#7 Leipzig Bus Tour and Cultural Presentations
Today started with two pieces of bad news: The rain we had expected since we landed but never came finally started to fall. And Luana and Emil were sick and therefore missed the city tour of Leipzig, which luckily was not a walking but a bus tour.
The tour was in English, and we learned a lot about the incredibly
rich history of Leipzig and its many famous sons and daughters. What I had not
known before, for example, was that Schiller wrote the original text for what
later became known as Ode to Joy (made famous by Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony) in
Leipzig, and the “joy” referred to the good times he had in the city with his
friends.
After the tour, it was back to school, which meant it was time for
the first round of presentations. The American students visited various English
classes and talked about topics such as life as an American teenager, American
sports, the US school system, etc. Hallie and Brendan dared to visit the
elementary school children who just started to learn English. I came along for
moral support, but the children were very cute and did not “destroy” Hallie, as
she had feared.
Brendan talked about sports, but unfortunately the kids were a bit
intimidated and did not ask him about his favorite German soccer club. I was
looking forward to the boos. Oh well.
Without further ado, let’s hear what three of our protagonists
have to say about today’s experiences.
Jaseen writes:
Today we gave presentations to students at the German school, and
I presented to a class in the seventh grade. My presentation was about sports
in Atlanta. I explained about the popular sports and the well-known teams in
Atlanta. I knew this topic would be cool because lots of students in the German
school love sports. After we presented, we got split into groups and each group
had questions written down for us to ask. Some questions were actual questions
about life in the USA, but some questions were more personal questions like
“Ronaldo or Messi?” or “What’s your favorite video game?” In the end, I thought
it was interesting how German students thought how we lived our lives compared
to how we actually live our lives.
Sofia writes:
Happy Friday! After the city tour of Leipzig, I gave my
presentation to a very fun and outgoing fifth grade class. I was explaining a
little bit of who I am and some information on my family, friends, and school!
These kids were super excited to hear about the American school experience and
were intrigued with all the sports and classes our school has to offer. I found
it very special when one girl said she was very excited to hear I was coming to
her class because it was also her birthday today and she saved me a piece of
vanilla and cinnamon cake! Some of the kids enjoyed asking me what some
differences were between the US and Germany. I was very impressed with their
English skills and their motivation to talk to me in English even if they
struggled a bit. It was a very sweet time and it really made me realize how
cool it is to learn multiple languages and communicate with different people.
Hallie writes:
Today I visited a classroom full of (German) first graders who
were very intrigued with America. It was so cute how they came up to me and ask
me (unusual) questions. For example, while talking about Lake Lanier, I
suddenly became an expert in fish and all other animals swimming in Lake
Lanier. It was amazing for me to see how young the kids are when they start
learning English. Also how excited they are when they see food. I am very
excited to be able to visit the 1st graders again next week.
Comments
Post a Comment