I hope my blogs and my peers blogs have shown you what a blast studying abroad can be. In the beginning of this journey I mentioned the number of places Buffalo State’s education department partners with to send students abroad. They partner with schools in Chile,Zambia, China, Dominican Republic, England, Honduras, Italy, Rwanda, Myanmar and are working to add to that list. Whatever hesitations holding you back from seizing an opportunity such as this should be overcome. I wasn't able to participate in any clubs or extracurriculars as an undergrad because my commute and work schedule but this opportunity allowed my college career to provide me with more than an education. I made great friends and connections here and overseas. This made my time here at Buffalo State that much more meaningful. My financial situation held me back from making the decision to travel for a long time but the college does a phenomenal job of working with students to make this a reality. I haven't even been home for a full month and I'm already looking into participating in another study abroad program. I strongly encourage other students to explore past travelers blogs, look into these study abroad programs and make the jump. I assure you that it will be life changing. The world is so much bigger than Buffalo, NY. Meet new people, try new foods, learn and experience unimaginable things. What better way to gain an education. Germany was something I’ll never forget, Hope to see one of you on my next trip! Till next time, cheus, adios, nofo a,再見,chao, addio, au revoir, နုတ်ဆက်ပါတယ်, bye!
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This blog is regarding two of the many excursions we took part in while abroad. First being, a tour of the Mercedes Museum and the second visiting Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory (a well renowned and delicious place for a variety of chocolate sweets). While at the Mercedes Museum, we got to view cars of the decades from their very first engine to some of their futuristic sports models. The museum was engaging in the way that it also including popular facts regarding music, foods and events that happened at the same time they released some of their cars. Did you know that the 3 points of the mercedes emblem represent land, air and water? This is because they also made planes and water crafts during the second world war. Once the war ceased, many of these things they were no longer permitted to sell so in order to gain revenue they also made bicycles, bags, lights, pins, and other memorabilia. This was something that really shocked me because you don't really think of a Mercedes construction truck, tour bus or stop light but they had to make money somehow. The museum also provided interactive exhibits where you could get in a bus, race car models, hear the horns of a specific decade and even test their airbags. I found this thoroughly enjoyable. However, I am a chocolate kind of girl so the Ritter Sport Factory stole my heart for sure. The building is decorated with colorful windows to represent their colorful chocolate wrappers. When first entering the building you can go upstairs and educate yourself on where the factory contains their cocoa pods, view the different types and even sample one before its made into sweet chocolate(they are bitter and taste like a coffee bean). Then you can browse through their selection on the wall with an interactive display that allows you to push a button and smell that type of chocolate. Needless to say if they sold that as perfume id buy it. But after we spent a little time gaining some background we raced downstairs to where the magic is. Their chocolate shop. You could easily spend a couple hours in their and end up leaving with around 10 lbs of chocolate which most of us did. Of all the chocolate I bought which included flavors like coconut, caramel mousse, white chocolate almond, milk chocolate macadamia, milk chocolate and mint, white chocolate and cornflakes and milk chocolate and cookies, Id have to say my favorite was their white chocolate coconut wafers. I ate the entire box before we left the store and I feel no shame. Both of these excursions are well worth it. Just another reason for you all to visit Germany. Till next time, cheus!
Greetings from the Pliensauschule in Esslingen! The pliensauschule is the name of the elementary school that I was so gratefully given the opportunity to visit. Mentally prepare yourself because this blog is going to highlight the many things I've learned while a guest there. Let's dive in! -In German schooling, not everyone goes to High School. Their schools start from 1st grade and go up to 4th grade. Once you've reached 4th grade, your parents and teachers collectively decide whether you should go to middle or high school. Middle school would be for those students that may not have performed as well in school and need a fast route out into the working field so there, they would learn a trade or a specialized education for a work field. In high school you would basically be educating yourself further in preparation to attend a university. Those students would be the more academic types. Which my host and I agreed is a lot of pressure to put on a ten yr old but in the long run doesn't necessarily effect things like pay wage but instead sets a plan of action sooner. If you take the middle school route you can always take a test to get into high school or university if you so wish so the paths aren't set in stone but I found this to be an interesting difference.
-In this specific school their was two language prep classes for those students who may have immigrated and weren't ready to dive into complete German language courses. There was a 1 yr preparation class for those student who may not have language delays but any delays such as fine motor control or attention deficits. There were no special education classes or really any students with disabilities in this school because inclusion is relatively new in Germany. The school has 1 social worker. -They color code their classes by paper color so Science worksheets would be green and English worksheets would be blue. This is to help the students keep track of their paperwork because their coursework mainly consist of worksheets. -The school is very old fashioned, their is little to no technology use, they write on chalk boards and the wall colors are mainly pastel, cool or plain which adds a calm tone to the environment. There are school bells to signify when students can enter and exit the building. -Their playground consists of wooden equipment, slides and jungle gyms. They use woodchips for loose material and the rest is made of a red tarry substance which adds a spongey element in case of falling. During break which their are several in a school day, the students MUST go outside and play and this is carefully monitored. -The students learn things such as cursive writing and cartography at a young age. -The schools separate waste by paper, plastic and compost. -The students wear boxy backpacks that are supposed to be beneficial for posture and they mainly wear clothes that states English remarks because English is fashionable although they don't know what it says. -There is no AC in schools or really anywhere in Germany. Many of the students live within a five minute walk of the school so there really isn't any transportation to school either. -They have a LIBRARY BUS. Its like a tour bus that has been renovated inside with book shelves so a few times in the year the bus comes to school and the students get to go on it and pick books. Which I thought was neat because they don't ever really have to go far. While there, they also had a sports day which is the equivalent of our field day in which we walked about five minutes to a big field and played games. -In regards to teaching, the students have to raise a finger to be acknowledged where we raise a hand. The teachers use a lot of direction cards to signify the plan for the day and also use objective maps which depict their starting point (preknowledge) and their end goal. They then place the activities they complete during that unit along the path to show students how they got there. Their school days begin at 730 and their periods last about an hour. Depending on the number of classes a teacher or a child has they may leave early. They too, have after school programs similar to the boys and girls clubs in Buffalo. I hope these bits of information give you a small taste of all that Ive learned while being here. Till next time, Cheus! While studying in our pre-travel class we were assigned roles. I was assigned the role of "Ambassador." As the ambassador, my duty was to ensure everyone acted in a manner that upheld the principles and policies of Buffalo State College. Basically, make sure we dont look bad. This was an easy role because everyone was professional and mature about every situation we faced. This role followed me from our week of excursions and exploration into the classroom. I didn't realize how much more I was portraying until I was in a front of a class of German first graders who really had no background knowledge on America. I was representing so much more than myself in that instance. I was representing buffalo state students, future teachers of buffalo, Buffalo the city itself, NY our state, and America as a whole! The students wanted to know everything from my taste in music, to my car model, to popular foods, our college and the students that I teach. I had created a slideshow for them of my home and things that were important to me such as my family, pets and hobbies. They found it amusing to see the difference in lifestyle. I let them hold American money and the popular question amongst the classrooms I had visited was "Are you rich?" Apparently they envisioned everyone in America to live lavishly so they were pretty disappointed when I told them I don't own any Gucci or drive a sports car. But in the end, I think they got to take away a little bit of our lifestyle and it helped me to realize that the role of ambassador is one you really never shed. You're always representing something more and there's always gonna be an opportunity to inform others on what you're representing and where you come from.
Making a Connection... Its known for it's mountainous, evergreen forests and picture perfect villages and is often associated with the fairy tales told by the Brothers Grimm. It produces mass amounts of wood which one can assume is used to create the thousands of cuckoo clocks sold in the region since the 1700s. I know you're all probably thinking "Where is she going with this?" but in my first post I had mentioned that my family had lived in Germany for a long time. In their family home they had an enormous cuckoo clock which my mother had adored. Well, when my parents had to relocate to the United State you can imagine how much they had to limit in taking with them over seas. One of the many things being the beloved cuckoo clock. So, this was my mission. Find a cuckoo clock and bring it home. Our trip started with just taking in the sites of all the trees and the immensity of it all. When I say these trees grow like sky scrapers I mean it. It wasn't difficult to imagine how one could spin off a fairy tale in a place like this from its eerie yet whimsicle feel. But after traveling up its winding roads to get a view from the top we made our way down to the little villages and shops. This was where I found it. An adorably modern, all white, cuckoo clock. This was it, my moment of connection my families past with my current experiences in Germany. I immediately felt a sense of accomplishment and was overwhelmed with happiness that I was here and was able to do this for my family. Thanks Black Forrest, till next time. Cheus!
Greetings from Strasbourg! This place embodies beauty and is a perfect and quaint little spot to shop, eat, or if you're like me, take pictures every five seconds. While here we got a break from our business and were able to just take in all that this place had to offer. However, by switching from Germany to France we did find some difficulty in greeting people or thanking them. I don't know how many times I was tempted to say Guten Morgen to someone although I'm sure they would've understood if I did. France was refreshing. I was anticipating this additional culture shock but actually I felt strangely comfortable by this point. It helped that French is a lot closer to Spanish, a language I'm familiar with since we speak it at home but it also could've been the fact that I was getting more comfortable with being independent in my traveling and exploring on my own. While here we visited a huge cathedral and the parliament building. We also sampled wine and I tried Crème Brulee for the first time #Delish. If you've never been, I highly recommend it. 5 stars for Strasbourg! Till next time, Cheus/au revoir!
Hallo! These 4 days have been a multitude of movement and sightseeing, it's almost difficult to sum it all up in a single blog, but I'll attempt to do Berlin justice. This goes without saying but it is BEAUTIFUL here. They make it a priority to maintain an eco-friendly environment and keep the streets clean which was extremely refreshing. We were on the go from basically dusk till dawn each day and I still couldn't get enough of the gorgeous city. Just a few of the things Berlin has to offer and that we were lucky enough to take in were the Holocaust Memorial, the LGBTQ Memorial, Kudamm, Unter den Linden, Ku’Damm, Reichstag, the palace at Sansoucci, and the Sachenhausen museum. Many of these things we did small research projects on in class but to be there and bare witness to the architecture, colors and impact they have on their culture was something you could only have truly appreciated by being here and I'm so grateful to have experienced that. Of all the many things we saw, my favorite was the palace and gardens at Sansouci, a true world wonder in my opinion. At first sight you're almost transported back in time with the cobblestone/dirt paths and you're welcomed by an enormous old-school wooden windmill. Then you take a path up to this column surrounded palace designed with colorful and detailed statues along with marble and stone busts. That's not even the best part. Inside the palace its pristine and lavished with original paintings and furniture of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. The ceilings are high and mainly depict cherubs by the sides of goddesses playing or depicting elements of art/music. It makes sense to prohibit pictures inside because honestly if you don't witness in real life you’re missing out on the full effect of its immaculate upkeep anyway. Inside there is an extremely interesting room called the “Voltaire Room” which was my favorite. I probably spent 20 minutes admiring this room. Its painting a soft yellow and decorated with wood carvings of flowers, vines, fruit, animals and painted with vibrant colors. Its alternative name was the “Flower Room” and if you're ever given the opportunity to see it you would understand why. The room radiated this sense of cheer/playfulness in comparison to the other rooms that emitted beauty but class. Behind the palace was rows of vineyards, shrubbery, and decorated with white marble statues surrounding a fountain. This palace is beyond picture perfect but that didn't stop us from taking pictures at every chance we got. Our time in Berlin although short was full with time spent taking in rich architecture, interesting languages/dialects, learning to use public transportation and not to mention DELICIOUS FOODS! I could go on about each site, each meal and all the German words I’ve learned but like I’ve said, you’d have to be here to appreciate it. So book a flight because believe me, you're gonna wanna see this. Till next time Berlin, Cheus (Goodbye) The night before TRAVEL... The reoccurring question that seems to surface everywhere I turn to is, "Are you ready?" Whether it be from a family member, a friend, a coworker, or a neighbor. Initially they express their excitement for me upon finding out about my soon to be travel and then follow up with the routine question. Even in our Germany 2019 cohort group-chat, we have asked each other the question almost everyday leading up to now. I'm a relatively numb individual and I don't often feel excited or nervous for an event until I'm there, knee deep in the experience, but this may be an exception.
After reviewing my packing list for the 10th time and saying goodbye to my family, I felt it. A little bit of giddy because I will soon be across the ocean, on the other side of the world, in a new country, with new foods and events and surprises. I AM EXCITED. I cant wait to hear them speak, try their food, soak up the countries beauty, and explore but I am most looking forward to observing in their schools. I'm both flattered and honored to serve as a resource for the students there to learn about our culture. For me, this one decision has turned into more than an event/experience. Its a chapter of my life, a much anticipated journey and its nearly here. Although, I do feel that bit of eagerness to just go already, this decision is almost to large to completely wrap my head around. I'm sure, once there and completely emerged in their culture, Ill be as ready as Ill ever be. My decision to apply and how it came to be...Our travel is fast approaching and I cant help but reflect on how I've gotten to this point. Upon learning that Buffalo State had travel abroad opportunities, I knew that I had to participate. I eagerly browsed the options provided and when I spotted the little white card that wrote "Germany" I knew it was for me. I can remember being very young and hearing stories about my family's life from when they lived there. How beautiful and happy life was during that time for them. My mother and stepfather were married in Berlin and had their first child together there. My sisters' recent trips there to study abroad accompanied gorgeous photos and accounts of exciting events which made my decision to attend all the more definite. Being the youngest, and the only one in my family to not have visited or lived in Germany, it almost felt like something I had to do. I yearned to see what my family used to call home. I'm looking forward to teaching, which I love, in a country that has so much waiting for me to explore. This trip will be the link to making Germany a part of me and I'm beyond thrilled to finally start this journey. |
AuthorGreetings! My name is Wynter and I am currently a senior studying Early Childhood Education. I enjoy working with children of all ages and backgrounds and it is for this reason that I am eager to travel to Germany. I'm beyond excited to experience the German way of life in and outside of the classroom and share with you the sights and wealth of information gained from this extraordinary opportunity. Archives
August 2019
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