Treading Water

I have survived my first week of school and would describe myself as treading water- I'm definitely in the deep end, but I'm staying above water. Going into the week I was unsure how it would be. Would I be able to understand? Would I enjoy the lectures? Did I understand the descriptions of the classes that were given? Would I be able to find my way? These questions are now all answered.

There is no signing up for classes. Here you are free to go to whatever you choose. This first week is a week in which you try out all the classes that sound interesting. For those students working towards a degree here, they would settle into those that would be most helpful for preparing them for the exams that they have to take at the halfway point and the ending point of their degree program. You can choose to take the class for credit or you can take it out of interest. It seems to me to be an education system based more on self-discipline and you can work at a pace that suits your learning style.

Gratefully the week for me became better as it progressed along. My first class, 8:15am on Monday was a bit of a shock. I had a hard time following everything that was being said. The pace was fast and the dialect thick. The teacher was eager for class participation (which is something that I had been told is more of a rarity here) We were few so there was no blending in with the crowd. We were asked to sign up for a day to give an in class presentation. I left the class with the realization that I was definitely in the deep end. The second class was better, I could understand more. It was a lecture, there were many, and I sat next to a helpful soul, who was eager to invite me to the Wednesday night Stammtisch for "wechsel" students-- those students who have just changed to Goettingen from another University. And it is possible to explain part of my lack of understanding to the fact that the Theologicum is under construction and we are forced at times to listen to the sounds of the machines at work, drowning the voice of the professor. Each class experience was better. I could understand more in each class that I went to, to the point where in the last few I tried out I could understand almost everything (a very good feeling). The course content got more exciting too with each class. I am most excited and nervous about the last class that I tried out, a course on church pedagogy-- which I learned is actually for those who are preparing to be teachers of religion at the high school level, but it is a course in which we will visit the local churches, both medieval and modern, observing their architecture, art, and organization and developing lessons plans based on what we learn. We are only two, which means my participation is required. I will for sure be stretched- although I can understand, it's frustrating to have responses and not be able to communicate well what it is that I really want to say. But I am excited to get such an intimate look at the local churches and am learning ways to combine the words that I do know in creative ways to explain my thoughts.

I am eager to go into the second week of classes with more familiarity, knowing better what to expect and to continue to find my way of integrating myself within the community.