Nearing the End! + updates

Hallochen!

So I have an adviser for my thesis, and now I just need to find a second reader! :D

I have a meeting tomorrow to see how to narrow my topic down, and to pick a case study to focus on. I am really looking forward to it!

I also have an email out to the head of the program because my stats professor put a grade up. And I got like a 46 out of 100 which in US terms is clearly a fail. But then it says a 3.3 out of a 5 which is like a C or D.

I don't think I failed because a bunch of students in my program did and they got emails about it a while ago.

To be fair, because I know my mom is probably panicking that  I failed math ;) , everyone in the class had problems with this teacher's style of teaching.  I'm also not sure if this grade is the attendance/ participation grade or our final test grade?

Because there is like no participation in the class, he hands out worksheets and we do it. Sometimes we go over it. That's about it.

I'd also like to put this video up.  This is what mine and Irena's action research project was about! We assisted in creating this workshop.  And to add some AWESOME updates since then Susie already has 2 more workshops coming up in refugee centers, and more people to help her!

https://www.facebook.com/GLBLCTZN/videos/1405425069553257/


Tschuess~!

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On a side note, Mona Haydar is awesome and I love her so much <3  Watch especially the second one to the END~

Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain Outing and Updates

Hallochen!

Yesterday it was such a lovely day! (80+!!!)

So of course we had to take advantage of the weather, because in Berlin the weather never stays consistent!

We ended up in Görlitzer Park, which is located in Kreuzberg. The park is definitly something that everyone should see, however be careful. The park kinda stinks like weed, and there is a LOT of drug deals going down. But other then that it's a place for families and lounging around enjoying the weather!!

From there we walked to Friedrichshain to the Oberbaumbruecke. Aka the most beautiful bridge in Berlin. It borders Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain and goes over the Spree River.

(AND I ACTUALLY TOOK PICTURES.)

I would like to add the girl in the selfies is my favorite Norwegian (Irena)

And we haven't yet mastered selfiying, but it's getting there.




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Also the AR project is going good so far, been very busy! We had a workshop and we had 8 participants, and 2 were actually Syrian refugees and another one was from Afghanistan! 4 of the girls came from people we knew in class. 
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For my Thesis I need an adviser (Has to be a professor from ASH), but I also need a Reader. The Reader has to have a master's in a field relevant to my topic, and they need to send me their CV so I can pass it along to the school. All they would do I believe, is read my paper and give me a grade. They don't even need to correct it or anything, just read and give a grade. My adviser will be the one helping me with it, correcting it, etc.

My topic I believe, is going to be on Islam and the rise of Muslim activists in the USA, or Civil Rights violations against Muslims by the US government.

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On Saturday I'm taking a daytrip with two girls in my class to Spreewald/Luebennau to hike and rent a canoe.
Look how pretty it is!


It will be a nice break from the big city and the crowds!

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I think that's it for the moment!

Tschuessies!

Semester Two Already?

Hallo!

It seems so crazy to me that Semester 1 has come to an end! :(
I already miss my professors (only one will be continuing with us to Semester 2)
One of my favorite professors actually was really excited to talk to me. His parents were from Italy and when they were immigrating to the states, the first place they went to was Proctor Vt. So he had some idea of Vermont and was pointing out the similiarities between VT and Germany. Who knew there were similarities?

Semester 1 ended with two essays, around 15 pages each. One of mine was for Diversity of Conflicts and was on the issue of food security and land grabbing in Brazil/ the issue with Fibria Celulose. The other one was for Human Rights and Socio-Political Action, on the topic of women's rights with regards to menstruation and a focus on the Chaupadi practice.

For Semester 2 most of our classes (all but one!) are focusing on our "Action Research Project."
I am very lucky to be paired up with my friend Irena and we are currently trying to decide whether to work with Clean Clothes Campaign or go a totally different route and work with an organization dealing with men at risk in different areas of their life. (Radicalization as a part of this.) The main goal of this project is to work with a group and help them identify an area on which they would like to improve in. For example, if we worked with CCC it would be helping them with the marketing and attracting more people.

We were hoping to work with an organization we found that was focused solely on the de-radicalization of girls, sadly they never responded to our emails. :(

And soon in a matter of months, we will need to have some idea of what our master thesis will be on. I really don't even want to THINK about this, but I already have some ideas. Right now I am leaning towards something to do with civil rights for Muslims in Western societies (especially the USA and Germany.)
The EU has recently allowed a bill that would make it legal for Muslim women to be fired or not hired simply for wearing the hijab. (This would also effect other religious groups who wear obvious symbols of their faith such as the Sikhs and the Jewish community.***)

(In Germany right now, Merkel is trying to get the full face covering banned. In all my time in Berlin I have only seen TWO women in full Burka. )

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I wanted to add these videos here, because it is my FAVORITE thing ever. If these aren't the epitome of everything Berlin....

BVG is the company that runs Berlin's busses/Ubahns and trams. Basically they're your best friend when DeutscheBahn (which runs the  SBahns) strike. BVG has never went on strike that I know of...

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*** My Professor ,Alissa , would not approve of me using  this word, as it forces the idea that all these people feel connected somehow. So if she should ever see this post, sorry. Most of our class time with her is how this word is bad. (So I use this very loosely.)

Wo wohnst du???

Hallo!

So I thought I'd post this, because I find people's reactions funny when they find out I'm in Lichtenberg.
When ASH sent out a pamphlet thing it gave us places TO look for apartments (Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg) and where TO avoid (Lichtenberg, Hellersdorf.) However, ASH isn't the only school that warns away from Lichtenberg, FU also warned against it.
Why?
Lichtenberg (and Hellersdorf) are located in eastern Berlin. The east parts of  Berlin, due to its past, tends to be poorer. As everyone knows, areas that tend to be poorer also tend to have more issues. One of these is that the people who live in these areas (NOT everyone obviously) tend to vote more right-wing and there also tends to be a lot of Neo-Nazis in these areas. For example, AFD**(one of the neo nazi political groups in  Berlin) received most of their votes from areas like Lichtenberg and Hellersdorf.
Annnnnddd I got slightly off topic.
Anyways I'd like to share some common reactions to the question "Where do you live?"
Classmate/Professor: Where do you live?
Random classmate: Friedrichshain.
Classmate/Professor: 




Classmate/Professor: Where do you live?
Me: Lichtenberg,
Classmate/Professor:



Also:


And:


Can't Forget: 


And this one: 











AFD- Alternative für Deutschland. Alternative for Germany. One of two neo nazi political groups. The other one is more 'open' about it. AFD  recruits well known neo nazi's and they magically claim to be 'reformed'. AFD went through the German courts, because people were worried they were Nazis. The court ruled that AFD was to small to be a threat. (Which, according to some of my professors, is exactly what happened with the NSDAP (Nazi Party) However it is worrying that they were voted for third most in some areas, and will no doubt recive a good amount of seats and the government. They also posted plenty of posters that said "Germany for the Germans, Turkey for the Turkish. 

On a side note, the mayor or assistant mayor (not sure of his exact title) was doing a tour of Hellersdorf (where my school is) and Marzahn (near Hellersdorf) and plenty of ASH students went to Marzahn to block him and refused to allow him into the school. There were posters hanging around the school that said "No flowers for the AFD." 

Did he REALLY think he would get a warm welcome from a social work school??
An example of a poster:
Translation: I choose the AFD, because I know what Islam can mean,  if we do not pay attention. My german friends, let us protect this great city Berlin our Home!



And the posters hanging around my school which I love <3

Translation: No flowers for the AFD! Against racism on the street and in the parliament.




I will edit this post and/ or make another one for the classes and semester two. But for now I cannot spell in English haha.

I'm not sure if my section on the AFD will show. When I preview it its whited out. Basically if it's not showing  AFD= BAD.



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Back in Berlin!

Hallo!

After what seemed like forever,  I am back in Berlin!
I got here Monday after two crazy flights through Aer Lingus. I had a few issues, (Mainly the lying Hotel Ibis Budget that I'm at..) But besides the point Alles ist Gut :)
I move into my apartment in Litchenberg tomorrow and couldn't be more excited to get out of a hotel.
School officially starts for me on October 3rd, but right now I am in orientation. I already had a "mini-class/introduction to the program."
These are the things I learned so far:

1-You HAVE to do field work. Research, otherwise is useless.
2-The point of this masters is NOT to just publish a book. It is to spread what you learned so that people will want to rally behind it to change a situation.
3-We categorize people, however when entering a new situation we need to use new categories. If we don't this is imperialism/manipulation and is WRONG.
4-What you see is NOT the problem, but the solutions to a problem. The other goal of this masters is to analyze the solutions to find the problem.
5-NEVER say you want to learn from a certain Professor. Don't. You should want to learn from your fellow peers. This is why they call ASH a "Living Laboratory."


I also had a very interesting conversation with my taxi driver.
He happened to be a Syrian and told me how much he hates ISIS, Communists, and Bicyclists.
He was very sweet and even tried to call my hotel (it was supposed to be in Berlin, but it actually was in Hoppegarten-Dahlwitz) to ask what was going on with their website. Lots of miscommunication with them...

On another note, if anyone is looking for apartments in Europe try UNIPLACES ask for Bernando. I have his number as well. He is super nice and speaks English.
Anyone looking for apartments in Berlin try EBA51 (Storage containment apartments) or Berlinovo. (Ask for Linda Lehn or Larissa Koenig.)

As soon as I get my internet set up, I will update this more.

Until then!
(Also it seems my German grammar is creeping into my English. Apologies for any mistakes)

All Done

Hallo!

As soon as I finish my 2pm exam I am done.
I leave on Saturday and I am so sad :(

Anyways I will Keep updating this when I get back and have Access to wifi and my Laptop.


On a bright note I am finished with my German class as of last Thursday.
It wasn't pretty, we had it out right before the exam which ended up with me crying haha.

I am pretty sure I'll fail because she lost my Essay.

She claimed she couldn't find it and ran off to the Office. When she came back another Student said 'Well you lost my esay and found it, so I totally believe you could have lost Jens.'

And then my 'teacher'(Lets face it, she is NOT a teacher) told me how shitty this was and she was going to have to give me a 0.

So I said, 'Well I know I sent it but do what you have to do it's fine.'

Then she starts yelling how it's NOT fine, and she'll just have to give me a 0.

And I Keep saying 'Ok, give me a 0.'

Then she starts yelling about how I should have emailed her I was sick. I had enough and told her I have no Internet\Laptop and I wasn't going to leave my Apartment when I was that sick to email her. That was crazy.'

Then she said 'well you've been here both Semesters so there is no excuse. You should have told someone.'

Another Student replies with 'Well its a bit late! Calm down.'

I told her way back in January, last Semester my teachers knew, Zuzana from ISA knew- She was the one helping me with Saturn and Samsung.

I told her I wasn't going to buy a Laptop for just a month. Some of us live on a Budget.

It wasn't pretty.

I'm just glad to be done, ISA is complaining against her because she was making fun of the way I speak and treating us unequal.


On a slightly brighter note, I am coming back here for Grad School.
I would also like to continue with my German that way I could take the test for the German fluency exam.

I am going to miss Berlin :C

Tschüss!!

Please don't pee on the memorials

Hallo!

(First off I am ashamed I have to title this post that)

So I got back from France on Monday, then I have been busy with final papers.
My 10-12 page paper turned into 30 Pages!
But to be fair I included Pictures and a Comic of Stalin and Hitler to be creative so...

Anyways, we arrived back in Berlin around 11pm after a 15 hour bus ride from Paris, through Belgium and finally to Berlin.

Strausberg was very pretty and small. I really enjoyed the older historical part of it over everything else.
Paris was my favorite though of the two by far.

It was larger, and I had no problem getting around. Their Metro is very similiar to Berlins U and S bahns.

We went to Versailles and the Louvre. I also went to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower. I was in line for the very top, but it was to crowded so they had to Close it down.

Sad Face :'c

I enjoyed France, but I prefer Berlin by far.

I also noticed that the French behave very different than the Germans. (For example: Two Young Boys were Dumping water on a homeless man. There was no Need for that. He can't get into the Metro System, so just leave him be.)

Our tour guide in Verdun assumed we were all dumb American children (Even though a few students told her they were from Brazil or Thailand)

My favorite Thing she said (note the sarcasm) was 'Oh you American children, you know nothing of history or borders. Since you don't have borders.'

To which I turned to another girl and asked 'So does that mean Canada and Mexico don't exist?









So on the Topic of Verdun we had a day trip there.

The place of Verdun was the bloodiest battlefield of World War I.

To this day they have something called 'poison lands'

This is where villages used to be, but were destroyed. The ground grows in weird Little Knolls and hills. Nothing can grow there. The trees in Verdun also are't natural.

They are a weird black pine that was gifted to France by Austria I believe, so Verdun could have some trees.




During this whole trip I thought back to a class I had before the trip to Ireland.

We were shown a PowerPoint, and it basically covered things you DON'T do.

On the Verdun trip I saw things I want to add to that.



1) Please don't pee on the Memorials.

´When you first get into Verdun's Center, they have this beautiful Memorial of four soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder. If you look closely you can see they are built to look like a wall. The inscription translates roughly to English as 'You shall not pass.'
Soldiers were told to stand together to build a wall, and not let the enemy pass.
So it is Kind of a big deal.
When we got off the bus for a few minutes to Stretch and to get our tourguides. A few students peed on the Memorial.
A few ladies even went behind the Memorial to pee.

Behind the Memorial, or in front. Don't pee on it.


2)  Don't Mount historical objects(such as cannons)

Ouside the Citadel (which has an interesting ride in it...) They have historical objects on Display. Such as cannons. A few Girls took selfies of themselves on them.
Please. Stop.

3) Also don't Mount flag poles.

Honestly? People wonder why Americans have such a bad repuation abroad..Don't do it. Please don't do it to your own flag also. It's embarassing, and makes you an idiot.

4) Don't make jokes against Religion.

Not funny. And tastless.




It's times like this where I will Claim to be Canadian. Or not American.

It's actually funny because People in Berlin do not automatically assume I am American.
I got mistaken for a German before, and some Germans actually mistook me for Polish or Russian.
They were really excited to talk to me in Polish and then Russian, until they realized I had no clue what they were saying..

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On a slightly more serious note, my German teacher is horrible.

No one in my class is a fan of her.

She constantly calls me out for being quiet. She swore at me, and treats me like I am a 5 year old.

I have a speach impediment, and having that pointed out constantly is not amusing.

I have had 3 Girls in my class (of 8 Girls) come to me concerned with how she was treating me. One of my friends was so upset she went home and called her mom for advice.

I have spoken to ISA about this, and she has offered to back me up.
But there is only 4 weeks left, and no other B3 class to Switch to.

I will just deal with it, and then she is getting a not so nice Review. I have also given Zuzana(ISA) permission on my behalf to talk to Dirk and Philip or Angelika about it.

I don't Need any backlash (which I know I will get) from this.

Next time though, if she starts up again I am Walking out of the class and going to find Zuzana.
I refuse to talk to the other head of FUBEST here, because I have not had the best of experiences with her.


And on a brighter note I will be booking my ticket for Rome tomorrow hopefully, so I can visit Kaitlin!

Tschüss!

(does anyone know how to Switch Bloggers language? I spell check everything myself, and then German spellcheck takes over...)