant in the morning. No
more waiting for sleepy people at the lobby and running to the bus
stop. No more of these fun moments shared with amazing people. But, I
must say that I am glad I was able to experience all of these things
and write them down in my own memories. I want to take this
opportunity to thank every single person who was part of this amazing
story. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

On another note, I want to take the time to write about one of the
experiences each one of us had in Osnabruck. It had been planned for
us to interview the student mentors (Balu's) and ask them about their
volunteer work in Balu und Du and also about what it is like to be a
student in Germany.
I have read some of the posts by other students in this blogspot so I
don't want to repeat everything again. Thus, I will only reference
that which I found most interesting during the interview which I held.
First of all, it was quite interesting to find out the ways in which
German student-way-of-life is different than that of the United
States. Most of these students use the public transportation system in
Osnabruck (which is pretty great, by the way) as well as ride their
own bicycles. The Balu was quite surprised when Matt and I told her
most of the students at USF had their own cars and most living outside
of the campus drove them to school everyday. In addition, I want to
reference something I, myself, noticed about the students in
Osnabruck. It seems like most of them "dress up" more than the
students at USF. It might be our "more relaxed" nature which allows us
to dress in what ever manner we desire to.
As our conversation continued, Matt asked the Balu whether there
existed preconceptions and stereotypes of Americans in Germany that
she knew of. She replied by saying that Americans were thought to be
all fat (obese). She added that she was surprised to see that everyone
in our group were not obese! I found this extremely funny but at the
same type somewhat true. I mean, it is not true that all Americans are
obese, but that is the preconceptions of most people outside the US
since media and other sources report on this current problem.
In addition, I was able to talk to the Balu about the differences in
culture between Americans, Germans and even Hispanics. This was a
central topic I tried to view each day in Germany since it seems like
there is such a major difference, at least to me. I asked her if she
had noticed a difference in how loud Americans are compared to
Germans. She nodded, thus I told her that in America, Hispanics were
considered louder than Americans. I added that I couldn't imagine how
loud hispanics would be considered in Germany.
We also asked the Balu whether German students traveled often. Ever
since we started taking the course, we had been noticing that people
in Germany travel a lot more often than people in the States, well, in
general. The Balu nodded and replied by saying that it was really
common for German students to travel to the neighboring countries.
In addition, we spoke to our Balu about Balu und Du and her work at
this organization and with her Mowgli. It's very heart-warming to know
that she, along with many of the Balus, did not perform this type of
volunteer work for a school requirement or anything of the sort. She
is doing it to not only help but to become a better individual at the
personal level. Many of the students in the United States decide to do
volunteer work so that it looks great on tier resumes or to satisfy a
requirement. I am sure many people do perform this type of work to
gain some interpersonal skills and to help people but it would be
great to know that it isn't just because school tells us to do it.
We also spoke of her struggles with her Balu. Her Mowgli has autonomy
issues. It seems like his parents try to do almost everything for him
so when it comes time for him to do something on his own, he stops
believing in himself. This is the main issue she is trying to address
and hopefully help alleviate.
Overall, she believes the organization and the manner in which it is
run is perfect although she thinks the amount of money the Balus
receive each month for activities is not sufficient (10 Euros per
month). She added that she has to pay some things out-of-pocket every
month in order to provide her Mowgli with interesting activities. This
is something she believes should change since it becomes difficult for
college students to provide for such activities.
It was a great experience to interact with the Balus and understand
their work at a personal level instead of just a lecture. It was also
a great moment to interact with a German student and understand their
way of life and analyze some of the differences that each party had
noticed about each other's culture.
On the other hand, I believe this activity should have been planned
for an earlier date in the two weeks since it would have allowed us to
understand some of the culture better as well as the organization and
how it works.

I have been back from Germany for almost a week now, and I have finally come to a fully appreciation of my time there. I thought it would be impossible to suffer culture shock coming back to the country I have lived in for 20 years, yet I can see all of the cultural difference that exist between the United States and Germany now that I am back.
Little things took time to get adjusted to coming back to the United States. For instance, everyone speaking in English all the time became foreign to me. I became so accustomed to everyone speaking German all the time, I began to enjoy the mystery of not understand everything that was going on around me. However, I now know what everyone is saying at all times, and the fun of trying to decipher a "secret language" is completely lost. Another oddity that created a funny encounter was the fact that in the United States, water at a restaurant is free. I recently went out to lunch with Asfiya and Sara, and before they arrived, the waiter asked if I wanted water for everyone. I hesitated and asked him how much it cost, and he looked at me funny, upon which I had to explain to him that I was used to paying for water in Germany. And do not even get me started with the issue that is jet lag!
While in Germany, we had an opportunity to learn about cultural difference with the mentorship programs conducted in both countries. I met with a Balu named Theresa Breikopt who had had a Mogli for a year already. I was surprised by how much was different between the Balu und Du program of Germany and the mentorship programs I have participated with in the United States. For instance, the Balu und Du program does not put an emphasis on school support, but rather is used as a system of guidance in everyday life for the mentees. In almost all mentorship programs I have worked with, the primary emphasis was on school, either with helping a student get through a challenging subject or simply adjust to a new school. Theresa explained that from the beginning, the role of the Balu is established to be more of a confidant and friend rather than an authority figure or school administrator. Another extremely surprising thing is the freedom that the Balus have with the Moglis. First, they are able to meet at the Balu's homes, an act that would almost be considered illegal in the United States. The Balu und Du program is structured in such a way that the Balu has almost free range to do as they see fit with their mentee, allowing them to tailor the program to the relationship as it develops. In mentorship programs I have worked with, the programs have been so structured that at times it is difficult to connect with students and meet the specifications of the program. I also found it incredible that amount of funding and support that Balus get from the program (they are given 10 Euros a month for activities with their students), something I find lacking at times in American mentorship programs.
With all these difference between the Balu und Du program and mentorship programs in the United States, I found one similarity that meant more than all these differences combined. Each Balu has such an immense level of caring and love for their Mogli, which showed itself in the several times that we worked with the Balu und Du program. While speaking with Theresa, I learned that she lost contact with her Mogli because the parents simply did not want to keep up with the relationship. It pained her greatly to lose her friendship, and she was hoping to find another program that would give her a similar opportunity. In the United States, when you find a mentor that genuinely loves what they do, a similar expression of love for their mentee is shown. I feel that it takes a special type of person to become a mentor, and it is shown in the level of commitment they make not only to the program but the person whose life they are changing. Theresa and I spoke about many other things during our time together at the cafe because we saw in each other values that we shared, exemplified while we spoke about the mentorship program.
Being back in America for this time since the trip has opened my eyes to the possibilities the world has to offer. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true. I cannot wait to travel abroad again and see what other parts of the world will offer me.

Memories exist in the wordlessness and stillness of things before

Void

This post may not be logical, or even chronological or complete, but I will try my best to detail that which I have for so long been hesitant to write. 

If I were to give any word to the Berlin weekend, it would be blur. The three days passed carelessly beautiful by just as the fields of yellow and green became mere brushstrokes of colour as our bus sped smoothly on the Autobahn. All I see now is a series of images blended into a stream of memories that will not so soon vanish. The Berlin of books and boring lectures became a brilliant painting with every step upon its streets. There is too much to be said, and I find my words failing me and my vocabulary vanishing. Some things exist in the wordlessness, but I will try to tell stories nonetheless.

I realize I cannot speak specifics, especially not after so much time has passed. I voice themes and a certain rhythm in my words. I start and stop no place in particular. A great heavy sense of somber had fallen upon me, and I can still feel it pressing upon me now even as I look backward in reflection. Memories come: It is Sunday in Berlin. I walked within a hall of crooked walls and angles. I walked upon a field of faces screams, and the loudness of the quiet. I found myself dizzied by the height of the towers and pillars. Staggered I was by my own smallness and near-nothingness. I knew a sense of calm but only because I had been so far drawn in thought. For the entirety of the Berlin weekend, I was awed. Death followed right behind each door we opened to the past. I burned, wept for that which was lost. I disappeared into an inner dialogue, and I began composing narratives of the scenes I had played.

The week that remained passed far too quickly still. The days were indistinguishable and even the details separating them are blurred; it was a great stretch of a strange mix of so many things. Similar sensations and themes found me again. Perhaps the most prominent of my reasons for hesitancy in recollecting was the sense of void that seemed to follow me. First in the Tower of Silence and then stepping over Menashe Kadishman's Fallen Leaves, I experienced an absence almost tangible—an empty space weighing down upon me. The feeling returned Tuesday as I looked upon Bergen-Belsen. The still trees and silence was unnerving. Green of life and peace covered what once was and only remains. The terrors of then are now but history—photographs, film, stories retold—but I felt it. I did not feel anything of what I expected to feel; I do not know what I felt. I just felt it. I felt such a void. Indifference, that was not it. It is something I might only say shared the name of one of Daniel Libeskind’s rooms; it was the Memory Void.

Balu & Du

A Balu is a mentor to an underprivileged child in Germany. The child is appropriately named the du in this relationship. The title of the program is named after Balu and Mowgli from the Jungle Book. The Balu and Du relationship lasts exactly one year. However, the Balu can choose to continue this relationship as long as they would like. Every Balu in the program is required to meet with their Mowgli one time per week and attend a discussion based class one time per week.

Our class had the unique opportunity to interview Balus, bake with Mowglis, and interact with a different culture through the program. The program acted as a gateway into the lives of a German child and a German student. My interview with a Balu was filled with questions about the program. I asked why she decided to join, her favorite experiences with her Mowgli, how her Mowgli has developed from her help, dislikes about the program, and a million other questions. She then had to leave and I met back with my class.

It was then that I met another Balu named Lutz Kraft. This Balu had been interviewed by another classmate of mine named Asphiya. I was invited to go out to lunch with Asphiya and her Balu she had interviewed. Lutz seemed quiet at first, but then opened up about his feelings on the program. Even through a small language barrier, I could tell how much the program has helped his Mowgli. It was only then that I realized this program really does change peoples lives. The Mowglis receive the love and support that they need. The Balus receive a feeling of pure altruism that is only possible through the strong bond a mentoring program can provide. I love the fact that Balu and Du is helping children all over Germany. It is also interesting to note the parallels that exist between similar programs like this in the US. I guess helping people is ingrained somewhere deep down in the DNA that makes us human. Good people really do exist everywhere, even in this far away land called Europe, if one takes the time to look!

A Night Out

I met a really nice girl named Esther my first day in Germany. I was only able to talk to her for a few minutes and then had to leave for a welcome dinner. In typical American fashion, I told Esther I would meet up with her later. For some reason my promise slipped my mind.

I randomly ran into her a full week later. As one could imagine, the meeting was awkward once I had realized my failed fufillment of a promise I made to a German girl. One of the first things I had learned during the spring semester was to always keep your word to a German. I guess I had failed the most basic of courtesy my first night in Germany. In typical male fashion, I sought to make up for being a jerk. Roses were out of the question, but a night out on the town wasn't.

We finally met up a few days later for a dinner. She had been tired from a long day of classes and we settled on a local doner shop. A doner is similar to a gyro in the US. Luckily, I had been to this doner store before and befriended the turkish people that ran the place. Who doesn't mind looking like a boss when out on a date? Esther ordered the food for us in German as I talked to the owners in English. She sat down and I brought over our drinks to the table. I had selected a delicious looking German beer to drink. It was not a screw top and I needed something to open it with. Esther became suspicious that I had not drank any of my beer yet. She went to the front of the store, opened it for me, grabbed a glass, and poured my beer. During the pouring I was wondering if this is typical Germany or is this what Heaven is feels like?

We had started eating at about 9pm and suddenly realized it was now 11pm. When I say suddenly realized, I mean the lights were literally turning off. Esther wanted to go out on the town for cocktail drinks, but was worried it would take to long to get downtown. I told her we should use a cab, and noticed I was leaning back on one. I talked to the owners and told them my dilemma. They offered to take us downtown and I gladly accepted. They even offered me a free pizza before I left for Switzerland. A few cocktails downtown, a cab ride home, and my night out had come to an end.

Zurich - Meeting our couch-surfing host

The greatest asset that Zurich has is it's massive, beautiful lake. It's positioned almost directly in the center of Zurich and as a result the city centers most of its leisure time around it. If the sun is shining you are duty bound to spend it near the waves of Zurich's lake and who were we to disobey?

We started the day taking a two hour tour of the lake. It was great to see the varied landscape and beautiful houses but eventually it all starts to run together. The greatest part of all of it was that the tour was free thanks to our Zurich Card. If you are ever in Zurich buy one of these, it offers you free transit in Zurich and neighboring areas and access to a ton of museums and all around interesting things to do. The whole thing will run you about 30 euros, so it ends up paying for itself.

The rest of the day was spent in various museums and cultural exhibits, sounds boring but it was actually very good. Keep in mind the purpose of this trip is to learn about the various cultures and ways of life, I want to understand and relate to the thought processes of locals. And buy a Swiss army knife because what type of American would I be if I didn't indulge in a countries greatest stereotypes.

7:00 approached and it was time to meet our host for the next few days. Reflecting on the moments approaching the front door I was probably more nervous than a 15 year old boy on his first date with Megan Fox. I rang the doorbell and silently prayed that Melanie(I remembered her name haha) was completely sane. Footsteps shuffled down the staircase leading to the door and we were greeted by an amiable blonde-haired middle aged women. AWESOME! She led us up to her flat, showed us to our room and sat down to chat for awhile. Turns out that Melanie is a school teacher nearby and does couch surfing in order to connect with and learn from other cultures. She had never hosted any Americans before so she was really excited to spend some time with us. She went so far as to create a welcome sign and lay out local maps and brochures. You could immediately tell that Melanie has one of the biggest hearts around, I am looking forward to talking with her and learning from her in the next few days.

After meeting and chatting with Melanie for about thirty minutes the group(still consisting of all five members) decided to go out and try some typical Swiss cheese fondue. First thing to know about dining in Europe, you seat yourselves. We walk in and sit down at a nice sized five person table. The waiter greets us and begins talking about specials and whatnot...in German. I highly recommend at least a rudimentary understanding of each countries language you plan on visiting. Nothing is worse than a huge raging language barrier. Luckily, most service positions know intermediate English so we were able to order two dishes of fondue for the table. We enjoy our meal together(Swiss fondue is amazing, you have to try some) and ask for the bill. Here is where the trouble begins...As it turns out we ordered four orders of fondue in two pots. Issue here is one pot of fondue is about 30 euro. Thank you language barrier. I immediately try and talk to the manager and see if he is willing to reduce the cost for us since it was miscommunication. No dice. Looks like we were footing the 170 euro bill(with drinks and soup). At this point I look at Matt and see the vein in his forehead pulsating at about 3000 mph, or however many damn kilometers that is. Shit, he's about to lose his cool and flip out on the waiter. Here's the conversation:
Waiter: "Is everything ok, sir?"
Matt: "No, nothing is ok. We ordered TWO pots of fondue, I don't want to pay for four."
Waiter(pleading at this point): "Sir, I can't do anything about that. My manager said you ordered 4. You can try talking with him again if you like."
Matt(face the color of a ripe tomato): "Yea go get him"
The manager walks over to the waiter who informs him of the error. He says something in German in hyper speed and then runs to cower in the kitchen from the angry American. We are making friends by the minute in Zurich.
Waiter: "The manager says you ordered 4 I have to charge you"
Matt is about to say something, when I hand the waiter 50 euros(our portion of the bill) and tell him it's time to leave. We get out of there and Matt is still fuming. You can see the steam billowing out of his ears and into the night sky..."Dude he just scammed us like we were tourists" "Matt, we are tourists" "Yea, but that's not fair" "Life's not fair Matt" "Ugh". Then we got ice cream(which was 5 euros a scoop by the way) and calmly returned to Melanie's place to sleep.

Interview with a Balu

Osnabrück

In the final days of Spring School, we were involved in a day of interviews with the Balu’s. I was paired with Anne Maya (Facebook name) who is a former student of Osnabrück University. At first, I was hesitant to hear about “interviews” and having to prepare a list of questions in order to gauge the development and involvement of the Balu with the Balu und du program. But, the informality of the interview caused an easy shift from “interview” to a relaxed conversation. I mention informality because during our time together, Anne took me to the botanical garden where she works. One of her projects involves opening a museum about plants.

During our discussion, I mentioned a few key components about the Balu und du program which I felt I could relate my own experiences with. For instance, I asked Anne, “Have you ever had issues with your child being uninterested or disengaged?” Quickly she replied, “Yes, my mogli is very introverted and it is really difficult to get him to do anything.” With her reply, one could notice in her voice there was a little frustration in her voice. However, I asked her what exactly was going on with the child and she told me the story. From what I understand, the child doesn’t have the self-confidence to go out and play. He constantly doubts himself and is in need of reinforcement before attempting any kind of new activity. It seems he’s afraid of failure.

As a solution, I mentioned the possibility of rewarding him for being more active outside. However, Anne has tried on numerous occasions to coax the boy from his shell with little success. Therefore, we worked through the problem and found the best solution may be positive reinforcement in balance with compromise. Whenever they see each other, Anne will take the initiative to say, “Ok, I’ll play cards with you for 30minutes, but then we go outside and play for 30minutes, also.” I feel this is the best method for them to begin forming a strong bond and allow for the mogli to break out of his shell to discover his own self-confidence.

Compared with my own mentorship experience, I feel nothing can compare with the one on one interaction of a mentor with their mentee. I believe over ½ of all communication is nonverbal, so when there is no opportunity for the nonverbal communication (gestures, smiling, laughter, etc.) I feel much of a statement’s meaning is lost. I fell victim to this during the online mentorship project. It was very difficult for my mentee to hold a conversation because I felt we had no relationship to hold onto and sink our roots in. Although I do feel the mentorship project with the Tallahassee children worked, the effect is minimal in comparison to one on one contact and interaction outside of the classroom as demonstrated by the “Balu und du” program.

This class has truly become much more of an experience than I had ever anticipated. The people I met, the classmates I interacted with, the friends I made, and the memories I’ll never forget have become priceless to me. Despite my worries about the financial burdon this class would become, it almost seems irrelevant in comparison to the stories I will have for the rest of my life about the “Balu und du” program and Germany.

Woche Zwei

Celle and Bergen-Belsen

The former grounds of the camp were serene and empty. The mass graves were just short wide mounds of earth. There was nothing left of the peoples' quarters except that which had been added later: a few bricks with the names, dob, date of death, country of origin, and prisoner number. Seeing a rusted piece of barbed wire near the quarters is what really got to me. Later on, in the museum, there was more with part of the fence:

Frankly, I don't want to imagine what it would've been like to see that every day and realizing that it kept you trapped inside with the guards, disease, and starvation.

Our interviews with the Balu's was generally done in pairs of USF with one Balu. Our Balu, Vanessa, was a nice girl who had joined the program because she had wanted to work with children. We talked a little of culture, travel, and Germany. I wouldn't say I learned very much, unfortunately. But it was nice to talk and allowed me to put myself in her shoes and see what she did with her Mowgli. Hiking, painting, and reading helped the child be more integrated and outspoken.

Farewell Dinner @ Kartoffelhaus

After finding the place, Allan and I experienced Maiwoche a little bit. The festival had plenty of food, beer, and game stands to keep it fun. They also had several stages with live music. The beer I bought wasn't very good, but it was cheap. The bands spent a lot of time setting up and tearing down and it was just okay music. I never really got in the festive mood, but Maiwoche was neat. When it was time to meet up at Kartoffelhaus, we met up outside and signed the gifts that we were going to give to our student tutors and Dr. Kleine. Verena brought all of us CD's and a certificate and there were speeches and toasts made. The atmosphere was one of giving and I was taken aback by the incredible thoughtfulness on the part of Verena and company. It was a truly amazing experience to have the staff we had and I was really impressed with everything. Kartoffelhaus had a nice meal for us. To sum, good food, good drink, and the best company.

Our tour of Munster was so-so but the ancient cathedral along the main boulevard which displayed flags along its length was quite the scene. The city was nice and pretty but off that main street turned into a modern town. The inside of the church did not match the magnificence of it's exterior but inside we learned of religious zealots who overtook the town and were basically a militant cult who in the end got their just reward: their bodies were not given sacraments but instead were held in cages hung from the main steeple of the cathedral so that the birds may have their way. I do not recall the exact method of execution, I think it may have been beheading, but their capture was ordained once the nobility returned to town. The rest of our trip consisted of travel, a stay in a hotel and then more travel.

I am glad to be home for friends and family but once arriving here I have fond wishes of Europe and its people. There are parts of Europe I want to have with me but there are parts of the US which I feel so accustomed to as well. I will not make the judgement that one country is "better" than the other or anything like that. I have really not explored either country very much and don't feel I could make that judgement in all truthfulness. But this trip has fed my wanderlust and I intend that I shall return to Germany (probably specific Bavaria, and maybe Berlin again) and my desire to see the rest of Europe has grown tremendously. But for now, I am home and rested.

Welcome to Switzerland

I just spent 6 USD on two cheeseburgers. Am I out of my mind?

Not quite the welcome I was expecting in Zurich. A little bit of research later and I come to find out it was on the top 5 most expensive cities...in the world. Brutal.

Despite that, the atmosphere here is COMPLETELY different than Germany. The people here are all dressed much more fashionably, you can't go two inches without seeing a man dressed in a full on suit. The woman sport much more makeup and tighter fitting clothes. Judging from peoples body language and hard looks I feel that money, power, and physical attractiveness are very important here.

After checking in at the hostel Matt and I realized we had a serious issue. We were going to run out of money. Zurich was going to do some serious damage to our wallets on food alone, the lodging was a whole new story. So what do college students do when we run out of money for rent? Sleep on peoples couches. Enter couchsurfing.com, the holy grail for broke vagabonds across the world. Matt and I spent the night creating a profile and trying to find somewhere for us to sleep...Our phone ends up ringing after about two hours of perusing, a woman whos name I have forgotten while writing this offers to put our entire group of 5( Eilis, Matt, Myself, Lee, Michael) up for two days! This is great...I think. Haha. We meet up with her tomorrow evening, so if my blogs suddenly end you know where to look.

Other than meeting our host for the next few days we will be exploring all of the museums and culture we can fit into a single day. I will write again soon. Also, I have not forgotten about my Balu y du post Mr. Lucien I will write it ASAP.

-Billy
It has been awhile since I last blogged, here is the catchup:

Munich was wild. I never knew Bavaria had so many different breweries and that all of them were excellent(I don't think my taste buds will ever adjust back, I just had a beer in Zurich and nearly spat it out). We were lucky enough to attend a brewery tour on the second night in Munich which allowed us to experience all of the differing brewing processes, all the way from top down to bottom up. Our tour guide was Eric from North Carolina, he actually moved to Germany for the beer and has lived here for 37 years. That just goes to show you how good it really is. Did I mention it was served in liters? Have fun.

After experiencing some of the Bavarian tradition we opted to explore Fussen the next day with Tuckers family. The goal in traveling to Fussen was to hike up to the castle of Neuschwanstein, which is what the famous Disney castle is based off of. We arrived at Fussen and began our hike, we realized it was not going to be a fun trip up, maybe the brewery tour the night before was a bad idea. We powered on and made it to a waterfall near the castle. I can begin to describe the scene...It was something straight out of a storybook. Pictures later! After snapping a few photos Tucker, Matt, and I decide to run a little bit ahead of the group(well Tucker decided and Matt and I followed...I should have learned not to follow Tucker anywhere in Osnabruck). We ended up climbing an additional 50 or so feet up the side of the mountain. Did I mention that this was in no way a constructed path, and that we were clinging to roots and rocks the whole way up? Tucker is crazy and Matt and I are worse for following! But we lived to take pictures at the top, and they were definitely worth the trek up. Great experience, in fact I think that hiking was more enjoyable than actually visiting the castle.

We parted ways with Tucker and his family that evening with the promise to go to Montana with them over Christmas Break. I'm really looking to forward to that. After our goodbyes, we were able to sleep soundly knowing that we conquered Munich and were on our way to a new country in the morning.

Stealing the Maypole

The Maypole is a huge wooden pole that is put up on the first of May. It is often colorful and decorated before being put up for the town to see. A lesser known tradition of Munich(Germany) is to steal nearby towns Maypoles before they go up on May 1. The thieving town is then rewarded with a festival thrown by the town who had their Maypole stolen. The festival consists of massive quantities of free food and drink. On May 1st, all towns check the news to see who had their Maypoles stolen.

In recent years, technology has aided the thieves in stealing Maypoles. A Maypole was stolen a couple years ago via helicopter lift. The town without a Maypole complained that they would not throw a festival for the thieving town. Their argument was that a theft of this magnitude was not in the spirit of the original game. The case then went to court, and the judge ruled in favor of the helicopter theft.

Another funny story about stealing the Maypole involved Google. Towns attempt to hide their Maypole before they erect it on May 1st. A clever town decided to hide their Maypole in the woods were NOBODY would find it. However, a quick look on Google Earth by the adjacent town showed exactly where the secret location was. It is interesting to learn about old traditions, changes in them, and how technology has affected them!

Final Post

Now that the USF/Uni. Osnabruck trip has come to a close, and now that I have started my adventures in other parts of Germany, I can reflect on the experiences I had over the past two weeks.

I must admit that I originally was questioning the Balu und Du program as a good use of our time. I thought it seemed like a waste to fly all the way to Germany just to spend some time with kids, or to do some “American Baking,” or something similar- activities that I did not even do in the states! I didn’t really think that I would gain any skills or experiences from my time on this program- only some memories of a volunteer service program and mentorship experience, and wishing I was sleeping or something similar. Much to my surprise, this was not the case at all. I found every minute I spent at the Balu und Du program to be highly rewarding. Working hard in the outdoor garden to make the barefoot path or the benches was made worth it when all the young Mowglis came out there to play a few days later. The baking program was fantastic, working together with the Balu and the Mowgli, Jacob and I were able to make some fantastic Rice Krispie treats! It really made me realize that the mentorship program, while hugely benefiting the mentee in a developmental sense, also benefits the mentor in a variety of ways.

This became extremely apparent when I had the interview session with the Balu that Emily and I were paired with, Britta. She talked with us about the various challenges facing her in this program. Many of them seemed to come from the language barrier with the mother of her Mowgli. She talked to us about a time that her Mowgli fell in a lake and was so worried about being punished at home that she, too, began to worry. This ended up being for nothing as the Balu’s father was very understanding. Events like these seem to be part of what makes the program great, but Britta also mentioned the changes she felt on a personal level. She discussed how she was able to become more emotionally perceptive, and how she rediscovered her inner child, as a result of this program. She talked about how this program made her a more mature and more aware individual. I thought to myself about how this program affected me, and I found that I felt much the same way. The Balu program was highly rewarding, and I feel like it was a great addition to the many activities that we did on this trip.

Speaking of the remainder of the trip, I thought it was fantastic. I never actually noticed how jam-packed our school trip was. I have been enjoying this third week of the trip outside of the school schedule, but it is odd to not have all kinds of fantastic tours to historical sites lined up. I feel like everything in this trip was done exactly the way I wanted it to be- many of the tours felt like an interactive, on-site history class, and that was exactly the way I wanted it to be.

This was a fantastic trip, I would highly recommend it to anybody considering it. Thanks again to all at USF and Uni. Osnabrueck for a great time!

Reflections Part 1

I have been to Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Osnabrück, Celle, Berlin, Bergen-Belsen, and Münster, over the course of the entire cultural exchange program. In retrospect I am suprised at the amount of things we did while we were on the trip. There was barely any rest as we found ourselves constantly traveling, engaging in group activities and exploring the city, the culture, and its people in between. The hustle and bustle of it all made the trip the life enriching experience that it was, and allowed the friendships between us flourish. There was rarely ever a dull moment or an uninteresting day spent in germany. Instead we were constantly being challanged to grow and rise up to the challenges of the day. Some were the conventional troubles of tourists, such as the constant issue of language barriers, city buses, and all the things that at the end of the day aren't of much importance, but they are the type of things you take for granted and always put you on edge, reminding you that it isn't your usual enviroment.

Our journey's beginning recieved a warm welcome in Osnabrück. Everywhere we went, we were met with good food, and great company. The locals were eager to assist us and teach is in their ways to bring us out of our utter confusion. Certainly we could have expected some things in Germany would be differently than what we were used to in the states, some for the better or worse. Culturally speaking we floundered like fish out of water initially, but soon came to realize that things were not as dire as they initially seemed. The locals all had a good understanding of english, which probably made our goofy looking sign language and loud repetition of words seem a bit obnoxius to them. They certainly were much more prepared for us than we were for their culture, and have accomodated us in a manner that I am grateful for. However, we did adjust to the customs of the city and soon we were running amok, skillfully using the public transportation system while navigating cities at ease. I think many of us found many new things in germany to be greater than simply novel, and perhaps even preferred the systems that were embellished here to their counterparts back at home. Particullarly, the transportation really impressed me as a much more efficient system that successfully makes owning your own car a more antiquated system of life, something that will prove to be a key part of the puzzle as the increase of population further increases the strain on the infastructures of cities (Especially now that many are back in the US enveloped in the marvels of the traffic jam). It easily was the most valuable tool that we had and was our vessel for exploration throught the city, and is an inescapable cornersone of the Eurpean way of life. Amongst the other skills that we learned, our language classes proved to be vital as we deciphered the dialect and further tuned our ears to the new sounds we were hearing. Quickly we learned to pick up words from conversations. I'm still working on combining context and meaning to the sounds produced by the people, in addition to creating my own german sentances (undoubtably with awfull grammar) but I found it to be a usefull initiation into the german language, an endevour that I plan on further investigating in.

City tours were an interesting way to learn about the culture of the people. The nightwatchman tour was noteworthy for the clever mixture of humor and insight into the history of Osnabrück, as well as really delivering in the sightseeing department, offering us a view of the city that was aweinspiring and breathtaking from the top of a cathedral. Each story was crammed with a perspective that was fresh compared to the usual drags of your average city tour, enlightening us with insights that could only be delivered by a native of the city. I was also left stunned by the artwork at the Feelix Nussbaum Museum, which catalogued his amazing talent, presenting it in a tasteful manner that did justice to the messages of his paintings. His works have been forever etched in my mind.

Part 2 is on its way.

Fin?

The course has officially concluded. The tours are over. The language classes come to an end. The familiar chatter of our exuberant group silenced. Still, in true Honors student fashion, I refuse to acquiesce to the writings of T.S. Eliot. This blog post is no whimper.

So let us resume where we left off. I last wrote concerning our spectacular Berlin trip. Much has taken place since then, none of it any less important. Our group visited the historical city of Celle, the infamous camps of Bergen-Belsen, and the beautiful city of Muenster.

Celle. A city whose beauty has withstood the grim history of its country. Celle is most notable for the fact that it stands as one of the only historical cities that was never bombed in either of the great wars. No flames have licked the ancient wood of these buildings. No shells directed towards its picturesque streets. It is preserved. A living monument of the progression from past to present.

The concentration camps of Bergen-Belsen were no less an interesting visit. Moving from a delicious German lunch in Celle amongst friends to the site where thousands were calculatingly executed would require inner preparation. The bus ride there was evidence enough of this. There was the typical level of chatter and conversation but immediately after coming into range of the camp there was silence. There was no cue. Nobody pointed the camp out. A busful of unsettled students entered those solemn grounds with a hush of respect and an air of disconcertion. The tour began with a brief introduction to the organization and history of the camp. The guide shared with us photos of places we'd soon visit. Chilling photos of a gruesome time we won't soon forget. We then walked outside to the mass graves, stood infront of the former location of the barracks, and eyed the pebble-covered memorials with quiet reverence. It was a simple tour, not much needed to be said. Just a minor understanding of the events which took place was all that was needed to touch the coldest of hearts. There was only one sound which seemed out of place in the serenity of the camp. Situated next to the site is apparently a military training area. The sound of exploding shells along with the rhythmic ra-tat-tat of gun fire was constantly ringing amongst the surrounding forest. I wasn't sure what I thought about this. On one hand it lended an eerily appropriate context to the camp. On the other it broke the tranquility and calm of the place. Odd, too, was the idea of an area designed to train the practice of killing located next to a memorial for those who had been killed...

Muenster is beautiful. This city was built around an ancient monastery (from which it draws its name) and has since grown into a sprawling garden of German life. This is no Berlin, there is no bustle of cars or horizon specked with towering skyscrapers. The cobbled streets and stone houses along the mainroad speak of a quieter lifestyle. The gingko trees and bicycle-focused transportation give this city a very different feel from the industrial grey of others. I definitely enjoyed this tour. Though short, it showed another perspective to Germany's culture.

Much has also occured in the area of Balu and Du since last contact. So let's see, first things first. Food. We were to make the Mowgli's a few typical American snacks. The options were smores, fruit smoothies, rice crispy treats, chocolate chip cookies, and mud pies. Alyssa and I were tasked with preparing the mud pies with the kids. So just in case you, Mr/Mrs/Ms reader, have no idea what a mud pie is, let me explain. We did not gather wet earth from the nearest pond nor did we harvest this snack in buckets after a rain. A mud pie is a snack comprised of chocolate pudding, crushed Oreo cookies, and gummy worms. The general method of preparation is to place some pudding in a cup, followed by Oreo crumbs, and then a few gummy worms are thrown in. The process is then repeated to create a layered cup of that great ol' American dish: mud pie. Well, seeing as this dish isn't very difficult to make, we figured we would let the two Mowgli's at our station make them. The ingredients are gathered at the table and a few bags to crush the Oreos in are obtained. Have you ever given something to a child and then told them they could crush it? Ohmigawsh. The poor cookies never stood a chance. It was like throwing a turkey leg into a pit full of starving lions. Not even double bagging the cookies prevented pieces of chocolate from scattering across the table. Meanwhile, the remaining cookies could only sit, frozen in horror, as they awaited their doom. But! The pies were completed successfully and soon we were out in the garden playing a game of soccer with Balus and Mowgli's alike. It was a great chance to interact with those involved in the program.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to interview the Balu's in a casual setting. We were informed that there would be two from our group for every Balu for each interview. There I was with my interviewing buddy Alyssa when who other than Mr. Lucien should come sauntering over. I was going to get my own Balu to interview. It was to be just me and a Balu. Of course, I ran through some nightmarish situations where she'd be speaking something in German at me frantically and I'd be left sitting there. Alone and afraid. But I took the chance and accepted. Mr. Lucien is like Yoda. Somehow he knew that by pushing me to do a one-on-one interview I'd be better off. I was like a baby hawk. Mr. Lucien was the big hawk pushing me out of the nest. He wasn't the mother hawk of course. That'd be weird. Unless he kidnapped my egg long ago with the intention to eat me, but I hatched too soon and my lovable hawk-charm won him over. But I don't think Hawk-Lucien would eat hawk eggs anyway. He's a cool hawk. Anyway, I was like a baby hawk. Once I was pushed from the nest, I fell a few feet, hit a branch or two on my way down, looked around, then ushered my feeble little wings forth to catch the glorious wind of success. In other words, the interview went well. There were only three or four awkward silences which I efficiently dispatched with a question I probably already knew the answer to. It was kind of like a bag of popcorn in the microwave. At first the bag just sits there. Then a few kernels pop. Then all of a sudden the popping frequency increases! Kernels are frantically popping left and right! Then the popping slows down. Eventually the kernels slow to less than one pop every few seconds and that's when you know the popcorn is done. Of course, in this scenario the popping kernels were questions.
After the popcorn was done, I told her I was going off to buy a jacket. Her eyes lit up. She was apparently a huge shopping person. She knew all the stores in the area and she usually went shopping in between classes. Score. She tagged along to the sports clothing store and I got a stylin' new jacket for a great price with little to no hassle. I choose to believe that herr Lucien knew that this would happen. I owe Yoda-Hawk-Lucien a high five.

Then of course, there was the farewell dinner. Our food was ordered, drinks were delivered, and raucous prosts were had all around. It was a great restaurant and an even greater setting for the evening's proceedings. We surprised our hosts with humble gifts thanking them for everything they had done for us. Then we ourselves were surprised when they distributed to us a certificate, photo disc, and commerative picture for taking part in the program. Osnabrueck Spring School ist toll. The people in charge were incredibly kind and organized. One could hardly tell this wasn't a program which had been in place for years. We said our goodbyes to some of the organizers and went back to our dorm buildings for the evening.

The rest of the trip was more or less a blur. We were whisked onto a train to Frankfurt upon return from Muenster and soon we had arrived at the hotel, the final destination of our journey. From here our group separated into clusters and we spent the final night of our trip in the company of friends.

The trip itself is now over. Our group separated and set upon their individual paths. We may forget some of the historical facts presented to us during this trip. We might not remember exactly how Osnabrueck was arranged. But there are some things that will not fade and those are perspective and friendship. We are no longer Americans visiting Europe. We are humans living on Earth. Hopefully the trip has instilled in us an antidote to the horrible effect of tunnel vision so frequently encountered in the average citizen. Far more important though are the bonds formed on this trip. I learned quite a bit about those in our group, some things surprising, other things not so much, but I'm sure I don't speak soley for myself when I say I've made new friends. Amazingly great friends in fact. I sincerely wish all of those in our group wonderful travels and the best of luck in whatever you're pursuing. As for myself, I will make an attempt to continue posting about my continued travels in Europe.

Till next time amigos.