We're going to... speak German on the radio?

Mittwoch, 09. Mai 2012

This day gave me the opportunity to learn more from Kerstin about what she does with public relations at the Wartburg. I had time to ask her questions, and get an idea of what it is like to work in event planning for a historical site. Many events and concerts are held at the castle, and Kerstin works to make sure events run smoothly.

I have a strong interest in event planning, especially with my involvement in Dance Marathon, so it was great to hear about how event-planning functions in a setting like this. It takes a lot of preparation, budgeting, and marketing for ticket sales. Many things within public relations are similar here in Germany as they would be back home. Getting the word out about events involves the using the Internet, writing press releases—all that good stuff that I love doing.

After a day at my internship, I had an interesting evening. People of Eisenach scheduled us to be part of a radio program, so we headed down to the Wartburg Radio station to join a show. It was definitely fun, but a bit nerve-wracking too! I have been on the radio for KWAR, but a language barrier can make all the difference. Speaking German with others personally is one thing, but to try to get a point across without the ability to use visual cues is a different story. The two women who host the show were a lot of fun, so it was a good experience.

Donnerstag, 10. Mai 2012

Today we made a trip to Erfurt—the big city! One of the main highlights of the trip was seeing the churches. Martin Luther spent a few years studying in Erfurt, so of course it’s a city with some good Lutheran history. Another great thing about Erfurt is that it lies in the forests of Thüringen, so the city has great hills to climb. When we hike up to high points, we get to see beautiful views of the city and trees. Many, many trees, which I love. Note: These photos are not representative of the forests.

For Abendessen we went to the Augustiner restaurant, where I had Schweineschnitzel Cordon Bleu. Dr. Kleinhans pointed out the irony of consuming pork stuffed with ham. Hmm. The Germans sure know how to combine their meats, and I think this was one of my favorites yet. The evening was finished with another Bibelwoche Bible study. The Germans we meet here are also very good with hospitality.