We spent my first night here watching State of Origin, a simple pleasure I’ve missed so greatly ever since I went back to Singy. It’s always more fun watching sports with friends & unfortunately, I’ve never managed to find anyone else in Singy who shared a passion/interest in Rugby League. Over the last few years, as I cheered for Queensland by my lonesome self at home, I’ve longed umpteen times to be transported to Brissie so I can watch it with my dear friends. Even if it was just for that one evening. So finally being able to watch the game live, with all these folks, was a moment I couldn’t help but relish.

The next day, it was just a whole day of shopping & getting myself reacquainted with the city, in particular Queen Street Mall. It was SO comforting to see everything right where I remembered them to be (except a few new shops here and there). Walking down the street, I kept wondering why I’m not living in Brissie already. Then I realised that while I could go on and gush about how much I love the lifestyle & culture, I was also unwilling to let go of everyone back in Singy. It was a wretched feeling.

This evening, we had a good steak at Breakfast Creek Hotel, which incidentally is not a hotel by the way. Apparently, many pubs/restaurants here called Something Something Hotel are not actual hotels, while the real ones (e.g. Hilton, Sheraton) all don’t have “hotel” in their names. Go figure. Anyway, tomorrow, we’re heading out for lunch at West End. I’m sorta feeling rather touristy at the moment as I’ve never been there & the girls are specially arranging a trip there for me. Heh. :p

I can’t believe I’ve only got about 4 more days here. Yes, one week is too short, but I’m glad I’m able to spend whatever time I have with my girls. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Hello everyone. Yes, I’m back. And judging from the time that I’m posting this entry, you can imagine how early I slept when I got home yesterday. 8:30pm to be exact. I can safely say the jet lag is no longer an issue.

So after Prague (and yes, Dia – it was a detour to Prague but it was because we wanted to show the students the difference in development after WWII) we headed straight to Berlin, the main attraction of our trip. It was completely surreal seeing the remains of the Berlin Wall, walking through the Brandenburg Gate, going into the Reichstag, crossing Checkpoint Charlie, and visiting Humboldt University, where I felt completely mocked as I walked past the portraits of all their Nobel Laureate Winners (including one Albert Einstein). We also visited a few rather notorious sites, including Hitler’s burial grounds which is now a car park, and the hotel where Michael Jackson (RIP) dangled his kid from the balcony. And as though all that wasn’t already enough, the city also “gifted” us with a naked woman, who walked calmly through the park beside the Berliner Dom and Altes Museum and right past our bus. Naturally, everyone (especially the boys) was very excited and stole as many pictures as their fingers could click.

We visited a couple of museums where we could experience the life of Berliners during the GDR at the DDR Museum, and the Jewish Museum. The DDR Museum was extremely charming and interactive, and the Jewish Museum was particularly interesting. I was quite upset that we couldn’t spend more time wandering around. I would’ve loved to learn more about the life of Jews in Berlin, and how they overcame the challenges faced due to the War. There was also a special exhibition about the Jewish Dimension of Comic Art, which I knew Nessa & Dia would approve of and appreciate. From Berlin, we also went down to Potsdam (where we drove past a former KGB prison!) and dropped by Sanssouci Park and the Cecilienhof Palace, where the Potsdam Conference was held.

We had a couple of very good guides in Berlin. I’m a real sucker for Brit humour and two of the Walking Tour guides that we had (Barnaby and Nigel from Insider Tours) were extremely engaging and witty. The students were very enamoured by them and we always found them rushing to stay in front of the pack and close to the guides, rather than their usual habit of trailing behind. It kinda got me thinking that personality really counts when one’s trying to teach. I just hope I have enough of it.

I definitely need to go back to Berlin (and Germany). There was just not enough time for me to see everything in detail and enjoy the full offerings of the sights. And now that I have greater knowledge of the history of the country, I feel that I’ll be able to appreciate its culture and beauty even more.

Pictures coming soon!

Anyway, we’re in Prague now, after a night’s stay in Dresden. Just to get everyone up to speed, we’ve visited the Dachau Concentration Camp, the BMW Museum, the Nuremberg Documentation Centre, and did a walking tour of Dresden. All in all, we’ve had a pretty damn good time.

Being someone who has no personal experience with any of the World Wars (or any war for that matter, thank God!) I honestly didn’t think I’d be affected by the visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp. But right after walking through the gates and looking at that cold, barren courtyard, I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with grief. Overwhelmed with sympathy. Overwhelmed with inner cries of injustice. I simply could not fathom how mankind was able to allow such atrocity to happen. Were people that consumed by hatred? Hatred that, from all angles, didn’t seem justifiable at all?

After experiencing something as chilling as the Concentration Camp, we were brought to the BMW museum where we learnt about the history of BMW and saw many proud moments being exhibited in the museum. The students had a lot of fun roaming around the clinical-looking museum and ogling the cars on display. I personally think they were just happy to get away from us and do something non-WWII related.

Day 3. We headed to Nuremberg and Dresden after we left Munich. Nuremberg was a great learning experience for us all as we visited the Nuremberg Documentation Centre, saw the site of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, and learnt more about the Nuremberg trials. At this point, allow me to say that I love my students. I was extremely heartened to see them having as much fun as they did learning about this important piece of history, even though it wasn’t exactly a relaxed day. Travelling from Munich to Dresden via Nuremberg was slightly demanding as we were on the road A LOT. All of us were really impressed with their tenacity and lack of complaints.

Day 4. Today. We finally got a more relaxed (and not to mention, touristy) schedule as we took a walking tour of Dresden (which is super gorgeous by the way!) and found some time to shop at the local mall, before heading to Prague, but also not without stopping at another local mall (this time, in Prague) before dinner. So yes, that meant a whole lot of retail therapy for all of us. :p Me? I’m most happy that I’m back in Prague. Gorgeous, gorgeous, Prague. Can’t wait to go on the walking tour tomorrow.

So that’s it for me for now. We’ll be heading out to Berlin tomorrow afternoon and I’m praying that we’ll continue to have perfect weather and the students will continue to be wonderful. Will post again soon!

My impressions of Munich (and Germany) so far? I like that it’s clean and orderly, like Singapore, yet it has enough European culture and flavour to keep me enticed. However, I’m not exactly in awe of Germany yet. Unlike Prague (can’t wait to go back there in a couple of days!), Amsterdam, Paris and London, my first foray into each of these amazing cities have left me yearning for more. Perhaps it’s because I now have 20 students to help “shepherd”. It truly is tough to enjoy myself and really soak in the atmosphere when I have to constantly worry about losing one of the kids. Also, because I did zero research prior to my arrival, I feel extremely lost wandering round the city, not knowing what to expect. And if you know me, you’ll know that this is completely out of character and I absolutely hate this feeling. Nonetheless, I did my best to appreciate every little bit of art, architecture and history that came my way. One thing for sure, I’ll need to come back so I can do this country justice.

I kinda feel like I’m cheating on Germany.

You see, I love planning for trips and doing all the research, and I can get all the admin stuff tied up without any whining. But it is completely different when it’s a matter of work and you have to be accountable to plenty of neurotic folks who insist you plan for the worst. Not that it’s bad or anything, but it’s unnerving and it makes me think of too many worst-case scenarios than I’m legally comfortable with. Scenarios so unlikely that I’m surprised they didn’t ask us to plan in the event of a plane crash. Or what if we encounter an accident on the Autobahn? Or get collective food poisoning? Now why aren’t we planning for those? Can you tell I’m irritated?

I hate having such feelings. I should be looking forward to learning and appreciating the history and culture of the place, but because everything leading up to the day of our departure has been such a chore, I’m not sure if I can give Germany its due. I know I’ll go back one day and really see it the way it intends for me to, but I’m upset that it will now be associated with all the crazy paperwork that my colleagues and I were made to do. And we all know that’s not a good first memory of a place.

So please forgive me, Germany. I promise I’ll do my best to not let my own “baggage” get in the way of our relationship.

Last night, something drove me to Google Map Paris. More specifically, Ile Saint-Louis. It was a sudden need to have a street view of Rue Saint-Louis en I’lle so I could “check out” Berthillon simply because I wanted to reminisce about an ice-cream so divine, it was fitting that it can only be found in Paris. I can still taste the rich and luscious caramel au beurre sale (caramel with salted butter) that was so extravagant and exquisite that no other ice cream can now satisfy me in quite the same way.

I’d fly back to Paris in a heartbeat just for the ice cream and the food. Granted, we managed to sample a good number of restaurants/cafes that came recommended by others, we still need to go back for a real gastronomical experience. It’s true what people say about Paris y’know? There really is a wealth of good food. And this is not limited to fine cuisine. Even the most random cafes that we chanced upon on one of our nights about the city had better food than most back home. So the next time I go back to Paris – and you bet I will – I’m going on an empty stomach.

Last year, I blogged about going to Germany with some students as part of a Humanities Learning Journey. Then, H1N1 came along and ruined all our plans. Unfortunately, most of the kids whom we selected to go last year can’t come along with us this year (they’re graduating, and the school believes it will disrupt their final-year studies) so as we went about woefully breaking about 16 teenage hearts, we also had to select a new group of 15-year-olds to come along with us.

The kids we interviewed this year brought something really different to the mix. They were confident, articulate and somewhat worldly of sorts. Some were real standouts and we honestly couldn’t stop marvelling at their responses during our interview. And I have taught/am teaching most of these kids; I never knew they had such wit in them! Teens. I guess we should never pigeonhole them, huh? Anyway, we’re going through the last stage of the selection process now, and I must admit that it’s slightly more difficult selecting the participants this year, mostly because we have a smaller pool to choose from. Apparently, we didn’t have enough sign-ups cos many felt that 9 days was too short a time for them to fully enjoy Germany. Perhaps we didn’t quite emphasise enough that it’s a LEARNING trip?

Students aside, we’ve more or less gotten our itinerary finalised. As it’s a Humanities trip, the main focus will be on the rise and fall of Hitler. We’ll be flying into Munich for a guided City Tour and the Third Reich walking tour, then we’ll head up to Dachau to visit the Concentration Camp and possibly a tour of the BMW Museum. Following that, we’ll stop by Nuremberg, and take a side trip to Prague (yay!) so students can see the developmental difference between new Europe (Germany) and old Europe (Czech Republic). Then it’s off to Dresden, I think so we can visit the VW factory? I’m not quite sure about this, but I’m guessing we won’t be visiting two automobile makers in one trip. It’s probably one or the other. Anyway. Berlin is our last stop and that’s where we’ll get to visit famous landmarks such as Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, and a Jewish Memorial.

Blame it on the fact that I love planning itineraries, I feel somewhat invalidated about leaving all the work to the agent. I’m sure they’ll do a much better job (they are the professionals after all) but I’m just not completely comfortable with the idea that I don’t have to do any research of my own this time round. I mean, it’s Europe! For every time my friends and I have been there, we’ve always done heaps of research that I’ve actually come to love the whole process. Besides, it’s extremely satisfying being able to navigate the streets of Europe entirely by ourselves, and asking locals for directions. Now, I’ll simply be one of those people, travelling in a pack. *pouts* Well, I do have students to account for now…

I’ll definitely wanna go back to Germany with my friends. While I know I’ll never get to learn about the history of a place quite like this, I still prefer immersing myself into the culture of a city with my girls. There’s just nothing like travelling with your closest friends and enjoying the sights that are of real interest to us. And quite unabashedly, I’m a teeny bit upset I won’t be able to sample any German beer with students around me 24/7! ;p

Brandenburg Gate, originally uploaded by Wolfgang Staudt.

Yesterday, we met up with another agent who is probably one of the most infectious people I’ll ever meet. I must admit, five minutes into the meeting, I was thinking LOUD! LOUD! LOUD! But as time went by, I couldn’t help but enjoy her dynamism and marvel at the spirit that she carried. It was as though Elmo and Zoe had a daughter who’s all grown up. However, the problem with such personalities is that you can’t help wondering if they’re selling themselves, or the product. Fine line there.

Anyhow, this agent worked out a reverse tour of the other offer, with us starting in Berlin and wrapping it up in Munich. No Prague here (aww), but sanity argued that this itinerary would be much more manageable, for both the students and the teachers. Already, it’s gonna be tough having to look after 20 wide-eyed, overly stimulated teenagers. The extra travelling would certainly make the whole trip more laborious. Also, the company offered us a 3-night homestay in Munich, which is awesome because it’ll be an extremely enriching cultural experience and we get to save on accommodation.

I really liked the previous agent (his itinerary was extremely comprehensive and he seemed so earnest and dependable!), but I think I’m leaning towards this one mostly because (1) they’re able to work within our budget, (2) there’s a lot less travelling, and (3) hello – homestay! Of course, secret reason #4 is that we’ll get to travel via Emirates on this itinerary. After SQ, Emirates is my carrier of choice, so yeah, this agent has my vote. But only barely.

Next on the agenda – shortlisting the applicants. We’ve already come up with the interview questions (some seemingly off-topic, such as “How many burgers do you think a teenage male eats in his lifetime?” but trust me – they’re all totally relevant to our objectives) and the students have been asked to select their preferences. We’re anticipating a slightly overwhelming response but we’ve got an idea of the type of kids we want, so I’m hoping it wouldn’t be too difficult. *fingers crossed*

Proposed destinations include Munich, Nuremberg, Dresden and Berlin, with a possible stopover in Prague. Prague!! I actually couldn’t contain my glee when I saw that Prague was on the agenda. I would absolutely LOVE it if we could visit Prague, even if it was just for a day. I can’t wait to see the Charles Bridge again, this time glowing under the glorious Summer sunshine. And visiting Malá Strana and Prague Castle once more, without having to contend with the shorter days of winter? That would be a real treat. In case you were wondering, yes, the city is that beautiful and it is that deserving of a second visit so you can bask in its gorgeousness all over again.

But back to Germany.

Even though I never took History, I’ve always been interested in war and being able to see first-hand the Concentration Camps, key locations that were pivotal in WW2, and of course Checkpoint Charlie, I’m certain I’ll come back with a richer perspective, one that I can share with my students. Also, we really liked that the proposed itinerary gives students a more authentic walk-through of the development of this atrocious act of power. I just hope that we select the right students who will respect the place, its history, and appreciate this wonderful learning opportunity. I know I will, and I’m thankful for it.

Prague Castle, originally uploaded by redchook.

For the past couple of nights, I’ve been wistfully dreaming of going back to Prague. Never have I been so mesmerised by the beauty of a city, with its quintessentially European charm, and exuberantly rich history. I understand that I only experienced the “tourist” Prague, but you just get the feeling that the city has so much more to offer. It seems like the perfect place to indulge in culture, fashion, tradition and architecture. And here I thought that NYC was the only place to offer all that.

Prague is exactly the kind of city that will display a different appeal throughout the various seasons. When we went in winter, we were blessed enough to witness the gloriously white of snow enveloping parts of the city. It was as though we had walked into a movie set. That’s it. Prague is like a city specially built for a Hollywood blockbuster. The beauty almost seems unreal.

I’d love to go back in the summer, when the weather is still cool enough but less biting, when the sun will stay up to shed its light on the skyline, when the flowers at the Castle Gardens are in full bloom, and when all the castles are open for us to get lost in. Anyone?