On the Tracks: Visiting the Students

I am in my new office- the train- on the way to Zurich. It is not as comfortable as South Hall but one can’t beat the scenery.  We are already in the mountains with towns nestled deeply in valleys. In his usual reserved way, Kevin has said nothing, but I was beside myself the first time I saw scenery like this and it thrills me again today. I am always amazed in each language when the announcement goes on for about 3 minutes in German, French, etc, and then there are 3 words in English and other languages at the end: “Next stop: Salzburg”. I can’t help wondering what I missed…

It is amazing that over a third of our time in Europe has already past. I am sure most those in the SAE program feel the sudden speed up of time. Now the trips between places to see the students are going to be longer with more train changes, so I’ve warned students about possible delays.  I made this train with three minutes to spare.  Flexibility-the name of the game in SAE.

Our travels have been engaging. I am getting used to the walking walking walking I do everyday- it is very good for me. When my knee goes out (in its unpredictable arthritic way) it is painful but it just started to happen in Prague and I am hoping it leaves again without reappearing!  The constantly moving on can feel wearing but then there is another student, another new place to see through their eyes and learn about a new topic they are deeply researching.  The engagement always overcomes the exhaustion. I feel everyday this is an amazing privilege and am happy to be involved in this program. This is partly the group of students. They are wonderful people and most are on task.  They also genuinely like one another and so the cohesiveness and caring is a great benefit as well.

 We have now slept in 10 different places in a little over a month. Having Kevin along helps so much.  He has worked on researching our lodging and train plans and though we decide together and sometimes I have made reservations, he is the primary travel agent in the team. That frees me up to be writing reviews for students, responding to their emails and check-ins and reports, communicating with them about upcoming meetings and generally tracking everyone.  To do both things with such a large group (20) would be stressful I think. I may feel differently if he is jobless in January, but at the moment it feels like a wise decision.

My experiences with  the students are very positive.  I blogged on my visit to Kristen in Orkney, Jake in Cornwell , Will in Scotland, the London trio (Kate is getting amazing interviews with MP’s, Erin is trying to buckle down on tapestries, and Kendra did well in London on homeless through volunteering  but now is  trying to establish the right contacts for her  project topic in Malta), Megan in Paris  and finally Breanna in Frankfort.

So I will blog a bit on the last several visits.  The trio in Berlin are throwing themselves into the city’s culture, each in their own way. Jeanne has visited many art museums and galleries to explore the contemporary art scene and knows much about the different venues in the city. She shared some interesting ones with me when I visited, particularly Tacheles.. Paul is very at home in a neighborhood park near their apartment, Mauer Park, where he is documenting a section of Berlin wall being painted over and over by street artists as part of his investigation of the role of artists in responding to the Berlin Wall.  It is the 20^th Anniversary for reunification in Berlin so a very good year for those doing projects on Communism and the west!  He just landed a great interview with an important artist in Berlin to add to his research. Zach and I “rode the rails’ so to speak as he shared information he has uncovered on the Berlin transportation system-a timeline of history of how things were built, by whom and when as Berlin grew. We saw some cool sights as we explored the S-Bahn or U-Bahn! Even did a bit of detective work which was a treat for me. The students share a one bedroom apartment and have their share of visitors as well- bless the tolerance of youth!

Onto the duo in Prague and their warm greeting with a homemade meal in their little apartment! I didn’t realize how we had been eating out for a month until that moment. Amanda shared the amazing collection at the Decorative Arts Museum. The staff she is working with helped her decide to direct her investigation toward the graphic arts and the shift in the last 30 years of imagery, style and purpose. So that brought us to a unique venue- the Museum of Communism, put together by one entrepreneur with a passion to collect and display the record of this era. Worth seeing to understand the history of these eastern bloc nations and very “home-made” but powerful. Hannah outlined her progress on Jazz in Prague, again a historical look, focusing on those musicians playing in Prague in both eras. Thanks to Hannah reserving tickets I saw a fantastic, intimate show by a jazz guitarist and pianist on Friday ( Are there any other kinds of Jazz clubs in Europe? Every one we have been to has been small with an attentive audience- no wonder it’s a joy to play in Europe..). A beautiful city with excellent guides, what could be better? And did I mention there were 15,000 Scots in kilts in Prague square Friday?  Scots vs, Czechs football.

The 14 hours overnight to Postojna, Slovenia was a bit arduous. I found myself singing cowboy songs (much to Kevin’s dismay) as I past the’ super tired’ point while waiting on a train platform in the cold an hour in a half between midnight and 1: 30.  Perhaps these overnights aren’t the best choice at my age!  A nap later I was caught up in the visit to Haiya. She is doing great in a “”cozy” place just as she reported. The Slovenian Karst Research Institute she is doing her project at is the center of cave/karst research internationally. Would my colleagues Ian and Kerry have loved the conversations I had there (and understood so much more of it)! We were very graciously received and enjoyed our visit with Haiya, seeing an immense cave, visiting with various researchers and the director and having a yummy Chinese meal at her abode. (Yes she found what she needed to make some of her dishes in a small town in Slovenia- a very resourceful young woman.)

What a challenge and opportunity to delve so deeply into one thing for these students, their own little “sabbatical”.  And after seeing what they are up to here in Europe I can only say, “SAE students rock!”  So soon our lives will become fractured into many 

different compartments again. I hope your life is going well and the compartments are not TOO full! Keep in touch, enjoy the fall- I hope the sun shines on the upper Midwest today.

Ciao!

On the continent again

We are traveling across Europe now, criss-crossing the countries to visit the students.  Taking the Eurostar like a streak from London to Paris was direct and easy.  Back in Paris we stayed in an apartment of a french sociology researcher in the China town of Paris.  We rented the bedroom of her son away at boarding school and had good interactions with her during our stay and felt very at home. It was nice to be back to great bread and amazing cheese.

Megan is investigating Gypsy jazz and the guitarist Django Reinhardt.  I met with Megan and chatted about her project so far in a park in Paris used in the past by the rich and now a public park with some curiosities like a small pyramid and Greek colonnade. She is renting a room in a town outside Paris but comes in frequently to work on her research at the library, explore and find more music and musicians to investigate. We joined her at a concert in a small Jazz club by Reinhardt's grandson who is also a jazz guitarist. Megan had a chance to interview him before the concert in French. She is really making some good contacts for her project and is relishing her time in France!

We traveled on to Frankfort and found it a very pleasant surprise. First we bought  food for the journey and never touched it  because in first class they gave us drinks and then a meal!  The surprise was that it was a "Menu Rose":," Rosa Menu"or "Pink Menu" depending on whether you speak French, German or English. It came in a slick box with compartments that open to reveal different components of the meal: the starter-Pink radishes with hazelnut oil and pink pepper berries; the main dish -Salmon Tartare with crunchy pink rice ; and dessert- chocolate fondant with raspberry heart.  I kid you not!  Not surprising was having a room, once again, on the top floor or "attic" as the cheerful proprietor told us.  She must have been at least in her seventies if not eighties and answered the gate about 9:30 Pm when we arrived, sprinted up the multiple flights of steps , calling down for us to :take our time" as we marched up luggage in hand.It was a great place and the provided breakfast of rye bread and spreads was a delight as she chatted about a range of topics and stories. She was very intelligent with an engaging personality.

After London and Paris where one is in constant streams of people down numerous stairs through tunnels and onto subway cars, Frankfort felt open and uncrowded.  I met Breanna at the Museum of Communication since she is working on a social networking project comparing the practices of American and German college students. II was absolutely delighted to find the installation of sheep my friend Curt had found on the Internet. The flock is made up entirely of old dial phones and is absolutely wonderful!  For a small museum it had some fabulous examples of art related to communication, even a wrapped public phone by Christo and Beuys "Communication" piece of two cans and a string. I enjoyed the selection of examples of TV's , radios, etc from the past.  Very interesting and a helpful timeline for Breanna's paper.  Our walk around town, dinner and finally apple strudel as the sun set was a delight.

On to Berlin where an apartment of three of our SAE students had just swelled to four with the arrival of a UWRF grad to visit- Jason. And our son Zero appeared to make it a five -some in Berlin.

"Flashing" across Europe

I felt like a Christmas light last night- one of those annoying flashing ones that you don’t realize you put on the tree until it’s too late and there they are, embedded and flickering relentlessly. Last night I was flinging off the duvet with a hot flash every ten minutes. (Probably not, but it did feel like it.) It is my age, sigh.

Now we are speeding toward the continent, leaving London behind. The time there was good. I felt like I was moving constantly. We stayed in a fellow’s loft space in an African/Turkish section of the city. The neighborhood gave me a start as we walked down a street market with everything from fish to scarves. African music pulsed as the market was winding down at 5 PM. We just found the place when the owner, Richard, sped up on his bike. Up we went 8 flights of stairs to the loft, an eccentric designer’s creation- ingeniously assembled from found, recovered or reused materials and objects. Everything did have its place and was ordered in an aesthetic assembly, for example multiple wildly upholstered couches, a wall of various mirrors, and many curving speakers designed by Richard. He is a design teacher at a private school. It had two bedrooms created with some plasterboard and some cloth covered panels- all recycled materials. The bed was very comfortable, which I can honestly say hasn’t been the case so far on the trip and I appreciated that. Staying with someone has its ups and downs but generally you learn more about the place and I recommend that.

The first day included a tour of Sotheby’s by an aquaintence, Richard Fattorini, who is director of Printed Books. We saw several extraordinary collections including the annual Scotland Painting show, a collection of jewels of the Duchess of Windsor and a rare look at Audubon’s life sized 4 volume set of American birds. Only about 7 of the surviving 119 are in private collections and this one will be up for auction this year. We just watched as another staff member paged through it for someone else- amazing. I had only seen one page displayed in museums. Also saw a Shakespeare original folio and an original English bible. An extraordinary collection of firsts coming up for sale from a collector’s estate. The three students came on the tour and so it was insight into the background of sales for all of us.

Spending time with Erin at the Victoria Albert Museum was interesting. The tapestries she is studying are unusual – very large and such detail of hunting! A look into the past in this part of the country. I hope some of the textile curators respond soon on getting her into the back room and restoration if possible. Sunday I helped the Simon Community hand out soup, bread, fruit and drinks from their van in a church yard in London. Kendra has been volunteering with them to learn more about the homeless, both causes and strategies to assist the homeless. She goes on to Malta in about a week to do the same research there. The night after my afternoon with Kendra all those in London met for an “English” dinner. Many different dishes were tried: Sheppard’s pie, Chicken and Leek Pie, Wild Boar and Sage Sausages and such, not to mention the puddings including Spotted Dick!

Kate is doing a project interviewing Members of Parliament on their views on a reformation proposed for the House of Lords, but parliament was not in session. We took the chance to take a tour of Parliament and had a very informed guide that gave good insights into the building, history and present function of Parliament. The spaces are incredible and worth seeing in themselves. But it was also a great refresher on what we all study but do not always put into place- this tour made it come alive.

Because of the opportunity to interview MP’s Kate had some tidbits to share from a personal tour she had that enriched the visit that much more. My own late night tour with a guard when I went and observed parliament in session one Saturday night in the past had a story I particularly held onto that did not make it into the public tour- which statue a suffragette had chained herself to in a protest for women’s rights – another piece of history we should not forget,

London had more walking than I can remember doing in some time- I walked for a few hours in the V & A just looking for the modern exhibits- and never did find them! But it also has a good supply of old English Pubs that offer a brief haven from the crush of crowds- a place for a small nosh, a pint of cider or ale and a sit in some comfy leather chair. Ah, London!

Return to Edinburgh

We started form Orkney at 7:30 AM and arrived back at Dalkeith on the mainland at 10:30 PM.  Continuous travel: car to ferry to trains to bus and then a good walk.  Even the bathrooms are up multiple flights of stairs in Scotland!  Plan that particular trip early rather than when the need is great….   We were glad to see Dalkeith Palace again where we stayed before the trip up to Orkney and a day after so I could meet with another student-William- working on his project on the Scottish Romantics in Edinburgh.  

Will and I were able to visit the Roselyn Chapel during our meeting  (after a wrong bus trip and subsequent cab ride thanks to my travel  savvy- my “being lost” record remains untarnished).  What a revelation that was! I had visited it in 1997 in the very early years of restoration. It was not a “tourist destination” and the family actually went there for Easter service that year, a chilly experience but memorable for the traditional egg roll that took place down the aisles.  (As I remember Adam tried to emulate that event at Dalkeith House but was a bit peeved at the lack of cooperation of the students he organized- surprisingly they did not listen carefully to the directions of the seven year old on how to conduct an egg roll!)  The inside has been cleaned and the fabulous carvings are now clearly visible. There is a visitor’s center, movie, exhibit and tour guide talk for groups visiting. The income is helping the Stewart Family with he costs of the restoration. It has ties to works by the Romantics such as William Scott and Mary Wordsworth who commented on its demise and mentioned it in their works. Dan Brown’s novels have caused a boom of tourists now so my experience was very different than the visit to a little appreciated gem years ago.But It was a worthwhile trip to revisit it now. And I left wondering about the deep crypts beneath the chapel discovered with x-ray but never opened. Besides the family and knights interred are all the statues meant for all these intricately carved platforms in there?  And what other treasures lie in spaces as deep as the Gothic church itself?

 Our room in the “palace “was tucked away- four flights of stairs and then another short flight for good measure. Another “hostel” (since it is dormitory facilities for the Wisconsin in Scotland Program) so again, the less than comfortable twin bed with the WC and shower 4 hallways away!  But the visit brought back our experience of the House- a 17th century estate house built on the foundation of a castle. We were in Room 208 and I can honestly say I didn’t know that part of the house existed. This may explain how Adam, at seven, could hide from me so effectively in that house!

We had a great visit with our friend Charlie Radar who is teaching there this term. He is such a wonderful conversationalist with a steel trap memory and great sense of humor that infiltrates his stories.  A few pub dinners and wee drams later we left grateful for such fine company.

We left Dalkeith early this morning, a beautiful day on the grounds and bused into Edinburgh, a city everyone should have a chance to visit. Its historic vistas due to the old city building up on a dead volcano ridge are so outstanding! Edinburgh is a lively place with contemporary music, art and culture happening everywhere in town. I hope I return there again soon. Highly recommended!

Visiting sheep, cattle , an owl and Kristen

I write tonight from Orkney, an island on the far north coast of Scotland. We arrived Thursday traveling from Dalkeith outside Edinburgh. First a very early morning bus to avoid the traffic jams of the Pope’s visit that morning. Then several trains to the coast, a ferry ride from Thurso across to Stromness (quite rough- walked like a complete drunkard!) and a walk in a gale to the car hire to pick up a car. Then the real adventure began. Because it was already dark the proprietor led us out of town and pointed us in the right direction to find our B&B across the island near where my student was staying. Kev did a great job but by time we came close to the “neighborhood” the winds were in full force all the way from Nova Scotia! We could not find the place, so after about an hour we tried rousing someone at houses along the road. I had some success with a kind man who led us in his car to the right place along the country roads-whew! I had not been in winds like that in some time- there is nothing between New Foundland and the coast we are on, so the winds, rain, waves and weather sweep in dramatically from the sea. We experienced a windy day and calm day there- both pretty wonderful.

We spent a wonderful day exploring parts of the island with Kristen who is doing great here. She doing photo essays on traditional crafts on the Orkneys and had just spent a week with Andrew Appleby. She is reflective and enjoys the quiet of the rural setting. We visited with Andrew, a ceramicist doing wonderful pottery but also very valuable applied archeological research on early Neolithic pottery on the island. He is making very valuable contributions to understanding the early methods of working with clay here and I find so many similarities to what we discovered in China and I know happens in Africa… our human communities are not so dissimilar in our ingenuity and community needs as creatures on this planet.

Though sadly,Skara Brae was closed due to the weather (an early Neolithic village site older than the Egyptian pyramids) we did get to wander among the standing rocks in the Ring of Brodgar. I found it amazing to be able to touch them, stand beside them- I even took my self portrait reflected on a standing stone. These monoliths just speak to time, ritual and perhaps endurance. The archeology here is so close to the surface, literally. Farmers just have burial mounds, early churches, and prehistoric footprints sitting on their land. The Orkadians seem to take it all in stride and respect the past so much an aspect of their present.



Nature is wonderful here- the beautiful pastoral landscape without the interruption of trees, the sheep and cattle, many sea birds- we even saw an owl that nests on the ground and hunts by day- he moved away too fast to catch a photo but the vision of the sight on the post looking right at us next to the car remains vivid.

Several hikes with Kristen were so interesting- especially one along the shore on cliffs rising behind the B & B we stayed at. The top was like a bog and springy to the step. The colors in the waves and foam were clear aqua’s and blues- lovely and surprising. Our proprietor gave us many insights into the area’s history and a look at the landscape he experiences through his eyes- Stewart Toy is a painter and his work embellished the house. He is also an avid fly fisherman. They stock the lochs with trout by harvesting eggs at spawning time and helping the fish grow in nurseries to ensure against pollution and weather impacting the trout population. One morning we had fresh fruit, yogurt and granola and the most wonderful Brown Trout fillet and lightly fried potatoes. A delicious end to our stay on Orkney!

7 Days in Paris

And on the seventh day she rested...

Paris was a good experience. It was my first time conducting the Semester Abroad -Europe Orientation and I enjoyed working with the students. The structure of morning meetings for information, some group "walk-about"s and the evening meets on the Terrace at the hostel allowed time for them to explore and me to meet with each student. Twenty is plenty to keep track off!

The start had a few surprises. One of my students decided not to go at the gate right before we were going to start boarding. It was making a tough call at the time to let her stay but it turned out to be the right decision, just a little stressful for the start of the journey. Then it was a on to Paris- a pretty smooth flight though nothing seemed to help me sleep until the few hours before we arrived. Since I had inadvertently taken Excedrin with caffeine the night before and slept little by evening of our first day I bottomed out and had to sleep a few hours in the early evening. I recovered well then and Saturday was a good day for teaching and exploring Paris.

There were some low and high points in our adventures here in Paris but overall everyone picked up many of the skills they will need to navigate in Europe at their project sites. And watching their enthusiasm and pure joy at being here was infectious. We had a big dinner together at La Gueuze and it was superb. Student shad everything from pigs feet to mussels and many strange new desserts as well. Everyone felt extraordinarily happy to be together and made a leap to getting to know those at their tables. Many museums, markets, walks and travel arrangements later, the day came to head to their separate sites. The day they left felt much like the day we came- it was hard to sleep and I had a 4 AM wake up call to start the goodbye as each started their journey. That went on all day. All left on Thursday except for two who had to go on later trains- one Friday and One Saturday. The photos I took of each is on my Face book photo album (sans Megan who I missed when she left early- missed her by a minute, and Seth who leaves today. Kevin and I took a walk to Notre Dame after the last student trundled off and decided at the spur of the moment to stop for a drink and watch the world from a cafe'. Seconds later the sky opened with a terrific downpour! I felt like I was in the palm of the universe and toasted in gratitude for all our good fortunes so far.

After 7 days of fairly intense work I took a day of play and we went to see Chartres Cathedral- a gorgeous day in France and very mellow and moving. I rebooted and was ready to address the papers again.

Kevin and I will take the Eurostar to London tomorrow and go right on to Edinburgh. It will be fun to revisit Dalkeith Palace where we will stay and see our old haunt (I taught there in WIS in '97 and '03). Then it's quickly on to the Orkney's to see my first student. Will post photos soon- promises, promises....

Paris Shimmers

Paris! We made it to the city of lights and the first days in Europe went fairly well. We are now 20 instead of 21 students as I lost one minutes before boarding our flight- not literally, but she opted to stay in the states with her family, feeling it was best for her.

The group has acclimated to being in this amazing and somewhat overwhelming city so well they are teaching me how to navigate the metro! Well, on the other hand my sense of direction has not returned simply because I am on another continent- at least we know it is a global malady. Though their expertise is mostly due to an excellent exercise Magdalena made up that we did in class before leaving. Then we went off in groups of ten to see Sacre' Couer, a high point in Paris in Montemarte, an interesting neighborhood with an artistic history. Then students were free to wander all afternoon and they took advantage of it. We discussed the history of the neighborhood and what they could find there and they sought out the sights- some of the boys walked for the next 5 hours! We went to see an old cemetery in that neighborhood with some very famous residents. It was something to walk anywhere with that kind of density of crypts- centuries of French families stretching out for blocks.Vampires anyone?

Tonight the group went to a wonderful neighborhood haunt and SAE tradition, Le Gueuze, and everyone ate amazing food, even splurged on wonderful desserts! Students got to know one another at the tables during the three hour meal. Afterward a few of us ended the evening up on the Terrace on a beautiful cool night. Seeing Kevin and Haiya watch the Eiffel Tower lit and then- surprise- shimmering with lights for minutes on the hour delighted me and them, and it was a fine end to a good day. I will post some photos of our adventures soon!