Fulbright Associate from Austria Has Arrived!

Mein Name ist Ralph Kristl und ich komme aus dem wunderschönen Herzen Europas inmitten der Alpen- aus Österreich (Austria). Vor einem Jahr habe ich meinen Master in Teacher Education für höhere Schulen in Österreich abgeschlossen, wobei Lehrer in unserem Land üblicherweise zwei Fächer unterrichten- ich habe die beiden Fächer Englisch als Fremdsprache und Geographie/ Wirtschaft studiert. Unmittelbar nach meinem Studium absolvierte ich mit großer Freude mein vorgeschriebenes Praktikumsjahr an einem Gymnasium in Graz. Mindestens so sehr freue ich mich auf meine Tätigkeit als Tutor an der St. John’s University hier in Minnesota, wo ich vor allem Herrn Fr. Mark Thamert als Deutschassistent zur Seite stehen, das eine oder andere Mal aber auch in anderen Klassen assistieren werde.

Ich liebe es zu reisen, neue Leute kennen zu lernen und unterschiedlichste Erfahrungen zu sammeln. Während meines Studiums verbrachte ich ein Semester in Tennessee und profitierte nicht nur akademisch, sondern auch persönlich enorm davon. Schon damals fasste ich den Entschluss, nach meinem Studium als Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant nach Amerika zurückzukehren und meine Fähigkeiten als Lehrer und nicht zuletzt meinen Horizont zu erweitern. Fremde Bildungssysteme, vor allem Unterricht an einer Hochschule bringt viele neue Inputs mit sich und ist eine enorme Bereicherung für jeden Lehrer. Natürlich bin ich nicht nur gespannt auf die vielen neuen Eindrücke und Erfahrungen, sondern auch darauf, meine eigenen Erfahrungen aus dem Studium und meinem Jahr als Lehrer hier umzusetzen. Somit freue ich mich sehr auf das kommende Jahr und auf eine tolle Zusammenarbeit an der SJU/CSB.

Note:  Ralph will help arrange great German Club activities, do conversation groups and individual tutoring and will assist in teaching German classes.  Welcome Ralph! 

Oktoberfest 2014 a Great Success

The German Club was proud to host our fifth annual Oktoberfest in Bro. Willie’s Pub on Saturday, Oct. 18th. As in past years, the event included music, dancing, good food and drink, and games with prizes. Campus DJs did a great job of DJing the event, playing a combination of popular German and Austrian songs, electronic music, and even a small amount of Polka to get people dancing. Food served included hot Brezen and Würstl. Beer was served upstairs, including Paulaner Weißbier, the world-famous wheat beer brewed in Munich. Games included Steinheben, a game where contestants attempt to hold a liter of water with an outstretched arm for as long as possible, a costume contest with prizes for the best dressed Mädel and Bursche, and a guessing game where contestants had to estimate the number of gummy bears in a liter Stein. We had an estimated 200 people attend, and it was all in all a great event!

     Congratulations, German Club Members, on organizing such a fine event.

Grant Christian berichtet begeistert aus Deutschland

Grüß Gott!  Ich schreibe von Bad Reichenhall, Deutschland. Diese Woche ist meine dritte und letzte Woche hier. Schade! Ich habe viel Spaß gehabt, und eine andere Perspektiv der deutschen Kultur gelernt. Ich wohne in der Kaserne mit elf anderen Kadetten aus den ganzen USA. Unsere Gruppe arbeitet und trainiert mit der Bundeswehr. Am meistens lehren sie uns, weil sie hochqualifiziert sind, und wir sind erst Studenten. Wir haben so viel gemacht. Klettern, abseilen, MG3 u. G36 (schau im Internet an!) schießen, Pferd reiten, schwimmen, und viel Sport. Und natürlich sprechen und lachen wir viel mit den Soldaten. 

            Die Soldaten sind sehr nett, freundlich, und nicht so anders als wir. Ihr Grund fuers Eintreten ist gleich wie die amerikanische Soldaten. Die haben viel Nationalstolz und wollen ihrem Land dienen. Leider sind die Soldaten nicht so geliebt wie in Amerika. Die Soldaten sagen “es gibt die Erde, dann gibt’s uns.” Aber die sind alle so unglaublich glücklich. Sie mögen wirklich, was sie machen. Der Bundeswehr wird weniger und weniger Soldaten in der Zukunft haben. Das bedeutet, dass jeder Soldat wirklich dienen will. Ich denke, das ist wunderbar. Ich erinnere mich an unsere Konversation über Leute, die für den falschen Grund eintreten. 

Jedenfalls, sollen wir “up-catchen!” wenn ich zurück bin. Ich fliege nach Amerika nächste Mittwoch. Bis dann! 

Liebe Grüße, 

Grant Christian

Alex Van Loh Awarded Teaching Fulbright in Germany

Ich schätze mich glücklich und ich bin sehr begeistert! Ich habe heute gehört, dass ich in Thüringen sein werde. Ich weiß noch nicht welche Stadt.  After having studied abroad in Austria, I wanted to expand my knowledge of Germanic culture by experiencing life in Germany. Living, teaching, and learning in Germany will broaden my cultural consciousness and give me more tools for communicating in the future. Studying a foreign language is a type of academic work distinct from all others. It is stimulating to uncover a subject that is so clearly and directly applicable to life. It overcomes communication barriers, allows for new forms of self- expression, and makes one more aware of the subtleties of one’s own language. To be able to cultivate these ideas in students across the world is an extraordinary opportunity that I feel very fortunate to have been given.

Dan Schmit Awarded Research and Teaching Fulbright Fellowship in Linz, Austria

Senior Dan Schmit was notified this past week that he had received a 9 month Fulbright Scholarship to Austria for the 2014-2015 academic year.  He will be studying Mechatronics at the Johannes Kepler Universität in Linz. In addition to his studies, He will be working part time as an English Teaching Assistant. Dan says, "I am looking forward to the opportunity to study, teach, and experience life in Linz."   Congratulations Dan!  We are proud of you.     

Grant Christian (CSBSJU '16) Receives Military-Cultural Internship in Germany

Dear Students, Faculty and Friends, 

This summer I will be part of the CULP Mission Training Internship in Germany.  CULP is an acronym that stands for Cultural Understanding and Language Proficiency. It is a merit-based program available to all ROTC cadets in the nation. The purpose of this mission is to develop relations with foreign nations, broaden insights about foreign militaries and learn how they operate in comparison to the United States military as well as give the cadets a chance to practice their language in a professional setting.  From June 8th to July 8th this summer I will be working alongside and collaborating with the German Armed Forces, specifically with a young officer of similar rank, on various training missions and situation exercises in order to have a greater understanding and awareness of how the United States Military operates in relation to the rest of the world. I will be part of an American team consisting of other cadets from school all across the nation who were also awarded this trip. Transportation, meals, and housing expenses are all covered as a part of the program. The mission lasts approximately one month. This is a wonderful experience to practice your language and experience the culture in a very unique way that you would otherwise not have the opportunity to as a traveler/tourist.

To apply for this program you must be part of the ROTC program and you can talk to your cadre leader about it, they will have all the necessary information. Additionally, there are missions all around the world tailored to your specific language skillset. There are also English teaching programs in more under developed countries for those that do not have a second language. Do not miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity! 

Grant Christian

gdchristian@csbsju.edu

German and French Club Students Take in the Guthrie's Tristan and Yyseult

The CSB/SJU French and German clubs combined their efforts to organize a trip to the nationally famous Guthrie theater on Friday evening, March 21, 2014 to see a modern adaptation of the medieval love story of Tristan and Yseult.  

Austria Program Participant Jenna Maus Wins Photo Award

   
    The title of this photo is "Full Circle." this is how Jenna describes her experience in Austria:  On our last day in Salzburg a small group of us decided to climb one of the surrounding mountains. It seemed fitting since it is the same thing the whole group did our first weekend in Salzburg. It was a bittersweet hike, as we reminisced about the difficult hike our first weekend, and how much closer we had grown as a group since then. As we took in the view of Salzburg one last time, I felt a sense of completeness, and for the first time, realized it truly is the journey that matters and not the end.
     Jenna's photo was chosen as second place winner from among dozens of submissions from study abroad members.

Martin Spendlhofer, Fulbright TA from Austria, Gives His Impressions

It has now been almost half a year since I got to CSB/SJU. Wow. Time really flies. To make you understand more what my life here is like, I would like to describe five things that I enjoy(ed).

    Every semester, there is something called the 24 hour play festival at CSB/SJU. A group of incredibly talented students get together and write, direct, rehearse and perform a total of 8 plays play in 24 hours. In January, I got to write an 8 minute play and then act in it as well. Even though I was on about an hour of sleep and there was more blood in my caffeine than caffeine in my blood, I enjoyed every second of it and it was a total blast. Teaching theater in Austria, I could gather some valuable experiences as well.

One of my German club related highlights last semester was Oktoberfest. We served authentic pretzels, danced the polka and had a gummy-bear guessing game. We put a lot of work and effort into it and I think it paid off well. For advertising it we had a great flash mob with traditional Austrian music at the Gorecki dining center and we also handed out hot cider at the bus stop. All in all, I enjoyed working together with an ambitious team of German club officers.

Another highlight was definitely winter break. I left freezing Minnesota mid-December and traveled for about a month. After a fantastic Fulbright Conference in DC where I got to meet all of the other Fulbright teaching assistants, I went to Hawaii, San Francisco, drove up to Vancouver, then met up with some fellow Fulbrights again in New Orleans and ended winter break with a road trip to Boston. I met amazing people, saw different landscapes, cities, cultures, weather, you name it.

Related to this is the establishment of an unofficial cooking club. Every Sunday, some friends from German club and I get together and cook something. The menu is usually very international -- we’ve had Japanese Maki or Gumbo from New Orleans for example. It is a lot of fun recreating various recipes and getting a taste of different countries and cultures. While cooking, we also share stories about our trips all over the world.

Finally, I would like to talk about how teaching German and studying at CSB/SJU helps me professionalize my teaching skills. I am a teaching assistant for two German courses and I enjoy working with the students as well as with the German professors. This semester, I am taking two classes on ESL and last semester, I took a class on how to teach theater to children and a “Public Speaking for Teachers” seminar. It feels like those are the classes that I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. What I appreciate most about them is that they are hands-on. Furthermore, the professors are very knowledgeable and have great insights into pedagogical theory. 

The only thing that I will never adapt to is the temperature here in Minnesota. I have to say that I was relieved that when there had been a low of 30 degrees below zero, I had been sitting in a cozy hotel room in New Orleans and hoping for it to pass before I got back.

All in all, I am having a good Fulbright experience here at CSB/SJU, teaching and learning, cooking and eating, performing and watching and freezing and getting warmed up again. I would like to end with a quote from Mark Twain, summing up what I've learned so far, encouraging everybody to set out on a journey and outlining the benefits:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. 

47 CSB/SJU Students Declare German Studies as Their Minor or Major

In addition to German Studies, our German Studies minors or majors are currently majoring or minoring in these fields: Accounting, Geography, Art, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Communications, Computer Science, Economics, English, Environmental Studies, Global Business Leadership, Hispanic Studies, History, Mathematics, Music, Peace Studies, Pre-Enginneering, Philosophy, Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Occupational Therapy, Political Science, Pre-Physical Therapy, Secondary Education, Sociology, Theater, and Theology. German Studies is a great cultural partner to any major or minor. 

Wiener Staatsoper!

In den Bergen -- Salzburgerland

Our Wonderfrul Students in Salzburger Trachten!

Joe Wocken Tells of His First Ten Days in Lueneburg, in the North of Germany

If you’re looking for a story of a fairytale dream trip, where the path before you is always sprinkled with magical wishing dust, then this isn’t for you.

My name is Joe Wocken, and I’m a part of the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) Lueneburg, Germany program. So far, I’m a week and a half into the program and it’s nothing like what I thought it would be, and it’s vastly different from any CSB/SJU trip I’ve ever heard of. Some 50 of us program participants were given about a day of orientation, then pushed from the nest like baby birds. We have basic levels of support from the staff here, but for the most part, we are on our own. With this kind of independence, it’s been up to me to meet people, find my way around, and settle in to a whole different lifestyle. So far, it’s been extremely rewarding!

Here, I have to work to be successful. I’ve met Germans, Russians, Spaniards, Peruvians, Brazilians, Americans, and Texans. I’m not here to be sheltered; I’m here to live life.

Our German Studies Majors and Minors -- Spring 2014 -- We Are Proud of You!

Dear Friends,

We are blessed in having a thriving student community in German Studies at Saint Ben's and Saint John's.  We wish each of our students success during their college years and beyond.

Professor Lisa Ohm and senior Austin Eighan to present on current issues in Germany -- January 30 in Gorecki

“Update on Germany: Shifting Priorities and Overcoming Crises” has been accepted for the Spring Thursday Forum 2014 series. Th8is presentation will be on January 30, 2014 at 4:15pm, in the President’s Conference Room in Gorecki DCC at CSB.

Oktoberfest a Wild Success! -- Click on Link for 125 photos!

The German Club's fourth annual Oktoberfest was hosted on the 26^th of October.  This year was by far the most attended of years previous, making the German Club excited for the years to come.  This year the German Club was able to do a lot more in terms of getting the campus excited for the event, the highlight being a flash mob of the popular German song, Rock Mi, by VoXXclub, done in the Gorecki Dinging Center.  Games at the event included the popular Steinheben, or Stein hoist, and a costume contest of the most Germanic costume, giving students the opportunity to be creative and show off their Trachten.    
 
Click here to view photos ...
           http://www.flickr.com/photos/106949438@N06/

Oktoberfest Flashmob on Youtube!

Gorecki dining room ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V87eQ7Qnkc&feature=youtu.be

Semester School + Semester Internship in Germany ~~ All Expenses Paid ~~ Ages 18-24 ~~ Apply Soon!

 

From Fr. Mark: If you are interested, I am happy to help you fill out this application. Email me at mthamert@csbsju.edu .

Official Annoucenment:
I am pleased to announce that the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX), a fully-funded scholarship opportunity, is currently accepting applications from your students. Please make this information available to your students, and encourage them to apply in advance of the December 1 deadline:
_______________________________________

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) is a year-long fellowship to study and work in Germany. CBYX is open to applicants in all career fields, though preference is given to students in STEM fields, agriculture, business, and vocational fields. Students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad opportunities are especially encouraged to apply.

The fellowship is funded by the US and German governments through a grant provided by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. More information can be found at www.CBYX.info.

The CBYX program annually provides 75 participants with:

• 2 months intensive German language training

• 1 semester of study at a German university or university of applied sciences

• 5-month internship with a German company in the participant’s career field

• Transatlantic airfare, health insurance, and monthly living expense stipends

Prior German language knowledge is not required, though it is preferred. Applicants should have clear career goals and some relevant work experience in their career field, which may include summer, part-time, or internship work. Participants must be between the ages of 18-24, possess a high school diploma or equivalent, and be US citizens or permanent residents.

Interested applicants can apply online at www.CBYX.info. The application deadline for the 2014-2015 program is December 1, 2013. We look forward to receiving applications from your students!

From Fr. Mark:  If you are interested, I am happy to help you fill out this application. Email me at mthamert@csbsju.edu