“My memories are like a shuffled deck of cards, each one coming up at random.” – Brian James This is my first September in Pankow: when I started studying at ECLA three years ago, the classes began in October. This September is awfully similar to an October––perhaps to the October two years ago––the one before
Notes from India #5: English as mode of betterment
This article is part of a series of articles written by Mathujitha Sankaran about her experiences during the year abroad she has spent in India. Click here for part one, part two, part three, or part four. There is no singular, binding essence to India. Languages vary state to state, dialects emerge district to district, religious rituals, idols, dietary habits
Rethinking Education: Interview with Hannes Klöpper
“Students should be made aware of the fact that there is no such thing as knowledge as such – knowledge that just exists out there and is discovered by people as the objective truth.“ [hupso_hide] Hannes Klöpper (Germany) is a 2006/2007 Academy Year alumnus of ECLA of Bard. He holds a Dual-Master’s in Public Administration
Welcome Back, Soccer Sundays!
The tradition of (bi-)weekly soccer matches at ECLA of Bard continues this academic year: the first (Sun)day of September was celebrated with a spirited and competitive afternoon on the lawn behind dorm W16. Although uncertain of the winning team, we are sure of one thing: the autumn is already at our Pankow doorstep. To counteract
It’s that time of the year again…
I still vividly remember August 26, 2012 – my first time in Berlin and at ECLA of Bard. A lot of expectations blended into the abstract colors of the unknown. Another start anew, characterized mostly by the “pull-and-push” mechanism between anxiety and excitement. The interesting thing about being a student is that you have a
Notes from India #4: Struggles in displacing structures of thought
This article is part of a series of articles written by Mathujitha Sankaran about her experiences during the year abroad in India. Click here for part one, part two, or part three. The problems that will be laid out in this article refer to the problems when expressing ideas or even merely speaking with people whom you share very little
Berlin Through the Eyes of… Aya Soika
As students from different parts of the world, we contemplate this ‘vividly-coloured’ city – Berlin – through the prism of our own upbringing. It has much to offer, indeed: if environmentally-aware – its green parks are a ‘snapshot’ of nature’s bliss; if interested in history – you’d never complain about the lack of a city
Notes from India #3: An Attempt at Invoking Curiosity through Critical Literacy
This article is part of a series of articles written by Mathujitha Sankaran about her experiences during the year abroad in India. Click here for part one and part two. My initial contact with the Eureka Koovathur Model School involved glimpses of the Social Science classroom. The subject teacher (Ms. Umarani) was teaching a chapter on the wildlife