Eine geile Zeit

On December 3, German students from varying levels went on the annual trip to Christkindlmarkt and the Goethe Institut in Chicago. The group drove down to Waukegan, Illinois, where they boarded the train to the heart of downtown Chicago.

The first stop was Christkindlmarkt in Daley Plaza. Students explored the various shops with unique German trinkets and sampled the delicious German treats.

Next the students attended a class at the Goethe Institut. The instructors at the Goethe Institut taught them various intriguing facts about the country of Germany.

The last stop on the trip was Millennium Park on Michigan Avenue. Here students saw the world-famous Bean sculpture. Overall, the trip gave students an insight into some of the German culture and traditions.

As another activity for the German Club, German students went out to eat at Kegel’s Inn, one of Milwaukee’s German restaurants.

At Kegel’s Inn, students were able to enjoy an authentic German cuisine, from “Kartoffelsuppe” and “Salat” for appetizers to “Wienerschnitzel” and “Goulash” for entrees.

Over dinner, the students conversed in German and learned lots of new words such as the German word for duck, which is “die Ente.” The meal was very delicious and the experience was uniquely German.

This year is the inaugural year of the German Club. Though German students have always participated in activities together in the past, this is the first year there has been an official club. For the first event of the year, students participated in eine Schnitzeljagd, the German version of a scavenger hunt. Students had clues in German about famous places and landmarks on the WLC campus and did not get their next clue until they found the place on their original clue. The top three winners received prizes of delicious German snacks.

In early December, six Wisconsin Lutheran College German students went on a field trip to Chicago with Prof. Krause. They rode the train from from Waukegan to downtown Chicago.

Their first adventure was visiting the Goethe Institute. There, the German scholars took a class on German entertainment.

Afterward they headed to Millennium Park to see the world-famous sculptures.

Finally, the trip was completed with a visit to Christkindlmarkt, where small shops are set up to display and sell everything German, from Cuckoo clocks to chocolate.

Wisconsin Lutheran College’s German 201 students enjoyed making (and eating!) German food at Frau Krause’s house.

In July, Wisconsin Lutheran College’s German students got to experience German culture first-hand at Milwaukee’s very own Germanfest. Some of them even dressed up in traditional German outfits. Of course, they didn’t seem out of place amongst the Kaisers and Princes of Germanfest. Lots of fun was had participating in all the German activities and even just observing the cultural traditions.

German 202 students Karlene and Caroline caught a break from their classes and recently worked together to make a tasty German dish. They selected a few dishes in class from one of Professor Krause’s cookbooks.

Frau Krause picked up the ingredients and brought along the supplies, then they had class in one of the residence hall kitchens.

 
The students made Geschnetzeltes (left), spaetzle, and green beans, and for dessert they made mousse-au-chocolate. It was nice to take a break from normal classes and enjoy some new dishes together!

Caroline blends the ingredients.

Caroline and Karlene sit down and enjoy the delicious meal they have made.

This past weekend the German 102 students had a culture night at Frau Krause’s house outside of Milwaukee.  Everyone was invited for popular German evening activities: games, movies, food, and a “Nachtwanderung” – a nighttime hike through the woods.

Students enjoyed the spring weather by playing some intense rounds of ladder ball outside while it was still light out.  Afterward they came in to make spaetzle and watch Goodbye, Lenin, which is an interesting and entertaining film about German life after the fall of the Berlin Wall. They also played a party board game that Frau Krause had from her own childhood.

After eating, Frau Krause led everyone outside and they had quite an adventure in the woods.  For many of the students, this was a new experience to go out in the woods at nighttime, and there was undoubtedly some angst… luckily, Frau Krause’s little dog was nearby!

In Germany, Nachwanderungen are a common pastime for many young people, and being outside of Milwaukee allowed the students to experience the popular activity the way a German would – in nature.

After a fun evening, the students headed back to campus, but they are sure to remember the party for a long time.

Last week, GER 102 students gave a tour – in German – of the Wisconsin Lutheran College campus to their classmates. Each student picked an area of the school that they wanted to talk about, they researched it for further information, and then as the students came to a different building or area, the expert shared their knowledge of that particular section of campus. The areas that were reported on included the Chapel, the Schwan Library, the Science Hall (below), the Center for Arts and Performance, and the REX (our Recreation Complex).

The students were allowed note cards, but their expertise really showed as they answered questions that the others had about each area. The students expanded their vocabulary through their need to explain what they found in their research and were able to connect an aspect of their life that they were familiar with to expressing what they knew in a foreign language – and they had a great time doing it!

As you may know from other blog entries, Wisconsin Lutheran College has a great relationship with the Milwaukee German Immersion School.

Every year the GER 202 students visit Frau Arndt (a 2005 WLC graduate, pictured below, center) and her third grade classroom. Despite having her first baby on the way very soon, Frau Arndt welcomed in the GER 202 students, who each came to read a German children’s book to the class.

The kids had a great time with the WLC students, who led a short discussion on the reading afterward. Of course, the third graders had a lot to share about their impressions of the book as well!

It’s a unique experience for the GER 202 students to get a taste of a German immersion program outside of WLC. It’s fascinating to see children so young speaking German fluently and spontaneously. We had a great time, and we look forward to visiting with Milwaukee German Immersion School students again!