The past few weeks have been a blur of Spring Term. A blink later and all of a sudden I was twenty. Another second flew by and midterms were here. And now summer is only a month away. They say time goes by faster the older you get and maybe that's true. Maybe I'm just experiencing age, but occasionally there are moments when I get transported back to a younger time. For me, that was yesterday in a classroom full of second graders.
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| My teaching partner, Anyasha, and me with our Reisepässe to Success. |
I'm taking a course in which we learn foreign language teaching techniques and then get to implement them by going to Edison Elementary School and teaching the kiddos some German. Yesterday we sung songs, learned names, talked about where Germany is compared to Eugene and counted from eins bis zehn. Working at Waldsee last summer was definitely great preparation, but man, I have so much respect for elementary school teachers. Shoutout to Mrs. Bridges, Mrs. Larson, Mr. Coxen, Mrs. Wilkes and Mrs. Caputo! The quote of the day is what one little girl said two minutes into the lesson, "I already know two words in German! I do! Gracias and de nada!" Kids sure keep you on your toes!
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| The Jedi 240 midterm went well. |
Hanging out with the second graders made me reflect on how I've changed since I was back at Pringle Elementary. In second grade I liked traveling with my family, giving speeches (Perhaps the best of which was when I dressed up as Abraham Lincoln and delivered the Gettysburg Address to my class. Just because I thought he was a cool dude.), going on Volkswalks and hikes, listening to the radio and writing letters to my pen pals. Funny how some things never change. I've even been lucky enough to find a partner in crime who appreciates the wonder and silliness of life as much as I do while still making time for us to study, PR and Physics/Math/Computer Science respectively.
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| Greetings from Track Town USA! |
This past weekend my boyfriend Jonah (Mr. Partner-in-Crime) and I participated in the Run Track Town 5K. It was fun trotting alongside the Eugene running community, albeit the less hardcore members as the Eugene Marathon was the next day. There was even a man dressed in a flapjack costume leading us all, which added to the festive feel. And I can say now that I've run a race on Historic Hayward Field, where the 5K finished.
Another first I tackled last weekend was anchoring Duck TV News. Biggest takeaway: studio lights are HOT. Before getting into the anchor chair, I did a bit of research. I spoke with the Duck TV advisor for tips from her impressive trove of broadcast knowledge. I looked to Lester Holt for some idea of what works. But most importantly I watched plenty of my favorite hard-hitting news show, Weekend Update. (#ThanksAmyTinaSeth)
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| Even better than the Popemobile! |
Speaking of a Weekend Update, Eugene was graced by political royalty last week. None other than the Bern-man himself came to town! Bernie Sanders held a rally a few miles from campus, which due to a mandatory class, I couldn't attend. I was pretty bummed out and was sitting outside near the Student Union after class to get some vitamin D and boost my mood when lo and behold six police motorcycles zip by and before I knew it Bernie was right there! He was just casually driving through campus and I saw him in his chauffeured Suburban! Campus was buzzing that day. It felt as if the Ducks had won a big football game.
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| Holding down the fort in Eugene. |
It's been an action-packed few weeks here in Track Town. As summer approaches, I get gradually more and more excited about my upcoming corporate gig in Arlington, VA where I'll be working as a public relations intern for Lidl US. This time last year I could have never guessed I'd be returning to my German connection-- in D.C.! But for now it's time to study!