Trying to Get my Learn On is Proving Difficult

So before I blog about the past few days, let me first explain about my prior study abroad experience. I went to El Salvador with some fellow UMB students over winter break for 10 days, the same length as this current trip. That trip was overwhelming in the sense that we were all without the creature comforts that we take for granted, but also in the sense that we were exposed to some of the most horrific firsthand accounts of brutal violence and human rights violations. We were accompanied by two UMB professors, the amazing Jody Olsen (fmr acting director of the Peace Corps for three presidents) and Dick Cook, the director of the UMB Social Work Community Outreach program. These professors joined us for each and every activity and served as invaluable resources for the students as they processed what they were learning. Their professional experiences that they related made them crucial assets for enhancing the learning experience. This particular trip was done in cooperation with CIS El Salvador (http://www.cis-elsalvador.org/) who put together a well defined and jam packed itinerary lead by an immensely competent guide, a local El Salvadorean woman who we could relate to in several ways. This was especially important when it came to developing a thorough understanding of El Salvadorean history and culture, a crucial component of any study abroad experience in my humble opinion as the one doing the learning. I often say that that particular trip, while not fun by any definition, made me a better person and a better social work practitioner. Total cost: $800, all meals included.

This trip is much different. I am trying very hard not to dwell on my frustration but I think it's important for me to get my feelings out here. The organization is lacking to say the least. The itinerary is never actually what we wind up doing. Our days consist of equally as much waiting on public transportation (In El Salvador we had a bus that took us everywhere!!) We have one, maybe two activities per day, at the end of which I find myself thinking....okay, now what? The professor, a dual citizen of Germany and the US, rarely accompanies us on any of the activities, leaving her TA in charge. The TA is a genuinely nice young man, but his knowledge of basic German history and culture is lacking at best, frustrating when trying to understand what you are looking at at a place like Dachau where we visited today. My frustration is I find myself having great difficulty trying to absorb as much as humanly possible and applying it to my framework of social work practice when I can't even comprehend the history and culture of the people, places and things we're seeing. So my question is, how do I overcome this obstacle? What do I need to do in order to enable more effective learning? I diligently brushed up on my German history before arriving, but a basic knowledge is no match for cultural immersion. There's only so much beer at the Hofbrau Haus (supposedly the pinnacle of German culture in Munich) 100 euro can buy. I came to learn and I am missing an important tool. Despite the requests of other students and myself for additional instructor involvement, nothing has been resolved. By the way, the total cost of this 10 day trip is $2,900 including a $100 euro stipend for all three meals for 10 days.