About me: My name is Paula Andrea Adarve, I am originally from Colombia and I have been in the United States for more than 10 years working and taking advantage of the wonderful opportunities to grow as a professional and as a person.
I lived in Spain and completed my Masters in Spanish Language and Culture at Salamanca University. I enjoyed a lot learning about their people, culture and festivals.
I love teaching Spanish and culture. I teach Spanish in High school and I also love traveling. I have been in 6 different countries. I can speak Spanish, English and I am currently learning German.
When I heard about this program I immediately decided to apply because I believe that as an educator I can promote the diversity in the classroom, make culture awareness and a difference in education by providing a safe environment where students can learn, understand and enjoy other cultures.
Written Reflections:
1. One Austrian Education System Reflection
Austria has a free public school system with nine years of education required. Subsequently, the system offers a series of technical-vocational and pre-university studies, ranging from one to four additional years to the mandatory minimum.
The system is based on the 1962 school law, and the Federal Ministry of Education is responsible for financing and supervising primary, secondary and tertiary education. Primary and secondary education is administered at the state level.
Universities and Fachhochschulen
Austria has a long tradition of Higher Education. Universities are governed by the Law for Universities of 2002.
20 universities and 6 music and art academies enjoy the highest degree of autonomy and offer a wide spectrum of degree programs.
The University of Vienna, established in 1365, is the oldest and largest in the country. Other classical universities in the country are the University of Graz and the University of Innsbruck. A younger university is the University of Linz, which has a campus.2
In the 1990s, the Fachhochschulen or "Universities of Applied Sciences" were introduced in addition to the traditional universities. Training at the Fachhochschule is more tailored to professions of practical application, so students have much less freedom in choosing which and how many courses to take in a semester. Its duration is normally 4 years. Additional courses are required to transfer to a regular university.
Degrees
Students must enroll in one or more fields of study, from which they hope to graduate after four or six years.
Since the 1970s, the first degree is the Magister (Master or Mag.) in economic sciences, humanities or social sciences (which includes business schools, which also take four years), law and natural sciences. The first degree in engineering and agriculture is the Diploma de Ingeniero (Dipl.-Ing. or DI).
Medicine is the only subject where a doctorate is the first degree (after at least 6 years), without the requirement of doing a dissertation.
In most fields, students need to complete a Diplomarbeit, or a research report averaging 100 pages or more. Requirements vary by field.
Any graduate can enroll in a doctoral (Dr.) degree program, which usually requires taking a few research seminars and writing a comprehensive dissertation. However, in fields like business and law, most dissertations are not comparable in academic innovation to those of Anglo-American doctorates (Ph.D.).
To become a professor, it is necessary to obtain a qualification after the doctorate.
Postgraduate degrees such as Master of Laws and Master of Business Administration were only introduced in the 1990s and are completely outside the regular educational system.
However, with the Bologna process, Austria has committed to transforming its system into the English structure of distinctions between Bachelor's and Master's degrees (3–4 and 1–2 years respectively).3
language in education
Teaching is in German.
Foreigners must demonstrate proficiency in the German language through the DaF (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) exam.
2. A movie review
THE WOMAN IN GOLD
This is a beautiful movie taking place in Los Angeles and Vienna. It represents the real story of the Austrian Maria Altman, a Jewish refugee that was able to scape with her husband from the Hitler invasion. Maria hired a lawyer to help her getting back a painting of her aunt Adele Bloch - Bauer produced by the artist Gustav Klimt.
Inn the film, maria relives her past when she was with her family in Vienna and the Nazis came to commit atrocities that she still remembers with pain, especially because she had to leave her family behind.
In 1998 Los Angeles, Maria attends her sister's funeral and finds a series of letters from 1940 where her sister tries to recover the works of art that were stolen by the Nazis, especially the work dedicated to her aunt Adele, The Lady in Gold.
I love the end because Maria was able to get the painting back and place it in a museum where people can go and enjoy its beauty.
3. One Book Review
One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr also designed a secret weapon against Nazi Germany.
In her latest portrayal of a lesser-known woman scientist, Benedict (The Other Einstein, 2016, etc.) spins the tale of Lamarr, born Hedwig Kiesler, from her late teens in Austria through her success in Hollywood. Born to Jewish parents in a posh Vienna neighborhood, Hedy endures her mother’s criticism while following her father’s encouragement to pursue both science and acting. Although she finds early success with the risqué Ecstasy, the film’s nudity haunts her efforts to be taken seriously. Just as she achieves the respect of her peers as a stage actress, Hedy catches the eye of Fritz Mandl, a wealthy, charismatic older man who owns several munitions factories. Rumored to have mistreated his former mistresses and to be in league with the fascist (albeit anti-Nazi) Austrian Christian Social Party, Fritz determines to wine, dine, and wed Hedy. Once married, however, Hedy finds herself virtually imprisoned and often abused by her jealous husband. Yet Hedy proves invaluable to Fritz when she begins to gather secret information from their well-connected, politically ambitious house guests. After all, who would suspect such a beautiful woman of understanding military secrets? Yet as Germany and Italy begin to join forces against Austria, Hedy discovers just how mercenary Fritz can be. A daring escape leads Hedy to America, where she vows never to be under another man’s thumb. Once out of Fritz’s reach, Hedy not only returns to acting, but also embarks on a new career as an inventor. Remembering the sensitive information carelessly revealed at Vienna dinner parties, she develops a brilliant radio-communication device. But will the American Navy accept such a weapon from a woman?
A captivating story of a complicated woman blazing new trails.
4. One Documented Waypoint for Group-Created Clio Tour
The Church of St. Isabel commonly known as Blue Church, is a Hungarian-Secessionist Catholic church located in the eastern part of the Old Town in Bratislava, present-day Slovakia. It is consecrated to Elisabeth of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II, who grew up in the Pressburg Castle. It is referred to as "The Little Blue Church" because of the colour of its exterior and blue-glazed roof. It was initially part of the neighboring gymnázium (high school) and served as the school chapel.
On a day-trip to Bratislava this was my final destination. I started on the Castle and walked for about three hours discovering each corner and asking people how to get to this magnificent peaceful Church. When I got there I was stunned by the beauty of the exterior and details on the mosaics. I also had the fortune to see the interior and it was even better. It was peaceful, quiet and warming.
5. Visual thinking analysis
Leopold Museum Vienna
I choose this particular oil on Canvas painting because it is "The Smoking Woman" from Fernando Botero who is a well known artist from Colombia. I enjoy his art and the colors are vibrant. The green dress and the red accessories make me think it is Spring. Fernando Botero has a main characterictics on his art and it is his style - known throughout the world of art as "Boterismo" - is instantly recognizable for its exuberant and sensuous volumetric form.
Leopold Museum Vienna
This particular painting from Picasso "The Orange Colored Blouse Dora Maar" got my attention because of the disoriented face on the woman. It is a different approach to the human face in its beauty. The facial expression says a lot about what is in her mind. Picasso is easy to identify because of his particular style.
The locks of love
(Picture taken in Salzburg Salzach River 2023).
On day trips to cities like Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest and others I had the opportunity to observe the love locks that people put in strategic places as a symbol of their affection.
I took some time to think about a familiar feeling to anyone and that we human beings share. Expressing love in a tangible way brings some positivism to the environment of cities because it provides spaces for people to express their feelings and symbolize their love.
(Picture taken in Budapest Danube River 2023)
This curious fashion among lovers only took off in the 21st century, in Rome, and there are various versions of where it was born.
Some say that it was the initiative of a couple who left their initials written on the padlock, with a message to seal their love.
Others say that it was actually due to a locksmith whose business was having a hard time, so he decided to promote his work with a padlock on the Puente Milvio bridge, but a couple thought it was better to put a romantic touch on it and from there they didn't only business improved, but the bridge was filled with more locks.
(Picture taken in Vienna 2023 Danube River)
One more legend tells that a young woman fell in love with a boy who became a soldier during the First World War.
However, while in the service he met another woman with whom he fell in love and then broke the heart of the girl he left behind in his hometown.
The young women then decided to protect their feelings by writing their initials with those of their lovers on a padlock, to place them on the bridge where the couple used to meet before separating.
I enjoyed seeing this in different cities.
6. Four Cultural Insights Posted as WhatsApp Texts
7. One Travel Writing Piece (Site-Based or Experience-Based)
VIENNA: 1. Leopold Museum: enjoy amazing art and then take a seat outside on those comfortable chairs on a Summer evening.
2. St. Stephens Cathedral: worth going during the day and night to see the impressive and majestic art.
3. House of music: A very creative way to learn what music is about.
VIENNA
Travel essay: Understanding how to navigate different cities in Austria
In July 2023 I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Vienna with a collaborative group of teachers from North Carolina. Before traveling I learned a little German to be able to communicate on a daily basis during my stay there. I also included readings and videos about the city to arrive prepared and discover the magic of the city of the opera. On my arrival in Vienna I discovered a city steeped in art and culture. The constant smell of cigarettes did not overshadow the feeling of admiring and absorbing every detail that crossed my path. I enjoyed eating the famous schnitzel (typical food), ordering coffee in German and savoring the delicacies of its bakeries. The beauty of its hidden places and landscapes taught me why Vienna inspired so many composers and artists to produce such high quality art.
These are some of the things that helped me to feel safe, enjoy and learn in the capital of the music:
Learning German (Duolinguo is an excellent tool)
Getting familiar with the transportation U-Bahn (subway), Schnellbahn or S-Bahn (local train), Straßenbahn (tram) and Autobus (bus). And downloading the European apps to purchase tickets.
Being Open to talk to people and ask questions.
Having a reliable phone with internet access to use maps navigation.
Having some euros available on my pocket because some places only take cash.
Tennis shoes super comfortable that I wore to walk distances of almost 10 miles on a day trip.
Keep a bottle of water to refill in any of the multiple fountains along the city.
Bringing an European's charger adapter that I was able to use on the trains as well.
LINZ: 1. Best coffee and bakery stuff.
2. Danube River: peaceful walk on a clean river.
3. Churches: this city had the most churches I ever visited in a day. All them mistic and silent.
4. Mozart House: beautiful balconies with natural flowers.
LINZ
This nice square is located at the north end of the historical and the main street of Linz, Landstraße. The square is ornamented with nice buildings.
A small town I was able to walk and have an idea of what is life like there. I fall in love with the beauty of its streets, the colorful trains, the variety of flowers, the warmth of people and the smell of coffee and bakeries. My final destination was the Mozart's House. I started walking from the train station and found myself on this amazing Linz main street with trains in the middle surrounded by crowds, restaurants, flowers, colorful buildings, fantastic Catholic Churches and people making you feel safe, warm and welcome. I was so excited to see the Mozart House. I enjoy his music and melodies. I took my time to understand why he was inspired to compose symphony 36 The "Linz". I ended this beautiful summery day crossing for the first time The Danube River. I almost cried remembering my 7th grade teacher teaching me about Europe geography and all the stories about the battles that took place around the river. I remembered being a 7th grade student coloring the Danube River never imagining I will see it in person. I felt accomplished knowing that I got that far in my life.
SALZBURG: 1. Mirabell Gardens: simply stunning.
2. Traveling on train is very popular in Europe. This lovely couple were on the same train and I enjoyed seeing them falling asleep.
3. Mozart House: Born and raised on the third floor of the cozy yellow building.
4. The fantastic view from the Castle.
SALZBURG
On our free weekend, I chose to explore this beautiful city. First I got familiar with the train schedules, prices and expectations. I learned people use the trains a lot mainly because they are cheap, cities and countries are close to each other like two hours away and you can bring as many suitcases as you can carry on. I felt safe every time I took it. I arrived to the train station after two hours and a half from Vienna. I started asking people where to go to the Castel and they were very nice to guide me. On my first stop I found by pure luck the Mirabell Gardens famous for the movie "Sounds of the Music". I spent maybe an hour there walking between the gardens and embracing the land where Mozart was born. Then I crossed The Markartsteg Bridge popular with couples who leave locked locks there as proof of their love. It is the most popular link between the historic city center and Mirabell Castle. At the same time, there is a really nice view from there to the Castle. The walking to the Castle was very hard due to the elevation and the dusty path. Once I got to the top, the views were amazing.
MARIAZELL: 1. Green nature and pure and clean rivers views from the train.
2. First thing to notice the flowers displayed everywhere: streets, balconies, houses, restaurants.
3. Town surrounded by stunning mountains
4. Bürgeralpe observation tower with amazing view of the surrounding landscape
5. View from the top of the tower
6. "Gondola ride" to the top of the mountain ski area.
7. Basilica
8. Narrow streets
9. Pilgrims
Mariazell
The day started a bit cold and the turned out into a fresh summer day in the mountains. We took the train for two hours and a half enjoying the best views: lakes, mountains, forest, small Austrian towns, people hiking, riding bikes and feeding our need of seeing what is life like there. We took a "gondola" up in the hill that ends in a ski area with a cute tower with amazing views. Later on our adventure we and the chance to walk around this cute town. The streets were narrow with few cars, nice people, looks like a family oriented catholic town. Finally we visited the basilica It is the most important pilgrimage destination in Austria and one of the most visited shrines in Europe. In the church, a miraculous wooden image of the Virgin Mary is venerated.
CHECK THE YOUTUBE VIDEO BELOW WITH MY ADVENTURES IN ONE SECOND EVERYDAY
8. One Lesson Plan
Content Area Spanish l
Length: 1 hour
High School credit class
Unit Overview:
In unit 4, students will be introduced to vocabulary related to adjectives, music instruments, places, family members. Students will be able to discuss Austrian personalities lives in present, past and imperfect tense.
Learning Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
Talk about their daily routine by using reflexive verbs in present tense. (Mozart)
Listen and understand other students conversations about their daily lives in imperfect tense. (Beethoven)
Write and exchange information about typical mourning routines. (Gustav Klimt)
Read Compare routines with students in Spanish speaking countries (Sigmund froid)
Curriculum standards:
WL.7.1.NH.B.3 Imitate appropriate gestures, intonation, and common idiomatic expressions of the target culture(s)/language during daily interactions.
WL.7.1.NH.C.1 Recombine basic information at the word and sentence level related to self and targeted themes to create a multimedia - rich presentation to be shared virtually with a target
language audience.
WL.7.1.NH.A.7 Occasionally infer the meaning of a few unfamiliar words in highly contextualized situations.
WL.7.1.NH.C.3 Describe in writing people and things from the home and school environment.
WL.7.1.NH.A.5 Demonstrate comprehension of short conversations and brief written messages on familiar topics.
WL.7.1.NH.C.5 Tell or write about cultural products associated with the tar get culture(s) and identify how the products and practices are derived from the cultural perspectives.
WL.7.1.NH.B.5 Converse on a variety of familiar topics and/or topics studied in other content areas.
WL.7.1.NH.A.2 Demonstrate comprehension of a series of oral and written directions, commands, and requests through appropriate physical response.
WL.7.1.NH.B.2 Give and follow a series of oral and written directions, commands, and requests for participating in age - and level - appropriate classroom and cultural activities.
WL.7.1.NH.A.8 Identify some unique linguistic elements in English and the target language.
WL.7.1.NH.C.4 Tell or retell stories from age - and level - appropriate, culturally authentic materials orally or in writing.
WL.7.1.NH.C.2 Create and present brief messages, poems, rhymes, songs, short plays, or role - plays using familiar vocabulary orally or in writing.
WL.7.1.NH.B.4 Ask and respond to questions, make requests, and express preferences in various social situations.
WL.7.1.NH.A.3 Recognize some common gestures and cultural practices associated with target culture(s).
WL.7.1.NH.A.4 Identify people, places, objects, and activities in daily life based on oral or written descriptions.
WL.7.1.NH.A.1 Recognize familiar words and phrases, understand the main idea, and infer the meaning of some highly contextualized, unfamiliar spoken or written words in culturally authentic materials using electronic information and other sources related to targeted themes.
WL.7.1.NH.B.1 Use digital tools to exchange basic information by recombining memorized words, phrases, and sentences on topics related to self and targeted themes.
Previous knowledge: Present tense verbs ser, estar, regular ar, er, ir verbs, yo irregular verbs, boot verbs, saber and conocer, Imperfect tense and preterit tense grammar.
Materials: handouts, paper, pencil, educational videos, computer
Vocabulary and phrases: Getting ready for an event, Daily routines, family members, adjectives, places, numbers.
Formative assessments
Warm up: (15 minutes) grammar review unit 1 FIND SOMEONE WHO
As students arrive to the classroom they will grab a slip and will be instructed to walk around and complete the chart.
FIND SOMEONE WHO: (statements in Spanish)
Likes classical music
Enjoys art
Likes to paint
Practice a sport each week
Has a small family
Has a big family
Knows who Mozart is
Taking turns, Students will discuss the results by sharing with the rest of the class.
Teacher introduces the learning objectives and the unit overview. (5 minutes)
Teacher presents the vocabulary: irregular verbs preterit tense conjugations with a power point and students practice the pronunciation and compelte a verb conjugation activity online. (15 minutes)
Students read : Sinfonia 34 Linz (Symphony 34 Linz) using the video from Youtube linked below.
Students read the passage from the video on Youtube and record an audio responding the questions addressed on the reading segment and will complete the coloring activity. (25 minutes)
9. Three Technical Projects on Selected Cultural Theme
The cultural theme I will be studying is the Austrian traditions. It is very interesting for me because as a teacher I want to be able to understand their culture and teach and share in my classroom so students are aware of other traditions in the world and they can relate, compare and create new resources to express themselves.
Technical project 1: Religion in Austria
Before traveling to Austria I did a search about religion and I found out that it is mainly Christian. Coming from a Hispanic country where Christianism is main religion I was excited to visit and learn more about the different churches. I visited Linz and it was the town with more churches I saw in a day. Most of the churches were open to the public and there were few people inside praying. I was impressed by the architecture, the ornaments, the saints, the stained glass and the candles.
The link shows the churches I visited while in Austria.
2. Language
Many European languages have influenced English, although its roots are firmly in the Germanic languages.
After the Romans left the island of England, it was frequently attacked by Vikings, who later settled there. Spending time with someone who understands Old English can rapidly reveal how close English and German used to be. Its divergence from its roots was caused by influences from other languages. The most similar language to English today is Frisian, which is spoken by the Dutch. It is an excellent bridge to better understanding German if you wish to learn two languages at the same time.
Knowing the differences and similarities between German and English languages makes it easier to feel at ease when speaking German. There is a lot that will be extremely familiar as you learn German, from word order to vocabulary. Being aware of the most significant differences might help you focus on the most difficult aspects while feeling at ease with the things that are similar.
Similarities Between English and German
Both are Germanic Languages
The most important element to remember is that English is a language that evolved from West Germanic around 2,000 years ago.
Same Alphabets
One of the most obvious parallels between German and English is that both languages use the same 26 Latin alphabet letters. This is a significant advantage because it allows English speakers to begin writing in German right immediately.
This shift is rather simple, with the exception of learning rules for the additional umlauted letters (ä, ö, and ü) and the Eszett or sharp S (ß). It is undeniably advantageous for an English speaker attempting to learn a language such as Mandarin, Arabic, or Japanese, which use wholly distinct writing systems.
English Uses a Number of German Words and Vice-Versa
The words ‘Computer,’ ‘Designer,’ ‘Album,’ ‘Image,’ and ‘Laser,’ for example, have all been taken from English, and English terminology is frequently borrowed when a fad begins outside of German-speaking areas. ‘Skateboarding’ and ‘Aerobics’ are two examples, both of which are recognised by German speakers.
Differences Between German and English
However, there are several distinctions between German and English:
Every noun in German has a gender; it is either masculine, feminine, or neuter.
There are three different terms for “you” in German, but just one in English. There are four if the impersonal “man” is included.
There are more verb forms in German than in English.
German has more letters than English and has different pronunciations.
German is the only known written language in which all nouns are capitalised, whether or whether they are proper nouns.
In German, the verb is sometimes the last word of a phrase.
In German, there are no auxiliary verbs.
In German, adjectives have multiple ends depending on the noun they modify.
German has a stronger ‘guttural’ tone. You speak in the back of your mouth in German.
The letter “I” (ich) is capitalised only when it is the opening word of a sentence.
There are four examples in German and three in English.
3. Public transportation: Trams in Austria
The video below describe the trams in Austria. It is in Spanish and was made for a Spanish class. There is also a link from with the same video on Youtube (availabla with subtitles)
tranvia Austria.mp4