On Thursday afternoon--jenakolleg's Kerstin P. took us on a thorough tour of Jena's historic center. A full week here in Germany and the first twelve hours of on-site language instruction helped us understand more than we did during the brief tour when we first arrived.

After traipsing through the garden of German scholar-poet Friedrich Schiller, the market square, the old university courtyard and points in between, we headed for the observation deck of Jena's landmark tower, almost 120 meters above the ground. This vantage point helped us make better sense of Jena's hills and valleys.

Finally on Friday afternoon, at the close of what seemed like a very full week of learning, we gathered at Jo-Ann & Joe's apartment. Jo-Ann led us in discussion of our week's experiences. We included a few quieter moments of reflection around the small candleholders we had made during our first gathering on May 1.