The Cathedral Blog

Adventures in Germany — Days 2-6

OK, it’s been several days since the last blog, so I need to get you all caught up on what has been going on here in Cologne.

Wednesday, 6-3-09
The teambuilding activities were very exciting and all of the students, American and German, had a blast getting to know each other a little better. Be sure to check out the posted pictures.

Thursday, 6-4-09
Our first day of school at the Otto Hahn Gymnasium! We met for homeroom during the 1st period to discuss what had been going on in each of the families, the similarities and differences between German/American homes, and the students’ likes and dislikes. Afterwards, we were able to meet Herr Knoch, the school’s principal, who greeted us in the teachers’ workroom. Some 6th graders sang to us as we made our way to class. Students followed their host partner’s schedule for the rest of the day

Friday, 6-5-09
Again, we followed the host partner’s schedule for the day. Some of our students were interviewed by several English classes. Our students were scheduled to join several German, music, art, and English classes by Mrs. Goessling, the GAPP coordinator at Otto Hahn. Also, students discussed when they would be presenting the projects they had prepared on American culture.
Students spent the weekend with their host family visiting local attractions like the Chocolate Museum and the Cologne Cathedral.

Monday, 6-8-09
Today, we met for homeroom during sixth period. Again, students attended classes as normal. In the afternoon, we took the train into downtown Cologne. There we had lunch along the shores of the Rhine River in the old part of the city. The weather was absolutely beautiful!
After lunch, we met our tour guide at the cathedral for a walking tour of the Cologne city center. We started in a parking garage where we were shown remains of a 2000 year old city wall that had been built by the Romans. We heard a very detailed history of the city through the years.
The name Cologne comes from the Latin Colonnia, or colony. Cologne was indeed an important colony in the Roman Empire.
Walking into the Cologne Cathedral is one of the most breathtaking experiences one can imagine! The gothic cathedral took more than 600 years to build and was finally finished in the late 1800s. Inside are some of the most amazing stained glass windows you will ever see, as well as remains of the Three Wise Men. (Magi). One can’t accurately describe the amazing beauty of this imposing structure. Luckily, it was mostly spared from destruction during World War II. We were told that the Allies left the cathedral standing as a way to orient themselves during their air raids. In addition, the roof forms the shape of a cross when looking down from an airplane. You can still see chunks of the building missing from artillery strikes.
In the city, there are so many monuments and statues, each with its own story.
We learned that Cologne was vital to the development of the cologne/perfume industry. Here, during the 18th and 19th centuries, cologne was developed to mask the miserable body odor caused by bathing only three-four times per year.
The tour ended in front of the old city hall clock tower, where every hour, a carved face just below the clock sticks out his tongue the same number of times as the hour. The people directly across the street from this clock thought this was very rude, so they attached a statue of a man “mooning” to their building. Quite funny!

Tuesday, 6-9-09
Homeroom was first period today. During second period, a newspaper journalist came to interview us about our exchange program. Afterwards, students followed their planned schedule for the day. Miss Pennyman and I, along with three students, attended an 11th grade English class debate on whether firearms should be available to everyone or not. It was a very interesting debate to say the least. We were quite impressed by the English ability of the students here. They formally start learning English in fifth grade, but are now even starting to expose their students to English starting in first grade. Seems to be working for them!
Tomorrow it’s off to Berlin for two nights. Hopefully, pics will be posted very soon!
Danke!
Herr Payne

On a Mission in Peru — Day 4

Today we woke up to go on a lifetime experience. We were going to explore the open air market in Chosica,  about 20 minutes away with  Dr. Tony  to buy food for the 58 children and 22 adults who support the Hogar. The market was full of lots of different stalls, all filled with anything and everything you could ever want…or not want. There was every kind of meat hanging from the hooks above the stall, every kind of vegetable including several varieties of black and white ears of corn, and every kind of drink (and let me say, I wanted to try Inca Cola, Coca Cola and unlimited kinds of fruit drinks). The market was full of people and children, all rushing to buy their needs. The doctor bought tons of food for the children, including fish, chickens, vegetables, and even cow fat. The shopping still continued at a furious pace even though we left with our bushels of grains and potatoes, fruits, and meats.
After all the food was purchased, we went back to the Hogar in Choclacayo. While we had been in Chosica, and the children had cleaned the Hogar from top to bottom.  We helped serve lunch (soup, rice, beans and cake) to the children and washed all of the luncheon dishes.  The children were eager to play, and thats what we did. The whole Saturday afternoon was filled with playing at the park, followed by coffee with the doctor, promptly at four. Today we had chocolate cake and Alexa had blueberry cheese cake.  I also had another Inca Cola which I am beginning to get hooked on.  Some of our group returned to the Hogar to help serve dinner and then attend Mass with all the children of the Hogar.  Afterwards they were very happy to watch DVDs on the television, a special Saturday night treat.
There are many special children at the Hogar. Over the past few days I have taken a liking to a young girl named Flor. She is the most energetic 6-year-old you will ever meet and she has many different moods. The reason Flor is at the Hogar is because she was severely burned in a house fire (from candles). I like putting a lot of my time and effort into making her feel like a special child, because she is.
Nate and I went out to dinner following coffee. Nate chose an interesting restaurant which was full of all kinds of odd meats. We bought the sampler and we had no idea what we were getting. Let me just say it didn´t taste so great.  Our stomachs were queasy that night, but not to worry… we are just fine now.  We stopped at our little vendor next door to buy bottled water for our teeth brushing etc on our way back to our hostel.  Choclacayo was quiet for a Saturday night.  Nate and I watched an American movie on TV with Spanish subtitles and then crashed.

Written by Jake Lerchen, a Latin student with Mrs. Robie.

On a Mission in Peru — Day 3

I am going to write all the events that happened Friday. We showed up at the Hogar, and had breakfast there (they had a special type of bread that had many types of fruit in it.). Then we washed dishes and played with the children. After breakfast I got to help with physical therapy in the pool (it was so much fun). Physical therapy is so important because many of the children suffer from muscular dystrophy, and the pool´s warm water helps relax their muscles before they work the therapist on their exercises.  Later on they had lunch, the cooks fried fish, with sweet potato and rice, it was the best! Then we took the children to the park, and after playing at the park, the doctor took us helpers to 4:00 p.m. coffee at a cafe that makes all of their deserts homemade. We tried the tres leches which is a local cake that is made with three types of cream (it was amazing). Then we helped with dinner before we went to Mass and returned to the Hogar for dinner.

The children are wonderful and always full of joy. The children are always very patient with us and often repeat themselves when necessary. My Spanish is improving and getting better every day!
From  Alexandra Dunlap (studied Spanish with Mrs. Egan)

On a Mission in Peru — Day 2

The past two days have been interesting.  I´ve been out of my comfort zone radically.  However, because of this, I´ve had some great experiences.  I guess what I am trying to say is that although it has been somewhat exhausting and different, it has been satisfying.  I hope that this makes sense.
It will probably take about seven to eight full pages to say what needs to be said so I´ll probably sparknotes it.  (Note: Nate wrote this in is room to a journal because the Internet café closed early last night.)
We woke up pretty early and hit the town.  Did some brief touring of necessary places, ie food, water, internet café, ATM machine, bakery, market and snacks.  We then ate breakfast at this diner owned by a Peruvian named Alan.  His family has owned this diner and home for two generations.  His great grandfather was from New York and Alan served in the Marines for the US.  I liked him, he had pretty good fruit and at the end of the meal, he gave me various Peruvian fruits that I haven´t seen before.  By the way, they were delicious.  Oh, I should throw in there that there are about 20,000 people in the town of Chaclacayo.
So, from Alan´s we dilly-dallied a bit then got to the Hogar, which is our place of interest.  We had a cute Kodak moment in front of the Hogar and while doing so met the good ole´doctor, Dr. Tony.  He´s a good guy, not very talkative but then again he´s around children all day so what do you expect?  He is responsible for the care of 58 kids on-site and his mind is always full of their care, in addition to making the sure home provides them consistent care, education, love and structure.
We got a quick tour of the place, it is pretty nice.  Again, there a tons of kids everywhere.   And then we got right into it.  I picked up a baby (named) Orlando, who has a double cleft palate and started what they called stimulating him.  Essentially this was playing with him.  And that was all fine and dandy.
Then the kids got home from school… We started interacting with them immediately, even though language was a problem.  The kids learned to slow down and we learned to comprehend faster.  They are really great kids and I know that´s a cliché thing to say but it is true.

Anyways, I´ve  got to go, my roommate needs to sleep, and I´m exhausted.
From Junior Nate Moyer (studied Spanish with Mrs. Morris)
__________________________

On a Mission in Peru — Day 1

Early Wednesday morning our Cathedral group headed to the airport, not exactly knowing what a long day ahead of us there was. We flew from Indiana to Michigan, from Michigan To Florida,  and the longest flight from Ft. Lauderdale Florida to Peru . The plane rides were all long, but we had such high excitement to get to our destination. Despite the long flights, and the loss of our baggage…. we did manage to make it to Peru all intact. We arrived late at night in Chaclacayo (around midnight). Lucky for us the time difference in Peru is just like the timing to a trip to Chicago, only a one hour difference. Even though Nate and I are teens (juniors at Cathedral), we were exhausted from a full day of traveling. The ride from the airport to the hostel (Lima to Chaclacayo) was an amazing experience. We traveled through the fog (It’s the beginning of winter here), seeing the Lima community at night time, seeing what was open, and seeing the way things work… all interested me greatly. I had been here for merely an hour and already am loving the people, sights, and all Peru has to offer. We arrived to the hostel safely and we got situated for the most amazing seven hours of sleep. There is no time to rest in this busy country, we got up promptly and got breakfast. We are now preparing ourselves to meet the children we will be helping to take care of at the Hogar (Children’s Home).  I expect the day to be great, and only to have more and more fun.

Jake Lerchen (Class of 2011, Latin student enjoying a trip in South America)

Adventures in Germany — Day 1

Our trip to Germany is off to an excellent start! On Sunday, our journey began at 10pm as we departed Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on a Lufthansa Airbus 330 bound for Frankfurt.

The flight lasted 8.5 hours, with dinner and breakfast included. Everyone enjoyed the touch screen entertainment in the seatback in front of them, with several movie and TV choices. Most of the group was able to sleep a little, despite being crammed into the plane like sardines.

We arrived at Frankfurt airport at 1:30pm German time (7:30am Indiana time). After deplaning, we swiftly made our way through passport control and customs with no problems. We collected our luggage and hiked to the train station to catch our rail connection to Cologne.

The Inter-City-Express (ICE) train is Germany’s famous express train traveling at speeds of up to 186 mph. The 140-mile journey lasted only about 50 minutes. Unfortunately, the train was very full, so most of us had to stand for the duration of the ride.

We finally arrived at Cologne’s main train station at 4:05pm (10:05am Indiana time), some twelve hours after our flight departed O’Hare. We were graciously welcomed by our German hosts with welcome bags, colorful posters, and many hugs.  We quickly took a group photo in front of the world-famous Cologne cathedral before the students were ushered away to the homes of their host families.

The rest of the day on Monday and Tuesday was spent getting acclimated in the new surroundings. Many students ventured out into downtown Cologne with their hosts to explore the vast array of shops and boutiques and to enjoy a nice lunch in the beautiful, sunny weather.

On Tuesday evening, we celebrated our welcome dinner party in a local beer garden. The hosts had decorated the area with red and white balloons and crepe paper streamers (the city colors of Cologne). Also, a huge American flag was hanging in honor of our visit. We enjoyed a traditional German meal together and spent time getting to know one another.

This afternoon, all of the exchange participants are meeting at the school to participate in some physical teambuilding activities.

Tomorrow will be our first official school day.

That’s all for now. Everything is off to an amazing start and I look forward to keeping the blog updated with some pictures coming very soon.

Until then!

Herr Payne

Mid-Hudson River Valley Tour — Day 3

Vassar College

After stuffing our bookstore purchases and admission paraphernalia into our suitcases (my bag was twice as heavy when I left as when I arrived), we checked out of the hotel and headed to Vassar College. Right away, Vassar seemed very different from the other schools on our tour. First of all, it was not adjacent to the Hudson River. This meant that the campus was flat! Also, the buildings were much more traditional looking and were organized in quads. Having about 2400 students, the size of the student population and the campus is very similar to DePauw right here in Indiana.

We entered into a huge open social space in one of the older buildings for a welcome from the admission office and a student panel. What really stuck out to me was the fact that this “traditional” looking campus is quite open-minded and maybe even a bit more liberal than many other small liberal arts colleges. Students feel that they are accepted for who they are and can take an active role on campus from the very beginning. Popular majors are the sciences and social sciences, and Vassar is very well-known for its drama and film programs. We also learned that they see a lot of students who apply to Vassar also applying to Brown, Wesleyan, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Boden, Williams, and Oberlin. It is quite competitive to get in here!

Our tour guide this time was from Nashville, TN. (I really lucked out in finding tour guides closer to home for our students!) She has taken advantage of several internship opportunities in NYC with various magazines. She felt that she was more challenged than many of her high school classmates who chose different colleges, but having gone to a private high school, she felt sufficiently prepared for that challenge. One professor and his or her family lives in each of the dorms providing an educational base for living. The classrooms were also cozy and designed for intimate conversations rather than large lectures. Vassar College is a place for students who want to be known by their peers and their professors!

The Mid-Hudson River Valley tour was a fantastic experience! I enjoyed my time in Poughkeepsie, and each college had a different flavor so they all stand out from each other. I hope that several more Cathedral students will take a look at these schools during their searches as I think this is a very Midwestern-friendly part of the east coast! Please come see me if you have any questions about these schools!

Ms. Miller

Mid-Hudson River Valley Tour — Day 2

West Point

What a day! We boarded a bus and drove to West Point, about 45 minutes southwest of Poughkeepsie. When we arrived, you could feel the history! What a magnificent place! We started with a more “touristy” tour of the campus where we learned about the history of the location and ended with an admission presentation. The cadets’ time at West Point is very organized, and I was surprised by the course requirements in engineering. No matter what you major in, you gain some expertise in engineering courses!

Despite it being a military academy, West Point is ranked number one by Forbes.com as “#1 Public School” in the country, and by US News and World Report, it is ranked as the “#1 Public Liberal Arts College” in the US. I think many people just think it is military training since you have the requirement of serving your country after graduation, but it is so much more. You get a top-rate education!

All students are required to take part in competitive athletics—this can be intramurals, club sports, or NCAA division I athletics. However, they also have over 100 clubs and organizations students can join, too. How they find time to get it all in is a mystery to me as lights out is at 2400 hours (midnight for us civilians!).

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

We hardly had time to have more than a snack after West Point, so we counselors could not wait to get to the CIA! As soon as we stepped foot on campus, we smelled food! We were ecstatic to learn that we would begin our tour with a demonstration on making polenta . . . and we got to sample the food! They had the cameras above the cutting board so we could see everything the chef did on large flat screen TVs around the room. Imagine watching the Food Network and then getting to eat what they make!

During the presentation, we learned some astonishing facts about the CIA. For example, they have a $15 million budget for food and use more than 100,000 pounds of butter each year. Wow.

My tour guide at the CIA was a Hoosier—she was from Fort Wayne and was probably the most knowledgeable tour guide we have had so far. We got to see the Conrad Hilton Library (second to the Library of Congress in it’s culinary collection), the student rec center (very important as you eat a lot at the CIA!), and several classrooms. The CIA has 5 restaurants on its gorgeous campus (it also overlooks the Hudson River). We ate at the newest restaurant, Ristorante de’ Caterina Medici. DELICIOUS. Below is our menu:

Prosciutto e Melone (Parma Prosciutto with Melon and Baby Arugula)

Cannelloni di Ricotta e Erbette (Canelloni filled with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach)

Brasato di Manzo al Vino Rosso con Polenta (Red Wine Braised Beef with Polenta)

Strudel di Mele e Pere (Classic Strudel with Apple, Pears, and Raisins, Crème Anglase)

I am finishing packing my bags as we soon leave for home! Some of the counselors are from the area, but many of us are from farther distances. I’ve spent a good deal of time with the counselors from Florida, Hawaii, and Missouri. We had a great time getting to know each other better during our long bus ride and our fantastic dinner, and now we are getting ready to leave!

More to come on Vassar—my only visit on Wednesday before coming home!

Mid-Hudson River Valley Tour — Day 1

Greetings from Poughkeepsie, New York! It’s now my turn to share my stories from a college tour. I am on the Mid-Hudson River Valley tour (Marist College, West Point, the Culinary Institute of America, and Vassar College). I arrived on Sunday afternoon, and the weather could not be more perfect. Our tour coordinator told us to plan for temperatures in the 70s, but we’ve been lucky to enjoy the 80s.

Today, we started with Marist College, home to 4200 undergraduates. It is situated right on the Hudson River, and by train, students are just 90 minutes from New York City. Poughkeepsie is a nice little city, but being on the river, you feel like you are away from all the hustle and bustle. We had lunch in a boat house right on the river, and then we went to the admission office for a presentation, student panel, and campus tour. The campus has a lot of history as it started as a seminary and some of the original buildings still stand. However, the newer buildings blend in quite beautifully on the lush campus. My tour guide (who was from Minnesota) joked that if there is the potential of a view of the Hudson River, there is a window in the building so you can see it!

What really surprised me about Marist is that it is SO much more than a liberal arts college! Everyone, regardless of his or her major, is required to have the core liberal arts curriculum. And the majors are quite varied. For example, they have really strong programs in fashion design and fashion merchandising, and they also have a concentration in gaming in their School of Computer Science and Mathematics! A major benefactor to Marist is IBM as they are located near the campus. The connection has allowed the school to be on the cutting edge of technology.

Being so close to the NYC, students often take advantage of internships during the school year, sometimes even going into the city five days a week. Study abroad is also quite popular, and Marist even offers students to study in Florence, Italy, for anywhere from a semester to all four years.

Tomorrow, we start the day at West Point and then spend the afternoon at the Culinary Institute. I am very excited as we will be having dinner at the Ristorante de Medici at the Culinary Institute tomorrow night. I will provide you with a review tomorrow night!

Wisconsin College Tour — Final Day

Wisconsin Tour- Final Day

I spent my last night in Appleton, Wisconsin, home of Lawrence University.  I had a little taste of home when I watched the evening news and the Indiana Ice vs. Green Bay Gamblers highlights (most notably Torey Krug) were shown.  By the way, they won!!!
We were on the Lawrence campus before many of the students were awake.  Lawrence is a small, but complex university. There are students from nearly all 50 states and about 50 countries. It is internationally diverse and very eclectic.  Approximately 10-12 % of the schools population is international and only a quarter of the students are from Wisconsin. Lawrence is exclusively an undergraduate institution with no graduate programs…hence, no teaching assistants.
Lawrence University is the only school that has both a music conservatory and liberal arts school.  Music students can a conservatory experience as well as a liberal arts education.  Approximately 22 % of the enrollment is comprised of music majors. In addition, Lawrence is known for having a variety of opportunities for students in the classroom including the Freshman Year Experience, tutorials and independent studies.
On the campus tour, we were able to tour their brand new student center that will open this fall. It has everything a student could want…great dining facility, movie theatre, coffee shop, etc.  We also toured the fairly new science building which was very impressive.
Lawrence University does a holistic review of it applications and is a test optional school, which means you can elect to have them review your file minus your standardized test scores. This is a good option for students who have struggled with test scores, but are very strong students in the classroom. They do recalculate your gpa based on your academic core classes.  In the near future, they will not be cutting back on financial aid.
At the end of our visit, we were treated to a performance from Kinkaviwo.  Kinkaviwo, meaning Children of Kinka, is the African drumming ensemble at Lawrence. The group primarily performs music of the Ewe people from the Volta region of Ghana. The pieces include Adzogbo, Gahu, Adzrowo and Kinka. This style of music utilizes a call and response between the master or lead drum and the rest of the ensemble. All performances include singing, dancing and drumming, and students are encouraged to learn and perform these different elements.  I even participated by playing with the group. I wonder if Sanuk needs a new drummer?
It was an amazing trip!  If you would like to learn more about any of the schools on the COWS Tour, click on the links below.
www.marquette.edu <http://www.marquette.edu>
www.beloit.edu <http://www.beloit.edu>
www.wisc.edu <http://www.wisc.edu>
www.ripon.edu <http://www.ripon.edu>
www.lawrence.edu <http://www.lawrence.edu>

Mrs. Pivonka