Today we had a lovely breakfast with rolls, jam, honey, and butter and soft boiled eggs. Then my host brothers helped me learn my numbers and colors in German. I will be quizzed on them tomorrow, so I should probably find a little time to study! Later in the morning, Julika and the children and I took Benny to a nearby park so my host brothers and Benny could run around and so we could all enjoy the nice weather.

Benny is pictured above for your enjoyment.

The weather was quite comfortable, and dogs were free to run around and interact with other dogs in the park. A horse even walked by us as we were walking down a path.

Today it occurred to me as I was walking through the park that I am glad to be spending an extended period of time in a household outside of the United States at a time in my life when I haven’t yet decided exactly what life should be like. In other words, I am glad to be having this experience while I still possess a more philosophical mindset, but perhaps this will always be the case. For me, this experience is not only about noticing differences but weighing them and considering what is preferable and for what ends one way would be preferred over another.

My host family and I enjoyed a lunch together of potatoes, carrots, and steak in a tasty sauce. I also had (and now love) Mezzo Mix, which is a combination of Coca Cola and orange Fanta. At lunch, I learned about the THW (Technisches HilfsWerk), which is an organization in Germany comprised of mostly volunteers who complete technical work related to catastrophes and disasters. My host brother is involved in the youth branch of this organization, and my host parents tell me that it is an impressive organization. Part of the reason for its existence is that, after WWII, the military is not allowed to be involved in internal affairs within Germany. The military helped with one incident involving high water I believe, but this was illegal. Also, when Peter was young and military service was compulsory, 10 years of service in the THW could replace military service.

Later, Julika and I rode into Hamburg and sat by the harbor enjoying some drinks and strawberry and rhubarb cake (even though neither fruit is in season right now). We then went to a bar on the twentieth floor of a hotel. Some pictures from these vantage points are included below!

One of the things that Julika and I talked about was the approach of the Waldorf school that my host brothers attend. One of the philosophies of Waldorf schools is, “Pulling the grass doesn’t make it grow any faster." This essentially means that you cannot make a student learn or like learning or some aspect of learning just by telling or forcing him or her to do so. Oftentimes, this drives kids in the opposite direction. However, thinking about this idea now, it is possible that some children would thrive on more aggressive structure and encouragement, but, at the same time, I am doubtful that this could create genuine motivation. I also like the metaphor of grass because it likens children to something that occurs naturally and can flourish healthily at its own pace. If I might be allowed to extend the metaphor, perhaps the attempt to mow the grass to equal lengths is part of a fundamental mistake in approaching education.

Today was quite interesting and a good opportunity to bond with my host family. I look forward to visiting my host school for the first time tomorrow as well as attending our welcome event!