After about four months of classes and 5 months in Germany, I find myself in German A2, well aware that German — with its random articles and various cases, not to mention the seemingly impossible sound that lingers in the gap between ‘sh’ and ‘ch’ — is a difficult language to learn. But there
TagGerman
Nabokov in Berlin
One cannot visit Nabokov’s Berlin in the way one can visit Joyce’s Dublin or Kafka’s Prague. It no longer exists. There are, of course, certain ghosts. We know that he hunted for butterflies at Grunewald, and that he taught tennis on Kurfürstendamm. Charlottenburg was once home to so many Russian expatriates that it was nicknamed
The German Club at ECLA of Bard: an interview with David Kretz
Even though you can order your Currywurst in English anywhere in Berlin, learning German is important. ECLA of Bard B.A. students need to pass a test in German by the end of the second year. Moreover, learning German can help students read major philosophical and literary texts in their original version. The German Club at
German Project Class: Hackescher Markt Tour
Every expat has felt this: living in a country, the language of which you don’t know, can be extremely challenging. The feeling that one gets is of concomitantly being absent and present, living discreetly (and frequenting international events and places). Of course, as students of ECLA (and probably every second one of us, if not
Harz Journey
The winter excursion came to an end with ECLA students dancing to the tune, “Neun und Neunzig Luftballons,” with local Germans in a small town restaurant. The excursion was full of merriment and joy, partly because the students had gotten to know each other so well and partly because of the scenic beauty of the
Reflections From a Madison Avenue Dog Park
Two days after New Year, my collie Marley and I strolled into the dog park on Madison Avenue in New York. She, with her shiny sable coat, a striking resemblance to Lassie, and joyful demeanor, attracts a lot of attention. As I let her loose to play with the other dogs, a dog-walker approached me
ECLA’s German Classes Bring Students Face-to-Face with German History
Dirk Deichfuss has lived in all three variations of Berlin over the last two decades: in the 80’s he was a student in East Berlin, in 1989 he escaped to West Berlin, and six months later he lived in the unified city. No wonder the German instructor’s excursions to local sites are so popular. Last quarter,