Die letzte Woche im Semester (The last week of the semester)

The purpose of this blog is to keep a record of students' academic performance in terms of their research papers, experience-learning projects, and oral presentations.
Since the content will be a little boring, to counter balance, I will insert between the paragraphs pictures of Berliner landmarks made entirely of chocolate!

On November 29, during the last "German-American Cultural Contrast" class, students handed in their papers covered the topic such as German and American Higher Education System; German Immigration; Berlin's Cultural Through Architecture; The Berlin Modernism Housing Estates; Afro-Germans; Free Speech in Germany and the United States.


They also presented their semester project about how they involved themselves with a speaking partner, in a club, in a community, or within a culture center.

Through the semester, students were "forced" to get out of their comfort zone to go to the "field" to reflect on cultural distinctions they encountered and the skills they used to navigate those differences. The experience-learning was an important part of this study-abroad program.

The projects they presented included involvement in a film club, table tennis club, language-exchange club, World Culture House, Catholic church community, host family, and LGBTQ community.


On December 2, students had their last class of "History of the German Language", where they did their presentations about the research papers they had to write. The topics included:
German newspapers and their language differences;
German Shakespeare Society;
The Crusades and their Impacts to the German Language and Literature;
German dialects;
Foreign influences to the German language;
Reformation, Humanism, Renaissance and Enlightenment in Germany;
Nazism and its language;
Yiddish;
Mark Twain and other famous people’s view about the German language; and
German language between BRD and DDR.


The ultimate goal of this "UMD in Berlin" program has been integrating students' study abroad and career planning so that they can put their overseas experience to use in their own fields.

Study abroad is an expensive investment, and hopefully one semester in Berlin can strengthen students' resume to attract their future employers due to the following reasons:
1. They incorporated experiential exercises into blog entries and journal writing to reflect on cultural distinctions.
2. They acquired skills to navigate in a foreign country.
3. By giving multiple oral presentations, they practiced public-speaking skills.
4. They learned to do research in a foreign setting by submitting two term papers.

With this last blog, I wanted to thank all the students in my classes for a wonderful semester. I have learned so much from all of them.

Das Erntedankfest in Berlin (Thanksgiving in Berlin)

In German tradition, there is a celebration called Erntedankfest (Harvest Thanking Festival), which usually takes place in a church on the first Sunday in October. People will display their agricultural product in a beautiful way to thank God for his gifts of food and nutrition. The festival also associates with appreciation to the farmers and with free food giving to the poor. The fruit basket, representing this festival, was a gift put together by two of my German friends, Sibylle, my project partner, and Margrit, my landlord, when they came to the "UMD Thanksgiving Dinner" at my temporary home in Berlin.


It was planned from the beginning that students are invited to my apartment for a Thanksgiving Dinner. (The event was even stated in the syllabus!) It is a traditional American family festival, so it was the least I can do, as their teacher and Resident Director, to provide a home away from home for this special day. As one can see in the two pictures, we had traditional American Thanksgiving food items, including turkey, sweet potato, corn, cranberry sauce, gravy (in the pot). Güller, a Turkish neighbor, prepared two Turkish dishes for us. Students also brought soft drink, sweet potato, broccoli and red cabbage dishes. So, there was plenty and varieties of food for people to taste.

After the dinner, we sat in a circle and talked, mostly in German, about what we have to be thankful for. Some thanked their family and their friends at home, but some also thanked the friends they spent this semester with. One particular student was thankful because her best friend recently had a very bad car accident back home, but survived.



Students also played a German geographic game toward the end of the evening. It was fun watching them play because while playing, they got to chat and tease and build a bond. In addition, the game helped them to know more names of Germany towns.

Overall, the get-together was not only a feast for students, it provided them with outlet to voice their opinion about various topics. They got an opportunity to practice their German with other guests. They seemed to have a good time playing the game. They took with them some leftovers so that they don't have to cook or buy lunch the next day.

Above all, they bravely combated with me on this important family holiday the feeling of being homesick.

Der Römische Limes (The Roman Limes Fortification)

A limes was a border defense system of ancient Rome, which has the similar function as the Great Wall in China. The Roman Empire built many of them to mark its boundaries, including the one in the north of England and the other one in Africa facing the desert. The one on the German soil was built between 83-260 AD after Romans suffered a devastating military defeat at Kalkriese in 9 AD.


The 550 km Roman Limes was stretched from the Nord See outlet of the Rhein river in the north-west to Regensburg on the Donau river in the south-east, passing through four current federal states of Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen, Baden-Württemberg, and Bayern. The two major rivers provided natural protection from intrusion into the imperial territory.

During the fall break, I visited Saalburg, which is a Roman fort located on the Taunus ridge northwest of Bad Homburg in Hessen. The fort in Saalburg is also the most completely re-constructed part of German limes and has been evaluated and chosen as part of UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Saalburg is not only the most consistently re-constructed limes fort, it is also the only one to have an adjacent civilian settlement that is partially excavated and preserved. The village begins outside the main gate where the ruins of a hostel and a bath for the soldiers were found.


The bath was relative large and quite elaborately designed.





The Saalburg is also a museum to exhibits a collection of military and domestic equipment from the surrounding areas.










Although the Saalburg is an eminent historical site. Its location is isolated, and visitors have hard time reach the site through public transportation. I had to wait for a bus, which comes once every house to reach the museum, and had to wait for another bus to go back to Bad Homburg, the nearest town, that runs only once every two hours in the afternoon.


The Limes reminded me of the Great Wall in China, where I took another group of students to visit this summer. After seeing the Saalburg I cannot help myself from comparing the two walls. The Great Wall was built two hundred years earlier between 220-206 BC. However, the purpose was the same: to protect the northern border of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups.

It is interesting to observe the fact that while there was absolutely no communication between the two empires in that historical period, nonetheless, the two folks utilized the same method to protect themselves.


Today, both walls are selected as UNESCO heritage sites. It is imperative that mankind should recognize and protect these ancient sites to preserve the outstanding demonstrations of human co-existence, human interactions, and creative architecture.

Kafka Excursion to Prague

The FU-BEST Maryland students had their regular class on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 1:30 pm. However, they were excited and came to classroom with their luggage, because we were leaving for Prague after the class.

It took us about 5 hours to arrive in Prague by train. There are two train stations in Prague, and out of confusion, my students and I didn't get off at the same station. Then my wallet got stolen by a thief, who was well trained and ran away so fast that I couldn't catch him. Not a very great beginning at all.

After giving my students the address of the hotel so they can go there and rest, I reported the incidence to the Czech police. I was lucky that there was one policeman who could speak English. It took three hours for them to write the report so I can claim the loss to my insurance company.

On Friday, we had the day as planned: first, a city walk tour in the morning, visited Kafka museum in the afternoon, and attended "Madam Butterfly" in the State Opera House in the evening.


Prague is a city situated on the Vltava River (Moldau, in German) and is spread over several hills. The city didn't suffer as much damage during World War II as some other major cities, allowing most of its historic architecture to stay the way they were, including Baroque, Renaissance, Gothic, Neo-classical and modern buildings, bridges, and churches.

Old Town is the city center. To its south is the New Town, and these two "towns" are located on the left bank of the river, while the Lesser Town is on the right bank. Charles Bridge is the main connection between the Old and New Towns with the Lesser Town and leads to the Prague Castle.

























(photo 1 & 2: a book store owned by Kafka's father; photo 3: the plate on Kafka's birth house; photo 4: Kafka Monument.)


Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was born and wrote most of his German literal works in Prague. When I read his letter to his father (Brief an den Vater) many years ago, Kafka's character and his internal suffering really impressed me. I thought the letter was the best reading piece for all educators.

Several of our students read Kafka's short stories such as The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung) and A Country Doctor (Ein Landarzt). We talked about the characteristics of his works before the trip. It is not surprising that Prague is a "Kafka city" because there are 34 sightseeing points that related to his life, and there is a museum to portray Kafka with a wonderful mix of old photos, books, clips, diary extracts, and use-of-mirrors type of props.

A walk through the museum is a truly sensory experience . When we entered, we were advised to "follow the music" as we follow the path of Kafka’s life. Each phase had a different feel and a different presentation and portrayal either of his life or his work. It was a highly educational experience!

The experience of visiting the Museum of Communism was similar to visiting the Stasi prison in Berlin.


When I asked the hotel receptionist about the location of the Communism Museum, he said dryly, "I hated communism, so I don't care and don't want to know where the museum is!" As seen in the picture, Czech people turned the smiling Russian doll into a biting monster. The busts of the former communist rulers are collected, but scattered on the floor without any order. The movie at the end of the exhibition showed how political dissidents were harassed and beaten by the secret police. Eventually, people showed their power when the iron curtain fell.

Prague is a charming city full of history and culture. In the past three days, our students enjoyed the last opportunity to relax before their papers become due and the final exams approach.

Konzerthaus in Berlin

The Konzerthaus on a normal day (top) and during the night of lights (below)

The Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) next to it.

The Konzerthaus in Gendarmenmarkt, one of the prettiest squares in Berlin, is my favorite place to visit in the capital of Germany. Not only because I am a fan of its prominent Preussan architect, Carl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841), who designed many fantastic museums, bridges, and memorials in this amazing city, but also due to the first-class musical performances this concert hall has to offer.

Every Saturday, the Konzerthaus organizes a tour through the building for the public, so I took advantage of it yesterday (11/6).

Originally, the hall was designed to be a Schauspielhaus (a theater), and hosted quite a few world premieres in the 19th century, such as Carl Maria Weber's opera Der Freischütz and E.T.A. Hoffman's Undine.

The American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 here on Christmas Day in 1989, just one month after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In that concert, which was broadcast live in more than 20 countries, Bernstein re-worded Friedrich Schiller's text of Ode an die Freude (Ode to joy) as Freiheit an die Freude (Freedom to joy). Through the enthusiasm of the tour guide, who introduced in detail about Bernstein's appearances in the concert hall, I realized how high Bernstein was put on a pedestal by German "fans". The Konzerthaus even has his bronze bust made to commemorate this American composer.

There are a total of four concert halls in the Konzerthaus: the Großer Saal, the Kleiner Saal, the Werner-Otto-Saal, and the MusikClub. Below are pictures of the Großer Saal (the big hall, both in 19th century and today), which is mainly for orchestra performances; the small hall for chamber music; and the colorful hall hallway.

What impressed me the most is that the Konzerthaus has been trying very hard to attract young patrons. Both the Werner-Otto hall and the Musikclub are devoted for youth programs, such as Papageno spielt auf der Zauberflöte (Papageno plays on the Magic flute) and Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty). They are all hands-on projects for children to experience musical performances.

According to the official publication "Facts About Germany," Germany's federal structure delegates responsibility for culture affairs to the states. The federal government contributes only marginal. All in all, Germany's theaters and orchestras receive public funds that is as high as 0.2 percent of all federal, state and municipal expenditure. Students can enjoy performing arts at affordable prices because Germans believe that only public financing can safeguard the freedom of the arts.