Berlin and Potsdam

July 3-6, 2011

After school got out, I had some extra time on my hands.  People were busy with this or that, so I decided to take a short trip to Berlin.  My goal this year was to visit countries that I haven't been to.  I have already been to Germany so it wasn't a top priority, but everyone kept talking about how great Berlin was so I decided to see it for myself.  Never being to Berlin before, I figured it counted as a "new adventure".  Exploring the internet, I booked my hostel and researched what to see and do.  Sunday July 3rd, at 7am my adventure began.

Brian and Clay

    The train from Tabor to Dresden was no problem but once in Dresden the headaches began.  Usually outside a train compartment you can see if a seat is reserved or not...well...apparently people were able to reserve seats in Dresden and they hadn't been marked yet.  I ended up changing seats about 4 times, before I found the LAST seat in a packed compartment.  Luckily there were two Americans in the compartment and we chatted the final 2 hours to Berlin.  Clay and his brother, Brian were hilarious....I seriously haven't laughed so much in such a long time.  They didn't have a place to stay yet, so once in Berlin, they followed me to my hostel and booked rooms.  Their sister is in the air force, stationed in Germany so she joined up around 9pm that night.
       I have to say that Berlin is pretty amazing.  The four of us took a 5+ hour walking tour of Berlin on Monday.  We were able to see everything and our tour guide was super funny and we got a great explanation of all that we saw.  The following is some of the highlights of the tour:

Brandenburger Tor:  Our walking tour started here.

Berlin Wall:  There is only a small section of the wall still standing.  There is a long history of the wall.  It was re built many times because people were finding ways of crawling over.  Eventually the smooth, curved pipe was put at the top because people were unable to get a grip and climb over.  The wall came down November 9, 1989 when about 5,000 people from East Berlin rushed through the wall trying to get to West Berlin.

Berliner Dom:  was built in 1905 to "look old" and is a Cathedral.  It is located on Museum Island and is gigantic and beautiful.  Many people gather to have picnics on the green grass/park in front or frolic in the fountain.

Checkpoint Charlie: This was the third checkpoint for people to enter/exit West Berlin and East Berlin. There is a sign next to the checkpoint that states you are now leaving the American zone, etc.  There are many stories of people sneaking into West Berlin.  One many cut a hole in his seat, his flexible girlfriend pretzeled herself inside and the man sewed back up the seat.  When at the checkpoint, the guards checked everywhere, except the seat cushion.  Another story were were told was a boyfriend and girlfriend were separated in W. Berlin and E. Berlin.  He was in the West and she, in the East.  He found a girl in W. Berlin that looked exactly like his girlfriend and they started dating...after several months, he talked the "new girlfriend" into taking a trip to East Berlin (since she had her papers, etc). Once in East Berlin, they stopped to have lunch at a restaurant.  When she was in the bathroom, he stole her papers and met up with the "real" girlfriend outside and they went back to West Berlin using this new girls papers.  Once the "new" girlfriend realized what happened, she called the police but at this point it was too late, and the real couple were happy back in West Berlin.  There are so many more creative escape stories like this.

This is the Jewish Memorial in down town Berlin.  The designer built the memorial in down town so that everyday, people on their way to work would see and remember.  The design is too look like the different stages in the war...at first there was little to be worried about and then the fear gets bigger and bigger.  There is a lot of speculation about the actual design and meaning but the designer wanted each person to have their own reaction and interpretation of what they saw.  Walking through it, it is very overwhelming. 

The maze takes you to different levels, rows, heights, and emotions.  You can get lost within the labyrinth or go straight from one point to another.

This statue sits in an open memorial.  She is holding her dying son from war.  She is exposed to the elements by a whole hole in the ceiling of the building.  When it snows, she is covered in snow, when it rains, she gets wet...next to her are two graves.  One grave is of a holocaust victim and the other the grave of a German soldier.  Some people are very upset by these two graves but the point of the statue is to show that there are no people untouched by war.

  This picture is definitely not a highlight but one that I found important.  Below the unkept grass is Hitler's bunker.  Below the ground, Hitler hid at the end of the war and it is the same place that he and his wife committed suicide.  As you can see in the picture, it is now a car park and where dogs go to do their business.  Our tour guide took us here to show us that you build memorials to victims, and this is how you remember Hitler...

TV Tower:  Also known as the eye of Stalin this is a giant visual in Berlin.  It was built in 1969 by the East Berlin government to show West Berlin that they are advanced in technology as well. 




























There of course were many many more highlights on tour but I think enjoying local food is just as important as seeing the sights.  I do have to say that Germany has some GREAT food.  If you like to eat, Berlin is the place to go.  The first night started my eating with a curry wurst.  It is a sausage with curry sauce but unfortunately at this place, it takes like an Oscar Meyer hot dog with ketchup.  Nothing quite special.  But not all was lost, Berlin has GREAT beer and my local food tasting only got better.

I do have to say though, that the potato salad is to die for!! YUMMMMMMMMMMY
















I also tried Snitzel...super....two thumbs up, and my absolute favorite was the rump steak and potatoes....oh my gosh....heaven.  The steak melted in your mouth and the extra blend of fried onions, sauce, and potatoes would take any food connoisseur into a new love of food. Unfortunately I don't have a picture because by the time I realized I should take one, the food was gone...
        On Wednesday the four of us took a day trip to Potsdam.  I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend going to Potsdam. It is a beautiful town located about 30-40 minutes by S-Bahn train from Berlin.  Here are some of the highlights from Potsdam:

 Cathedral

Brandenburg Gate

Gardens of Potsam.  The park is ENORMOUS.  You could spend hours and hours inside the park.  A maze of flowers, hedges, statues, and structures takes you on a sensory overload.  If I lived here, I know I would be spending most of my days in the park, reading, writing, and getting my visual stimulation of nature.

More views of the park

As were walking through the park, we caught sight of this building through some of the tall hedges.  We walked over and explored the beautiful building.  I am not joking when I say that you can get lost in the park and you can discover hidden gems among the hedges.

Down another turn in the park, you can find yourself at the Chinese Tea House.  The design is brilliant and breath taking.

This church is also in the gardens.  As you walk down the path, you come upon this gorgeous church sitting on a pond.  Swans and ducks swim in the pond and you can enjoy the serenity of the surroundings.  Surrounded by trees you can easily forget that civilization lives beyond the trees a short distance away.

We booked a tour at the Sanssouci Palace, but we have about an hour to wait.  During the wait, we hiked up the hillside of the park to some ruins.  Funny enough, we found out later that the ruins are actually fake.  The king created the area to house the water for the fountains of the park and wanted an old, ancient feel to the area.

We had some fun taking pictures and being silly.  At the "fake" ruins, we decided to be "fake" statues.  Each of us took a pose and my camera captured it. This is one of my favorite pictures and we just had so much fun.

We took a tour of Sanssouci Palace.  The palace sits in the middle of the park and the gardens surrounding the palace are beautiful.  We all commented how awesome it would be to grow up here. You could play hide-n-seek in so many cool locations and have a lot of places to explore.

View of Sanssouci from below the castle.  The maze pattern consists of plants, flowers, and grapes as you wind your way up to the palace.

On the other side of Sanssouci Palace.

After Sanssouci Palace, we continued our exploration of the gardens.  We found ourselves at the "New Palace".  Unfortunately for us, it is not open on Tuesdays so we could not explore inside.  But it didn't stop us from doing our own outside explorations.

The New Palace closer up

With all the statues, it was fun to find a statue at the Palace with a little sense of humor.  The child is giving the "two thumbs up" and looking a little mischievous.  I haven't seen a statue like this before and I kinda like it.

 The four of us....I used my natural gift of self-portraiting to take this picture... Luckily my head got into the picture but it is still a favorite picture of mine.

In the picture:  Jill, Clay, Brian, and my head :)

Last Week of School

June 30, 2011

I just am still amazed by how fast this year has gone.  I remember almost 1 year ago, walking into Gymnazium Pierre De Coubertina and thinking how nervous I was to be there.  I didn't know what to teach, how I was going to teacher, or where I was going to teach.  Would the students like me?  Would I be prepared?  Would I know what I was doing???  Now, one year later, I am so sad that it has gone by so fast.  This year has been one of the best teaching years of my life.  I absolutely loved working with my Czech students and teaching them about America and writing.  I was able to introduce some fun American short stories and hopefully pass on a love of learning.
  The last week of school has been so bitter-sweet.  As with every year, by the last week of school, you are ready to be done teaching...(that's the sweet part)...but it was also bitter because I was so sad to have to say goodbye to my students and amazing colleagues.

   My 3D students threw a going away party for me and gave me the most beautiful heart necklace so I would never forget them.  Some of my V5G students gave me some very sweet going away presents as well...

   On the last day of school (June 30th) we had a staff party at our local pub.  Most of the staff was there to celebrate the end of the year and enjoy each other's company.  I definitely wasn't prepared for the AMAZING thoughtfulness of my kabinet and friends.  Romana and my friends presented me with a huge photograph in which they had spelled out my name with their bodies.  It took 11 people to spell out my name and it was a complete surprise for me.  I had no idea they were going to do that and as soon as I was presented with the photo, the tears began to fall.  I felt very loved and appreciated and I am going to treasure the photo forever.  After the photo was given, the staff band played Stand By Me (in English) in my honor and  I was just so touched!!!!  It is so important in life, to work with people who you like, and who like you, and this year was no exception.  The staff embraced me and made me feel like family.   I know that I have made some life long friendship and I am not saying "goodbye" but "see you later (alligator)"

Thank you Gymnazium Pierre De Coubertina for everything!

The Staff Band

Zuzka, Iva, Romana, and Martin (some of my favorite people in the world).  These four people, along with many others became instant friends.  They helped me, taught me, and became family!

Petra and me.  When I first came to GPdC, Petra didn't speak much English and she didn't talk with me much.  Soon we began helping each other out.  She helped me with my Czech and I helped her with her English and I am so proud to say by the end of the year, she and I were talking ALL the time.  Petra is an amazing person and teacher and I am so lucky to call her my friend!!

Flowers from the staff on the last day of school.  Absolutely beautiful flowers and even after two weeks, still smell wonderful in my flat :)

Czech Students

June 16, 2011

Today was the last day with my Thursday conversation class.  All week, I have been saying good-bye to many of my classes.  Next week, most of my students are gone on "class trips" so this is the last week of actual teaching/instruction.  The final week of school will have a different schedule, since there are only 4 days the final week of June 27-30 so this week was the last time that we would be together as a class.

Pavlina and Iveta

I am definitely not ready in this blog to reflect on my year of teaching.  I need some more time to process all that has happened, but I can say that it has been a life changing experience.  It has been "real" as we say back in America.  For some students, it has been "real"ly amazing...some students have been "real" irritating, but that is the same even in America.

Andrea, Me, Tereza, Tina, Martina

Today, like I said was my last conversation class with my Thursday group.  We finished a video in class, had a wonderful conversation and then I treated them to some ice cream in the town square.  Like 99% of my students, these kids are so wonderful.  It has been an honor to be their teacher and watch their English and confidence in speaking English grow!  I know that I have made life long connections and these students have definitely had a positive impact on me, as I hope I have had on them.  So here are some of the pictures that we took today during our last conversation class.

Jitka...try NOT to laugh...impossible

Karolina, Martina, Tereza, Tina, Andrea

Me and the gang

Donika, Jitka, Eli, Lenka, and Steve

Czech Tattoo

the designed drawn onto my foot

I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo at the end of this year to remember my Fulbright experience and remember my love of the Czech Republic.  Since of the beginning of the year, I had asked a couple of friends if they could sketch me some ideas because I am not an artist.  Unfortunately everyone was so busy, so I was left to my own devices.  Since this tattoo would be going on my body permanently, I wanted to make sure that I found a symbol of the Czech Republic that I would want to have on my body forever....now, I love the Czech Republic, but there aren't many symbols from here that I wanted inked into my body.  There are plenty of castles, goblets, lions, eagles, etc but those just don't fit my style....

me holding REAL still

When I first arrived in the Czech Republic, one of the first places I visited was Cesky Krumlov.  While there I learned that there was a dynasty that was loved by the Czech people...the Rozumberk Dynasty.  This dynasty had a symbol of a rose...which has become to be known as the Rozumberk Rose (a symbol for the Czech Republic).  PERFECT!!!!!!!!

Once I had found my symbol...I had to do the drawing...ugh....I spent DAYS/HOURS drawing different designs.  I wanted to incorporate my personal symbol, the moon and stars, with the Czech Rose to show how my two lives have merged.  Thank goodness for technology because I was able to take photos of my drawings and send them via email to some friends to get their opinions.

me and Viki

After 12 drawings and many opinions from close friends, I finally decided on the design I wanted. Now it was time to book the appointment.  Since I don't speak fluent Czech, a colleague of mine, called a tattoo artist that Katerina recommended, Viki (his nickname) to get me a consultation for the next day.  The next day, my good friend Iva came with me to the consultation to talk to him about the design and schedule an appointment.  The soonest appointment was for 1 month later, June 7, 2011.  Iva and I joked when we were leaving his studio that we didn't need to actually smoke a cigarette because our clothes had done all the smoking for us.  (they reaked...so we made sure to wear our worst clothes for the appointment)

The count down was on....

I think you can see the pain on my
face

Finally June 7th arrived.  At 2:15 she and I walked over to Viki's studio for my appointment.  Viki is a SUPER nice guy.  Iva was my translator and support for my appointment.  I got my tattoo on the foot which is apparently the 2nd most PAINFUL place to get a tattoo (next to the head)...I knew it was going to be painful, but I wasn't completely prepared for the excruciating pain that was about to come.  Trooper that I am, I didn't cry once, only said a few swear words in my mind, and cringed in extreme pain regularly.  Even Viki said that I was doing a good job keeping my foot still...well DUH...I figured it I moved it, he would draw some random line that would be there forever...I knew that I had to keep my foot as still as possible.

finished...didn't care what my hair
looked like at this point

After one hour and 45 minutes, the tattoo was finished and I was VERY happy with it.  Viki does absolutely AMAZING work.  I even found out that Viki was the first person to do tattoos in the Czech Republic.  During communism tattoos were illegal so Viki started doing them illegally in underground shops.  Finally after the revolution he began doing them legally.  He has the reputation for being the best tattoo artist in the Czech Republic and luckily for me, he lives in Tabor.  People from all over the world have come to him to do their tattoos.  The USA even did a profile on him in some tattoo magazines.  I have to say it is pretty awesome to get a tattoo that commemoratives my time and love of the Czech Republic but it is even cooler that the "best" tattoo artist in the Czech Republic did it for me!!!!  And to top it ALLLLLLL off...I designed it MYSELF!!!!

Final product...Czech Rozumberk Rose in the center
with a moon and star at each end

Top 10

I was asked to give me Top Ten experiences/memories so far in this Fulbright experience sooooo....here they are:

Ms. Dykstra’s Top 10

1.  Café Mocha.  My favorite café to go get ice cream and coffee

2.  Katerina.  I am so lucky to be doing this exchange with her

3.  Lisbon.  Favorite city I have visited so far

4. Dolomities.  Favorite place to ski

5. Czech Language.  I am starting to be able to speak a new language

6. Small class sizes.  I only have about 15 students in each class

7. Tabor Meetings.  Town festival

8.  Writing my blog.  It is great to share all my experiences

9.  Facebook.  Being able to keep in contact with friends/family from home.

10.  My mom. For all her support through out this process