Emily "Blake" Louk

04 August 2015

Erfurt

Crashing the parliamentary reception.

Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- Erfurt has become my home away from home. Just in these past two months, Erfurt has become so special to me and so close to my heart. I have been to various places in Germany such as Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Köln. I have traveled throughout Europe to places such as Belgium and Spain, but I have never felt more at home then I do in Erfurt. I have made friends with some locals and shop owners and we have friendly interactions when I see them on the street. I have even got into the habit of buying my train passes in German instead of switching it to English. I’ve notice just how important Erfurt has become to me when I talk to other people about it. I tell them I do not want to leave and that I love it here. I get defensive when I tell a German native that I am studying at Erfurt and the wrinkle their nose and say “Erfurt, why not Berlin? Berlin is the greatest city!” Erfurt is small and big at the same time which is perfect for me. I have spent many nights at various bars and pubs

The view of Erfurt from the citadel. The best view in Erfurt!

downtown and stayed out late and had a great time. I have also went to the opposite side of Erfurt to the beautiful public lake and spent the day. I have been right across the street to Nord Park where families go to spend quality time together without the distraction of technology or drunk kids in the way. My point is that even though I leave, I always end up back in Erfurt and have just as much fun as I do anywhere else. We even have special guys for brats and ice cream that we only go to. One of the absolute best times I have had in Europe was rave in Erfurt. It was an abandon train station and decorated with umbrellas, old vintage lamps, and velvet chairs. The rave did not last long but it was absolute great. After the rave, we went to another bar and hung out with our new friends. Another great time I had was when our local Erfurt friend invited us to a parliamentary reception. We got to meet some pretty incredible and shake the mayor of Erfurt's hand. We also got to visit the site of the Topf and sons factory which is where the ovens for concentration camps were made. Erfurt is special because it’s home, super fun to experience, and so much history that is still intact. I couldn’t imagine staying anywhere else.

03 August 2015

Amsterdam

Amsterdam -- Where to even start in Amsterdam. The city is absolutely beautiful with flowers on every house and bridges decorated with various animals and cast iron designs. Of course Amsterdam has its corks with coffee shops and the red light district and that's what makes it so unique from every other city I have visited so far. Yes Amsterdam is a beautiful city with a corky twist but also so much intellectual stimuli. Various museums reside in Amsterdam including a sex museum, prostitution museum, tulip museums, various art galleries, and there ever so famous Anne Frank house.

The view from one of the various decorated 

bridges overlooking the channel at night.

The first night in Amsterdam, we explored the city and grabbed some dinner. After dinner, we decided to check out the red light district to see what it was like... very interesting section. After walking through the red light district, we decided to meet up with the rest of the SPICE group and go hang out in a couple local places. We grabbed some fries by the side of the channel and stood there to absorb Amsterdam for a moment. After taking in its beauty, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed. The next morning we wanted to hit up a few museums. We found a coupon for a hop on hop off boat tour through the channels in Amsterdam. We went and bought tickets and on our way to the boat, we found the sex museum and decided to go in. It was definitely an experience. There were pictures and mannequins on display. After the sex museum, we hopped on a boat and road it for a while. We got off and headed to the Rijks museum which had Rembrandt paintings. It was so incredible to take in such beautiful paintings and artifacts, three floors of it! After the Rijks museum, we headed to the Anne Frank house. Luckily there were only two of us and another stood in line so we joined him and waited for about 30 minutes as the line behind us grew and wrapped around the block. Going through the Anne Frank house was an unreal experience. I was in awe the whole time. It was crazy to think that I stood where the Frank family stood, climb the same stairs they did, went behind the same book case they did. This was an absolutely humbling experience but by far my favorite museum. By far one of the best experiences of my life and I'm so thankful I got to see it firsthand. It inspired me so much that I bought her diary and am determined to read it. Our final day in Amsterdam, we got the famous Dutch crepes and pancakes, and I must say, they were pretty amazing. We went and sat by the channel one last time then headed home. Overall, the Dutch are pretty similar to Americans, but I was also in the tourist part of Amsterdam so I did not get the chance to meet a lot of true Dutch people but it was still an amazing experience.

02 August 2015

Buchenwald Concentration Camp

The gate at Buchenwald with the quote. The clock is frozen at the time the
camp was liberated by the United States.  

Weimar -- I have now been to Buchenwald twice now and each time has been an overwhelming humbling feeling. Although both times were humbling, teach visit was humbling in a different way. The first time I visited, most of the SPICE group went. It was a dark, drizzling, gloomy day which suited the circumstances well. Even walking through the gate gave me an unreal feeling. There is a quote on the gate that says “Jedem das seine” translating to “to each his own” or “to each what he deserves” which is a powerful statement for a concentration camp. This quote is not as well-known as the quote at Auschwitz that says “Arbeit macht frei” translating to “work will set you free” but I feel like the quote at Buchenwald is more powerful. After seeing the gate, we went through the cell room where some prisoners were kept. Flowers and memorials were set up but it was so overwhelming. After the cells, we moved to the ovens and basement for the bodies. There was an elevator especially for bodies and a chute for the bodies to come in from the outside. We got to see the medical and examination room. We got to see the little camp, the camp for kids. We got to see all the blocks where the prisoners lived. We got to see all these things and personally, I was in shock the whole time. I am so unbelievably grateful for this experience but afterwards, I feel like I did not get to take in as much as I could have because of how much in shock I was in. So the second time I went, I really focused on the experience. I already went through the shock phase so the second time, walking through the cells I was able to walk slowly and pay more attention to the memorials and how people lay flowers on the cell windows to show sorrow. Walking through the basement where the bodies were, I was able to read the information plaque and take in more. Visiting the little camp, I got to see how nature is starting to take it back over. Green grass is growing in between the cobble stones and trees are stretching towards the sun. I also got to go in another exhibit that was not open the first time. This exhibit was in the disinfecting room and was full of art from the prisoners. The art made it so real for me. I got to see how the prisoners saw it and that’s worth so much. What happened not only happened at Buchenwald, but all throughout Europe during the Nazi Regime was terrible but it is very important to remember that time and learn from what happened. Buchenwald is the perfect example of how to remember what happened because everything but the little camp and blocks are still there and even thought the little camp and blocks are not there, the outline is still present and picture are shown. Buchenwald is also a great example of how to learn from the past because of places like the little camp that is being taken back by nature. It represents that even though something bad happened, beautiful things can grow after and this shows throughout Germany and how well they’ve recovered.

01 August 2015

Barcelona and Costa Brava, Spain

Barcelona -- Barcelona has been the most beautiful place I've visited so far. It was warm and sunny the whole trip without a cloud in the sky. Our first full day in Barcelona, we booked a kayaking and snorkeling excursion in Costa Brava. We ended up kayaking about three hours out into the beautiful, bright blue ocean around rocks and coves. After about three hours of kayaking, we paused to snorkel out in a reef. I got to see an octopus, hold a start fish and sea cucumber, and see schools of fish, by far one of the best experiences of my life. After snorkeling, we kayaked back into shore and got to eat then headed back to Barcelona. That evening, we found a fabulous little restaurant in the city and ordered paella, tapas, and sangria. The next morning was spent at the beach in Barcelona. The beach was very nice but somewhat dirty. Some garbage was floating in the water. That evening, we went to eat and got to see Sagrada Familia church. It's been in construction since 1883 by Antoni Gaudi and construction is still continuing. On the last day, we hiked up to the top of the famous Park Guell in Barcelona. The view from there of Barcelona was unbelievable.

Exploring a cave on our kayaking excursion.

We got to paddle back into the cave and get 

out on the small shore at the back of the cave.

The culture in Barcelona is pretty similar to the United States culture in many ways. For example, people are very friendly and participate in small talk like Americans whereas German people do not like small talk. Restaurants service was a little more laid back than the busy America restaurants but still very prompt. A difference in culture is their comfort with nudity. At the beaches we went to, many women and men were naked. Most of these men and women were older and teenagers stayed covered but no one gave it a second look. The people just did not care. Where as in America, they're is specific beaches for nudity and it's not as openly accepted at a public beach. Overall, Barcelona was a great trip and such an amazing experience. It's a beautiful place to visit.

31 July 2015

Intercultural Adaptation Theory

Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- This week’s theory is Intercultural Adaptation and in this theory, you can be in one of four stages. One is the honeymoon stage meaning one is still in awe and very excited of the new place. Two is culture shock meaning a bad experience has taken place and one is unhappy. Three is cultural adaption mean one is learning to adapt to the culture. They’re satisfied but things could be better. Stage four is adaption meaning one has fully adapted to the culture and is completely content. This is measured by Intercultural adaptation and intercultural competence. The goal of intercultural adaption is for information to be spread across many cultures. Intercultural competence is how appropriate and effectively one can communicate amongst other cultures. According to Intercultural adaptation and intercultural competence, I would put myself as a three. I believe I am cultural adjustment because I can spread information to this culture semi effectively. For example, Americans use small talk much more than German people. After talking with a few German friends, I’ve come to find out that they think small talk is pointless and that why it is done so rarely here. I have adapted to this because when I encounter a German friend, I expect to talk to them for several minutes about more than how there day is going. Often we get into conversations about religion and politics, two things you do not bring up in conversation with two Americans. Today I even saw an intense conversation between a resident and a mailman that lasted 15 minutes. German people are known to be very independent, this is no surprise with their history. But with being independent comes with no random help. I had dealt with this with my roommate. When I first moved in, she asked me to help clean the bathroom and showed me where the products were. A couple weeks later I had a few free hours and decided to clean the bathroom. I went to the cabinet with all the cleaning products and could not read them to figure out what to use for the shower so I decided I would ask my roommate next time I saw her. Next time we were both home, I could tell she was agitated but asked about the cleaning supplies anyways. She perked up, apologized, and happily showed me what to use. She expected me to know what she used and got mad because I was not cleaning. If you want help, you have to ask. They assume you know what to do. This is something that I have adjusted to and communicate more clearly when I need help.

30 July 2015

Reflecting on Berlin

Brandenburg Gate. The statue on top was taken 

by Napoleon and he disrespected it by leaving 

in a box in the basement for five years. 

Berlin -- Berlin and Erfurt are both wonderful places. Erfurt reminds me a lot of Morgantown because is so small, yet so big at the same time. If you go downtown, there is many bars and restaurants in both places, but you can go 10 minutes away from downtown and be away from it all. Berlin reminds me more of New York City, people everywhere, very busy but a lot of fun. It was nice to visit but I prefer Erfurt to live in.

Now that I have compared Erfurt and Berlin to place in the United States, an Idea can be formed about the differences. Erfurt calms down around 10 o’clock pm except for a few places that stay open till the early hours in the morning. In Erfurt, most things are closed on Sunday for family time. Just a few restaurants and markets are open. Also Erfurt is small enough that the local business people get to know your name and your story but can be difficult because many only speak German. Overall, Erfurt is a small, safe town to be in.

View of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of 

Europe. Each rectangle is a different 

height and tilted slightly different. 

Berlin seems huge compared to Erfurt. Fortunately, I have a friend that lives in Berlin and we was able to show us around. We got to hand out Monday night and he said there would not be much going on since it was only Monday. We start walking down a street with various restaurants and bars and many of them were packed compared to Erfurt on a Monday night. The same thing occurred the other nights we were out in Berlin. Not only were they full, they were full way past 10 o’clock. We did not stay to see how Berlin was on Sunday, but I assume most things are open on Sunday. The five days I spent there, not one local business owner talked to us about why we were there. It was more like the United States in that since. Another major difference is that almost everyone spoke English, even random conversations on the street or in the subway were in English where most are spoke in German in Erfurt. Berlin was one of the safest big cities I have been in but not near as safe as I feel in Erfurt.

Amongst their differences, many similar aspects of culture are there. For example, both cities, the people are so accommodating but independent. If you need help, they are more than happy to help but you have to ask. Both places have a lot of history, Berlin was bombed a lot where as Erfurt was not. One of the biggest cultural similarities is how little diverse both places are. Berlin has somewhat more diversity than Erfurt but Berlin is also a very tourist attracted area. My friend told me how Berlin was the melting pot of Germany but then made the ironic comment about race and how he does not usually see that many of them in Berlin. That comment made me laugh because he was shocked to see someone different but their supposed to be a “melting pot”. Erfurt is less diverse. A friend I made is even shocked to see the “peasants” (people who live on the outskirts of Erfurt) in town.

We got to take a tour of Berlin and see many interesting things such as the site of Hitler’s bunker, the famous Brandenburg Gate, and The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. During this tour, we crossed East and West Berlin but I did not see many differences. Both sides have wonderful monuments and historical figures but also both sides have very modern parts. Both sides are equally beautiful but have a very different past from each other which makes each side unique.

Overall, Erfurt and Berlin are both wonderful places to see but Erfurt has become my home over this month and half. It’s a beautiful place with wonderful people. Berlin is more of the “big city” feel which, for me, it is fun to visit but not to live. I highly recommend both as interesting places to visit and the cultural differences are prominent.

24 July 2015

Brussels and Beyond

Myself and the beautiful buildings in the

middle of Brussels before our tour started.

Brussels -- Brussels is such a beautiful place with so much history to offer. However, my experience was not filled with so much pleasure. I took a tour and found the oldest bar in Belgium which dates back 200 years ago. I got to try a real Belgium waffle (which was amazing), eat a royal rose champion chocolate, and mussels that were fresh and cooked to perfection. The tour was absolutely wonderful but the night before was not so great. Brussels was a spur of the moment idea so we had no plans or a place to stay for this trip. We all hop on a train and go to Brussels and we get off at the wrong station (Brussels Central). We asked a kind lady to help and she showed us places to check for the night. We all get back on the train and go to Brussels Midi. Everyone was tired of carrying their bags so we decided to look for hotels first.

The amazing Belgium waffle 

found in an old royal mall.

We walk in to several and they are all full. Then we stumbled across one that had vacant rooms. We ask to see the rooms and they were not up to par for us so we leave. We keep walking and asking and everything is booked. We come to the last one in Brussels Midi and they had rooms. It seemed like a nice place at first glance. We talk to the man at the front desk, who was missing a few fingers, and we get the keys. We walk up to the room and the door was standing wide open. We walk inside and there is hair on one the beds. Two girls come down and talk about their rooms and how they didn't have a bathroom and the bed barely fit. The other two in the group come and tell us about their room and how there is a blood stain on the floor. We got back down and get our money back and hop on the train and go back to Brussels Central. We walk around asking for hotels but all of them are booked, including the Sheraton and Hampton Inn. The group ends up splitting up into two groups to look for places. We keep searching but it seems hopeless. A few girls and I go try one more hotel. It was a small local hotel that was above a Chinese restaurant and was Chinese themed. The hotel had a room to accommodate the four of us so we take it. We were all so tired from walking around for two and a half hours trying to find a hotel. The hotel owner was super nice to us and we had a pleasant stay. It turns out euro star decided to go on a strike and head to Brussels that day. We finally got settled in around midnight and wanted food. So by the time we put our stuff down and found restaurants, most were closed. We found a small stand that was open and got some great fries with mayonnaise and ketchup and went back to the hotel. Luckily we found a place to stay and planned a great day for the following day. So the important lesson is make sure a strike is not going on when you travel.

12 July 2015

First-Half Reflections

Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- Upon arriving in Germany, I had many fears of not getting along with the group, what Germany would be like, and how the German people would treat me. I’ve been in Germany for quite a while now and my experience has been amazing. Immersing myself in this culture and the people has been an absolutely wonderful experience. I have met many German citizens and students and have been very kind to me. The other members of the group have become my best friends and now I cannot picture my life without them. All of the SPICE students have become so close and now we have integrated some German students and citizens in with the SPICE group and it has only gotten better. In some ways, German culture is very similar to mine but other ways differ very much.

Most Americans want to know what other countries think of them so not to surprising that I asked my new German friends. The main response was that we were loud and that seems to be pretty accurate for this group. In return, my German friends would ask the stereotype we have of them. My response was that Germans were very stiff and stern. This stereotype of German people has been proved wrong time and time again. Most German people I met have been accommodating and helpful. It’s their culture to be accommodating. For example, my roommate speaks English to me and gets frustrated when we does not know a word in English. She also when through the apartment and labeled things in English for me, such as the garbage bins since recycling is much bigger over here. Back in the states, a foreigner would be expected to speak English and know the things as simple as trash.

Another cultural difference I have noticed has been how mature the German students are. Don’t get me wrong, they still like to party and have a good time but not like American students. I think the German students are more mature because “helicopter parenting” is not as common in Europe. I have seen young children getting on the tram by themselves whereas in America, that is very uncommon. Also, the drinking age is lower here (16 for beer and wine and 18 for liquor) so this helps get the partying stage over with before college. This makes getting drunk every weekend more childish in Germany whereas in America, that what most college kids do since the drinking age is 21. In both cultures, school is taken very seriously. West Virginia is has a reputation that’s “work hard, play hard” and I feel that German students have the same attitude.

Overall, German and American students are pretty similar. We both like to have a good time but also know when to work. As for the German citizens, culturally, they are better at accommodating others and making other feel at home than citizens in America. It is an interesting experience coming from America seeing how we treat foreigners to being a foreigner. It is a fascinating comparison of how German people treat me compared to how Americans treat foreigners.

3 July 2015

Face Negotiation Theory

The beautiful sunset leaving Frankfurt going to Barcelona. 

The flight was delayed about an hour but well worth it
for the view.

Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany -- This week’s theory is face negotiation theory. This theory is about how someone's self-image is important in all cultures and as humans, we always try to protect it. Humans are naturally self-oriented and try to save their own face. For example, I was on a plane to Barcelona (as pictured to the right) and a group of high school German student were boarding too. I ended up sitting by two boys from that group. It was awkward for a few moments so I started a conversation in hope it wouldn't be awkward for the whole 2 hour plane ride. I asked if they spoke English and they said yes so we exchanged names. Then we moved on to where we were from and I told them I was from the United States. The one directly beside me got confused and thought I mean England. I politely corrected him but after that he became very short in conversation with me. This is a great example of face negotiation theory. After I corrected the young man, he didn't want to come off as unintelligent so he stop be as social with me to save his face. I tried to keep the conversation up to show that it was okay. I was trying to save his face as well as my own face. I was trying to save his face and show that it was okay to not understand what I was saying. We are from two completely different cultures and he grew up learning German so he probably has not had a lot of conversations in English just as I don't understand German. I was saving my face and trying to show that I was a nice person and would not judge him for any mistakes. Half way through the flight, we talked about places in Germany and a few places we had visited and were to go next. By the end of the flight, we ended up talking to each other for a while and the conversation was enjoyable. In a way, saving our own faces turned out for the better for us.

25 June 2015

Communication Accommodation Theory

Our Belgian tour guide stops from our city 

tour to give us a quick "Number One!"

Cologne (Köln) -- This week’s theory, communication accommodation theory, is about code switching. This theory states that when people interact, things such as speech, vocal patters, and gestures are altered to accommodate the other person. Since my time in Germany, I have had many interactions with code switching. I’ve encountered many people who speak English very well, such as my roommate. We are able to communicate and learn from each other. She is able to code switch her language to accommodate me. It can be a little more difficult sometime. For instance, when we go out to dinner, not all the servers can speak English well, so I use what little German I do know and use hand gestures like pointing to order to code switch the message and we accommodate each other.

The most difficult is when no code switching is done. For example, in America, not all the cross walks have walking signs and even if they do, most people walk when no cars are coming even if it is not green for pedestrians. A couple SPICE girls and I stayed in Düsseldorf this past week. We were all tired and wanted to make it to our hostile but stuck at a cross walk that was red for pedestrians. No cars were coming so I went ahead and crosses as the others waited for the light to turn green. An elderly German woman stood at the other side waiting for the walk light to turn green and saw me cross. She angrily started yelling at me in German and I was unable to understand her. I said a few words in English and she continued to yell at me in German. Because of the language difference, we were unable to code switch the message by language, but because of her tone and hand motions, I was able to tell she was angry because I crossed the street at what seem like an appropriate time in the United States, but an inappropriate time in Germany. In another example, when going to a nice restaurant, most servers will speak English to us. If that server cannon speak English, someone else is usually brought to help or take our order. Others will bring us a couple English menus so we can read the menu items. A number is often place beside every item and we just have to say the number instead of trying to pronouncing the German word. This is code switching because they change their language and routine to accommodate me.

Overall, most people in Germany code switch to accommodate me or code switching is done on both ends to accommodate each other. The German people have been superb on code switching to accommodate me.

8 June 2015

Introduction

Clarksburg, WV -- Clarksburg, WV – Hello! My name is Emily Louk but I go by Blake. I am 19 years old and a double major in Communication and Psychology at West Virginia University. West Virginia University has already broadened my horizons so much and SPICE is great opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and advance in my studies. This is my first time studying abroad and I couldn’t be more excited. Even though I am excited, I cannot help but be somewhat nervous. I have always wanted to travel and experience new things and I believe this is just the start. Germany has always held an interest for me and what better way to learn about one of my favorite countries than to throw myself into their culture. This will be the trip of a lifetime and I cannot wait to get to know all the SPICErs better and share some amazing experiences with them!