Statistics, Torture and Amber

We are finally in a groove here in Gdansk. A normality of a routine is settling in (which is a good thing). We have a few unresolved items with residency to complete, but we are officially expat Poles for the next nine months.

I have basically finished my set of weekend seminars on Intermediate Statistics for Politechika’s Masters students. These specific students have full time jobs and attend their educational program on the weekends. I have taught statistics at the graduate and undergraduate level for probably 13 years. The material is the same anywhere you go. However, here I noticed a big difference. As you can imagine, statistics (especially intermediate) is not usually students' favorite class. I accepted that years ago and have experimented with ways to make it more interesting.

To compare this class between the Poles and my US students is interesting. As always noted in the newspapers, US students (in jr. high & high school) struggle with math and analytical thinking. In fact, our math scores seem to be going down in the U.S. Of course, this phenomena transfers to my statistics classes at the college level. Many students really struggle with the topic and that “type” of thinking in the US.

I am having a very different experience teaching the same subject here. I am using the exact same book, lecture notes and slides in Poland, than I would use in with my US students.

Polish children receive a much more robust math and quantitative education (at least those planning to go to University). I can see this effect immediately in my Polish Master’s class. In my short experience, the average Polish student is able to perform and understand quantitative thinking and reasoning substantially better than my US students. They are actually much more comfortable with this type of thinking and problems, then say a class an interpersonal communications. In other words, they would rather take a quantitative class, than a “softer-science” type class. On average the reverse is true with my US students. Many would do everything possible to avoid taking a quantitative class.

After my weekend class, I called Lisa and asked her to bring down the kids to Old Town and see some more of the city. Although we have been here for several weeks- we have only seen a fraction of the sites.

We went to the most unusual combination museum I have ever been to.

The museum building is the 16th century Gdansk city jail. It has two large towers where they use to keep the prisoners (like the Tower of London). It is a great old building to see just on its own merits.

However, what is in the building is the very unusual contrast.

There is one admission fee.

The top half of the jail and tower is a museum dedicated to amber. Yes, the golden-brown stone which is very popular in jewelry. The Baltic sea and Gdansk are the highest producers of amber in the world.

For those that saw the Jurassic Park movie, you know that amber is made from fossilized tree sap. Apparently the Baltic sea was a once vast tree sap producing forest. As it flooded and turned into a sea several million years ago, the amber fossilized and fell to the bottom of the water. Now chunks of Amber wash up on the shore. From there people turn it into jewelry and all kinds of other decorative pieces. Amber has been washing ashore in Gdansk for tens of thousand of years (and still is).

So the top of the 16th century jail and tower tells the story of amber, its importance to the region and a collection of magnificent pieces of amber jewelry, religious artifacts, decorative boxes, clothing, and even an amber made electric guitar. The pieces are gorgeous. Soft music is playing over the loud speaker.

So, after spending 45 minutes or so seeing amber and its magnificent artistic uses- they take you to the lower floors of the jail and tower.




It is the Torture museum!

You see a film on how they treated prisoners within those very walls (disembowelment, the rack, broken by the wheel, beheading, flogging). Then you go into rooms that use to carry out these procedures. They have examples of the torture devises, and playing over the loud speaker are simulated screams and cries of prisoners. Lisa and the small kids left after the second room. It was quite graphic, and the simulated screams are bone chilling. There are drawings of what the even more heinous forms of execution and torture were like. I won’t even go into that. You go into the small cells where prisoners awaited their fate. All this while people are looking at beautiful amber pieces a few floors above you.

Finally, they take you into the tower’s courtyard where they display shackles and chains (and you can have your picture taken in shackles or on the rack). As you walk past this area, you are then led into the amber store, which is full of mirrors and glass, and you can purchase jewelry and other gorgeous artifacts.

Two interesting museums on their own- but to have two such contrasting themes in the same building is something else.

Lastly, as it is chilly here and the winds are usually blowing off the sea- I decided I needed some better personal weather protection. I purchased a tuque! (Canadian term). I am very proud and believe I am starting a new fashion statement. The family now walks 20 steps behind me.

More from Berlin next week.