Deutschland Dispatch # 4: I Love Freiburg

One of the old town gates of Freiburg.  The site of a medieval with hunt.

Freiburg, Germany immediately felt familiar to me, as I would compare it to my city of Asheville, NC.  It is located on a river, in the middle of the famous Black Forest.  Just 20 minutes from France, it is well known as an outdoors Mecca of sorts, attracting hikers, kayakers, students, and liberal types from all over Germany.  They lead Germany in sustainable living, which we took in first hand by touring the communities of Vauban, and St. Peter - each of which are two of the most environmental friendly communities in Europe.  We were also fortunate enough to hike through the Black Forest (home of Hansel and Gretel) and learn about the massive wind turbine that provide much of the energy for the area.  It was beautiful ( and reminiscent of home), as well as inspirational.


In addition, Freiburg is a university town, and it shows.  The University of Freiburg brings in thousands of young people, who populate the town with an amazing energy.  In the evenings, as we strolled through the city in search of more ice cream, we were inundated with young students who sat with their bare feet in the shallow water channels, or bachle (which are about 2 feet wide, 6 inches deep, and run throughout the old city, apparently for fire fighting in the Middle ages), drinking beverages and talking.

Market day at The Freiburg Cathedral

It was during our stay in Freiburg that our group truly hit our sweet spot, and we all came to absolutely love the city.  By that point, we had all been together for 3-4 days, and we fell into a groove with each other.  Travelling became easier, and it was clear to all who among us was best with German translations, map navigating, or filming.  Folks were able to recognize other people who traveled at their respective pace, or who enjoyed similar activities. Everyone consistently demonstrated a touch of grace with each other (which was especially impressive in the 90 degree heat, with no AC), and hugs became much more common in Freiburg.

Language Barrier?  Soccer makes it all okay.

We attended numerous lectures at the university, and the heat was (unfortunately) sweltering.  That said, we all received numerous perspectives on the German education system (from teachers, university professors, and students) - and this provided a perfect catalyst for rich discussion among all of us. Notably, while at the University we were introduced to students who were recent refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.  We listened to their stories, and learned more about the German government's decision to welcome millions of refugees in 2015.  We then had lunch together, wherein I once again learned that when a common language is a challenge (my German is awful, and they are still learning English) - you talk about soccer, which we did (For those of you keeping score at home, they cheer hard for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, respectively - though all of us agreed on the merits of Messi)...and it was awesome.

Black Forest

And therein lies the brilliance of this professional development: take 28 qualified teachers to a foreign country, provide them opportunities to learn about schools, and create space for discussion and reflection.  at its end, you will have 28 teachers who return home with new ideas, criticisms, and inspiration for their classrooms.  If your lucky (which I have been), they return home as great friends as well.

The Bachle of Freiburg