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German Language Students Test Conversational Skills with a Local Restauranteur
German III classes enjoy conversation and a meal.

Students in German III gave their language skills a test drive through a connection with a Norfolk restauranteur.

Students in Frau Dewey's class connected with Jale Evsen, owner of Naci's Corner Cafe, a Turkish restaurant in Ghent, who lived in Germany from the age of five through her early twenties.

Students wrote their own questions to ask her and she talked about growing up and going to school in small-town Bavaria, how she got started in the restaurant business, and how she ended up in Norfolk. Students also ordered take-out from her restaurant and greatly enjoyed it! The restaurant opened on July 8th, and she explained the challenges of opening and operating a new restaurant in a pandemic!  

The conversation with Ms. Evsen had topical ties to focus of study in German class -- ethnic identity and the experiences of immigrants in Germany. Students have learned about the “guest workers" from Turkey and many other countries who contributed to the German economy starting in the 1950s and continuing through the present day. They also watched a movie, Almanya: Willkommen in Deutschland, about three generations of a Turkish-German family. Students completed a project in which they wrote and filmed monologues from the perspective of a character of their choice from the movie.

 

German III students dine on take-out food, socially distanced.

German III students enjoyed take-out food from a local restaurant, after sharing a conversation with the owner about her years as an immigrant in Germany. Social distancing was observed throughout the meal.

Photo of Turkish food from Naci's Corner Cafe.

The restaurant, Naci's Corner Cafe, features food tied to Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine, rather than classic German fare, as the owner is originally from Turkey.

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