On Monday, Andrew and I wrapped up our first German course, which lasted three or four weeks. We jump right into German II next Monday. While it came at an especially busy time for both of us, I think we really enjoyed finally getting this opportunity to learn to speak the native language spoken by most people around us.
The class was marked by a few epiphanies. For one thing, we learned that for the past year we have been mistakenly too informal with people we meet in Switzerland by greeting strangers on the sidewalk or in a shop with "Hallo," or saying goodbye with "Tchüss!" Those informal greetings and farewells are acceptable only in Germany.
Oops!
We have struggled with the ü, ä and ö sounds, for which we have no equivalent sounds in English (or Spanish). And it's easy to get mixed up in pronunciation when the "W" does sounds like "V" and "V" sounds like "F".
One thing that helps is that English has its roots, linguistically, in old Germanic dialects. So there are enough similarities in how the letters are used that it's not as difficult to adapt to the new words as I thought it would be.
We have experienced great feelings of satisfaction in suddenly being able to converse briefly with cashiers, shop owners, restaurant servers, and people on the street, as well as to practice with old and new friends who are German-speaking. We can discuss the weather, introduce ourselves, speak about how we feel or what mood we are in, offer sympathy to someone who is ill, ask someone when their birthday is, count to 20 and say the letters of the alphabet German-style.
Can't wait for German II!
Shönes Tag! (Have a beautiful day!)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Staying Busy in January
January was the quite the busy month for us!
I (Andrew) returned on the morning of Dec. 31 after a SPLENDID three-week vacation with friends and family in Colorado for Christmas. Gina stayed behind to undergo some extensive testing related to her "mystery illness" which had been giving her problems since September. The first two weeks of January were spent (for me) working on the library annual budget report, fine-tuning a message I gave in chapel, and putting the finishing touches on the material for another online class.
Shortly after Gina returned, our tiny quiet campus was flooded with over 150 people from all parts of Europe who had arrived for the annual Leadership Conference. It was an amazing, bewildering, exciting time of meeting many new people who are serving God through the Church of the Nazarene in Europe. It was also an extraordinary time of being both intellectually and spiritually challenged through the speaking of Jon Middendorf and Leonard Sweet. Most of all, it was a powerful time of meeting with Jesus Christ daily as He was central in everything our speakers said.
Leadership Conference had barely ended when EuNC's Faculty Assembly began. This is when the Board of Trustees, faculty, and administration come together.
The Trustees formally endorsed the plan to close the residential campus program in Busingen in order to focus entirely on a de-centralized education model through EuNC's learning centers. Let there be no confusion on this matter: EuNC is NOT closing! EuNC is far bigger than the Busingen campus, and continues to grow as young men and women all over Europe are called into and preparing for ministry.
EuNC's faculty (from the learning centers as well as the campus) gathered for development training, discussions concerning curriculum, and to continue the process of approving the syllabi for various classes offered b
y EuNC. Part of the challenge is to standardize the syllabi so that no matter where a course is taught, EuNC's expectations are clear and broadly applicable. At the same time, there must be a certain amount of flexibility (given variables such as cultural context, available technology, etc.). The process was begun, and will continue throughout the rest of this year. I will be contributing, along with several other history and theology instructors, to the syllabi for Church History I and II, Intro to Theology, and Christian Doctrines I and II.
During Leadership Conference and Faculty Assembly, I began teaching Nazarene History & Polity as an online course for students at the Netherlands learning center. This is a six-week course which not only acquaints students with Nazarene history, doctrine, and organization, but also connects the Church of the Nazarene (historically and theologically) with the larger Body of Christ. This class is going well, and I am enjoying the many questions from students that demonstrate they are wrestling with the information in an attempt to carefully think through their commitment to the Nazarene church.
Recently, Gina and I enrolled in German I, which is currently being offered at the campus. We are excited that, after one year and two failed attempts to learn German, we are finally able to begin studying this language. We will also continue with German II later in the spring. Finally, I am in the process of creating course material for an online Intro to Theology class which I will teach in March for students at the learning center in Albania.
So, as you can see, there is a lot to keep busy with! I still find plenty of time to continue building relationships with the students, as well as spending time with Gina and getting enough rest for myself. I'm not sure how I'm pulling it off, other than to say God is giving me both strength and a good sense of priorities!
I (Andrew) returned on the morning of Dec. 31 after a SPLENDID three-week vacation with friends and family in Colorado for Christmas. Gina stayed behind to undergo some extensive testing related to her "mystery illness" which had been giving her problems since September. The first two weeks of January were spent (for me) working on the library annual budget report, fine-tuning a message I gave in chapel, and putting the finishing touches on the material for another online class.
Shortly after Gina returned, our tiny quiet campus was flooded with over 150 people from all parts of Europe who had arrived for the annual Leadership Conference. It was an amazing, bewildering, exciting time of meeting many new people who are serving God through the Church of the Nazarene in Europe. It was also an extraordinary time of being both intellectually and spiritually challenged through the speaking of Jon Middendorf and Leonard Sweet. Most of all, it was a powerful time of meeting with Jesus Christ daily as He was central in everything our speakers said.
Leadership Conference had barely ended when EuNC's Faculty Assembly began. This is when the Board of Trustees, faculty, and administration come together.
The Trustees formally endorsed the plan to close the residential campus program in Busingen in order to focus entirely on a de-centralized education model through EuNC's learning centers. Let there be no confusion on this matter: EuNC is NOT closing! EuNC is far bigger than the Busingen campus, and continues to grow as young men and women all over Europe are called into and preparing for ministry.
EuNC's faculty (from the learning centers as well as the campus) gathered for development training, discussions concerning curriculum, and to continue the process of approving the syllabi for various classes offered b
y EuNC. Part of the challenge is to standardize the syllabi so that no matter where a course is taught, EuNC's expectations are clear and broadly applicable. At the same time, there must be a certain amount of flexibility (given variables such as cultural context, available technology, etc.). The process was begun, and will continue throughout the rest of this year. I will be contributing, along with several other history and theology instructors, to the syllabi for Church History I and II, Intro to Theology, and Christian Doctrines I and II.During Leadership Conference and Faculty Assembly, I began teaching Nazarene History & Polity as an online course for students at the Netherlands learning center. This is a six-week course which not only acquaints students with Nazarene history, doctrine, and organization, but also connects the Church of the Nazarene (historically and theologically) with the larger Body of Christ. This class is going well, and I am enjoying the many questions from students that demonstrate they are wrestling with the information in an attempt to carefully think through their commitment to the Nazarene church.
Recently, Gina and I enrolled in German I, which is currently being offered at the campus. We are excited that, after one year and two failed attempts to learn German, we are finally able to begin studying this language. We will also continue with German II later in the spring. Finally, I am in the process of creating course material for an online Intro to Theology class which I will teach in March for students at the learning center in Albania.
So, as you can see, there is a lot to keep busy with! I still find plenty of time to continue building relationships with the students, as well as spending time with Gina and getting enough rest for myself. I'm not sure how I'm pulling it off, other than to say God is giving me both strength and a good sense of priorities!
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