TAMARA
Program Director
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TAMARA
Program Director
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The 2017 IPDS-Germany crew has hit the ground running in Berlin! A day of activities completed well before we in Buffalo hit the 24 hour mark since their departure from campus to the Toronto airport. The cohort – 5 students from Elementary Ed & Reading and 3 students from Exceptional Ed – are led by veteran traveler, John Carlino, and our new co-leader, Patty Recchio of the Teacher Certification Office. The group has three weeks of very full days. They start with a “walking weekend” in Berlin where John keeps the group moving throughout the city, sharing his wealth of knowledge about the history, trends and architecture of the city. Berlin also includes a visit to the Reichstagskuppel and Jewish History Museum, both of which are humbling experiences. Next week they move on to their host homes in the Stuttgart area where they will spend their mornings observing and teaching in their hosts' schools and touring nearby hot spots, including my favorites…a visit to picturesque Tübingen and the Black Forest. While I am sad that I cannot join in the revelry this year, I am content with the engaging schedule that we have put together – with the guidance and foot-work of our partner at the Institute Nürtingen, Manfred Kupper – to immerse the students in a memorable and educational experience. I am excited to follow their adventure through their blog reflections and hope that others (you!) will join me! The students have shown great confidence in themselves and great interest in the teaching experiences they will have with their host teachers and classrooms. And I have confidence that their group photos FROM Germany will find them looking into the same camera...since they won't have a 15-person paparazzi while abroad! Many thanks to all the family who helped send them off!
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Finally!
Just as the majority of the group boards their flight for Dublin (I am staying in Europe longer) and the program comes to an end, I finally have the time and a bit of energy to write. I had the misfortune of getting sick just a few days into the trip and have remained sick since. The combination of a full schedule, an intense head/sinus/throat/chest 'thing', minimal amounts of sleep, and pregnancy (surprise!) have given my body quite the beating. Despite all these personal health struggles, I greatly enjoyed the past 2 weeks touring and engaging Germany with a superb group of Buffalo participants and local hosts. The participants have proven themselves flexible, self-sufficient, interested, and positive...excellent traits for group travel. John and I each had a rental car for transport, but our hosts were so helpful, and the participants were so willing and excited to use public transportation, that we did not have to spend hours in the cars dropping off and picking up people for our excursions. I'm so grateful for that! Throughout the majority of the program all of us lived with host families who provided lodging and companionship. Because of this we were able to gain a familiarity with much of German society and culture that we would not otherwise experience if we stayed in hotels/hostels. Our hosts shared favorite local spots off the tourist track, answered our questions and explained what we are seeing better than any guidebook could. I consider this a great gift. It has been fun to learn what US to Germany differences the students are noticing - from "weird" doorknobs to "brilliant" traffic lights, from the temperature of drinks and lack of window screens to availability of public transportation and lack of litter. I was pleased to see how they are able to laugh at their responses to awkward encounters with these new bits and pieces of everyday life in Germany For me there are many differences I enjoy - especially in the state of Baden Wurttemberg where we stay. One that I most greatly appreciate is the extent to which the communities conserve and reuse, then separate and recycle materials. Our hosts have a place for everything before it moves on to its next stage of life...a compost bin for unprocessed food waste, a basket for paper scraps, bags for all the bits of packaging that come with food/clothing/goods purchases, and crates for returning glass and plastic bottles. They advised us that, in their area, the recycling will be picked up regardless of how much/often it is put out, but there is a set amount of garbage that will be retrieved; and if residents need more service for garbage they will be charged a fee. Even the train stations have separate bins for every type of waste, and many waysides have compost bins. It would seem revolutionary if it weren't so obviously the right and possible thing to do. Perhaps the US will catch up one day but for now... Germany is my 'green dream' world! As I make final preparations for our group of 8 participants to travel to Germany next week, I can’t help but reflect on the 8 participants who recently returned from Chile as part of a similar program within our International PDS consortium.
While abroad, the IPDS-Chile group also shared their experiences through individual blogs. I was able to stay up-to-date on the participants’ entries, as well as those of program leader Angela Patti, and was impressed with the sentiments many shared. In particular, as each day unfolds towards Europe and I will embark on my own role as program facilitator, I work to keep in mind one particular insight shared by Dr. Patti: Plans are just possibilities. Like Dr. Patti, I rely and thrive on lists and plans that are checked and rechecked (and..."Bev, can you check this for me one last time?"). Although I am comfortable with making changes once we arrive at a destination, prior to that I want every piece of the original schedule to align perfectly and to be outlined in great detail. For me there are few things so frustrating as realizing a gap or overlap in a plan once it’s already been implemented, especially if the mistake could have been avoided. So I review the schedule daily, playing out each excursion in my head to make sure nothing is amiss. At this point I am happy to say it feels solid. The most I can do is aesthetic but really, how many times can a girl adjust fonts and spacing? (It's endless, trust me). Plans are just possibilities. A perfect mantra for those of us who generally consider agendas a published manuscript, and view any internal or external spoils as we might a snowstorm on a July picnic. Then again…if it snows in July, what else is there to do but pull on some boots, grab a hot cocoa, and make snow angels? This is one thing I love about travel. For all the organizing and Plan B preparing, once a trip has begun you just have to ride the ride. There really isn’t another choice. You can’t delete and redo. You can’t take your ball and go home. Every adjustment is a personal test. Am I going to take a breath and find the answer? Or freak out and STILL have to find the answer? I'm excited to get to know this new group of participants and to take our plan and see what possibilities lie ahead. |
AuthorThrough my work in the SOE dean's office I have the great fortune of facilitating two international programs - Germany and Dominican Republic - and working with faculty to coordinate all of the unit's International teach and study abroad efforts. In addition I serve as the communications director for the unit, managing the websites, events, and publications. My background is in English (literature and writing), Spanish, and education, with a current focus on Waldorf and Montessori models of education. ArchivesCategories |