BAILEYEnglish Education Undergraduate |
BAILEYEnglish Education Undergraduate |
As of today, I have been back home in Buffalo for just under a week. In that time, I have felt a poignant mixture of joy and loss. By the end of my trip, I was beginning to long for home. I missed my family and my fiance, but I also began craving small things that I never would have expected to miss so profoundly: being able to get into my car and drive anywhere I wanted, my air conditioner, and time alone. As close as I became with my cohort, I am still an introvert at heart; I was ready to hole up in my room for a couple of days and recharge my social battery. Finally arriving home after an entire day of travel felt like such a relief. It was wonderful to eat some Buffalo wings (the best wings in Western New York are Barbill's cajun honey butter barbeque wings, and I will not accept criticism on this point), drink a cold sour beer, and surround myself in ice cold air conditioning before sleeping in my own bed. Even going back to work felt oddly comforting. Something about the everyday aspects of my life, like a shift at Wegmans or dinner with my parents, felt special and precious in a way they hadn't before. Aside from bringing me a greater appreciation for the world around me, traveling abroad helped me to appreciate the simple aspects of my life in an entirely new way. There is something beautiful about the everyday that I hadn't recognized until being separated from my creature comforts for three weeks.
Once I had reveled in everything I had missed for a few days, the sadness of leaving behind one of the greatest experiences of my life sank in. Saying that this has been life changing sounds corny and overdone, but I honestly don't know how else to describe my trip. I will never forget the inner peace I felt while hiking in the Swiss alps, the exhilaration of paragliding over mountains, or the laughter my cohort and I shared at a wine festival in the Black Forest. I am so happy to have met the people I traveled with and feel proud of myself for maintaining a positive attitude even on the days I felt homesick. To any potential IPDS students who are considering applying - put in your application. I was anxious and unsure of myself when I applied, but taking this trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made. You will not regret taking a chance on this program. To my fellow cohort members and my group leaders - thank you for the experience of a lifetime. Prost!
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Tomorrow, my cohort and I will be departing Germany and heading back home to Buffalo. As I reflect on the past three weeks, I feel deeply grateful for the experiences I have had and the bonds I have formed. Before leaving, I felt very nervous about the fact that I didn't know my cohort very well; we had weekly meetings to get to know one another, but we weren't close friends. Now, this group of people feels like a second family. Traveling truly does bring people together and I couldn't have asked for a better group to go across the world with.
My biggest takeaway from my time in German schools is the opportunity we have as humankind to communicate and form a better world. Although I deeply love teaching, I believe that our American education system is fundamentally flawed and inequitable. Because I admire many political systems of European countries, I anticipated falling in love with nearly every aspect of German education. I was surprised to find that there were actually some things that I believe America has more detailed, actionable solutions for - particularly special education, differentiation, and communication with parents. I of course do not mean to disrespect the schools I have been welcomed into; I have observed many practices that I feel America could benefit from. Their approach to teaching languages early in life is what I admire most. I also appreciate that they use technology in moderation, teach students to resolve conflicts amongst themselves, and allow their kids plenty of time to play outside. Both America and Germany have valuable practices that the other nation could benefit from. This realization was extremely valuable for me as both an educator and as a human being. Because I sometimes feel so frustrated with our education system, I tend to have a "grass is always greener on the other side" mentality. In reality, every country and society has their strengths and weaknesses. I am looking forward to applying what I have learned here to my own teaching back home, and I hope that our German host teachers were able to gain some knowledge from us as well. If we can all come together as a larger whole, we can make education better for everyone. This has been an incredible experience and I will forever be grateful for everything I have done during these three weeks. I am, however, looking forward to arriving in Buffalo tomorrow night - I get to see my family, hug my fiance, and eat some good Buffalo pizza. After a week of observations, school visits, and tours of Germany, the entire cohort was happy yet exhausted. Our host teachers were kind enough to organize a weekend excursion to Freiburg, a beautiful city in the Black Forest. We all drove up to Freiburg with our hosts on Friday afternoon and enjoyed a lovely dinner and game night. On Saturday we spent most of the day lounging by the lake; we ate delicious snacks, tanned, swam, and chatted for hours. We ended the night with a trip to the city's famous wine festival, which was one of the highlights of my trip. The weekend concluded with a lovely breakfast on Sunday morning before we all headed back to our host homes.
Since we arrived in Germany, our cohort hasn't been able to spend quite as much time together as we did for the first leg of the trip. After ten days of constantly exploring with this group of people, it felt strange to suddenly be separated, so this weekend was exactly what we all needed. We were able to talk, laugh, and share plenty of food and wine. Our German host teachers were also able to put aside their work to enjoy a couple days of rest and relaxation. One member of the German cohort observed that they almost never have the opportunity to go an entire day without working, so the trip to the lake was beneficial for both of our groups. As incredible as this experience has been, traveling can be both emotionally and physically tiring. Being surrounded by an unfamiliar language and new experiences is exciting, but also overwhelming. It is so important to pause and take care of your mental health while abroad. This weekend was a perfect opportunity for our two cohorts to come together, rest, and find common ground. There is less than a week now until I'll be arriving back home in Buffalo. The homesickness is starting to set in, but I am also going to miss my cohort so much. We have become such a close-knit group and they truly have started to feel like my second family. Here's to enjoying our last week in Germany! Today has been a chaotic day to say the least. Our cohort was supposed to meet each other in front of a train station before heading to a local Waldorf school to visit. I unfortunately took the wrong train and ended up being very, very late. Getting home wasn't much better - I ended up arriving at the wrong station with 1% phone battery and only a halfway-decent idea of how to get to my host home from there. Thankfully, I was able to call one of my friends from the cohort and send her my location. One of our group leaders, Brandon, was kind enough to pick me up and take me back home. Although this was an extremely anxiety inducing experience, it made me fully appreciate how difficult it can be to navigate new spaces - both literally and metaphorically. In a situation at home, I could have simply used Google maps, hopped in my car, and driven to my destination. Here, I had to cope with signs in a foreign language, an unfamiliar railway system, and perpetually late trains. I truly appreciate the community I have built with my cohort and that I was able to rely on them to help me when I got lost. Traveling has been so deeply rewarding, but it is also full of obstacles and stress. My advice to future IPDS travelers: always bring a portable charger, use the buddy system, and don't be afraid to call someone for help. It's better to be a little bit embarrassed about missing a train than completely lost in a foreign country. Rely on your group members to guide and help you; those relationships will be fulfilling and comforting while you get through both the wonderful days of travel and the trying ones. Before arriving in France, I was in awe of how safe and peaceful Switzerland felt. I took walks at night without fear of being harassed, I walked right into an elementary school without showing ID, and I was constantly greeted and helped by strangers. While I of course do not mean to generalize an entire country based on one brief visit, France felt very different. Our time here was unfortunately marked by protests surrounding the killing of a seventeen year old boy who was shot by French police. In retaliation to this horrific murder, French citizens have rioted for the past several days. Many shops and restaurants closed early this evening in preparation for a scheduled mass protest, and we were urged by locals to stay safe and close to our hotel. We also saw police officers wielding AR-15's paroling the city. The entire situation was both frightening and eye-opening. Because of our abysmal history with gun violence in the United States - particularly the deaths of people of color at the hands of police - I always thought of police brutality as a uniquely American problem. It was jarring to see events that mirrored the Black Lives Matter protests occur here in France. It makes me deeply sad to know that hate and violence can be anywhere - even beautiful countries that we as Americans tend to romanticize and idealize. My heart hurts for the boy that was killed, for the grieving protesters, and for every single person that has been affected by gun violence - regardless of the country they come from. I truly never would have expected to witness the panic and pain I saw today. As difficult as this experience was, it reminded me that the problems we face at home are not limited to America. We have to do better as a human race, not just as a nation. I feel so grateful for my cohort's comfort and support today, as well as for my safety. I grieve for the violence that persists both at home and abroad and hope to be a part of a better future. Today is the cohort's final day in Switzerland and I'm sorry to say goodbye to this beautiful country! Even though we are less than a week into our journey, I can already see why people say that traveling abroad is life-changing. It has been so illuminating to navigate new spaces and situations. Although many people here do speak English, the language barrier still exists at times. It forces me to be thoughtful in how I communicate and reminds me that my language and way of life are not always the default. I have also been struck by how friendly everyone has been! I took an evening walk near my hotel a few days ago and was greeted by nearly everyone I passed. My friends and I have received advice and ideas about how to spend our time here and have had wonderful conversations with total strangers. Being in a completely foreign place can be stressful, but having kind strangers and a wonderful cohort nearby has made it manageable and enjoyable.
During my trip so far, I admittedly have felt uncomfortable at times. Navigating public transport, reading signs in German, and getting ready to paraglide (one of the coolest experiences of my life!) have all involved an element of unease. As strange as it sounds though, I feel very grateful for that discomfort. I used to consider myself a somewhat shy person, so traveling to another country and soaring above mountains isn't something I would have ever expected myself to do. I feel so proud of myself for growing as a person and embracing the discomfort that comes with trying new things. The people I have met, the places I've seen, and the friends I am traveling with have already changed my life - and there is still so much more left to discover! I truly cannot believe that is June 8th already - only a little over two weeks before our departure date. I'm feeling a bit anxious because there is so much to prepare and remember, but I've made a list of everything to purchase, pack, and do before I leave. As nervous as I am (and a little sad to say goodbye to my loved ones for nearly three weeks), I'm mostly feeling excited. Our cohort was lucky enough to meet the German members of our exchange program last week, and my partner teacher Lily is wonderful! She is passionate, knowledgeable, and tons of fun. Although we only saw each other a few times, I feel a lot more at ease about living with and shadowing Lily while in Germany. She promised to take me to her favorite part of the Black Forest, a wine festival, and a huge Lego store because she knows that I love Lego sets. I feel confident that the two of us will have a great time together both inside and outside the classroom.
Although my brain is filled with logistics - what to pack, if my suitcase is too big, and what gifts to get my host - I know that once I'm on the plane I'll be bursting with excitement. I'm glad that everyone in my cohort is so kind, understanding, and welcoming; together, we can definitely tackle whatever comes our way on this journey! |
AuthorHallo! My name is Bailey and I am a recent graduate from the English Education 7-12 program here at Buffalo State. Traveling abroad has always been a dream of mine, so I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. I firmly believe that education is a dynamic, collaborative, and innovative field. Gaining new perspectives from German educators is going to be a life-changing experience - I can’t wait to get started! ArchivesCategories |