What did you think about Germany?

This is a question I was asked this weekend: "What did you think about Germany before you arrived?"

I had no answer. What did I think last July before I arrived? What surprised me once I got here? I knew enough to know I didn't know a lot, so that allowed everything to "surprise" me in an expected way. Can you be surprised when you already don't know what will happen?

I've certainly learned a lot since moving here in late July and I continue to learn. What do I think about Germany now? My first thoughts are that I like living here. There are nice people, interesting things to see, and most importantly, good food. Anyway, it is a big question and will require more thought.

Pastor Hornle

The following is a story as told by Josephine Haugen Senft '48, the very first Guest Teacher.

Upon arriving in Rimbach, Germany, in June of 1948, I was welcomed with love and generosity by the Hornle family and the faculty and students of the Martin Luther Schule.  A faculty member told a story about Pastor Willi Hornle, the founder and organizer of the school.

During the war years Pastor Hornle preached in his sermons to the congregation about the Nazis and their misdeeds.  He was informed that the Nazis would arrive in town at some time and "take him away."  What could he do to prevent this was his question.  He had a family and a congregation and he was needed to assist and help them.  He decided that he would join the "regular" German Air Force--which he did.  He was allowed to continue with his work in Rimbach but he wore his Air Force uniform rather than civilian clothes.

One Sunday morning during the church services the inevitable happened.  The door to the sanctuary opened and several Nazi officers entered.  The congregation was stunned into silence.  Pastor Hornle walked down the center aisle and as he approached the Nazis he removed the robe to reveal the German Air Force uniform.  Seeing that, the Nazis could not arrest him.
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Sometime between 1945 and 1948, Pastor Hornle organized the Martin Luther Schule to provide educational opportunities beyond the elementary school in Rimbach for the children and the young people of the entire community surrounding Rimbach.

When I met Pastor Hornle and others in Rimbach in June of 1948, the currency reform and the formation of the Bonn Government had not occurred.  At that time, three years after the war ended, Pastor Hornle was still wearing his Air Force top coat, as it was the only coat he owned.  Those were difficult times for the population.  Food, clothing and other essentials for living were scarce.  Also, all families were required to share their homes with other German families who had to flee their homes in the East.

It is amazing to think about the kinds of challenges that faced the early Guest Teachers in comparison to the challenges I face in 2011!

Cloth Napkins

Here is a story from Virginia Larson, ´59, who was the Guest Teacher in the 1959-60 school year:

In the upstairs Internat, where I ate many noon meals, we each had a Serviettentasche with a cloth napkin, which we used for one week. By the end of the week, some were pretty gross, having been used three times a day for seven days. Then they all went in die grosse Waesche, where white things were "gekocht" and emerged pristine as the driven snow. Herr and Frau Praetorious presided over that Internat, all boys.

As we celebrate the upcoming tenth Guest Teacher of the current series, Viriginia is collecting stories about the program. If you have stories, feel free to send them to me, and I'll post them here.

Trip to Nuremberg

Last December I got to take a great trip to Nuremberg with the thirteenth graders.  We left very early in the morning and didn't get back until very late (I think it was after 10:00 pm).
We started with the Nazi party rally grounds (Reichsparteitagsgelände) where there was an excellent museum in the incomplete Congress Hall.  We also had an outdoor tour of the grounds, including the Great Road and Zeppelin Field.  It was really cold that day, and I did not wear appropriate foot wear.  My shoes were not protecting me from the cold, even though I was wearing double socks.
We also watched Triumph of the Will (Triumph des Willens), a Nazi propaganda film by Leni Riefenstahl.  Apparently it is illegal to sell or show it Germany today, so the museum had to import a copy from England.
After leaving the grounds, we went to the Nuremberg Christ-child (Christmas) Market (Christkindlmarkt).  There were good chances to shop here and I bought some presents, along with some food and drink, especially Glühwein (mulled wine).  There were some amateur musical groups, especially brass bands.  Again, it was quite cold, and I had to warm up in a grocery store for a while.  Should have bought some boots.

Along with some of my travels to other places, you can see some of my photos from that day here.

Celebrating Holidays

Celebrating holidays in Germany has been a learning experience because, of course, there are different holidays and different traditions for common holidays.

I have been blessed by the hospitality of many people here and been invited to celebrate with them.  For Christmas, for example, I was able to eat with two different families and see the kinds of things they do, while eating some traditional food.

Sometimes it was my turn to share about the U.S.  For Thanksgiving, I invited some teacher friends over and attempted to cook something close to resembling Thanksgiving foods, though unfortunately the results weren't the best.  Thanks to the amazing cafeteria at St. Olaf, I'm still learning how to cook.

For Halloween, I decided to invite my conversations classes to carve some pumpkins while eating some candy.  We had a good time, though it was cold and dark, and got to talk a bit about how Halloween is celebrated in the U.S.  Here are some of our creations (mine is on the left):

Center Stage performs Black Comedy

One of the most fun parts of my job is working with the English theater group, Center Stage.  This year's production was Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer.  The group had been working on it since last spring, and I got to join in in the fall, working as an assistant director.  Our three performances were last week, Thursday to Saturday.  Thursday and Friday were both sold out and Saturday was well attended.

I didn't have too much experience working with theater, but I really enjoyed being involved in a production.  It makes me want to do some more acting in the future.  I also really enjoyed getting to know and spend time with the actors.  I'm sorry that our rehearsals are over for the year.

Here are some photos of the cast, set and posters.

Children

I substituted in a fifth grade class today and one student definitely asked me if I had children of my own.  I don't think I've been asked that one before...