...is a man who grew up in the very flat ‚Oderbruch‘ region to the north of Frankfurt (Oder), and was a member of the Hitler Youth, and fought against the Russians in the area and later in Berlin, aged 17, narrowly escaping death several times. Since then he became a Christian and did a lot of work in Ghana and also in East Africa, partly with the YMCA there, running a football club, sharing the Good News about Jesus, also running a nursery school for poorer children to learn English so they could then go to school, where everything was taught in English, and building hospitals and other facilities. He was elected chieftain of a tribe of 30,000 people in Ghana. To the present day, he’s also written many books (not sure exactly what about though, presumably his life as well).
Every year he visits schools in Frankfurt (Oder), and tells the children about his life experiences. This he did again from the 27th to 29th September, and the CVJM had the privilege of driving him around, and helping him get about in his wheelchair. He stayed with one of the CVJM families every night.
I heard his story many times, but enjoyed it every time. It’s particularly humbling, in a way, to think that this is the area where the end of World War two was fought, in the streets of the towns and villages, in the woods we drive through. Going for a walk once through some woods, I came across old trenches and shellholes, it really makes you stop and think.
The town of Frankfurt (Oder) was, for the larger part, destroyed in the war, burnt to the ground. Most of the town has been rebuilt from scratch. The CVJM-house and the nearby post office building survived the war, as well as a few churches and the old Viadrina University building, and most buildings in one area of town, further away from the river. But seeing photos of the flattened city after the war in a museum was really quite something, makes you stop and think too.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
A Baptism - Week 3
On Sunday 19th September, my predecessor, Saskia Fischer, whose family lives in the countryside to the north of Frankfurt (Oder), got baptised in a round church in Frankfurt (Oder), and I played keyboard for the service, having practised at intervals on the previous two days at the CVJM Family weekend away. It went fairly well. A few of her friends from Tensing who where there sung a song which I also accompanied.
She decided to get baptised as a result of her year’s volunteering, as far as I understand. She’s now spending a year in the Ukraine, running school projects on the EU and teaching the children there about Germany. Brave girl.
Afterwards we were treated to lots and lots of food at her parents‘ home in the countryside, with a BBQ including a roast hog/similar, and otherwise lots and lots of cakes. Yum. A few relatives gave speeches.
She decided to get baptised as a result of her year’s volunteering, as far as I understand. She’s now spending a year in the Ukraine, running school projects on the EU and teaching the children there about Germany. Brave girl.
Afterwards we were treated to lots and lots of food at her parents‘ home in the countryside, with a BBQ including a roast hog/similar, and otherwise lots and lots of cakes. Yum. A few relatives gave speeches.
Family Weekend away - Week 3
From the 17th to the 19th September, the CVJM had a family weekend away in a sort of big youth hostel, with mobile phones/computers/gaming/social networking as the theme. Frank, my boss, lead the seminar-like discussions, but my job was looking after a group of children while this was going on. We retold the story of Samuel hearing God’s voice as a child, and thinking Eli was calling him – we took photos and pieced them together in a powerpoint (the former being quick in comparison to the latter, unfortunately – such is technology).
We also played lots of games that involved running around, which was great fun, out at the back of the youth hostel, and around an old church. On the Saturday afternoon, there was a kind of sports day event with various amusing events, in which four teams competed. These included a sort of trim trail where the whole team had to carry a toilet paper pyramid around a course, stuffing the maximum number of air-filled balloons into one team member’s trousers, and a pillow fight between the biggest man from each team. All great fun.
The weekend was a great opportunity to get to know the various families in the CVJM, particularly the children. They taught me lots of interesting new vocab (‚Ohrenschmalz‘ – ear wax, ‚Maden‘ – maggot, ‚Segelohren‘ – literally ‚sail ears‘, meaning sticky-out ears – I love the German language and its one-word concepts). It also gave me more confidence with the language, speaking to children, and it’s obviously not too demanding.
We also played lots of games that involved running around, which was great fun, out at the back of the youth hostel, and around an old church. On the Saturday afternoon, there was a kind of sports day event with various amusing events, in which four teams competed. These included a sort of trim trail where the whole team had to carry a toilet paper pyramid around a course, stuffing the maximum number of air-filled balloons into one team member’s trousers, and a pillow fight between the biggest man from each team. All great fun.
The weekend was a great opportunity to get to know the various families in the CVJM, particularly the children. They taught me lots of interesting new vocab (‚Ohrenschmalz‘ – ear wax, ‚Maden‘ – maggot, ‚Segelohren‘ – literally ‚sail ears‘, meaning sticky-out ears – I love the German language and its one-word concepts). It also gave me more confidence with the language, speaking to children, and it’s obviously not too demanding.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Youth service - Week 2
Barely arrived, there were practices for a service for young people, which the CVJM here tries to hold every two months or so, according to our capacities! It arose in the practises that I should/would play bass, which I did for the first time in my life – and thoroughly enjoyed being able to go and practise, and have it count as work.
The youth service took place on the second weekend I was here, on the Saturday evening, out in the back yard of the CVJM youth house, amongst the chickens and other farm animals (only joking).
The service was about laying our worries on God, and not worrying (or more than necessary). Looking back now, I can be grateful that everything is going so well for me here, and that I don’t have cause to worry about anything much at all.
The service was attended mostly by 13 year-olds from the confirmation class that had taken place that afternoon, but also an unusually high number of mosquities. Although they didn’t seem to have much taste for my foreign English-French blood, they really went to town on most of the others, especially a few somewhat quite distractable lads on a bench at the front, who seemed to be dancing at times to get rid of the little beasts.
The youth service took place on the second weekend I was here, on the Saturday evening, out in the back yard of the CVJM youth house, amongst the chickens and other farm animals (only joking).
The service was about laying our worries on God, and not worrying (or more than necessary). Looking back now, I can be grateful that everything is going so well for me here, and that I don’t have cause to worry about anything much at all.
The service was attended mostly by 13 year-olds from the confirmation class that had taken place that afternoon, but also an unusually high number of mosquities. Although they didn’t seem to have much taste for my foreign English-French blood, they really went to town on most of the others, especially a few somewhat quite distractable lads on a bench at the front, who seemed to be dancing at times to get rid of the little beasts.
With Mum and Emily, just arrived - Week 1
I came to Frankfurt (Oder) not alone, but enjoying the company of both Mum and Emily, who travelled with me on the train from Rennes (more-or-less where the French grandparents live in Britanny) to Paris (with ‚le TGV‘ = Train Big Speed), on the Paris underground, then from Paris to Berlin overnight, then finally Berlin to Frankfurt (Oder). Good that they were there, otherwise I would’ve no doubt struggled with my three bags plus guitar, and arrived very sweaty.
But without my (winter) coat, as I managed to completely forget that as we were leaving France. Not so wise when coming so far east.
We were welcomed by the wife of the man who is responsible (in a good way) for my being here – he teaches at a vocational college in Frankfurt (Oder), and, after an email from me asking about working as an English Assistant was directed to him, he suggested to me I could volunteer with the CVJM here.
Anyhow, the first week we were here, we were granted the pleasure of staying at their house, enjoying the company of their four children, and sleeping in their guest room. They were extremely welcoming, generous and ‚warm‘ people, I don’t think I’ve come across anyone like them – regularly asking whether there was anything else we needed. All three of us felt very at home, I think.
(And I said ‚were‘, but they still are.)
Together with Mum and Emily we were taken on a tour of Frankfurt (Oder), and also the neighbouring Polish (but very German-orientated) town Słubice, where many Germans go, even from Berlin, to buy cheaper petrol, cigarettes, and alcohol, amongst other things.
Together, the next day, we also met my new (first!) boss, and later went for lunch in the sunshine at a restaurant (Das Kartoffelhaus - the ‚potato-house‘) overlooking the wide river Oder and the green marshland on the Polish side. Those were good times, despite the several wasps.
After that, we wanted to donate blood, for which you get 14 or 20 Euros here (unlike in Britain where you're generous and give it up for nothing!), but a) we had drunk beer, and b) they don’t accept blood from anyone living in the UK, something to do with BSE (aka Mad cow disease). Schade! (shame)
We also visited Berlin before they took the coach home, going to the famous ‚Brandenburger Tor‘ (Brandenburg Gate) and then enjoying a simple bus tour of the city, with commentary in German and English – and more was always said in German than in English. Then it was straight to the ‚Central Omnibus-station‘ (not sure if that’s a fair translation (but is it ever?) of ‚Zentralomnibusbahnhof,‘ aka ZOB) where we took our time saying our goodbyes, and Mum and Emily set off on their long coach journey back through Brussels (correct me one of you if I’m wrong...?), over the channel, to London, and then on home.
And I set off alone, back to Frankfurt (Oder), and my year as a volunteer (t)here.
But without my (winter) coat, as I managed to completely forget that as we were leaving France. Not so wise when coming so far east.
We were welcomed by the wife of the man who is responsible (in a good way) for my being here – he teaches at a vocational college in Frankfurt (Oder), and, after an email from me asking about working as an English Assistant was directed to him, he suggested to me I could volunteer with the CVJM here.
Anyhow, the first week we were here, we were granted the pleasure of staying at their house, enjoying the company of their four children, and sleeping in their guest room. They were extremely welcoming, generous and ‚warm‘ people, I don’t think I’ve come across anyone like them – regularly asking whether there was anything else we needed. All three of us felt very at home, I think.
(And I said ‚were‘, but they still are.)
Together with Mum and Emily we were taken on a tour of Frankfurt (Oder), and also the neighbouring Polish (but very German-orientated) town Słubice, where many Germans go, even from Berlin, to buy cheaper petrol, cigarettes, and alcohol, amongst other things.
Together, the next day, we also met my new (first!) boss, and later went for lunch in the sunshine at a restaurant (Das Kartoffelhaus - the ‚potato-house‘) overlooking the wide river Oder and the green marshland on the Polish side. Those were good times, despite the several wasps.
After that, we wanted to donate blood, for which you get 14 or 20 Euros here (unlike in Britain where you're generous and give it up for nothing!), but a) we had drunk beer, and b) they don’t accept blood from anyone living in the UK, something to do with BSE (aka Mad cow disease). Schade! (shame)
We also visited Berlin before they took the coach home, going to the famous ‚Brandenburger Tor‘ (Brandenburg Gate) and then enjoying a simple bus tour of the city, with commentary in German and English – and more was always said in German than in English. Then it was straight to the ‚Central Omnibus-station‘ (not sure if that’s a fair translation (but is it ever?) of ‚Zentralomnibusbahnhof,‘ aka ZOB) where we took our time saying our goodbyes, and Mum and Emily set off on their long coach journey back through Brussels (correct me one of you if I’m wrong...?), over the channel, to London, and then on home.
And I set off alone, back to Frankfurt (Oder), and my year as a volunteer (t)here.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Doch bin ich Student! (meaning 'Yes I am a student actually!')
Also a feature of my weekly routine - on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 14:15 to 15:45, I take part in a Linguistics lecture and a Theology seminar respectively, as a 'guest student' ('Gasthörer', literally guest listener) - sort of a programme for people who perhaps work and only have a few hours per week to spare for study, but want to nonetheless. I won't do any exams, but I have to be present 60% of the time to 'pass' and get my certificate saying I took part. Thankfully that means I'm very flexible, so if I'm busy with CVJM work one week and can't go, that's not a problem.
For this privilege, I've had to pay fees of 18€, plus about 12€ to the Copy Shop down the road for a copy of the reading materials. Study will never be so cheap in my life!
The point of being a 'guest student' is to help me decide whether to study Linguistics or Theology at Uni 'properly' (or studying another foreign language would be an option). The Theology idea has only really surfaced since I've come to Germany, but at the moment I'm more that way inclined than to Linguistics - although the latter (ooh, turns out I can still speak English, and formally too, wow!) would probably make for broader career options. But Theology just seems more right for me than Linguistics.
He says now. Who knows when he might change his mind again...
One last thing - hats off to the priest/pastor who leads the Theology seminar - the poor guy wrote on the white board in permanent marker for 95% of the first session.
And one second last thing - the University (a very international one, with 40% students from abroad) is called the European University Viadrina , or Europa-Universität Viadrina, or Uniwersytet europejski "Viadrina" in Polish, as one also sees on signs.
And one last last thing - although it can be tiring sitting through 90 minutes of rather academic German, it's increasing my vocab and, I suppose, knowledge of non-slangish German, which is good.
For this privilege, I've had to pay fees of 18€, plus about 12€ to the Copy Shop down the road for a copy of the reading materials. Study will never be so cheap in my life!
The point of being a 'guest student' is to help me decide whether to study Linguistics or Theology at Uni 'properly' (or studying another foreign language would be an option). The Theology idea has only really surfaced since I've come to Germany, but at the moment I'm more that way inclined than to Linguistics - although the latter (ooh, turns out I can still speak English, and formally too, wow!) would probably make for broader career options. But Theology just seems more right for me than Linguistics.
He says now. Who knows when he might change his mind again...
One last thing - hats off to the priest/pastor who leads the Theology seminar - the poor guy wrote on the white board in permanent marker for 95% of the first session.
And one second last thing - the University (a very international one, with 40% students from abroad) is called the European University Viadrina , or Europa-Universität Viadrina, or Uniwersytet europejski "Viadrina" in Polish, as one also sees on signs.
And one last last thing - although it can be tiring sitting through 90 minutes of rather academic German, it's increasing my vocab and, I suppose, knowledge of non-slangish German, which is good.
At last an update! My weekly routine - Week 12
Well, I've had my busiest week yet (worked 63 hours), because of an evangelisation event called Jesus House, which ran Wednesday to Saturday of this week – there’s still a lot to be cleared away, washed up, etc, so I’ll be busy tomorrow...
...although I normally have Mondays free, and would spend the day preparing for and running an English club at the local Christian primary school in the afternoon, 14:40-15:25, for which I get paid a nice sum of 15€ (but I have to do preparation as well, so in the end it evens out at a pretty normal wage for an 18-year old, although I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be earning whilst (hopefully) learning how to teach.
I also have time on Mondays (or at least allegedly) for getting on with my TESOL course, which I’m still about a third of the way through – it seems to drag on for a ridiculously long time.
Tuesdays have typically been ‚cleaner-days‘ up until now, and I’ve often found them the hardest/most tiring, although I’m now more-or-less used to sweeping and cleaning all the floors, emptying bins, cleaning the toilets (which only involves pouring chemicals down the pan, nothing more), sweeping leaves or weeding outside, etc. In fact, I’m starting to enjoy these sorts of practical tasks, where you get on with it and can think things over, pray, or whatever.
As of last week, however, there will be projects run with school pupils in the CVJM (Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen - Young People’s Christian Association) youth house on Tuesdays, so I may have to act the cleaner some other time in the week...
...which would mean working in the office on Tuesdays, which is what I’ve been doing for part of the day from Wednesday to Friday so far, taking phone calls, balancing the books, sorting through paperwork, shoving flyers into envelopes, sticking address labels onto envelopes, popping into town to buy something, running down the road (which I thoroughly enjoy) to the „Copy Shop“ (as the Germans call it themselves) to get something photocopied, etc...I also set up tables and chairs for clubs in the CVJM youth house whenever required, throughout the week.
Wednesday evenings I help with confirmation classes, run by my boss, Frank, the full-time secretary here at the CVJM, and a priest from what is the anglican church or equivalent here in Germany. Though priest sounds rather aloof and robey, he’s very much a normal guy, prefers not to wear his dog collar (if that’s what it’s called)...anyhow, at first I was only really sitting in on the ‚class‘, but now I’m helping, doing the (very short) welcome at the start and leading a song we sing on guitar. There are about a dozen 13-year olds there, of which only two girls. I always enjoy playing pool with two of the boys, brothers, who always come about half an hour early to make the most of the pool table in the basement. And I enjoy the fact that that counts as work...
Thursday evenings is quite different, with Tensing taking place – about thirty 13 to 20 year-olds who put on a performance (or musical, I suppose you can call it) every year with choir, band, drama (obviously) and dance. They also do a few other odd concerts throughout the year.
As a general rule, the Tensingers are pretty wild, but you’ve got to love them. I soon felt like I was one of them at the start of the year (all those weeks ago!) and that helped a lot. They teach me a lot about youth culture I suppose...and it’s simply all great fun. Until now I’ve been in the band, particularly filling gaps when they arise, but I’d like to take part in the Drama workshop more often. And choir is great fun.
Every week, we either all sing in the choir, practising the songs we’ve chosen by vote for this year, or split up into workshops – Dance, Drama, and Band. And there’s always a break with German squash (‚crumb tea‘ translated literally, which you buy as solid granules)
Fridays, I now start a bit earlier than usual, not helping with the school project that takes place in the CVJM youth house from half seven in the morning, but preparing coffee and biscuits for their break, and being there to serve drinks or whatever.
The rest of the day is office work, until 15:15, when I help with Smilies, a club for 8 to 12 year-olds which is always a refreshing, nice end to the week. We play games, often compete against each other for prizes, sing Christian songs, listen to a Bible story, enjoy squash (crumb tea again!) and biscuits in the break, and always have lots of fun. And last week (although I couldn’t be there, unfortunately) they cooked some kind of asian food and then ate it, one time we went to a beautiful spot near the river Oder, where there are sanddunes, and spent the time making tracks to roll balls down as slowly as possible.
So that’s pretty much my average week’s work with the CVJM here in Frankfurt (Oder) (apart from the English club at the primary, that's not CVJM work - just the reason for my day off).
My goal is, by the end of this week, to have properly updated my blog with the reams of things I have to talk about. At least I’ve now made a start! It was about time, having not posted anything in two months apart from a poem or two...
...although I normally have Mondays free, and would spend the day preparing for and running an English club at the local Christian primary school in the afternoon, 14:40-15:25, for which I get paid a nice sum of 15€ (but I have to do preparation as well, so in the end it evens out at a pretty normal wage for an 18-year old, although I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be earning whilst (hopefully) learning how to teach.
I also have time on Mondays (or at least allegedly) for getting on with my TESOL course, which I’m still about a third of the way through – it seems to drag on for a ridiculously long time.
Tuesdays have typically been ‚cleaner-days‘ up until now, and I’ve often found them the hardest/most tiring, although I’m now more-or-less used to sweeping and cleaning all the floors, emptying bins, cleaning the toilets (which only involves pouring chemicals down the pan, nothing more), sweeping leaves or weeding outside, etc. In fact, I’m starting to enjoy these sorts of practical tasks, where you get on with it and can think things over, pray, or whatever.
As of last week, however, there will be projects run with school pupils in the CVJM (Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen - Young People’s Christian Association) youth house on Tuesdays, so I may have to act the cleaner some other time in the week...
...which would mean working in the office on Tuesdays, which is what I’ve been doing for part of the day from Wednesday to Friday so far, taking phone calls, balancing the books, sorting through paperwork, shoving flyers into envelopes, sticking address labels onto envelopes, popping into town to buy something, running down the road (which I thoroughly enjoy) to the „Copy Shop“ (as the Germans call it themselves) to get something photocopied, etc...I also set up tables and chairs for clubs in the CVJM youth house whenever required, throughout the week.
Wednesday evenings I help with confirmation classes, run by my boss, Frank, the full-time secretary here at the CVJM, and a priest from what is the anglican church or equivalent here in Germany. Though priest sounds rather aloof and robey, he’s very much a normal guy, prefers not to wear his dog collar (if that’s what it’s called)...anyhow, at first I was only really sitting in on the ‚class‘, but now I’m helping, doing the (very short) welcome at the start and leading a song we sing on guitar. There are about a dozen 13-year olds there, of which only two girls. I always enjoy playing pool with two of the boys, brothers, who always come about half an hour early to make the most of the pool table in the basement. And I enjoy the fact that that counts as work...
Thursday evenings is quite different, with Tensing taking place – about thirty 13 to 20 year-olds who put on a performance (or musical, I suppose you can call it) every year with choir, band, drama (obviously) and dance. They also do a few other odd concerts throughout the year.
As a general rule, the Tensingers are pretty wild, but you’ve got to love them. I soon felt like I was one of them at the start of the year (all those weeks ago!) and that helped a lot. They teach me a lot about youth culture I suppose...and it’s simply all great fun. Until now I’ve been in the band, particularly filling gaps when they arise, but I’d like to take part in the Drama workshop more often. And choir is great fun.
Every week, we either all sing in the choir, practising the songs we’ve chosen by vote for this year, or split up into workshops – Dance, Drama, and Band. And there’s always a break with German squash (‚crumb tea‘ translated literally, which you buy as solid granules)
Fridays, I now start a bit earlier than usual, not helping with the school project that takes place in the CVJM youth house from half seven in the morning, but preparing coffee and biscuits for their break, and being there to serve drinks or whatever.
The rest of the day is office work, until 15:15, when I help with Smilies, a club for 8 to 12 year-olds which is always a refreshing, nice end to the week. We play games, often compete against each other for prizes, sing Christian songs, listen to a Bible story, enjoy squash (crumb tea again!) and biscuits in the break, and always have lots of fun. And last week (although I couldn’t be there, unfortunately) they cooked some kind of asian food and then ate it, one time we went to a beautiful spot near the river Oder, where there are sanddunes, and spent the time making tracks to roll balls down as slowly as possible.
So that’s pretty much my average week’s work with the CVJM here in Frankfurt (Oder) (apart from the English club at the primary, that's not CVJM work - just the reason for my day off).
My goal is, by the end of this week, to have properly updated my blog with the reams of things I have to talk about. At least I’ve now made a start! It was about time, having not posted anything in two months apart from a poem or two...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)