Neugraben and the Blind Experience

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Today was one HOT day! It was easily in the mid 90’s here and tomorrow promises to be even hotter before it cools down to the mid 80’s by next week.

I met Jason and Elijah at school during the bearable morning warmth at 7am sharp. We hopped on the S-Bahn and headed to meet Heidi and Emily at Neugraben to do a presentation for a fourth grade class there. The class we presented to have been pen pals with the fourth graders at Edison. It was cool to see them so excited when we arrived. There were pictures and letters from Edison on the walls of the classroom and even an entire page in the schools yearbook dedicated to the class pen pal program with Edison!

We all presented ourselves to the class and our students fielded questions from the fourth graders. Heidi led an English language lesson with the class and then it was time to head outside. Once outside in the growing heat of the mid morning hours, Heidi and our students led their 457th round of the Hokey Pokey and then a very ad-libbed rendition of “If you’re happy and you know it”. The fourth graders loved every second of it!

We were then invited to a sporting competition that the fourth grade class was involved in. It was a sort of track meet pitting multiple schools and grade bands against one another. It was fun to watch the competition and even more fun rooting for our host class! Jason’s German language skills made him a rock star! Emily jumped in and earned a few points for our hosts in a throwing event. It was great fun, but getting darn hot out!

The five of us headed back to meet the rest of the group at Hanhoopsfeld in order to head into the city. It was determined that it would be unwise to attempt to tackle the St. Michel on such a hot day and thus we headed straight for Dialogue in the Dark.

All I really have to say about the blind experience is WOW! What an incredible opportunity to truly be thrown into a situation in order to gain an understanding about life! We were met in the complete dark by our guide. Tobias has been blind since birth. He led us expertly with our canes by the sound of his voice and called directions through several rooms impeccably set up as a spice warehouse, a market, a cobblestone street that we had to cross and a restaurant. In the restaurant we were able to navigate our way to a booth and sit for a question and answer session with our guide. The students in my group, and I am told Heidi’s as well, had some amazingly deep and thoughtful questions to pose. I’ll let your individual student fill you in on more of the details.

It was cool to see that many of our students were visibly moved and even more were obviously thinking hard about what it must be like to have to cope with that kind of lifestyle on a daily basis. I think that this was an incredibly powerful and thought provoking experience for our students! I know it was for Heidi and I!

Tomorrow we are off to Lubeck! A few hours on the train and then an afternoon and night in an incredible medieval city! We will partake in a scavenger hunt, watch the big Germany v. Argentina World Cup Match, and then yes, they will have some free time to shop.

We hit the half way point of the exchange today. It is amazing how fast it is going by!

I’ll do my best to post again on Sunday when we return from Lubeck.

-Ben

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Comments

[Denise]

Wow!
Awesome job of keeping a journal...lots of cool experiences for all. Heat doesnt' sound so fun...but wish we had a LITTLE of it here..it's even raining tonight..midnight 4th of July!