CAJETAN (Ky-a-taun) is my Composition (the class I usually refer to as "Grammar") professor. Although his name does not sound it, he is German. He is actually from Southern Germany, which is pretty exciting. Just like in America, there is a pretty significant split between "Northerners" and "Southerners," which is mostly a language issue. I'm not entirely sure what the huge fight is against the two, but I can explain a little about Bavaria.
Bavaria is a region in southern Germany that is, in fact, a part of Germany, even though everybody treats it like it isn't Germany (including people from Bavaria). There is a special sort of accent that comes from Bavaria and is really hard for a lot of people to understand. There is also a split between "High German" and "Low German," which are both languages. I am learning High German, which is spoken throughout every state in the north. I'm not sure that it is that the Northern Germans think themselves as being more educated or what, but there is a distinct reaction from almost all Northern Germans when you mention Bavaria or other regions in the south.
Anyway, Cajetan looks like Steve Gutenberg and Mr. Bean rolled together, but he acts like Mr. Bean. He is incredibly goofy and uses a lot of emphatic hand gestures when he tells stories. His main study focus is history, but I think he is still a good grammar professor. I disagree with some of the things he does, like giving us a quiz to prepare us for an exam, but giving us the quiz on Thursday when the exam is on Friday, so there is no possible way we can get feedback that will help us on the exam. Wednesday quiz days would be better, but that's just my opinion. This is the class that I have every Monday through Thursday from 8:30-10 and then an exam almost every Friday at 10:15, so most of my time is spent preparing for this class. I also have a presentation in this class this week. It's over whether or not student's should work while they are students(something I know a bit about).
MICHAELA (Mich(but not the 'ch' in 'church,' it's softer than that, more like the sound of a hissing cat, without the 'ssss')-eye-ella). I love Michaela. She is my conversation professor, so she is the reason that I can give a tip at a restaurant and give directions to people who can't find the street I live on(I got to give directions yesterday! It's always exciting to be able to use my German on a day to day basis with strangers. I'm pretty sure he knew I wasn't German (he said "Perfekt" which means perfect, before he left, which is something you would say to someone to give them encouragement for speaking, either way, I'm still pumped!). She is very sweet and actually studied at Mount Union as a foreign exchange student a few years ago, so she has lots of stories of her time in Alliance. I have this class on Monday and Wednesday from 2:15-3:15 and am positive that I have to give an oral presentation at some time, but I have NO idea of when that is. Sometime not next week.
SÖRREN (Zuhr-in) is my Government and Politics in Germany and Europe professor and also the program director for my entire program (like, when my bags didn't make it to the airport, I gave them his name and number). He is not your typical German-looking man. He actually looks very Greek to me, but his entire family history is German. He is incredibly well-informed in politics, which means he also has a very distinct opinion of things. This means that there are some things that are tough for him to teach since he doesn't believe in them. Regardless, it's an incredibly informative class, but long. I have GPGE every Tuesday night from 3:50 to 6:30 or whenever he decides to stop teaching(usually close to 7). I have a huge midterm this week in this class, so hopefully that will go well. I just have to remember that, unless I am specifically asked, Germans do not care about hearing my opinion, especially when I am supposed to be presenting historical facts. I also have a presentation in this class in two weeks and then a paper over my presentation that is two weeks later, so I've been working on that as well.
And that's all I am taking. It's 14 credit hours(by far the smallest number I have ever taken, but I figured that I am in Germany, completely submerged in a new language and 17 credit hours would be a bit too overwhelming and I wouldn't have enjoyed myself because I would do nothing but school. I still stand firmly behind my decision ;).
Well, that's all for now. I have homework to finish, an exam to study for and a presentation to prepare, so I am off to accomplish goals (always a good thing). And also to show that I don't JUST do schoolwork, here are some pictures of my trip to Hamburg on a very cold and snowy Friday. It was truly miserable and we only stayed for about two hours since it was a wet wet snow and the wind off of the water was brutal. But there is an added surprise, a picture of me with an awesome church behind me!! Enjoy!!!
WOW, and I thought you were just having a good time! What a wonderful experience you are having but you really study a lot! Good for you. You are really making the most of this great time. I miss you but love you bunches, GN
ReplyDeleteAaaaannnnnnnd now you're breathing. I'm glad you opted for the saner route (fewer credits). Now have a wunnerful weekend.
ReplyDeleteAnd *hem hem* I'm noticing a distinct lack of blue hat in your pictures. I'm beginning to think I never sent it to you, except it's nowhere in my apartment.
Loves ya, sweets!