Ruth and I have looked at a couple of crazy people in Vienna. Freud, father modern psychoanalysis, seems to have been quite the grand poo bah. The home movies edited and narrated by his daughter Anna show Freud as the center of the entire family, with everyone catering to him while he lay in a bed/chaise covered due to his illness. Other videos show him with his grandsons practically hopping through the countryside in what appears to be in good, if not perfect, health. He did die about one year after (finally) fleeing Austria in 1938 for London, so reports of his I'll health most probably were correct. Still, his role in the family was undeniable as the wise father figure whom everyone deferred to. In one essay on women, he stated that he had a good marriage as his wife was neither very abnormal nor was she often ill. AARGH, nothing worse than a sick wife. He was able to live his life because his wife bore children, took care of them, catered to him so that he would be free to read, think and write. Oh, and meet and counsel female neurotic patients...
Our next stop was the Friedensreich Hundertwasser exhibit at the Kunsthaus Wien, a building designed by Hundertwasser (Stowasser) along with the apartment/office complex of the Hundertwasserhaus. His art work has always fascinated me, and the museum had a large collection of paintings, graphic silkscreens, and architectural models. The most fascinating part of the museum was the film about his life and art with him as the focus of the film and which he narrated. This guy was completely unable to relate to others, since he had dedicated his life, and all his energy, to exploring how nature and architecture needed to live in harmony. He stated that he did not want to enter into a relationship with a woman since could afford no distractions, and would not want to lose time from his work. Interestingly, he sailed around to various points in the world, constantly painting, with a (possible companion) who organized the functioning of the boat, and presumably his meals. There was a poignant scene with his mother where she poured his coffee, added the milk, and sliced a piece of cake for him. This man had caretakers so that he could completely give his life to his life as an artist. Other scenes documented his work, e.g., lying on a slab of ice in a small brook, watching the patterns in the melting ice or sitting nude on a beach, painting. He apparently like to be nude, the first layer of all humans.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
David Černý and other humor in Praha
Today the penny dropped. David Černý is the same artist who ran afoul of the EU with his installation celebrating the Czech presidency of the EU in which he ridiculed just about every European nation by using mean stereotypes in the project. The same David Černý who designed the babies, the hanging Freud, the peeing men in front of the Kafka museum, and painted the former Russian tank pink (now floating on a raft in the river). Ruth and I had a mission--find all the various Černý installations around the town. Accomplished (except for the TV tower, which is just too far, and there are representative babies by the river).
The peeing duo at the Kafka museum supposedly write out quotations of famous Czech people, and people there can text messages so that they will write out that message.
One thing is certain, his art is meant to be interactive, and the tourists here do just that. They climb on the babies (oddly disturbing)and play with the peeing statues' winkies or just rinse their hands in the stream.
Photos to follow!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Rituals
Rituals
After talking with Ondrej and his Hanna, I've been thinking about rituals. His included rolling cigarettes (with the small filter hanging out of his mouth while he prepared the paper and tobacco), making coffee in a mokka-kanne, and brewing tea by a variety of processes. I asked out the rituals associated with absinthe, which permeates this city:
1. Collect absinthe, a fireproof glass, a perforated spoon, a sugar cube (invented in CZ!), and matches.
2. Balance the spoon on top of the glass. Place the sugar cube on the spoon.
3. Pour absinthe over the cube into the glass.
4. Light the sugar cube and let the flame melt it into the glass. The absinthe in the glass will also be aflame. Let it burn for about 5 seconds to burn off some of this (very) high proof alcohol.
-alternate method: pour a thin line of sugar onto the center backbone of the perforated spoon, dip this carefully into the absinthe already in the glass to moisten it, place the spoon over the glass and light the moistened sugar
5. Put out the flame:
Men: put palm over the burning drink (tough guys)
Women (who should not even be drinking this): place a coaster over the top of the glass.
6. Drink slowly and have ABSOLUTELY no more than one drink per evening out.
7. Follow with a glass of orange juice and/or water.
OR: with an espresso to experience a unique effect of the absinthe opening the arteries and the espresso providing a caffeine buzz.
Seems like a lot to do to enjoy the bitter, slightly medicinal drink. But why not allow the ritual to make the drink special?
What other rituals do we follow? And do the rituals bring their own form of enjoyment and enhance that pleasure?
The first thing I (and I am sure many of you) do in the morning is to make and drink coffee. For this adventure I packed tea bags just in case I could 't get coffee immediately. Well, the hotel neither has a coffee maker nor a water boiler, and I have to wait for coffee until the "Bohemia Bagel" shop opens at 7:30 am to get coffee. Their coffee is very good, and they serve a bottomless cup, so I have no complaints, but I miss the ritual of grinding beans, measuring the water, hearing the water begin to boil, and finally smelling the brew. On the basis of just this one example, I'd have to say I enjoy and need my rituals.
Traveling provides the opportunity to examine habits and rituals, as well as the necessity of adjusting rituals and adding new (if only temporary) ones. In the last week and a half, I've changed my laundry routines (daily rather than weekly), my eating habits (big cooked breakfast since it's included in the hotel price) along with lighter cold lunch and dinner, my walking habits (more in general and many more steps), etc. So what traveling really does is to force me to live a bit differently in a different place by removing or changing rituals. I bet coffee will taste wonderfully familiar when I get back home.
After talking with Ondrej and his Hanna, I've been thinking about rituals. His included rolling cigarettes (with the small filter hanging out of his mouth while he prepared the paper and tobacco), making coffee in a mokka-kanne, and brewing tea by a variety of processes. I asked out the rituals associated with absinthe, which permeates this city:
1. Collect absinthe, a fireproof glass, a perforated spoon, a sugar cube (invented in CZ!), and matches.
2. Balance the spoon on top of the glass. Place the sugar cube on the spoon.
3. Pour absinthe over the cube into the glass.
4. Light the sugar cube and let the flame melt it into the glass. The absinthe in the glass will also be aflame. Let it burn for about 5 seconds to burn off some of this (very) high proof alcohol.
-alternate method: pour a thin line of sugar onto the center backbone of the perforated spoon, dip this carefully into the absinthe already in the glass to moisten it, place the spoon over the glass and light the moistened sugar
5. Put out the flame:
Men: put palm over the burning drink (tough guys)
Women (who should not even be drinking this): place a coaster over the top of the glass.
6. Drink slowly and have ABSOLUTELY no more than one drink per evening out.
7. Follow with a glass of orange juice and/or water.
OR: with an espresso to experience a unique effect of the absinthe opening the arteries and the espresso providing a caffeine buzz.
Seems like a lot to do to enjoy the bitter, slightly medicinal drink. But why not allow the ritual to make the drink special?
What other rituals do we follow? And do the rituals bring their own form of enjoyment and enhance that pleasure?
The first thing I (and I am sure many of you) do in the morning is to make and drink coffee. For this adventure I packed tea bags just in case I could 't get coffee immediately. Well, the hotel neither has a coffee maker nor a water boiler, and I have to wait for coffee until the "Bohemia Bagel" shop opens at 7:30 am to get coffee. Their coffee is very good, and they serve a bottomless cup, so I have no complaints, but I miss the ritual of grinding beans, measuring the water, hearing the water begin to boil, and finally smelling the brew. On the basis of just this one example, I'd have to say I enjoy and need my rituals.
Traveling provides the opportunity to examine habits and rituals, as well as the necessity of adjusting rituals and adding new (if only temporary) ones. In the last week and a half, I've changed my laundry routines (daily rather than weekly), my eating habits (big cooked breakfast since it's included in the hotel price) along with lighter cold lunch and dinner, my walking habits (more in general and many more steps), etc. So what traveling really does is to force me to live a bit differently in a different place by removing or changing rituals. I bet coffee will taste wonderfully familiar when I get back home.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Update on student handwriting
:-)
The final exams for fall quarter included an unrehearsed dictation, but one that included words from the first quarter and some from previous dictations. So how did the students do on this? Amazingly well! In fact, the majority of students wrote with fewer mistakes that I would have expected. While this is anecdotal, I feel they did much better than what students wrote (not dictations necessarily) in the past. Will this skill transfer to their general writing? Curious minds want to know.
The final exams for fall quarter included an unrehearsed dictation, but one that included words from the first quarter and some from previous dictations. So how did the students do on this? Amazingly well! In fact, the majority of students wrote with fewer mistakes that I would have expected. While this is anecdotal, I feel they did much better than what students wrote (not dictations necessarily) in the past. Will this skill transfer to their general writing? Curious minds want to know.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Schreibschrift
Who would have thought that the request that students write out a text to practice for dictation would have stirred up such a hornet's nest? The first assignment was near impossible to read at times, and then I noticed that only ONE student had written in script. I changed the directions for the second text, asking that it be written in cursive. This was one of those days where we worked up till the last moment, so I told the students I would post the homework on Blackboard, something I did in addition to the usual in-class assignment of homework activities. For this assignment, I give the students the text, which they have to write out by hand two times, and then trace the capital letters in a contrasting color. The purpose is not only to practice the spelling of the words, but to call students' attention to the fact that capitalization (and the lack of it with some words) is different than English.
As soon as I entered the room before class the next day, a Wednesday, I was inundated by grumbling complaints about the assignment. Clearly, I had poked the next and the hornets were a-buzzin'. I heard all sorts of explanations of why this was unfair, including "I don't know how," which upon questioning was not true. All but one had learned how to write cursive (the one being a Russian student, who had learned to write Cyrillic, but not our alphabet), but had not practiced this kind of writing. I also heard "I don't know how to form the letters," and "It takes too long to do." Both of these were quickly addressed. The book has an illustration of all the letters in cursive German script (they could copy it and thus learn how to write German script, an added bonus). I was happy to hear that it took longer, as that was exactly I had hoped they would do in the practice, i.e., slowly consider how the words are spelled and capitalized. In the end I did compromise, saying that at least one of the two copies of the text had to be in traditional cursive.
Now I sit looking at the assignments, and am moved by the absolute beauty of some of the students' handwriting. Some indeed did look at the German letters, and their writing reminds me of German pupils' school handwriting. Others had to slow down, and now I am able to read what letters they wrote. Some wrote both copies in cursive, others just the one copy, where the printed copy was also considerably more legible than in the previous assignment.
In my opinion, this is a serendipitous success. And although I do not stay up late at night thinking of ways to torment students (as I sometimes tell them), I will continue to require at least one copy in cursive handwriting.
As soon as I entered the room before class the next day, a Wednesday, I was inundated by grumbling complaints about the assignment. Clearly, I had poked the next and the hornets were a-buzzin'. I heard all sorts of explanations of why this was unfair, including "I don't know how," which upon questioning was not true. All but one had learned how to write cursive (the one being a Russian student, who had learned to write Cyrillic, but not our alphabet), but had not practiced this kind of writing. I also heard "I don't know how to form the letters," and "It takes too long to do." Both of these were quickly addressed. The book has an illustration of all the letters in cursive German script (they could copy it and thus learn how to write German script, an added bonus). I was happy to hear that it took longer, as that was exactly I had hoped they would do in the practice, i.e., slowly consider how the words are spelled and capitalized. In the end I did compromise, saying that at least one of the two copies of the text had to be in traditional cursive.
Now I sit looking at the assignments, and am moved by the absolute beauty of some of the students' handwriting. Some indeed did look at the German letters, and their writing reminds me of German pupils' school handwriting. Others had to slow down, and now I am able to read what letters they wrote. Some wrote both copies in cursive, others just the one copy, where the printed copy was also considerably more legible than in the previous assignment.
In my opinion, this is a serendipitous success. And although I do not stay up late at night thinking of ways to torment students (as I sometimes tell them), I will continue to require at least one copy in cursive handwriting.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
City Council Meeting
Report and analysis coming soon. I've got work to do!
UPDATE: almost one one year later--I probably won't get to this.
UPDATE: almost one one year later--I probably won't get to this.
Stasi files
Frank and I have worked together for a number of years on this exchange. We work well together, but there is a bit more to the relationship we have created than just co-workers. I have always found our working relationship to be quite pleasant, in that we enjoy each other's company. After we had discussed the troubles that semester conversion will bring, and how we will not be able to either come or host students in the foreseeable future (serious problems for sure), he made some yummy cappuccino, we started talking about the unlikelihood--25 years ago--of either of us even considering that we would some day be working together. We talked about changes in politics (now called the peaceful revolution/Wende--the term political changes is gone). He asked whether I had seen The Lives of Others (I teach it in the film course), and how intensely that film had affected him. If you are not familiar with this film, please let me know and I'll get you a copy to watch. It is one of the best films I have ever seen, and as Frank (and nearly every other fomer GDR citizen I know) reported, the accuracy of portrayal of life in the GDR is spot on.
He said that watching that film made him consider whether he had a Stasi (secret police) file, so he went to Berlin and asked to see his file. Sure enough, he had one, but the most shocking part was when it was begun. It started when he was 12 years old. I asked why so early; had he been a trouble-maker? On the contrary, at 12 he had to make (ok, probably his parents had a role in this decision) choice. Would he go the sports specialty training and school (in Oberhof, where all the East German winter sports medal winners lived/trained--it's about 20 km from here), or would he go to college prep school. He ended up in college prep, but noted that anyone who could consider this intense sport training was checked (along with neighbors, teachers and friends). Why? They were all considered possible deserters. So most of his entries were about this topic.
The other entries were tied to his work during his military service. Since he had no relatives in the west, and since he was married, he was considered a low risk for desertion, and served in Potsdam, outside of Berlin, at the Glienicke Bridge over the Havel river. If you have ever seen movies (the 1960s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold or even news articles about Cold War spy exchanges, where one spy stands at one end of a bridge, the other spy on the other side, and they silently walk past each other in the exchange to their "home" country, this is the bridge where that happened. His memories of the time were troubling to him and to me.
So who kept tabs on him? Turns out it was his best friend from school. They met once after a longer absence, both in ther 20s, and during the conversation Frank noted that his friend was unable to answer some questions, and then admitted that he worked for the Stasi.
Frank's summation: There was nothing glamorous about the GDR and anyone who wants that system again is nuts. Of course, there are old and young communists here who want precisely that, just as there are strict conservatives who want no part of what they did. It seems there is a middle ground emerging consisting of centrists, include the new "Pro Bockwurst," abbreviated PBW, a bit more on the left of center, who grew out of the university and want to incorporate reason and transparency into the process. But more about them later...
He said that watching that film made him consider whether he had a Stasi (secret police) file, so he went to Berlin and asked to see his file. Sure enough, he had one, but the most shocking part was when it was begun. It started when he was 12 years old. I asked why so early; had he been a trouble-maker? On the contrary, at 12 he had to make (ok, probably his parents had a role in this decision) choice. Would he go the sports specialty training and school (in Oberhof, where all the East German winter sports medal winners lived/trained--it's about 20 km from here), or would he go to college prep school. He ended up in college prep, but noted that anyone who could consider this intense sport training was checked (along with neighbors, teachers and friends). Why? They were all considered possible deserters. So most of his entries were about this topic.
The other entries were tied to his work during his military service. Since he had no relatives in the west, and since he was married, he was considered a low risk for desertion, and served in Potsdam, outside of Berlin, at the Glienicke Bridge over the Havel river. If you have ever seen movies (the 1960s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold or even news articles about Cold War spy exchanges, where one spy stands at one end of a bridge, the other spy on the other side, and they silently walk past each other in the exchange to their "home" country, this is the bridge where that happened. His memories of the time were troubling to him and to me.
So who kept tabs on him? Turns out it was his best friend from school. They met once after a longer absence, both in ther 20s, and during the conversation Frank noted that his friend was unable to answer some questions, and then admitted that he worked for the Stasi.
Frank's summation: There was nothing glamorous about the GDR and anyone who wants that system again is nuts. Of course, there are old and young communists here who want precisely that, just as there are strict conservatives who want no part of what they did. It seems there is a middle ground emerging consisting of centrists, include the new "Pro Bockwurst," abbreviated PBW, a bit more on the left of center, who grew out of the university and want to incorporate reason and transparency into the process. But more about them later...
Fahrschule with update
Yesterday and again this morning I had the opportunity to have real German driving lessons. The teacher, Karsten, was amazing--clear in direction, helpful tips to correct minor errors, and patient. He voice was always even, smooth and calming. Need I say more, the man is a natural teacher. Here's the breakdown:
Lesson 1) As soon as I got in the car, the lesson began with him driving and giving instructions (watch how the feet work, notice that you use gear one only for starting and do not let the clutch all the way out, listen to the engine, etc...). We got to the industrial park and it was my turn. With his constant calm direction, I am happy to report that I did not stall the car, as I often do when driving stick at home (which increases my nervousness even more). His opinion on stalling is that is happens, it is no reason to get tense, simply turn the key off and restart. The lesson went well, so he directed me to do various types of starts and stops on inclines (using the handbrake). He then stated that was enough and I was to drive into town to practice in traffic. I had only one stall--due to a different traffic law (at an intersection the cars coming from the right on any road without a raised bump across the intersection have the right of way)--when I slowed to look to the right, but forgot the clutch and was moving too slowly. No problem, restart and move forward. I was tense, and glad when I was allowed to drive to the university.
Lesson 2) Feeling considerably calmer and more assured, this lesson went very well. No more practicing on empty streets, we headed for the mountains up and down, on dangerously narrow streets (one on 2 meters wide) that wound up and down hills. No problems, and I could feel my confidence growing. City driving was easier with one exception. On the way into town to pick up the next student, I needed to turn left, on an incline. This led to a stall, coordinating gas, clutch, hand brake. Luckily no one was behind me. It was a really long light so I had time to relax and review the steps, and when the light turned red and yellow, in anticipation of green, I confidently moved forward.
I'll be doing one more lesson tomorrow morning, to practice reverse and parallel parking. I love to parallel park, so I'm hoping this goes well. My teacher assured me it's very straight forward.
Here are my observations on the activity to date. First, when I went to the school to discuss the possibility, everything was very formal, both the discussion (Sie), who had referred me, and the topics of what I needed. Exactly what I would have expected. When Karsten picked me up for the first lesson (door to door service!), the tone switched to a very comfortable/relaxed but direct conversation. He immediately addressed me with du, and I followed without missing a beat. I guess learning something in such close surroundings requires a degree of intimacy and trust. I had wondered about the protocol of address, and would have been ok with either formal or informal, but found the informal much more helpful for the situation. Therefore, in addition to becoming quite confident with a stick shift, I got to learn from a very good teacher about lowering the affective filter.
The only question that remains is how to incorporate what I learned from him into the classroom. Certainly, there will be informal du between me and the students. It is far too dangerous for the students to wander out in the world without a degree of politeness and formality. Perhaps it's the voice, a warm friendly tone, perhaps the leading with directions I immediately followed, perhaps the calmness he had when correcting--almost a whisper at times. The almost whispering direction (e.g., listen to the motor, you can shift to 4th now since your're going down the mountain, continue straight ahead and get into the left lane at the next light, etc.) seemed to be like thoughts I would have in my own head as I drive, and certainly thoughts that can be carried forth. A great experience, it was one that was significantly different from my own driving lessons (formal and informal). The formal ones with my father were a bit more stressful (perhaps due to youth) and the informal (stick shift) ones with my former husband were downright frightening (surely due to other reasons, not the least his inability to teach anything or dare I say a passive agressive nature).
On a humorous note, the next driver we picked up in town, was a young man whose driving skills were at the very beginning level. Karsten was just as calm with him, but this young man, who must have had several driving lessons completed, was repeating back some of the instructions, clarifying right of way laws, in a sense making sure he would be driving correctly in the immediate future.
Update: Finished my third (and final class) and feeling quite confident about my ability to manoever a standard shift car in just about any situation. Parking-backwards driving was easy (just have to remember not to hold the brake when turning the wheel). I did stall it once, but did not feel any anxiety. I also felt more confident/comfortable knowing when to shift, getting into and out of first, etc. In addition to a screen that shows--and peeps--for items in front of and behind the car, the VW Golf for the school had "auto-park" capability. So after practicing in a parking lot with every possible permutation of parking, we went out on the street to let the car park itself (parallel). Unbelievable. Just push the auto-park button, pull up as if to parallel park, take your hands off the steering wheel AND LEAVE THEM OFF, then follow directions given on the screen (put into reverse, let up on the clutch, listen for the peeps, put car into first gear (remember no gas or wheel touching), let up on the clutch, listen for peep that indicates that the parking manoever is complete. Unbelievable. I want to know what kind of party these clever engineers were at when they thought this up! I do think it is fun, but pretty unnecessary as anyone who knows how to drive (should) know how to parallel park, and those who do not know how should even be attempting to do it without practice. The rest of the session was driving through the "tricky" places/intersections in Ilmenau. We picked up the next student, who was driving on the road for the first time (!). She had completed 4 hours of theory classes (required before in-car driving), and Karsten explained to her and me that with beginning drivers, he does all the leg work and shifting. The student first must learn to steer and turn. Ok, he had to help her sometimes with wheel correction when we either were up on the sidewalk, about to pull off a side mirror, or driving left of center. She was so nervous, but he remained calm and offered her support with the same near whisper he had used in guiding me. They also had a near constant dialogue on what had to happen, where to look, was it okay to pull out, etc. This was an excellent experience!
I asked what kind of training was necessary to become a driving instructor.
-be at least 21
-hold all the different types of driver licenses
-have completed either a university degree (any topic), a Hochschule (some teachers and nurses, etc.), or any type of vocational training degree (usually 2 years after finishing high school).
-the desire to work with people
Well...maybe I do need a standard shift car after all.
Lesson 1) As soon as I got in the car, the lesson began with him driving and giving instructions (watch how the feet work, notice that you use gear one only for starting and do not let the clutch all the way out, listen to the engine, etc...). We got to the industrial park and it was my turn. With his constant calm direction, I am happy to report that I did not stall the car, as I often do when driving stick at home (which increases my nervousness even more). His opinion on stalling is that is happens, it is no reason to get tense, simply turn the key off and restart. The lesson went well, so he directed me to do various types of starts and stops on inclines (using the handbrake). He then stated that was enough and I was to drive into town to practice in traffic. I had only one stall--due to a different traffic law (at an intersection the cars coming from the right on any road without a raised bump across the intersection have the right of way)--when I slowed to look to the right, but forgot the clutch and was moving too slowly. No problem, restart and move forward. I was tense, and glad when I was allowed to drive to the university.
Lesson 2) Feeling considerably calmer and more assured, this lesson went very well. No more practicing on empty streets, we headed for the mountains up and down, on dangerously narrow streets (one on 2 meters wide) that wound up and down hills. No problems, and I could feel my confidence growing. City driving was easier with one exception. On the way into town to pick up the next student, I needed to turn left, on an incline. This led to a stall, coordinating gas, clutch, hand brake. Luckily no one was behind me. It was a really long light so I had time to relax and review the steps, and when the light turned red and yellow, in anticipation of green, I confidently moved forward.
I'll be doing one more lesson tomorrow morning, to practice reverse and parallel parking. I love to parallel park, so I'm hoping this goes well. My teacher assured me it's very straight forward.
Here are my observations on the activity to date. First, when I went to the school to discuss the possibility, everything was very formal, both the discussion (Sie), who had referred me, and the topics of what I needed. Exactly what I would have expected. When Karsten picked me up for the first lesson (door to door service!), the tone switched to a very comfortable/relaxed but direct conversation. He immediately addressed me with du, and I followed without missing a beat. I guess learning something in such close surroundings requires a degree of intimacy and trust. I had wondered about the protocol of address, and would have been ok with either formal or informal, but found the informal much more helpful for the situation. Therefore, in addition to becoming quite confident with a stick shift, I got to learn from a very good teacher about lowering the affective filter.
The only question that remains is how to incorporate what I learned from him into the classroom. Certainly, there will be informal du between me and the students. It is far too dangerous for the students to wander out in the world without a degree of politeness and formality. Perhaps it's the voice, a warm friendly tone, perhaps the leading with directions I immediately followed, perhaps the calmness he had when correcting--almost a whisper at times. The almost whispering direction (e.g., listen to the motor, you can shift to 4th now since your're going down the mountain, continue straight ahead and get into the left lane at the next light, etc.) seemed to be like thoughts I would have in my own head as I drive, and certainly thoughts that can be carried forth. A great experience, it was one that was significantly different from my own driving lessons (formal and informal). The formal ones with my father were a bit more stressful (perhaps due to youth) and the informal (stick shift) ones with my former husband were downright frightening (surely due to other reasons, not the least his inability to teach anything or dare I say a passive agressive nature).
On a humorous note, the next driver we picked up in town, was a young man whose driving skills were at the very beginning level. Karsten was just as calm with him, but this young man, who must have had several driving lessons completed, was repeating back some of the instructions, clarifying right of way laws, in a sense making sure he would be driving correctly in the immediate future.
Update: Finished my third (and final class) and feeling quite confident about my ability to manoever a standard shift car in just about any situation. Parking-backwards driving was easy (just have to remember not to hold the brake when turning the wheel). I did stall it once, but did not feel any anxiety. I also felt more confident/comfortable knowing when to shift, getting into and out of first, etc. In addition to a screen that shows--and peeps--for items in front of and behind the car, the VW Golf for the school had "auto-park" capability. So after practicing in a parking lot with every possible permutation of parking, we went out on the street to let the car park itself (parallel). Unbelievable. Just push the auto-park button, pull up as if to parallel park, take your hands off the steering wheel AND LEAVE THEM OFF, then follow directions given on the screen (put into reverse, let up on the clutch, listen for the peeps, put car into first gear (remember no gas or wheel touching), let up on the clutch, listen for peep that indicates that the parking manoever is complete. Unbelievable. I want to know what kind of party these clever engineers were at when they thought this up! I do think it is fun, but pretty unnecessary as anyone who knows how to drive (should) know how to parallel park, and those who do not know how should even be attempting to do it without practice. The rest of the session was driving through the "tricky" places/intersections in Ilmenau. We picked up the next student, who was driving on the road for the first time (!). She had completed 4 hours of theory classes (required before in-car driving), and Karsten explained to her and me that with beginning drivers, he does all the leg work and shifting. The student first must learn to steer and turn. Ok, he had to help her sometimes with wheel correction when we either were up on the sidewalk, about to pull off a side mirror, or driving left of center. She was so nervous, but he remained calm and offered her support with the same near whisper he had used in guiding me. They also had a near constant dialogue on what had to happen, where to look, was it okay to pull out, etc. This was an excellent experience!
I asked what kind of training was necessary to become a driving instructor.
-be at least 21
-hold all the different types of driver licenses
-have completed either a university degree (any topic), a Hochschule (some teachers and nurses, etc.), or any type of vocational training degree (usually 2 years after finishing high school).
-the desire to work with people
Well...maybe I do need a standard shift car after all.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Student adjustment
I am amazed at the level of cultural comfort the students on this trip are exhibiting. I hope it is because of the focused writing. The segue from the initial culture shock to ability to function happened easily. None of the students have shown any of the depression or negativity that I would have expected in the second week, based on previous programs. One student has been working to overcome his shyness to prepare what will be a solid special project presentation (this coming Wednesday). While I did have to shove him out of the nest, he is doing fine. He is generally a bit unsure of himself, so I'm not sure that this is anything other than his normal behavior. The other students are so involved with the other course participants and their activities that I've only seen them at breakfast and lunch. I pointed out the following Goethe quote to him, which I saw on a window in Weimar:
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| Sobald du dir vertraust, sobald weißt du zu leben. (As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.) |
I love spontaneous conversations
I was so tired in Dresden (23000+ steps as measured by a student's pedometer--over nine miles!) that I sat down on the edge of a fountain to rest in the shade outside of the castle, looking at the Zwinger and the Semper Oper, and looked over a information sheet about the city's layout as seen from the top of the Frauenkirche. The gentleman next to me asked if I had any questions, since he was an engineer and bridge architect for the city. What luck! I asked him about the controversy about Dresden's new bridge, which caused it to LOSE it's UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. It is made of grey and bright blue stiped steel. Here is an image of the bridge from the planning stages:
The city lies to the left of the imageMost of the bridge is done, and it really doesn't fit with the Baroque nature of the city. So here's the scoop:
1. the people of Dresden voted to build a new bridge--needing an additional passage across the Elbe
2. the politicians then selected a design (a "big mac" type design)--the people had no say in the design, so it was all politics
3. UNESCO knew Dresden would be getting a new bridge before specific plans were made, and granted the city the designation
4. when UNESCO saw the design, they warned that it would interfere with the designation and wanted to talk about alternatives (different design, a tunnel, etc.)
5. No! (the politicians)
Now the bridge does not yet have the arches added, and the drawing above is not what it will look like. According to my resting engineer/architect neighbor, the arches will be mounted completely on the top of the bridge, and will be very high, not down to the river as was shown in the initial images. His opinions:
1. the residents will be very unhappy with the bridge when done
2. the politicians responsible will be out of office, and
3. Dresden will have an eyesore of a bridge and is no longer a UNESCO world heritage site.
4. The politicians must be reined in (too late for this project), because they really want to develop the waterfront right to the water with shops and condos (boy does this sound familiar), even though engineers have warned that they must maintain the flood plane (the Elbe floods relatively often, the last time being 2006, when the entire city lay under water, as well as most areas from Dresden north to Berlin).
We had a great conversation, until his travel partners told him to stop working and get up to go for food.
Interesting side note: Our bus tour guide noted the bridge, now under construction, and told us how good it would be have this bridge, mentioning that she is very much for the project. Wish I had talked with this man before we had the tour.
The city lies to the left of the imageMost of the bridge is done, and it really doesn't fit with the Baroque nature of the city. So here's the scoop:
1. the people of Dresden voted to build a new bridge--needing an additional passage across the Elbe
2. the politicians then selected a design (a "big mac" type design)--the people had no say in the design, so it was all politics
3. UNESCO knew Dresden would be getting a new bridge before specific plans were made, and granted the city the designation
4. when UNESCO saw the design, they warned that it would interfere with the designation and wanted to talk about alternatives (different design, a tunnel, etc.)
5. No! (the politicians)
Now the bridge does not yet have the arches added, and the drawing above is not what it will look like. According to my resting engineer/architect neighbor, the arches will be mounted completely on the top of the bridge, and will be very high, not down to the river as was shown in the initial images. His opinions:
1. the residents will be very unhappy with the bridge when done
2. the politicians responsible will be out of office, and
3. Dresden will have an eyesore of a bridge and is no longer a UNESCO world heritage site.
4. The politicians must be reined in (too late for this project), because they really want to develop the waterfront right to the water with shops and condos (boy does this sound familiar), even though engineers have warned that they must maintain the flood plane (the Elbe floods relatively often, the last time being 2006, when the entire city lay under water, as well as most areas from Dresden north to Berlin).
We had a great conversation, until his travel partners told him to stop working and get up to go for food.
Interesting side note: Our bus tour guide noted the bridge, now under construction, and told us how good it would be have this bridge, mentioning that she is very much for the project. Wish I had talked with this man before we had the tour.
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