Sunday, June 22, 2014

Pictures of Dresden and Meißen




















Welcome to Meißen!

























Week Three of Classes: Goethe Institut Dresden

Monday was a busy day at school and after school, the business did not stop. I met up with a woman , , from the congregation that I attend in Dresden, at the Semperoper--the main opera house in Dresden and the most famous. Betina--the woman from the congregation works at the Semperoper and gave me a free tour of the opera house. It was the first time that I have had a real tour of an opera--especially a opera house in Europe. The architecture of the opera house was stunning and it was crazy to think that I was following the steps of others for hundreds of years before me. The coolest part of the tour for me was when we finally sat inside the opera house itself--the seats where people view the stage. I sat in the seat where the Prince of Dresden would normally sit! It was awesome! I couldn't believe it--I sat in the seat of royalty! It was an amazing privilege for me! After the tour, I had coffee with Betina and her colleague at the Opera house. We discussed what I was doing in Dresden and how my studies are going. Betina's colleague is also a German teacher so she was more than happy to learn that I wish to teach German when I return to the United States. Do you think I was done learning for the day? Far from it! Betina took me on a tour of the Altstadt which included the following: der Zwinger, die Fraunenkirche, der Schloss, die Hofkirche, and few other stops along the way. It was great to receive a tour from a woman who was born in Dresden and has lived in Dresden her whole life! She was very proud of the history of Dresden and loved that I wanted to learn about her home. I made it home just in time to see Germany win!

Tuesday= Phonetics day!!! After class, I attended an extra Phonetics class! We spent the time practicing and learning new.... TONGUE TWISTERS[ZUNGENBRECHER].

Wednesday was choir rehearsal and Friday was a Jugendkreis [youth/teen bible study] on the Elbe River!! We ate pizza afterwards and went on a bike ride around Dresden! It is wonderful to be part of their youth program at the church! I've made new friends and they are super friendly to everyone.

Saturday was an exciting adventure for me! :) Operation: LEIPZIG!!! I traveled in the morning to Leipzig with a group from the Goethe Institut to tour the main highlights of the city and have some free time to explore ourselves. The day started out by viewing the Nicolai Kirche [Nicolai=Sankt Nicolai= our Christmas "Santa Claus"]. It was cool because a chamber orchestra was playing J.S. Bach when we walked into the church. It is a really historical and stunning church to witness! After we visited the Nicolai Kirche, we were able to have a panoramic view of Leipzig from the Panorama Center. Leipzig is so beautiful from up above!! There is an oncoming rivalry between Leipzig and Dresden as to which city is REALLY bigger... Leipzigers say that Leipzig is bigger... Dresdeners says that Dresden is bigger... yeah you can tell how that discussion goes every time. Fun Fact: It was the last day of BACH FEST in Leipzig when I was there. Therefore, when I visited the Thomaskirche, I was also able to stay for their final concert in their concert series at the church. The list of pieces performed were the following: Ave Maria LW E14 for organ, Adagio in D for organ,  Excelsior for organ, O virgo prudentissima by Josquin des Prez, Magnificat by Arvo Pärt, Ut Phoebi radius by Josquin des Prez, Bedenke by Rainer Lischka, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 638, and finally Sei Lob und Herr dem hösten Gut BWV 117. The concert featured the following instrumentalists: Kammerchor Josquin des Prez and the Leipziger Barokorchester [Leipzig Baroque Orchestra]. Fun music lover quiz question: The alto part of the Sei Lob und Herr dem hösten Gut was performed by a man. Do you know the term for that refers to a male singer who sings the alto arias?

Well, that has been my adventures in Dresden thus far! I pray for my family, my beloved, and my friends back in the States! I have learned so much already here and I pray that I continue to learn more. I can't wait to return home and see all of my loved ones again! Until we meet again, take care!

Week Two of Classes: Goethe Institut Dresden

Guess what?!? Monday, the 9th of June, I did not have class! Today was Pfingstmontag! The Pentecost church holiday is celebrated throughout Germany. Restaurants and shops are closed today, or at the very least, only open for a partial day. It was nice to have a day of recovery after a fun-filled first week of class. 

Tuesday's cultural activity was Konversation "conversation" hour. This was a separate class held for individuals who wanted to come and practice speaking German with each other [outside of regular class time]. It was really fun because we spent the time discussing stereotypes that other cultures have concerning Germany. The teacher for this hour was born in Germany and lives in Germany still--very authentic source! That evening was also a film night! We watched "Der rote Kakadu". It was a film produced not too long ago concerning teenagers during the end of the DDR time. It follows a teenager who loves this girl, but love is complicated in this film. She is in a heartless relationship with another man, but wishes to be with the main character. Towards the end of the film, the young- longing to be together- couple wishes to live in the West. The film ends in tragedy. Our young protagonist makes it the West Berlin and waits for the love of his life to come shortly after. He waits and waits...The radio shouts deliberately that the Wall of Berlin has been taken down. He goes to Checkpoint Charlie in the hopes that the love of his life will be there, but she never comes. Fun fact: There is a scene in the movie that shows the Opera house setting up for a performance. Painters are running all over the place being productive and industrious... my German father was one of the painting extras in the film! 

Wednesday was choir rehearsal and Friday we traveled to Hellerau. Hellerau is a very quaint village. It is not even necessarily considered a city but more of a village. Hellerau contains a lot of modern architecture and that is what makes Hellerau famous in this part of Germany. The whole village is a working village which means that the majority of the population of Hellerau works at the factory for modern furniture in the central part of the town. There are very few people who live in Hellerau that do not work at the furniture factory. 


Monday, June 9, 2014

Week 1 of Classes Completed

Wow!! What a week!!! 
What a blessing to be here in Germany! It has been tough this past week for me to be away from my family and loved ones, but it helped to be productive and busy this week. 
Every day was an opportunity to learn something new about myself, about German, about the German people, and about different cultures. 
It's crazy to learn German at the Goethe Institut because there are students that come from all over the world. This past week I didn't just learn about the German cultures, but I learned about students that come from countries such as the following: Japan, Spain, Ukraine, Romania, Mexico, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Switzerland! I am so thankful that God sent me to Dresden to learn from my teachers but also my peers. 

This week we finished the 6th chapter on Careers and Jobs. I also had the opportunity to cook German food and go on a free tour of Dresden's Altstadt [oldest part of the city]. The majority of the buildings in the Altstadt are as they were in the 17th and 18th century. The citizens of Dresden continually insist on keeping it looking as it was. They are very proud of their traditions and of a prince named August der Stärke [August the Strong]. 

I participated in a BBQ with my family and some of their friends! It was really delicious! 
It wasn't anything strange--it was really good steak and a handful of salad assortments. 
Chocolate of course of the dessert!! yumyum!!! 

I traveled with my school group to Meißen! It is one of the oldest cities in Sachsen and it is known for their wine and porcelain. We participated in a tour of the Porcelain Museum...so interesting! I think it was one of the most interesting museum tours I have taken before in my schooling. If you are looking for a really quaint location to retire--Meißen is your place! What would make the day more delightful than bratwurst for lunch and ice cream for dessert! yum yum!! 

This weekend was Heiliges Pfingstfest! Pentecost!!! I had the opportunity to sing tenor for the church choir twice this week!! They really appreciate me singing with them and I'm starting to make good connections with the members of the church. This is a huge blessing for me being a guest here in Dresden! 

Well I'm looking forward to my second week of classes!! My prayers go out to my family, the one I love, and my friends in the USA! Keep being yourselves! I love you all! I will see you when I return and keep your eyes out for my next entry! If you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me! :)

Monday, June 2, 2014

1. Juni

Sunday!!!

Church was this morning! It was a great opportunity to attend  church service with the family.
What church did I attend? I have the answer:
Selbstäandige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche 
Dreieinigkeitsgemeinde in der St. Petri-Kirche

There were about 40 members there approximately. Following along with the service was a little difficult at first, but I learned quickly. The family said that when it comes to the sermon (Predigt), many pastors will speak freely without having their sermons written down in front of them, but the pastor of their church writes the whole sermon out and reads it aloud. It was well composed-I saved a copy of it! Music is important in church services here in Germany. There is not a service that I have attended thus far that did not have the organ playing, instruments playing during the hymns, and the choir singing at least one verse of almost every hymn. During the announcements, there was a surprise! The pastor introduced me to the entire congregation that morning which was a great honor.

Today was Kindertag! Children´s Day! The children of my German family wanted to eat Chinese food. After we returned home from church, Herr Salzmann and I rode our bikes to the restaurant while the rest of the family drove in their van. It was my choice--I needed some exercise!

Once we returned home, it was simply a day of relaxation! Everyone rested--good thing to do on the Sabbath. The evening was quiet as I prepared for my first day at the Goethe Institut.

My prayers are with you at home! I pray that all is good! I look forward to returning home after journey here! Thank you for your encourgement! I ask for yours prayers on my first week of classes!

Danke schön! Bis bald!

Herr Warnecke

30-31. Mai

Wilkommen zu Dresden!
Welcome to Dresden!

It was a crazy weekend here in Dresden! What would an exciting weekend in Dresden be without a long bike ride? I have discovered that it is an exciting past time to ride around Dresden, along the Elbe, with a bike(Fahrrad). I would have taken pictures along the way, but I sadly did not bring my camera along.

In the following weeks that I have been privileged to be in Dresden, I will make sure to take at least a few photos of my journey here.

Saturday was the birthday of Herr Salzmann. We celebrated with music, cards, cake, and presents. It reminded me of birthdays in America. As a family, we gathered together for a devotion and prayer in the morning after breakfast. After we had celebrated, Herr Salzmann and I played the Bach Double Concerto on the violin. It is such a joy to play on the violin again- especially in Germany! What would make a birthday complete? A bike ride! This bike ride was to IKEA! IKEA is a Swäbish company! I believe the United States has a few in Minnesota. My German Mutti und Vati were impressed that I shop at Aldi.

If you have questions or inquiries about my trip thus far, please feel free to comment on my blog!

Danke schön! Bis dann!

Herr Warnecke