Alexander D. Farris' Official Blog

From Osnabrück to Ibbenbüren: A Tail of Switching Host Families

2010-02-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

Grüße,

With mixed feelings, I greet this day of changing host families.

It has been a truly wonderful time living with the Pott family of Sutthausen, Osnabrück. They have treated my well, and I enjoyed myself during the five months they welcomed me into their home.

As I move into the home of the Kirsch family in Ibbenbüren, I am excited to break out of my normal routines and try something new. They have welcomed me graciously, and I can already tell it will be a strong, warm family enviroment. With three siblings in the house--5 year old Frida, 15 year old Konstantin, and 18 year old Anneke--it will always be a fun atmosphere.

The negative of moving is that I now must take a train everyday to and from school. It takes 20 minutes one-way and costs 104€ every month! Thankfully, my Rotary club will pay the hefty price for me.

View Larger Map

Aside from the switch, everything has really taken an up-swing for me lately. I am getting involved with some local activist groups and attending a series of conferences for young journalists. The Imagineer has been attracting some fine writers for the next year, including both experts and novices.

Servus,
Alex

Howard Zinn, I Will Miss You

2010-01-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

Rest In Peace Howard Zinn

Greetings all,

I want to quickly express my great disappointment upon hearing the news of Dr. Zinn's death and express what a great impact he has had on me with his writing and speeches. I actually just recently finished A People's History of the United States and enjoyed it so much that I would probably recommend that as the first book I think anyone who wants to understand their society should read.
Howard Zinn was more than just a historian. He was more than just a professor. He was fighting to change the world, to make it a better, more just place. For that I applaud him. He is surely one of my personal role-models.

I recently watched a great lecture by Dr. Zinn. I'll post it here in case anyone is interested.

Coincidentally, I was recently in touch with Dr. Zinn. I requested an interview with him for Imagineer Magazine. He asked for me to send him our latest issue to see the format, and then we would conduct the interview shortly thereafter. I thank him for the opportunity he gave us at the Imagineer and regret not being able to follow through with the interview opportunity.

Thank you Dr. Zinn.

Servus,
Alex

2010-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

All is well, good, and roaring. Germany is treating me fairly well, and I continue to study and write and read and so forth and so on. I am currently studying for my big examination coming up. I will be taking an exam through the Goethe Institute which will certify my proficiency in the language. If I pass, I would actually have the level to matriculate at a German university, although I do not wish to do so now.

Right around this time marks the half-way point of my exchange. It's been good so far, and I think it will continue to get even better as my German skills continue to burgeon and I continue to meet more interesting people.

The Imagineer staff and I are happy about the website recently hitting the 5000 hit mark for the Winter 2010 issue. It focuses on the animal rights movement and features an extended interview with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals President Ingrid Newkirk. It is a great issue, but we are already working hard on the next installment for spring.

I will be attending a series of seminar/experience-building type events focused on journalism during the winter. Because Osnabrück is home to the largest printing center in all of Europe, there are many opportunities to continue my study of journalism. Specifically, I am interested in large publications, because I already know a significant amount about small publications from founding and running the Imagineer.

My looks toward the future:

Soon, I will switch host families and live in another city, Ibbenbüren, although I will still attend the same school, Gymnasium Carolinum.
My birthday is coming soon: February 3rd.
Sooner or later, my dear friend Mr. Brentoni Salim is going to have to journey from the dark pits of Europe's sewer, Paris, France, and come to see the majestic grandeur of Osnabrück, Germany, the cultural heart of the entire continent. In time, in time.

Below are some interesting pictures I have taken recently of myself, although they are now slightly outdated because I recently visited a hair-cutting facility.

Servus,

Alex

"Work will make you free" - Gate of the Dachau concentration camp

I send my best wishes to all as I stand next to a zero-power Christmas tree

The Advent of Winter

2009-12-18T03:24:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

It's an exciting time as the snow continues to fall upon my dwelling here in Osnabrück, Germany. I've been having a good time recently continuing my daily school routines and whatnot.

I had the opportunity to go to a local football match a couple weekends ago. It was very exciting, and Osnabrück won! They are actually now first place in the third German football league. If they keep up the good work, they will be moved up to the second league for next season.

VFL Osnabrück Football Match

A view of the snow-covered garden outside my bedroom window

I am greatly concerned for the future of our world as today is the last day of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. I fear that this generation will look back on this day, December 18, 2009, and see it as the point when we could have done something to stop a perilous foe but didn't.

On that note, I'd like to share with you all a culture experience I have recently had.

In my European politics class, we have been discussing energy politics and specifically the politics in regard to the pending climate crisis. Unlike anything I have ever experienced in the U.S., we actually study the science of global warming and the possible implications of the threat. It's actually very interesting. Germans learning about the science of global warming in class instead of just being entranced by the latest Sarah Palin op-ed certainly explains part of the reason why Americans are relatively so stagnant on the issue of climate change. (Germany is offering a 25% cut from 1990 levels of carbon emissions, whereas the United States is offering on a 4% reduction.)

Servus,

Alex

Gymnasium Carolinum School Schedule

2009-11-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all,

It's a very exciting time for me right now: weekend! *laughs* I am very worn out after a long week. I always tell people that during the week I leave when it is dark outside and I come home when it is dark outside. Despite may days being rather grueling though, they are quite fulfilling and my German is progressing very nicely.

I've adopted a no English policy. That means that I no longer speak an English. Ever. Nor do I understand it (this has obvious exceptions, such as me writing this post now). I may have to start telling people that back in Michigan, we speak some other language that is not English. Preferably some language that doesn't even exist so no one will know it and catch me in my lie. I think this policy has been working for me so far, though. Almost all German people can speak English, so it is important for my learning of German that I don't fall into the trap of just speaking English. My goal is full integration into the culture. To do that, I recognize the first step to be learning the language. So, I toil and toil on language, and after three months, I am making noticeable progress. =]

I'd like to give a better idea of what school is like for me as I attend the Gymnasium Carolinum. First of all, the school itself is 1205 years old, which after 3 moths I still cannot even comprehend. Unlike in America, students have different classes each day of the week here in Germany, and on some days I have more classes than on other days. Each class lasts 50 minutes. I'll show you what I mean by posting my schedule below:

Monday:

European Politics (2)

20th Century German literature (2)

Physics

The History of the French Revolution

Tuesday:

The History of the French Revolution (2)

Physics (2)

English - History of Ireland

Wednesday:

English - History of Ireland (2)

Calculus I (2)

Tennis (2)

European Politics

Thursday:

Religion (2)

20th Century German literature

Calculus I

English - History of Ireland

Physics

Friday:

Art Theory (2)

European Politics

The History of the French Revolution

Calculus I

**(2) indicates a double period lasting 1 hour and 45 minutes

As you can see, I have some pretty interesting classes. My schedule will change slightly next semester. Most notably, my history class will be focused on the Russian Revolution rather than the French Revolution. I enjoy my classes very much, actually. There are many options and ways to get a specialized education at my Gymnasium, which I thoroughly appreciate.

Servus,

Alex

A view of my school, to the right is the small school cafeteria

Day-To-Day Deutschland Style

2009-11-07T22:40:00.000-08:00

Salutations,

The days and weeks and months are passing swiftly and steadily here in Osnabrück. I keep really, really busy in my everyday life, which naturally has both advantages and disadvantages. But, I'll give you my normal weekly schedule here:

Weekdays:

6:00 - wake up

7:00 - depart for school by bus

7:00 ~ 7:50 - transit time, usually I watch Democracy Now! on my iPod during this time

7:50 ~ around 14:00 - school at Gymnasium Carolinum

14:30 ~ 17:45 - German language school at the Volkshochschule Osnabrück

17:45 ~ 18:05 - bus ride back home

18:05 ~ bedtime - wind down, usually work on Imagineer Magazine related projects

Weekends:

I am usually free to do what I would like. My favorite things to do are to watch movies (in German of course) and go to various local cultural festivals or carnivals. I am also planning to soon attend a VFL Osnabrück football match. VFL is the local football club that was recently relegated to the 3rd Bundesliga, but they are actually still very good. They have beaten two 1st league teams within the last month!

Finally, I'll leave you with some images of the city and my daily life. It's a lovely European city! It's not huge, but with about 160,000 residents, it is the perfect size for my exchange.

Servus,

Alex

My German course

Musicians playing on the street

A large square in the middle of the city

A view down the road I walk everyday to and from school

Deutschland Trip / Baltic Adventure Pt. 2

2009-10-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings all,

I'll start with my "Deutschland Reise" tale. Essentially, my German Rotary district organized a trip to Berlin that I was lucky enough to be able to attend. It was an interesting trip. I've made a habit now of really ranking the cities with which I familiarize myself, oddly enough with one of the main categories being the merit of the city's metro system. I have mixed feelings overall about Berlin. It's truly a great city, but legend of the wall intrudes on the culture of the city. The history of the story is, however, very interesting. Many buildings had bullet holes still in them from the Second World War. I didn't care for the metro system; it was overpriced and

uncomfortable compared to others I felt. Below are some pictures from the trip:

The famed Brandenburg Gate

A writing displayed in The East Side Gallery, a portion of the wall still standing containing an art project

Olympic Stadium from the 1936 games

a picture from my night walk through Berlin, probably the best part of the entire trip

After I got back from Berlin, I departed to go sailing with my family on the Baltic Sea. Having already done a similar trip when I first arrived two months ago, I knew what to expect and had another very enjoyable, relaxing time.

My host parents' marina

October's able sky

Servus,

Alex

Meeting My Second Host Family

2009-09-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was surprised when Anneke broke the news to me. She had been assigned as my "peer mentor" for my exchange as she was an exchange student in Taiwan last year through my district. We'd been exchanging messages on Facebook regarding various happenings in Osnabrück, how I was doing with school, and so on. One day, we were talking online, and she asked me if I wanted to visit. I was quite confused. Why exactly would I visit, I wondered. Well, then she alerted me that her family, the Kirsches of Ibbenbürren (diekirschen.de), would be my host family starting in early 2010. I guess I didn't get the message; either way, I was happy to have the opportunity to visit my next host family last Saturday.

We went as a family to the fair taking place throughout the downtown area. The family consists of 17-year-old Anneke, 15-year-old Konstantin, 5-year-old Frida, and my two host parents Arne and Judith. After coming back to the house from the fair, I toured the house, played a board game with my future host father, and laughed at my future host sister Frida's pirate party costume. When I stay in Ibbenbüren with the Kirsch family, I'll take a train into Osnabrück every day for school, which will still be the Gymnsium Carolinum.

View of Ibbenbüren from Ferris wheel

My future living room and pirate/host sister Frida

In other news, I'll be starting a language school three hours per day, four days per week starting Monday, September 7. I bought a huge container of 20 Stabilo pens of varied colors and a USB hub that will allow me to plug all of my computing necessities into my laptop (this means I'll always have my webcam on for Skype, so call me! Skype I.D.: alex.farris). Between October 5 and 8, I'll stay in Berlin on my Rotary district's Germany tour; I'm looking forward to it!

Servus,

Alex

Arrival In Germany

2009-08-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

I am happy to report that things are going incredibly well for me in Germany thus far. My host family has greeted me with the utmost of care and hospitality. I attend school at the Gymnasium Carolinum in Osnabrück, a city of about 160,000 residents. So far, my exchange has been one of not just academic, cultural, and lingual enrichment, but also one of self discovery.

First, I want to thank all of my friends and family who sent me off at the airport. Without your support, I not have been able start my exchange journey; you've enabled my to better myself. I flew from Flint to Detroit, from Detroit to Amsterdam, and finally from Amsterdam to Bremen.

My family and I

The Imagineer crew

When I arrived in Bremen, I was greeted by my host parents Uli & Andrea Pott. They drove me to my new

home on the south side of Osnabrück in a suburb called Sutthausen. After receiving a brief tour of their house, unpacking all of my clothes, and meeting the family,including my twelve-year-old host brother Jonas and my fifteen-year-old host brother Robert, the Potts took me to their boat on the Baltic Sea for the weekend. We sailed for two very tranquil days. It was during this trip that I became aquainted with my new family.

Sailing

A good view of the bow

My twelve-year-old host-brother Jonas

My fifteen-year-old host-brother Robert

Front door

View down the street

Living room

Dining Room

Dana, one of two family dogs

After the sailing trip, it was time to get to business. I have started attending the Gymansium Carolinum in downtown Osnabrück. Osnabrück has an amazing downtown district with many shops, bookstores, and restaurants. Every weekday, I utilize the excellent bus system to come into the city for school. At school, I am part of eleventh grade and travel from room to room to attend classes, very reminiscent of an American high school. There are, however many differences. Students are subject to less stringent rules than in the United States and subsequently given added responsibilities. Because I'm attending a gymnasium, which is the top level of Germany's graduated school system, all my classmates are very focused on their studies. I especially enjoy the common classroom focus, a sure respite from the often lackadaisical classroom mentalities adopted by many American high school students. Instead of having a daily schedule like in the United States, I have a weekly schedule in which I don't have the same classes every day but rather vary my schedule from day to day. When I first arrived at the gymasiumn, school administrators allowed my to pick my own classes; I have chosen to focus in European politics and 20th century German literature.

As far as the language goes, I immediately felt as though my German was far better than I thought it was. I'll soon be attending a language class designed to help intermediate speakers like myself establish full fluency. My host parents, who have hosted eleven exchange students previously, predict my German to be nearly perfect by October. I'm not sure it will come that quickly, but I continue to work on my lingual capacity every minute of every day.

My time here has been one of great self-discovery and self-revelation. I've been able to adapt to a new social interaction system regarding my peers and classmates. With the continued burgeoning of my German abilities, I can essentially find my way around a busy city without much problem at all despite the language barrier. My independent spirit shines through more brightly now than every before in my life. Self revelation is a strange and difficult thing to describe. I feel as though nothing can stop me from achieving the success I hope to reach while on my exchange or in my future back in the United States. I'm not the same person as when I left Frankenmuth; that has become evident.

Despite the overwhelming success I'm having in Germany, I truly miss all of my family and friends. I especially wish my good friend and associate Brentoni Salim the best as he studies at the American University of Paris. While here, I have still been able to do my part in both Imagineer Magazine and the Imagineer Foundation. Things are looking bright for our next issue. I encourage you all to check ImagineerMagazine.com for continued updates and exciting Imagineer news.

Servus,

Alexander D. Farris