December was a busy month full of sickness, work, Christmas market and parties, and getting ready for the December 30 wedding.
I am currently in Boston for Christmas and the wedding festivities, but I heard a great cultural conversation in the airport:
Army guy 1: Yeah, I am looking forward to being back in the states
Army guy 2: Yeah, I want to be where everything makes sense.
Army guy 1: Yeah, it will be nice to be in a place where words have 7 letters instead of 24 and you can actually read the signs.
Very obnoxious guys swearing and speaking loudly - but pretty funny.
I also had the pleasure of being sent to Agricultural Customs because I said I had stolen in my bags. Luckily for me, the kids ahead of me had a full suitcase of wine and the nice customs man let me go without any searching.
So, my first six months in Germany have come to end!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
End of Nov. Update
Between seasonal angst, work, German class, and working out, I haven't had much free time. Things are going quite well, but not perfectly.
School-Some good days, some bad days. I often find myself asking how kids can be so cruel to each other! Middle school boys are not my favorite demographic. Of course some are wonderful, but the bad ones really can be tough. It will be nice to have a break. I am attempting to increase student interest with cool projects etc. We'll see!
The train - continues to be somewhat a hassle. These days I pass out in the morning so it is mostly a blur then try to read my German romance novels on the way home.
Birthday - Was lovely if low key. I feel old.
The gym - I have become obsessed with the gym-it's quite nice, never too crowded etc. But the best part is the spa. Three different rooms - sauna, steam room, and a sanarium (cross between a sauna and steam room.) After working out, it is very relaxing to lie around in the heat. In between spa sessions there are Roman style rooms with recliners to sit in. You can also put your feet in cold water or go outside (which many German people do but not me) I am still not entirely comfortable with the nudity (it doesn't help that our landlord attends the same gym - haven't met him yet.) Going from working out with people to seeing them naked is quite a jump. Of course I avert my eyes - But my goodness.
The only problem with the gym is getting there. By bus it takes 30 min each way, by bike 10 but not ideal in the dark at 0 degrees Celsius. Luckily are neighbors with a car drive me several times a week...but I would go more if it were easier to get there.
German class - I actually had Jan complain about my teacher. It helped, she no longer yells at me for no reason. I was starting to be quite angry during classes. I have never had anyone flip out at me for doodling during class or browsing through the text book. This is a very controlling woman. My German is getting better and better. My classmates are all very interesting and come from a huge range of countries and cultures. Sadly, we move quite slowly, but for 1 euro per hour I can't complain.
That's about it! Oh...and the weihnachtsmarkt opened on Monday! But that's another update.
School-Some good days, some bad days. I often find myself asking how kids can be so cruel to each other! Middle school boys are not my favorite demographic. Of course some are wonderful, but the bad ones really can be tough. It will be nice to have a break. I am attempting to increase student interest with cool projects etc. We'll see!
The train - continues to be somewhat a hassle. These days I pass out in the morning so it is mostly a blur then try to read my German romance novels on the way home.
Birthday - Was lovely if low key. I feel old.
The gym - I have become obsessed with the gym-it's quite nice, never too crowded etc. But the best part is the spa. Three different rooms - sauna, steam room, and a sanarium (cross between a sauna and steam room.) After working out, it is very relaxing to lie around in the heat. In between spa sessions there are Roman style rooms with recliners to sit in. You can also put your feet in cold water or go outside (which many German people do but not me) I am still not entirely comfortable with the nudity (it doesn't help that our landlord attends the same gym - haven't met him yet.) Going from working out with people to seeing them naked is quite a jump. Of course I avert my eyes - But my goodness.
The only problem with the gym is getting there. By bus it takes 30 min each way, by bike 10 but not ideal in the dark at 0 degrees Celsius. Luckily are neighbors with a car drive me several times a week...but I would go more if it were easier to get there.
German class - I actually had Jan complain about my teacher. It helped, she no longer yells at me for no reason. I was starting to be quite angry during classes. I have never had anyone flip out at me for doodling during class or browsing through the text book. This is a very controlling woman. My German is getting better and better. My classmates are all very interesting and come from a huge range of countries and cultures. Sadly, we move quite slowly, but for 1 euro per hour I can't complain.
That's about it! Oh...and the weihnachtsmarkt opened on Monday! But that's another update.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
More Train Adventures
Two train incidents that were noteworthy:
1. As Jan and I were returning from the city the other night, (in honor of the first snow I skipped German class and we bought a Starbucks hot chocolate to share - a decadent but wonderful splurge) our stop was announced and the train slowed down. Then it stopped. I had been watching for the platform, but we weren't quite there yet, so I stood back assuming the train would pull up. Well it didn't. Jan took the lead and jumped about three feet down to the rocks below. Then the other passengers followed suit. Ridiculous.
2. The German trains were on strike again this week...Thursday and Friday. I checked ahead of time to see which trains would be running then headed out, certain that I would make it to Basel. Well, the train didn't come. And it didn't come. And it didn't come. Being a generally bad morning person, I had waited until the last minute to get out of bed and groom myself so I had soaking (as in not even towel dried) hair, that I had put in a chic side part low pony tail. Well, as I stood, the pony tail quickly saturated my shirt. It was about -2 Celsius - in other words...freezing. After waiting for an hour, the train arrived. And I did not thaw out the whole day.
Yes, the suggestions for tights is a good one. I am going to invest in some wool pants as soon as I am in the US were clothes actually look good on me. And due to the weak dollar don`t cost as much.
1. As Jan and I were returning from the city the other night, (in honor of the first snow I skipped German class and we bought a Starbucks hot chocolate to share - a decadent but wonderful splurge) our stop was announced and the train slowed down. Then it stopped. I had been watching for the platform, but we weren't quite there yet, so I stood back assuming the train would pull up. Well it didn't. Jan took the lead and jumped about three feet down to the rocks below. Then the other passengers followed suit. Ridiculous.
2. The German trains were on strike again this week...Thursday and Friday. I checked ahead of time to see which trains would be running then headed out, certain that I would make it to Basel. Well, the train didn't come. And it didn't come. And it didn't come. Being a generally bad morning person, I had waited until the last minute to get out of bed and groom myself so I had soaking (as in not even towel dried) hair, that I had put in a chic side part low pony tail. Well, as I stood, the pony tail quickly saturated my shirt. It was about -2 Celsius - in other words...freezing. After waiting for an hour, the train arrived. And I did not thaw out the whole day.
Yes, the suggestions for tights is a good one. I am going to invest in some wool pants as soon as I am in the US were clothes actually look good on me. And due to the weak dollar don`t cost as much.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Friendly Germans
I take it back. One of those non smiling, mono syllabic coworkers took it upon himself to introduce himself to me. A formal, hello I am so and so, including a hand shake. Then he started smiling and initiated a conversation. So strange. This is a man who I have seen three times a week for the last two months and was hesitant to speak with after he got very upset when my notebook was on his desk because I was using the computer (school computer) which was also on his desk. Anyway, it turns out that he is a fellow commuter and takes the cheap o trains like me. So maybe now I will have somebody to chat with on the train sometimes.
In other news it is freezing and I think my toes will fall off, but I have to go back into the drizzle for another fun and illuminating German class.
In other news it is freezing and I think my toes will fall off, but I have to go back into the drizzle for another fun and illuminating German class.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I Finished the Rose
I have an obsession with roses and have been intending to paint one for about six months. Today, I finished. And it turned out quite well if I do say so myself. But now that I know how much trouble it is (also fun) but lots of trouble, I am not painting more Roses on my remaining canvases. I think I´ll move on to simpler shapes, or something else entirely. Like hearts.
That said, these paintings are going on the walls to decorate our apartment and it might be a little much to have hearts and roses everywhere.
That said, these paintings are going on the walls to decorate our apartment and it might be a little much to have hearts and roses everywhere.
The Whorf Hypothesis
Recently I have been pondering the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis which: postulates a systematic relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it (wikipedia says it better than I can!) This isn´t surprising given that I spend a large amount of time learning a new language and I am fairly immersed in a culture I wasn´t familiar with 4 months ago, and I still am not used to. My language is starting to develop to the point where I can over hear conversations, read things and get the general idea (I finished my second romance novel the other day) and sort of understand television.
My high contact with Germans time is during my commute, which takes over four hours of my day when I head out to Basel. What are these German´s saying to each other? Why doesn´t anybody smile? Why do they look so pissed off at the world? Why do the men at my work never smile at me, or make eye contact, or respond to me saying Hallo (the Germanized hello). Who knows. But I think I am starting to get an idea. When your language has over 12 ways to say the, who has time to respond to an innocuous Hello. When you have to think about declination all day, how can you look anything but pissed off.
Ok, that´s not where I was going originally, but these serious Germans undergo a miraculous transformation when they turn on the English. Suddenly they are smiling and animated and energetic. Jane made the observation that many German men go from sounding sort of manly and serious in German to becoming giggling and valley girl esque in English. I certainly noticed that with my trainer!
I am excited to find out what actually goes on when the Germans speak German because at this point all I know is they say genau (exactly) zum bespiel (for an example) and alles klar (everything is clear) way too often. Just thinking about those examples is a peak into the cultural window.
My high contact with Germans time is during my commute, which takes over four hours of my day when I head out to Basel. What are these German´s saying to each other? Why doesn´t anybody smile? Why do they look so pissed off at the world? Why do the men at my work never smile at me, or make eye contact, or respond to me saying Hallo (the Germanized hello). Who knows. But I think I am starting to get an idea. When your language has over 12 ways to say the, who has time to respond to an innocuous Hello. When you have to think about declination all day, how can you look anything but pissed off.
Ok, that´s not where I was going originally, but these serious Germans undergo a miraculous transformation when they turn on the English. Suddenly they are smiling and animated and energetic. Jane made the observation that many German men go from sounding sort of manly and serious in German to becoming giggling and valley girl esque in English. I certainly noticed that with my trainer!
I am excited to find out what actually goes on when the Germans speak German because at this point all I know is they say genau (exactly) zum bespiel (for an example) and alles klar (everything is clear) way too often. Just thinking about those examples is a peak into the cultural window.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
In Search of Kurbis
It is the Kurbis - or pumpkin - time of year. Everywhere I look I see advertisements or signs of pumpkin soup. What are the cooking on tv? Pumpkin soup. What is that in the newspaper, oh, a recipe for pumpkin soup. I wrote about my attempt to make pumpkin soup with pickled pumpkin..today I was going to find some form of pumpkin and make the soup. So Jan and I got up and went into the city. We browsed the market, but the pumpkins looked hard to deal with, so we decided to try the specialty food shop. Finally, we asked for help. The women helpfully said, that there is no such thing as pumpkin puree, no such thing as cubed pumpkins in a jar. You have to make pumpkin anything out of a real live pumpkin. Great. Jan said there is probably a conspiracy with the pumpkin farmers guild to keep pumpkin puree off the market and I am starting to agree.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The 7:18 Strikes Again
This morning was rough for a few reasons:
1. I had to wake up early to write a test. Not so horrible, but not exactly fun.
2. After washing my hair cut styled hair, Jan told me it was back to looking straw like. I guess that means frizzy - but I am on a quest to get rid of the straw hair.
3. The 7:18 train was crowded to the point of some guy leaning against me even though school is on vacation. But that extra hour in the morning is soooooo nice.
1. I had to wake up early to write a test. Not so horrible, but not exactly fun.
2. After washing my hair cut styled hair, Jan told me it was back to looking straw like. I guess that means frizzy - but I am on a quest to get rid of the straw hair.
3. The 7:18 train was crowded to the point of some guy leaning against me even though school is on vacation. But that extra hour in the morning is soooooo nice.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Strange Encounters with the Germans
Yesterday I had a fitness evaluation at my new gym and a hair cut. Here are some highlights of the two experiences.
1. The guy in the gym and I spoke in a mixture of German and English. He continuously referred to the lower body as downstairs and the upper body as upstairs.
2. When I wasn't sitting far enough back he said something like, make sure your booty has contact with the seat.
3. The poor man was clearly flustered by my high percentage of body fat and low VO2 capacity so he continously reassured me that nothing was accurate, especially for women.
On to haircutting
4. She had me stand up for the entire hair cut. Soooo bizarre.
5. She asked if I wanted to blow dry my hair or have her do it. Unwittingly, I said she should do it. She proceeded to hang about 8 brushes from my head and took 30 minutes to dry the hair.
6. For said treatment I think she charged me an extra 20 euros. Great.
I promise a picture post soon. I've been taking a lot. I just need to get them uploaded.
1. The guy in the gym and I spoke in a mixture of German and English. He continuously referred to the lower body as downstairs and the upper body as upstairs.
2. When I wasn't sitting far enough back he said something like, make sure your booty has contact with the seat.
3. The poor man was clearly flustered by my high percentage of body fat and low VO2 capacity so he continously reassured me that nothing was accurate, especially for women.
On to haircutting
4. She had me stand up for the entire hair cut. Soooo bizarre.
5. She asked if I wanted to blow dry my hair or have her do it. Unwittingly, I said she should do it. She proceeded to hang about 8 brushes from my head and took 30 minutes to dry the hair.
6. For said treatment I think she charged me an extra 20 euros. Great.
I promise a picture post soon. I've been taking a lot. I just need to get them uploaded.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Weinacht Already
Those in the Clark family will be happy to know that Marzipan Kartoffels are already in the stores. Unfortunately, Jan decided to give away the last two packets to the guys who delivered our new table. (sure, they did it for free, but he should have given them a tip or something!) Jan is generally much more generous with anything marzipan than I am. All of the stores have Christmas displays and last night, the Munster - the Cathedral - in the center of the city was illuminated by lights. We decided that they must be testing them, but who knows, maybe it is already that time of year.
I am excited about the Christmas markets and Gluh wine and all of the fun of Christmas time, but it's not even Halloween yet. Or Thanksgiving... It all seems a little bit premature.
I am excited about the Christmas markets and Gluh wine and all of the fun of Christmas time, but it's not even Halloween yet. Or Thanksgiving... It all seems a little bit premature.
Pumpkin Soup
In honor of fall, last week I decided to make pumpkin soup. Pumpkin soup is very popular in Germany and somehow I kept hearing about it. So I sent Jan off to the store to find some canned pumpkin or at least some form of pumpkin that is ready for cooking. Jan came home with two very nice looking class jars of cubed pumpkin. So one chilly night I picked up a can of coconut milk and set of to make Thai inspired pumpkin soup. This went well as I sauteed the onions, put in some spices and then poured in the pumpkin chunks. At this point I decided to taste the pumpkin and it tasted sort of funny. I looked at the jar and realized that it was PICKLED PUMPKIN. Gross. So not sure what to do, I kept on cooking the soup, hoping that you can cook out pickle flavor. I learned that no matter what you add, the pickle flavor goes nowhere. Soon there will be pumpkin soup take two.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A Wedding and A Class Reunion all in Two Days
Last weekend was wonderful. Jan and I headed out for his former roommate's wedding and his 10th class reunion.
First we rented a car. For reasons that I still do not understand, Jan opted out of the exciting convertible mini cooper and instead went with some French car.
With our new car we spent a day doing as much shopping/stockpiling as possible.
Usually, Jan and I are carless, and any shopping is a production involving a bike, a backpack, and very strategic packing. We now have enough canned tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, olives, and condiments to last us through (I hope) much of the winter. Now instead of riding bikes up the steep hill, in the snow, with about 50 pounds on our backs, we can eat endless pots of chili.
The Wedding
We almost didn't make it to the wedding - we were late due to a detour and then could not find the town hall. After much searching and asking for directions, we found it, but it seemed to be abandoned. Just as we were about to give up hope, the wedding party came walking down the hill and we promptly jumped in our car to follow them to the reception.
The reception was at a resort/hotel/spa in the Black Forest. It was beautiful, if a little chili. We started with champagne on the deck, but quickly went inside to a long sit down dinner.
Jan's former roommate met his now wife when she studied abroad in Freiburg and lived next door. She is Australian, so Jan and I sat at the Australian table (so I could actually communicate). The Australians were pretty funny and good company.
Germans have a thing called Program at weddings - events that are planned. We were entertained by a very good a capella group who wore costumes and were very funny. The brides brothers sang some songs, and we saw a slide show of the groom growing up. All in all very sweet.
Jan and I stayed up until 2 and then hit the bed at our hotel.
The next day we had a delicious breakfast and checked out. We visited Jan's father and brother for lunch and then passed out for several hours.
Jan's class reunion was also fun and I found out some juicy info on Jan such as the story of Wilde Hilde. Many of Jan's classmates are still students, still live at home, etc. Germans don't seem to hurry to get to the financially independent, good job stage of life.
Now I have a week left of no teaching, and I am devoting myself to sleeping, reading, and trying to learn German. :)
First we rented a car. For reasons that I still do not understand, Jan opted out of the exciting convertible mini cooper and instead went with some French car.
With our new car we spent a day doing as much shopping/stockpiling as possible.
Usually, Jan and I are carless, and any shopping is a production involving a bike, a backpack, and very strategic packing. We now have enough canned tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, olives, and condiments to last us through (I hope) much of the winter. Now instead of riding bikes up the steep hill, in the snow, with about 50 pounds on our backs, we can eat endless pots of chili.
The Wedding
We almost didn't make it to the wedding - we were late due to a detour and then could not find the town hall. After much searching and asking for directions, we found it, but it seemed to be abandoned. Just as we were about to give up hope, the wedding party came walking down the hill and we promptly jumped in our car to follow them to the reception.
The reception was at a resort/hotel/spa in the Black Forest. It was beautiful, if a little chili. We started with champagne on the deck, but quickly went inside to a long sit down dinner.
Jan's former roommate met his now wife when she studied abroad in Freiburg and lived next door. She is Australian, so Jan and I sat at the Australian table (so I could actually communicate). The Australians were pretty funny and good company.
Germans have a thing called Program at weddings - events that are planned. We were entertained by a very good a capella group who wore costumes and were very funny. The brides brothers sang some songs, and we saw a slide show of the groom growing up. All in all very sweet.
Jan and I stayed up until 2 and then hit the bed at our hotel.
The next day we had a delicious breakfast and checked out. We visited Jan's father and brother for lunch and then passed out for several hours.
Jan's class reunion was also fun and I found out some juicy info on Jan such as the story of Wilde Hilde. Many of Jan's classmates are still students, still live at home, etc. Germans don't seem to hurry to get to the financially independent, good job stage of life.
Now I have a week left of no teaching, and I am devoting myself to sleeping, reading, and trying to learn German. :)
Friday, September 28, 2007
Vacation
I have a two week vacation, starting today. It feels strange because there have only been 1.5 months of school so far. The time is flying.
I am starting vacation with a nasty cold picked up from the lovely children that I babysit/teach English to. I knew I was doomed when their mother told me she was sick, as were three of the four kids. Great. I have 50 euros to show for it, but I´m not sure if it's a fair trade off.
The weather in Germany is cold, wet, and windy. Fall has very much started. The other day Jan and I heaped all the blankets we could find onto our bed, so at least we aren´t cold at night.
I am going to suggest a trip to the baths, maybe on Tuesday or Wednesday. We could use some pampering!
It´s great to get comments! Thanks!
I am starting vacation with a nasty cold picked up from the lovely children that I babysit/teach English to. I knew I was doomed when their mother told me she was sick, as were three of the four kids. Great. I have 50 euros to show for it, but I´m not sure if it's a fair trade off.
The weather in Germany is cold, wet, and windy. Fall has very much started. The other day Jan and I heaped all the blankets we could find onto our bed, so at least we aren´t cold at night.
I am going to suggest a trip to the baths, maybe on Tuesday or Wednesday. We could use some pampering!
It´s great to get comments! Thanks!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Kids Were Good
I had a miraculous morning. The kids were actually good!!!!!!! For the whole class! And they were focussed and working and not throwing things, or being perverted or otherwise driving me crazy. I love it when the kids are good. Now how to keep them that way????
Scrunchies
Scrunchies are big in the trams of Basel. This morning I saw two. A baby blue one to match a baby blue sweater. A black, chic, scrunchie on an otherwise tres chic woman. (this one had fringe) Somebody needs to send out a public service announcement that the scrunchie went out in the mid 90s for good reasons! They seem so prepubescent...
Nuns
There are many nuns in Germany. I am not sure why, but I always feel vaguely uncomfortable around nuns. Maybe because I feel like my soul is not as white, and maybe because they won't leave me alone!!!!
Case 1. Sarah in train.
I was sitting at the train station, waiting for the train, minding my own business. A nun sits right next to me! Nevermind that every single other seat is open. She takes the seat next to me. Ok...being immersed in my book, I just continue reading. The train comes, I get in, get settled. I hear someone approaching. There the nun is, asking me a question. (So it wasn't, have you repented - she just wanted to know where the train was going.)
Case 2. Sarah in train take 2.
I am on the training, heading to Freiburg and this is in my slightly earlier days in Germany. Meaning my language skills are non existant. The nun sits next to me, says something to me...sounds like blah blah blah ch ch ch. I just smile and nod, keep reading. Then the nun talks more. I smile and nod. This continues the rest of the train trip.
Case 3. Walking done the street
I am usually in a hurry to get somewhere. Running late...so I jog and speed walk quite often. I was late for babysitting and who is in front of me, but a nun. This is a wide nun, walking very slowly, taking up the whole sidewalk. How do you get around a nun! Do you squeeze by, say excuse me please move over. Tough situation.
Case 4. Bike riding nun
So I didn't actually interact with this nun, but she was riding a bike, in her habit, going faster than me. Wow!
There must be a nun conspiracy to freak me out.
Case 1. Sarah in train.
I was sitting at the train station, waiting for the train, minding my own business. A nun sits right next to me! Nevermind that every single other seat is open. She takes the seat next to me. Ok...being immersed in my book, I just continue reading. The train comes, I get in, get settled. I hear someone approaching. There the nun is, asking me a question. (So it wasn't, have you repented - she just wanted to know where the train was going.)
Case 2. Sarah in train take 2.
I am on the training, heading to Freiburg and this is in my slightly earlier days in Germany. Meaning my language skills are non existant. The nun sits next to me, says something to me...sounds like blah blah blah ch ch ch. I just smile and nod, keep reading. Then the nun talks more. I smile and nod. This continues the rest of the train trip.
Case 3. Walking done the street
I am usually in a hurry to get somewhere. Running late...so I jog and speed walk quite often. I was late for babysitting and who is in front of me, but a nun. This is a wide nun, walking very slowly, taking up the whole sidewalk. How do you get around a nun! Do you squeeze by, say excuse me please move over. Tough situation.
Case 4. Bike riding nun
So I didn't actually interact with this nun, but she was riding a bike, in her habit, going faster than me. Wow!
There must be a nun conspiracy to freak me out.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Small Spaces
In Europe things are a little bit smaller. Seats on the Strassenbahn (tram), houses, apartments, cars, food portions, drinks, etc. To go along with the smaller spaces, your personal bubble also gets smaller. People come closer, sit right next to you so that your thighs touch, push around you etc.
Usually the small spaces are ok. But not on the 7:18 train. This is a new development. The children of Baden Wurtenburg headed back to school last week. Much to my surprise, many of them commute on the 7:18 train that takes me to the main train station on my way to Basel. So many of them in fact, that we do not all fit in the train.
I stood one morning, half a sleep and slightly out of breath after my brisk walk / jog down to the train station (I'm always running late, or think I'm running late.) The train pulls up. The first strange thing I notice is that the windows are all fogged up. Completely opaque. Why? I look a little closer and notice that the entire train is jam packed with people. Some are sitting, many are standing in between the aisles, and in the little entrance section, they are packed. I rush over to a train door along with the Germans. How will we get in the train? Apparently by shoving and pushing and wedging our bodies in. But on no...only one person can manage to shove their body in at this entrance. So we sprint to another one. The outlook is not much better, but we are more determined and desperate, because if we miss this train, there's not another one for 30 minutes and we will be late for work. So I get into the train followed by several other people. At the point my feet are at awkward angles and I am leaning to the side due to the large backpack pushing into me. It is hot and early morning breath is not the most pleasant of odors. Luckily, I only have to stay on the train for about 6 minutes, but they are a very uncomfortable 6 minutes.
After two experiences with the dreaded 7:18, I am never taking it again. Sadly, that means I must take the 6:01, but an hour less of sleep is a small sacrifice for a comfortable morning.
Usually the small spaces are ok. But not on the 7:18 train. This is a new development. The children of Baden Wurtenburg headed back to school last week. Much to my surprise, many of them commute on the 7:18 train that takes me to the main train station on my way to Basel. So many of them in fact, that we do not all fit in the train.
I stood one morning, half a sleep and slightly out of breath after my brisk walk / jog down to the train station (I'm always running late, or think I'm running late.) The train pulls up. The first strange thing I notice is that the windows are all fogged up. Completely opaque. Why? I look a little closer and notice that the entire train is jam packed with people. Some are sitting, many are standing in between the aisles, and in the little entrance section, they are packed. I rush over to a train door along with the Germans. How will we get in the train? Apparently by shoving and pushing and wedging our bodies in. But on no...only one person can manage to shove their body in at this entrance. So we sprint to another one. The outlook is not much better, but we are more determined and desperate, because if we miss this train, there's not another one for 30 minutes and we will be late for work. So I get into the train followed by several other people. At the point my feet are at awkward angles and I am leaning to the side due to the large backpack pushing into me. It is hot and early morning breath is not the most pleasant of odors. Luckily, I only have to stay on the train for about 6 minutes, but they are a very uncomfortable 6 minutes.
After two experiences with the dreaded 7:18, I am never taking it again. Sadly, that means I must take the 6:01, but an hour less of sleep is a small sacrifice for a comfortable morning.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Haus Frau at Sea
Here is an excerpt from my personal romance novel! Buy yours via the link from my blog today!!!!!!!!! If you do, I will earn a huge commission to add to the 51 cents my blog has earned thus far! This type of present would be wonderful as Christmas Eve reading material along with appropriate Medieval Princess / Damsel in Distress pyjamas.
Warning!!!!!!!! This is definitely PG13 material.
In Pirates of Desire, the promise of pirate lore kindles the dreams of our strong-willed heroine, Lady Haus Frau Maury's Cat, as she and her best friend Faith scheme for high seas adventure.
. . . Haus Frau slapped the coin from his outstretched hand, sending it flying into the shrubbery. “We don’t want your blood money!”
EDITED sighed, his eyes narrowing, then he suddenly reached out and grabbed Haus Frau by her bodice string that, unbeknownst to her, had become untied and hung loosely from her dress. The lace tightened immediately as he pulled her towards him like a dog on a tether. Haus Frau winced with surprise and embarrassment, her hazel eyes ablaze.
He leaned close to her, breathing softly in her ear, making Haus Frau almost lose her balance and certainly some sense. He paused just long enough to catch her off guard in anticipation, when he said, “You might want to keep the girls tied up,” and he tightened the lace and tied a knot.
Her face flushed and she slapped him hard on the cheek. Miso grabbed her by her light brown hair and planted a kiss on her lips, long and sensual. When he released his grip, she was reeling, wild eyed as a scurvy dog.
“Take them away!” he ordered with a wave of his hand.
The buccaneer escorts grabbed the women’s wrists and roughly pulled them towards the path. Haus Frau turned her head and caught the captain’s eye.
“Now I know why they call you Sea Wolf. I think you are despicable!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. She quickly looked to Faith, a look of terror in her eyes as they were dragged down the pathway.
Miso smiled, as he heard his crew laughing from afar; this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. If circumstances were different, he would have asked her to join him. But he hadn’t even found out her name…
Note the eloquent turn of phrase and the use of simile...
Warning!!!!!!!! This is definitely PG13 material.
In Pirates of Desire, the promise of pirate lore kindles the dreams of our strong-willed heroine, Lady Haus Frau Maury's Cat, as she and her best friend Faith scheme for high seas adventure.
. . . Haus Frau slapped the coin from his outstretched hand, sending it flying into the shrubbery. “We don’t want your blood money!”
EDITED sighed, his eyes narrowing, then he suddenly reached out and grabbed Haus Frau by her bodice string that, unbeknownst to her, had become untied and hung loosely from her dress. The lace tightened immediately as he pulled her towards him like a dog on a tether. Haus Frau winced with surprise and embarrassment, her hazel eyes ablaze.
He leaned close to her, breathing softly in her ear, making Haus Frau almost lose her balance and certainly some sense. He paused just long enough to catch her off guard in anticipation, when he said, “You might want to keep the girls tied up,” and he tightened the lace and tied a knot.
Her face flushed and she slapped him hard on the cheek. Miso grabbed her by her light brown hair and planted a kiss on her lips, long and sensual. When he released his grip, she was reeling, wild eyed as a scurvy dog.
“Take them away!” he ordered with a wave of his hand.
The buccaneer escorts grabbed the women’s wrists and roughly pulled them towards the path. Haus Frau turned her head and caught the captain’s eye.
“Now I know why they call you Sea Wolf. I think you are despicable!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. She quickly looked to Faith, a look of terror in her eyes as they were dragged down the pathway.
Miso smiled, as he heard his crew laughing from afar; this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. If circumstances were different, he would have asked her to join him. But he hadn’t even found out her name…
Note the eloquent turn of phrase and the use of simile...
Speaking German
Today I spent much of the day attempting to learn German with my new friend, an Au Pair from Brazil. Sehr gut! Now I must sleep before another incredibly busy week begins. I am forced to head to Basel tomorrow for a computer meeting which I will understand approximately 10% of - if I'm lucky. Woo hoo.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Violence in English Class
Another thing happened yesterday. I am shocked to find that not one, but two parents have complained about a short story we read in my English class. The short story, the Sniper, is about a sniper during the Irish Civil War who ends up killing another sniper, who just happens to be his brother. There is no gratuitous violence, and the story is largely about setting a mood and developing suspense, and or course the irony of killing your brother...
The ironic thing is, I chose the story largely to appeal to my class composed of many young males who have a fascination with all things war. (as evidenced by their very detailed explanation of exactly what a Sniper gun was) Now, perhaps it is best not to encourage this war loving mentality, however, with a choice between boring them with another short story, and getting them actually interested in reading, I go for creating interest.
Unfortunately, after reading the Sniper, I had them read another classic, The Lottery, which should be more disturbing to the sensitive parents. Hopefully they won't get it.
From now on, it's The Necklace all the way. I was planning on teaching them Night and Monster (about a young African American on trial for a killing at a convenience store that he did not directly participate in), which I believe I will still teach in part because I already ordered them but also because the themes of both are not violence, but about working against violence towards peace... I should have just gone with The Old Man and the Sea..nobody would complain about the violence towards the good old fish.
Interestingly, the message I got from the teacher I talked to, was not, try to limit the violence, but I just though you should know, and yes, these parents are very sensitive. The teacher actually said he thought it was an excellent piece of literature to teach, had a copy of the story with him, and asked if he could keep it, because he found it so interesting!
The ironic thing is, I chose the story largely to appeal to my class composed of many young males who have a fascination with all things war. (as evidenced by their very detailed explanation of exactly what a Sniper gun was) Now, perhaps it is best not to encourage this war loving mentality, however, with a choice between boring them with another short story, and getting them actually interested in reading, I go for creating interest.
Unfortunately, after reading the Sniper, I had them read another classic, The Lottery, which should be more disturbing to the sensitive parents. Hopefully they won't get it.
From now on, it's The Necklace all the way. I was planning on teaching them Night and Monster (about a young African American on trial for a killing at a convenience store that he did not directly participate in), which I believe I will still teach in part because I already ordered them but also because the themes of both are not violence, but about working against violence towards peace... I should have just gone with The Old Man and the Sea..nobody would complain about the violence towards the good old fish.
Interestingly, the message I got from the teacher I talked to, was not, try to limit the violence, but I just though you should know, and yes, these parents are very sensitive. The teacher actually said he thought it was an excellent piece of literature to teach, had a copy of the story with him, and asked if he could keep it, because he found it so interesting!
Ghetto Trains and Ramadan Begins
Well, I made it through another week. Running around has made me pretty exhausted, so much so, that I actually fell asleep in the train. It didn't last for long though, because I was suddenly awoken by a blast of air in my face and some guy saying something that must of been, do you mind if I open the window. I just nodded, although I do somewhat mind. Yesterday we had something of a heat wave with the temperature hitting 70 for the first time in a few weeks. When I go home in the midafternoon, I travel on trains that must have been made in the 60s complete with lime green interiors, windows that can be pushed down, and do it yourself, frightening doors. The trains also always have that certain stale odor, something like salami. Pretty gross. Of course, if I were to take the ICE and pay the extra 100 Euros, I would be buying into a perfectly temperature regulated, cleaned regularly, very comfortable seats and plenty of leg room commodity. As a coworker put it - 100 euros really isn't so much. I still haven't caved and will continue taking the cheap - o, endless train, but I am getting more and more tempted!
When I got home from work, I quickly passed out on the couch. It didn't last for long because after an hour I was off to German class where it took a while to shake off the last of my exhaustion and actually think. I also have to go through I language transition time to get my head around German again after interacting in German all day.
An interesting surprise is that my German class will change times due to Ramadan. Instead of running from 5:30 to 8:30, it will last from 5:15 to 7:30. This potentially could cause some problems with getting there on time because a train I often take back from Basel arrives at 5:20ish. The funny thing is there are only 3 Muslim students in my class of 13 so Berlitz is being very accommodating. I can't say the shorter time bothers me too much, but on the other hand I really do want to learn German and I haven't exactly been studying outside of class time.
My German is now conversational...I can carry on a very basic conversation full of mistakes. I had a friend from German class over for tea for a while last night and we managed, with a lot of help from young, to talk for several hours. I also managed to explain a problem to a work colleague auf deutsch.
Jan left for a weekend volleyball tournament this morning, so I am alone. Although it's pretty quiet around here, it's not too bad because I can catch up on sleep and cleaning our apartment.
When I got home from work, I quickly passed out on the couch. It didn't last for long because after an hour I was off to German class where it took a while to shake off the last of my exhaustion and actually think. I also have to go through I language transition time to get my head around German again after interacting in German all day.
An interesting surprise is that my German class will change times due to Ramadan. Instead of running from 5:30 to 8:30, it will last from 5:15 to 7:30. This potentially could cause some problems with getting there on time because a train I often take back from Basel arrives at 5:20ish. The funny thing is there are only 3 Muslim students in my class of 13 so Berlitz is being very accommodating. I can't say the shorter time bothers me too much, but on the other hand I really do want to learn German and I haven't exactly been studying outside of class time.
My German is now conversational...I can carry on a very basic conversation full of mistakes. I had a friend from German class over for tea for a while last night and we managed, with a lot of help from young, to talk for several hours. I also managed to explain a problem to a work colleague auf deutsch.
Jan left for a weekend volleyball tournament this morning, so I am alone. Although it's pretty quiet around here, it's not too bad because I can catch up on sleep and cleaning our apartment.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Rock N Roll Pink Floyd
Today I am wearing my Pink Floyd T-Shirt which reminds me of Faith and my very memorable 'last night out.' We decided to hit Grendle's Den, which has the most delicious hard cider ever. Jane and I attempted the hard cider in Germany, but found that it tastes more like apple flavored vinegar than anything else. Anyway, after a few too many hard ciders, we decided that we must go dancing. Of course, we were not dressed for dancing, so we headed to Urban Outfitters to pick out some shirts. At this point I had blurry vision - I'm not sure what state Faith was in. But my blurry vision honed in on a Pink Floyd tshirt, just like the real concert t shirt I had had courtesy of Nichole C. and her brother. I had to have and bought it even though it was a size medium. Usually, I am fine with a medium, but not in tiny Urban Outfitters T-Shirts, so it is a bit tight. Not obscenely so. Where am I going with this...well, I was getting dressed to go baby sit/ English teach...so maybe I tight t shirt is not the best fashion choice...but I will wear a jacket so no big deal...
Ok, but then I noticed that I have an unusual amount of little red spots on my face. This is an unusual event for me so it sent me into make up mode. I searched for the cover up Jane left me and could not find it. But I did end up putting on the full range of Clinique make up that I recently acquired. And now, I REALLY do not look like I should be going out to babysit/teach. I'm not sure if the answer is to wash my face, or just forget about it.
Clearly these are the big issues in my life.
In other news Jan and I had a delicious dinner last night of grilled feta with vegetables. We have stolen the grill from our absentee neighbors (which reminds me I really need to water their flowers). It will be really tough to give it up in a few weeks when they return.
Ok, but then I noticed that I have an unusual amount of little red spots on my face. This is an unusual event for me so it sent me into make up mode. I searched for the cover up Jane left me and could not find it. But I did end up putting on the full range of Clinique make up that I recently acquired. And now, I REALLY do not look like I should be going out to babysit/teach. I'm not sure if the answer is to wash my face, or just forget about it.
Clearly these are the big issues in my life.
In other news Jan and I had a delicious dinner last night of grilled feta with vegetables. We have stolen the grill from our absentee neighbors (which reminds me I really need to water their flowers). It will be really tough to give it up in a few weeks when they return.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
A Long Week
I have been very busy this week - at least up until today. School resumed and I was back to my thrice weekly trip to Basel. The kids ranged from very difficult, to very good, depending on age and time of day. I think that we are starting to get used to each other. The language barrier and my lack of knowledge about the way the school functions definitely comes to play in dealing with these kids.
German class started on Monday. (Classes are 5:30-8:30 Mon, Weds, Fri.) At this point I have learned enough German to carry a basic conversation. The only problem is the teacher, Iris, who is anything but flower - like. Iris is quite aggressive and easily frustrated... she also is not a very good teacher. So much of class is spent with Iris asking questions, the questionee not getting it, and Iris getting irritated that the questionee has no idea what she is talking about because she did not explain it well in the first place. So the class moves very slowly. Fortunately, with 9 hours of class per week, it is impossible not to learn something.
The other students in the class are very nice and we can chat. There is one other English speaker from somewhere in Africa, which is nice. I can also communicate with the Romance language speakers who know Spanish, Italian and Portuguese in Italian. It's great to practice my Italian, but not so great when I try to switch back to German...one language at a time is about my capacity.
Jan and I also started Tae Kwon Do. This is great, because I need the exercise...walking was difficult for several days, but now I think my muscles are bouncing back. The ironic thing is the teacher is abandoning us in January to move back to his native Spain. His protégé will take over when he's gone. This is identical to Master Lee moving back to Korea and having his student take over. We'll see how it goes in January.
I started my job babysitting / English teaching for a family with four kids on Thursday. It was really nice...I just played with two kids (age 2 and 6) for an hour, then ate lunch with them. This is also a little tough due to the language barrier, but the kids do understand a lot of English.
On Friday, probably due to not getting enough sleep, and pushing my body a little harder than it was ready for, I became suddenly ill with an intense cold. After drugging myself with Sudafed, Niquil, and sleeping most of Saturday, I quickly recovered.
The weather has been chilly, rainy, and very fall-like. Although I wish today I was laying out getting a tan, it's nice for working and getting things done. Jan is lifeguarding this afternoon and I am supposed to be cleaning our apartment.
German class started on Monday. (Classes are 5:30-8:30 Mon, Weds, Fri.) At this point I have learned enough German to carry a basic conversation. The only problem is the teacher, Iris, who is anything but flower - like. Iris is quite aggressive and easily frustrated... she also is not a very good teacher. So much of class is spent with Iris asking questions, the questionee not getting it, and Iris getting irritated that the questionee has no idea what she is talking about because she did not explain it well in the first place. So the class moves very slowly. Fortunately, with 9 hours of class per week, it is impossible not to learn something.
The other students in the class are very nice and we can chat. There is one other English speaker from somewhere in Africa, which is nice. I can also communicate with the Romance language speakers who know Spanish, Italian and Portuguese in Italian. It's great to practice my Italian, but not so great when I try to switch back to German...one language at a time is about my capacity.
Jan and I also started Tae Kwon Do. This is great, because I need the exercise...walking was difficult for several days, but now I think my muscles are bouncing back. The ironic thing is the teacher is abandoning us in January to move back to his native Spain. His protégé will take over when he's gone. This is identical to Master Lee moving back to Korea and having his student take over. We'll see how it goes in January.
I started my job babysitting / English teaching for a family with four kids on Thursday. It was really nice...I just played with two kids (age 2 and 6) for an hour, then ate lunch with them. This is also a little tough due to the language barrier, but the kids do understand a lot of English.
On Friday, probably due to not getting enough sleep, and pushing my body a little harder than it was ready for, I became suddenly ill with an intense cold. After drugging myself with Sudafed, Niquil, and sleeping most of Saturday, I quickly recovered.
The weather has been chilly, rainy, and very fall-like. Although I wish today I was laying out getting a tan, it's nice for working and getting things done. Jan is lifeguarding this afternoon and I am supposed to be cleaning our apartment.
Friday, August 31, 2007
First Day of School
Here I am on the first day of school! I am trying to look severe, no nonsense, and authoritative. Ha ha ha.
The Exciting Search for....
History Textbooks!!!!!!!!!!
I have spent far too much time this week attempting to find history textbooks for my history classes. Guess what, no publishing company is going to put enough content from their textbook online for me to ever know if it would meet the needs of my students. Not that it's possible to meet their needs anyway, but hey, I could get close. I have no way of browsing through English language textbooks at the non existent English Language Textbook store... so I am sort of lost.
Luckily during my exciting journey through Basel today I found a guy in an English language bookstore who offered to do some research for me on history textbooks. We'll see how that goes.
In other news, today I completed the process of getting a Swiss bank account. I'll have the paperwork by the end of next week, so then I'll be paid. The truth is, I have no idea how much I am getting paid...but I do need the money. In between converting from swiss francs to euros and figuring out what is taken in taxes, I decided to just wait and see what the first check is.
Speaking of money, I realized the coffee I have been indulging in is incredibly overpriced so I am banned from buying coffee in the train station. This is very difficult for me, because by the time I get to the train station in the afternoon I feel like I am about to collapse and really need a caffeine jolt. This week it has been rainy and chilly - perfect coffee weather. I did have a good excuse to buy the coffee the first time. I owed Patrick from Ireland 50 swiss francs after he so generously saved me from life under a bridge in Basel. So, in order to pay him back I got 100 swiss francs out of an ATM. Shockingly, instead of 5 20s, I ended up with a 100 swiss franc bill. Of course, I needed to break this, hence the coffee. That does not explain the three subsequent coffees this week...but I do have some sort of excuse.
And speaking of living under a bridge - I will entertain you with the solutions my students suggested to me when I explained my no money, no train ticket, no ID etc predicament.
1. There are lots of bridges in Basel, you can always sleep under a bridge.
2. Beg...but of course first make yourself look dirty and poor.
3. Are you asking us to give you money? Because we won't.
4. My father flew to the US without an ID or any money. My mom just wired money to him and it was no problem.
Very helpful kids. (By the way, this was educational because we were speaking English in our English language class.)
I also had an interview this morning at the Sprachlerinstitut. The SI is a language school affiliated with the University of Freiburg. They pay well, they are located in the middle of the city...basically perfect. At the moment they don't need me, but I am assured that as soon as anything opens up they will get in touch with me. The sad news is that I could have taught conversation class to university professors...but the class in on Weds. mornings while I am in Basel. I am quickly realizing that I am far too busy to really work more, but it definitely is good to get my name out there.
I have spent far too much time this week attempting to find history textbooks for my history classes. Guess what, no publishing company is going to put enough content from their textbook online for me to ever know if it would meet the needs of my students. Not that it's possible to meet their needs anyway, but hey, I could get close. I have no way of browsing through English language textbooks at the non existent English Language Textbook store... so I am sort of lost.
Luckily during my exciting journey through Basel today I found a guy in an English language bookstore who offered to do some research for me on history textbooks. We'll see how that goes.
In other news, today I completed the process of getting a Swiss bank account. I'll have the paperwork by the end of next week, so then I'll be paid. The truth is, I have no idea how much I am getting paid...but I do need the money. In between converting from swiss francs to euros and figuring out what is taken in taxes, I decided to just wait and see what the first check is.
Speaking of money, I realized the coffee I have been indulging in is incredibly overpriced so I am banned from buying coffee in the train station. This is very difficult for me, because by the time I get to the train station in the afternoon I feel like I am about to collapse and really need a caffeine jolt. This week it has been rainy and chilly - perfect coffee weather. I did have a good excuse to buy the coffee the first time. I owed Patrick from Ireland 50 swiss francs after he so generously saved me from life under a bridge in Basel. So, in order to pay him back I got 100 swiss francs out of an ATM. Shockingly, instead of 5 20s, I ended up with a 100 swiss franc bill. Of course, I needed to break this, hence the coffee. That does not explain the three subsequent coffees this week...but I do have some sort of excuse.
And speaking of living under a bridge - I will entertain you with the solutions my students suggested to me when I explained my no money, no train ticket, no ID etc predicament.
1. There are lots of bridges in Basel, you can always sleep under a bridge.
2. Beg...but of course first make yourself look dirty and poor.
3. Are you asking us to give you money? Because we won't.
4. My father flew to the US without an ID or any money. My mom just wired money to him and it was no problem.
Very helpful kids. (By the way, this was educational because we were speaking English in our English language class.)
I also had an interview this morning at the Sprachlerinstitut. The SI is a language school affiliated with the University of Freiburg. They pay well, they are located in the middle of the city...basically perfect. At the moment they don't need me, but I am assured that as soon as anything opens up they will get in touch with me. The sad news is that I could have taught conversation class to university professors...but the class in on Weds. mornings while I am in Basel. I am quickly realizing that I am far too busy to really work more, but it definitely is good to get my name out there.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Adventures on the Train
I have a very long train ride to Basel. It can last between 1 hour and 2 minutes and more usually, 1 hour and 45 minutes. The German system of checking tickets is tricky. For days nobody will ask to see your ticket, then in one week somebody will ask every day. So you may think you'll get lucky if you are going just once to some destination and don't want to pay, but you never know. I of course, am somewhat paranoid, so I make sure that I have a ticket.
Only, yesterday, I forgot my wallet in the midst of waking up at 5am and rushing to catch my 6am train. I didn't realize that I didn't have my wallet until the ticket checker showed up. I checked to get out my ticket and to my shock, I had no wallet and no ticket. Buying a ticket on the train isn't an option...and if it was, I had no money anyway. What's more, I didn't have a passport or any form of ID. Luckily for me, the ticket checker did not really speak English, and I do not really speak German, and he said 'This time it's ok.' So, despite my embarrassment having everybody nearby staring at me, that was a relief. However, I still had to make it into Switzerland and back. Of course nobody stopped me demanding to see a passport as I entered Switzerland (although it does happen.) A nice fellow teacher lent 50 swiss francs to me. (which is sort of a lot) and I managed to buy a ticket home as well as a comfort Cosmo for 14 swiss francs.
Which brings me to another topic...it is sooooo confusing to figure out how much money is actually worth when you try to get your head around dollars, euros, and swiss francs. It turns out that the cosmo would have cost 8.70 in euros (a lot) and 11.75 in dollars. Sadly, I am working in a place where things cost a lot, but I get paid in a unit of money worth less than the dollar. I am still not sure exactly how much I'll get in my pay check, so I'll wait and see.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Shopping in Germany
I have not really attempted to shop in Germany - I have more than enough clothes as it is and very little money. But I decided to browse through H&M anyway to see if there was anything really cute, that I had to have. And they had nothing!! Now this is very depressing because all the other stores in Germany intimidate me... Mostly huge department store esque places that are overwhelming. H&M is a known commodity which is comforting. Sadly, at the moment, all their clothes are hideous.
In other news...one more day of teaching and then I have a week off. The kids are all going on 'class trips' either hiking or biking around Switzerland. It's a really neat idea but I'm glad I'm not going. Jan and I will probably take some mini trips to check out the area because he'll be done with lifeguarding at that point too. So far we have the Bad Krozinger baths on the agenda. We'll see what else comes up.
In other news...one more day of teaching and then I have a week off. The kids are all going on 'class trips' either hiking or biking around Switzerland. It's a really neat idea but I'm glad I'm not going. Jan and I will probably take some mini trips to check out the area because he'll be done with lifeguarding at that point too. So far we have the Bad Krozinger baths on the agenda. We'll see what else comes up.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Back to the warzone
So the dreaded first day of school has come and gone and I am still alive. I did have several teaching nightmares leading up to it...but luckily they are over. And I haven't had anybody swear at me or accuse me of stealing their Pringles.
I have come to the realization - this realization has been reached multiple times - that teenage boys are aliens from another planet put on earth to torment me and drive me crazy. I do not relate to teenage boys at all. I mean, I liked them when I was a teenager, but it's very different as a teacher. First they will not shut up. Not when I ask them nicely. Not when I ask them not nicely. And especially not when I am exhausted and don't feel like dealing with it. Next they do bizarre things like try to shoot each other with fake guns and make up weird names for each other. I think it's half me and half them - because they definitely do not act quite like this for all teachers. I do not have the teacher X factor that makes everybody do what I say when I say it. Can this X factor be developed? I am not sure. Two + years of teaching indicates probably not. I think perhaps as I get older, uglier, and less young looking, perhaps it will lead to the development of the X factor - but who wants that to happen. Perhaps I should start wearing my glasses to work to add some semblance of the X.
I hope that any children I have a female. Now girls can be difficult too. They whisper to each other, they can be very very mean, and they are more likely to have meltdown temper tantrum periods of crazyness. However, mostly they are sweet, helpful, and eager to please. With boys, that is the rare, delightful exception.
Otherwise, life in German is good. I have been doing a lot of reading and internet surfing while Jan works in the evenings. That is not all bad, but I am ready for my German courses to start. I will also attempt to swim on the swim team although I think that I may not be able to keep up. I tried to train a little at Jan's pool, but there is no such thing as circle swimming or lanes. No problem for the Germans...they do breast stroke with their heads out of the water in slow motion. But attempting to swim quickly while dodging legs, bodies, and people that definitely were not in your direct path a few seconds ago makes swimming pretty dangerous for me.
I will attempt to update more regularly!!!!!!!!
I have come to the realization - this realization has been reached multiple times - that teenage boys are aliens from another planet put on earth to torment me and drive me crazy. I do not relate to teenage boys at all. I mean, I liked them when I was a teenager, but it's very different as a teacher. First they will not shut up. Not when I ask them nicely. Not when I ask them not nicely. And especially not when I am exhausted and don't feel like dealing with it. Next they do bizarre things like try to shoot each other with fake guns and make up weird names for each other. I think it's half me and half them - because they definitely do not act quite like this for all teachers. I do not have the teacher X factor that makes everybody do what I say when I say it. Can this X factor be developed? I am not sure. Two + years of teaching indicates probably not. I think perhaps as I get older, uglier, and less young looking, perhaps it will lead to the development of the X factor - but who wants that to happen. Perhaps I should start wearing my glasses to work to add some semblance of the X.
I hope that any children I have a female. Now girls can be difficult too. They whisper to each other, they can be very very mean, and they are more likely to have meltdown temper tantrum periods of crazyness. However, mostly they are sweet, helpful, and eager to please. With boys, that is the rare, delightful exception.
Otherwise, life in German is good. I have been doing a lot of reading and internet surfing while Jan works in the evenings. That is not all bad, but I am ready for my German courses to start. I will also attempt to swim on the swim team although I think that I may not be able to keep up. I tried to train a little at Jan's pool, but there is no such thing as circle swimming or lanes. No problem for the Germans...they do breast stroke with their heads out of the water in slow motion. But attempting to swim quickly while dodging legs, bodies, and people that definitely were not in your direct path a few seconds ago makes swimming pretty dangerous for me.
I will attempt to update more regularly!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Day at the Pool
Jan and I have been out and about most of the time, but today I am spending in cramp induced misery, so I will update on the big events of the last week.
1. Jane left last weekend, so I am abandoned with the Germans. No more studying abroad Americans to grill with and sister to hang out with. I do need to develop some more female friendships around here. All in time.
2. I had my get to know you interview with a family of 4 kids who I will babysit/teach English too. They are adorable and sweet and it seems like a pretty easy way to make some cash. All I can say though, is I hope if I ever have 4 kids we have more space to keep them in. A Freiburg size apartment is just not big enough. All 4 kids share 1 room. Crazy. I will start working with them in September for about 6 hours a week.
3. I spent the day at the pool where Jan 'lifeguards' although there is no such thing as real lifeguarding in Germany. For a country that is supposed to be highly structured and regulated, they forgot about swimming pools. Jan keeps telling me that the parents are watching the kids so they don't really need lifeguards at every pool. After watching parents totally ignore their 2 year olds as they wander towards kiddy water play areas, I don't believe it. At the pool I also got yelled at by a woman for not showering before getting in the pool. I thought that nobody was serious about the pre pool shower, but apparently here it is. Jan saved the day and told her that I had showered earlier and had since dried off.
Otherwise just relaxing and getting ready for the busyness that will start in a few weeks. I'll be ready to get back to work by then.
I think I'll make a pizza out of the ready made pizza crust I found... so that I can pretend to be good Haus Frau for a little while.
1. Jane left last weekend, so I am abandoned with the Germans. No more studying abroad Americans to grill with and sister to hang out with. I do need to develop some more female friendships around here. All in time.
2. I had my get to know you interview with a family of 4 kids who I will babysit/teach English too. They are adorable and sweet and it seems like a pretty easy way to make some cash. All I can say though, is I hope if I ever have 4 kids we have more space to keep them in. A Freiburg size apartment is just not big enough. All 4 kids share 1 room. Crazy. I will start working with them in September for about 6 hours a week.
3. I spent the day at the pool where Jan 'lifeguards' although there is no such thing as real lifeguarding in Germany. For a country that is supposed to be highly structured and regulated, they forgot about swimming pools. Jan keeps telling me that the parents are watching the kids so they don't really need lifeguards at every pool. After watching parents totally ignore their 2 year olds as they wander towards kiddy water play areas, I don't believe it. At the pool I also got yelled at by a woman for not showering before getting in the pool. I thought that nobody was serious about the pre pool shower, but apparently here it is. Jan saved the day and told her that I had showered earlier and had since dried off.
Otherwise just relaxing and getting ready for the busyness that will start in a few weeks. I'll be ready to get back to work by then.
I think I'll make a pizza out of the ready made pizza crust I found... so that I can pretend to be good Haus Frau for a little while.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Integration Course Take 2
So I have finally decided on the integration course I will take. After visiting the Volkeschule - the adult education school in Freiburg and discovering that their classes are four hours every week day, I am going with Berlitz, just three times a week for three hours! At least this way I'll learn German. I took a placement test and made things difficult, because my written/reading understanding was at the top but my oral abilities are not so good. So it looks like I'll skip Unit 1 and start with Unit 2. I feel ok about it.
Jan and I are both tired and a little sick so we have been trying not to do much which can be hard when you have to ride a bike to the grocery store and lug things back in a backpack. (I don't really have to do that often ... after one time Jan hasn't made me do it again). Me on a bike is not the prettiest site...but I'm improving my stopping skills.
Otherwise, we visited a Bank to find out about Banking and I filled out my insurance forms today. Sadly, first I need a bank account...so tomorrow I'll have to commit to one. It looks like there's no free banking for me.
Jan and I just had wonderful dinner on the balcony and now a woman in France is going to call me to talk about her Curriculum Vitae which I edited for 20 euros. (Not my idea, but it wasn't as horrible as it could have been and it's an easy 20 euros.)
Jan and I (mostly I) have dreams of going to Europa Park, but we will have to wait till August and it's open till 8, making the evening entrance option reasonable. (It would be 30 euros for the day, 13 euros for 4 and later.)
It's nice weather again, so hopefully we'll make it to the swimmbad tomorrow.
Ohh, and Harry Potter was excellent. Highly recommend it. I was holding out to read all of the Harry Potter books to my unborn children, but I succumbed and read the last two. There was no hope in being surprised with the movies which I also can't resist coming out anyway.
Well, Germany's treating me fairly well although I am depressed about the abandonment of my next door neighbor friend who went back to Russia for two months and more significantly, the return of Jane to the US. It's been so nice to have a sister here.
I think I won't have time to mope for long though, because half way through August, my job starts and then I will be busy.
Until next time,
Sarah
Jan and I are both tired and a little sick so we have been trying not to do much which can be hard when you have to ride a bike to the grocery store and lug things back in a backpack. (I don't really have to do that often ... after one time Jan hasn't made me do it again). Me on a bike is not the prettiest site...but I'm improving my stopping skills.
Otherwise, we visited a Bank to find out about Banking and I filled out my insurance forms today. Sadly, first I need a bank account...so tomorrow I'll have to commit to one. It looks like there's no free banking for me.
Jan and I just had wonderful dinner on the balcony and now a woman in France is going to call me to talk about her Curriculum Vitae which I edited for 20 euros. (Not my idea, but it wasn't as horrible as it could have been and it's an easy 20 euros.)
Jan and I (mostly I) have dreams of going to Europa Park, but we will have to wait till August and it's open till 8, making the evening entrance option reasonable. (It would be 30 euros for the day, 13 euros for 4 and later.)
It's nice weather again, so hopefully we'll make it to the swimmbad tomorrow.
Ohh, and Harry Potter was excellent. Highly recommend it. I was holding out to read all of the Harry Potter books to my unborn children, but I succumbed and read the last two. There was no hope in being surprised with the movies which I also can't resist coming out anyway.
Well, Germany's treating me fairly well although I am depressed about the abandonment of my next door neighbor friend who went back to Russia for two months and more significantly, the return of Jane to the US. It's been so nice to have a sister here.
I think I won't have time to mope for long though, because half way through August, my job starts and then I will be busy.
Until next time,
Sarah
Friday, July 20, 2007
Furniture and Furnishings
I can't believe I've been in Germany for so long! It's wonderful though. I am getting adjusted slowly...
Recently we have been very busy with furnishing our apartment. On Wednesday we spent the day going to used furniture stores and IKEA, deciding what we might get. Then on Thursday we bought a bunch of stuff. Now it feels like we're making real progress. (although we still sleep on a mattress on the ground and have random piles of stuff everywhere). Our big exciting buy is a black faux leather L shaped couch. I really am excited about having a reclining section. That will fit perfectly into the living room.
We also have more storage space in the kitchen, although we probably should have bought a cabinet twice the size.
Anyway, it feels good to be creating space and getting settled. It just takes a looong time.
I also attempted to start German language lessons, but the class really wasn't good. I just went one day and decided it wasn't for me. I'm not sure that I'll really feel comfortable in any 'integration' class, given that I'm a very abnormal integratee. The teacher assumed my German was far better than it is and kept saying that I'd catch on quickly. Perhaps this is true, but I really have had limited formal German instruction. The other class attendants included two Russian women, six men, and two kids from Switzerland. They all did not participate much, so most of the class was the teacher talking. The other problem was that everybody had been attending for four weeks already, so I was way behind. Now I am looking into classes that will start from the beginning. I think that will be a lot better.
For the last two days I have also been a bit under the weather...really sore throat and exhausted when I have to walk far (or wander around IKEA for three hours). So I am sort of taking it easy. Hopefully I'll feel more energetic shortly.
I'm going to try to update more regularly while I have action in my life. When I do have time to update, it will probably be when nothing is happening.
Recently we have been very busy with furnishing our apartment. On Wednesday we spent the day going to used furniture stores and IKEA, deciding what we might get. Then on Thursday we bought a bunch of stuff. Now it feels like we're making real progress. (although we still sleep on a mattress on the ground and have random piles of stuff everywhere). Our big exciting buy is a black faux leather L shaped couch. I really am excited about having a reclining section. That will fit perfectly into the living room.
We also have more storage space in the kitchen, although we probably should have bought a cabinet twice the size.
Anyway, it feels good to be creating space and getting settled. It just takes a looong time.
I also attempted to start German language lessons, but the class really wasn't good. I just went one day and decided it wasn't for me. I'm not sure that I'll really feel comfortable in any 'integration' class, given that I'm a very abnormal integratee. The teacher assumed my German was far better than it is and kept saying that I'd catch on quickly. Perhaps this is true, but I really have had limited formal German instruction. The other class attendants included two Russian women, six men, and two kids from Switzerland. They all did not participate much, so most of the class was the teacher talking. The other problem was that everybody had been attending for four weeks already, so I was way behind. Now I am looking into classes that will start from the beginning. I think that will be a lot better.
For the last two days I have also been a bit under the weather...really sore throat and exhausted when I have to walk far (or wander around IKEA for three hours). So I am sort of taking it easy. Hopefully I'll feel more energetic shortly.
I'm going to try to update more regularly while I have action in my life. When I do have time to update, it will probably be when nothing is happening.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Now I'm Officially a Resident
I've been really busy this week. On Monday I became a resident. I was excited about it because I can start 1 Euro per hour German courses. Then I realized that these German courses are going to consume my life for at least a year and I wasn't as excited about it. It looks like my best bet is Europa Schule in Littenweiler (where Jane lives). Classes meet from 6-9 four times a week. Even at that rate it will take about 60 weeks to finish the 600 hours of required German language. There's also a 30 hour course on German society and government. It will all be very helpful, but it's so much time...especially if I try to work more.
The other exciting news today is that we're going to watch Harry Potter tonight in English with the IES kids. I'm really looking forward to it.
Yesterday we bought six chairs for the kitchen so that we don't have to sit on outdoor chairs any more. They're really nice, wooden chairs, that are incredibly solid. So they'll last a long time. We got them at a second hand store so they were a good deal. Our apartment is still just partly finished with bare white walls and bare light bulbs everywhere. It's still pretty comfortable. We put the smelly older leather couch and chairs on ebay so they'll be gone around Sunday and Jan and I will buy a couch. We decided that a couch will be our wedding present to ourselves.
OK...breakfast time.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
The other exciting news today is that we're going to watch Harry Potter tonight in English with the IES kids. I'm really looking forward to it.
Yesterday we bought six chairs for the kitchen so that we don't have to sit on outdoor chairs any more. They're really nice, wooden chairs, that are incredibly solid. So they'll last a long time. We got them at a second hand store so they were a good deal. Our apartment is still just partly finished with bare white walls and bare light bulbs everywhere. It's still pretty comfortable. We put the smelly older leather couch and chairs on ebay so they'll be gone around Sunday and Jan and I will buy a couch. We decided that a couch will be our wedding present to ourselves.
OK...breakfast time.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Monday, July 9, 2007
I'm a Frau
The other thing significant about yesterday is that now people will call me Frau, which is mildly traumatic. You know what a Frau looks like, right. Like the teacher in Matilda. Decidedly unattractive, thick forehead, round, old, maybe a wart or two on the nose. Definitely talking in a deep voiced, gutteral German (no, German almost never sounds like the stereotype of German). So, that's me. A Frau. However, a big difference is that I speak almost no German. And the German I do speak has a decidedly American accent.
German Civil Cermony
So!!!!!! The big day came and went and it all seems like a dream. I had an amazing weekend that was far more special then I could have imagined. I went into the weekend with no expectations, which made it all the more intense.
On Friday Jane and her friends gave me a very fun and unforgettable 'bachelorette' party. We hit the wine fest, the KGB Russian vodka bar, and Shooter Stars, a place for taking shots. Although it sounds like I got trashed, I was just a bit buzzed in a very good way. I got to wear a princess tiara and got a lot of attention from the very friendly Freiburgers. Another highlight was the bowl of honig vodka we shared and free rose flavored vodka wedding shots.
On Saturday Jane accompanied me to the incompetent German hair dresser who put my hair in the German version of a 'french twist' (nothing like a french twist). I only had to get Jane to tell her I did not want a giant poof of hair in the middle of my head once. Then as Jane and I arrived at her dorm, pling a bobby pin fell and half of my hair fell down. Luckily, Jane pinned it back up with no problem and it looked better than before.
I managed to put make up on myself (this is a VERY BIG deal for motor skill challenged and half blind me) and it looked pretty good. Then we got picked up by my next door neighbors and off to the town hall.
The building is beautiful and old and so so nice. Jan and I had no idea where to go and wandered around aimlessly for a while, then finally found the correct room. We waited some more and then entered a beautiful old hall. The town official talked for a long time about I'm not sure what, but Jan tells me that it was very appropriate. We were the 500th couple married in Freiburg this year on the auspicious 7/7/07 date. I of course do not believe in any of this luck stuff and think that all of the attention to the date is sort of tacky, but secretly my subconcious has persuaded my more cynical cynical consciousness (if that makes any sense) that it is sort of cool.
We walked out of the wedding hall to some song that I thought was the German national anthem but it turns out it was a wedding congratulations type of song. (Silly me, I forgot that Germans really aren't that into displays of national pride).
Then to the outdoors where rice and flowers were showered upon us. It was a big surprise for me. Especially because a large amount of rice made it's way into my cleavage and hair do and stayed there, somewhat uncomfortably, for the rest of the day.
We drank some champagne in the town hall court yard then headed to the Sun, a wonderful restaurant.
Oooooo, there's so much more to say, but I am going to have to save it for tomorrow because I'm about to pass out.
But here are some photos for your viewing pleasure (they're actually at the top because I don't know how to put them at the bottom)
The frontal view shows us sitting waiting for our officiant. The back view shows Jane in position as official translator. She did an excellent job!!
Friday, July 6, 2007
Friday
It's been a while... Things have been very busy. Jan and I spent the week running around Freiburg, attempting to organize everything for the wedding.
Monday - We went to the restaurant and made the big decision to have all of the reception activities there. The agenda: 1. cakes and hot drinks 2. a wedding walk (cute huh) 3. all vegetarian salad buffet and wedding cake. oh, and of course wine.
As we were going over what color table clothes and if we want flowers or not, the restaurant served us each a huge salad and delicious salad. As nice as this was, it was awkward eating while sitting across from somebody - who definitely was not eating - and trying to plan.
Tuesday - Off to the cake shop. We did not give enough notice for a fancy cake so we get a less fancy cake. It sounds good...two layers, the bottom with cherry liquor and vanilla, the top with raspberry marmalade and vanilla. The only slightly sketchy thing is that everything will be covered in white, tasteless, somewhat stiff edible material. What happened to frosting! Ohh and there will be marzipan roses. Yum
Wednesday - Off to Basel to learn about my job. So far so good...except for the fact that nobody knows what history I'm teaching and there is really no curriculum for anything. Also, I have a class full of 'difficult boys' which I thought I was escaping by leaving American public education. Sadly, that was only a dream. Hopefully, by difficult boys, they just mean they're a little precocious. There's also the exciting possiblity that I'll do 1 on 1 instruction. I really hope this comes true!!!!
After that I managed to be a slightly embarrassing older sister at a 4th of July party full of study abroad students. Doesn't happen often, so it was fun!
Thursday - Get signed up as a resident of Freiburg. That's not the official residency..we're going for that tomorrow. Also, a case of incredible cramps so a low key evening. I watched 'letters from Iwo Jima'...very moving and intense.
Oh, also met with the insurance man who says insurance is going to cost a lot. I'm conflicted...I want excellent insurance, but I don't want to be paying far more than necessary. It seems that I can't get public insurance, but only rich people get private. We'll see.
Court process/not spriritual marriage on Saturday. I'm excited but nervous.
Monday - We went to the restaurant and made the big decision to have all of the reception activities there. The agenda: 1. cakes and hot drinks 2. a wedding walk (cute huh) 3. all vegetarian salad buffet and wedding cake. oh, and of course wine.
As we were going over what color table clothes and if we want flowers or not, the restaurant served us each a huge salad and delicious salad. As nice as this was, it was awkward eating while sitting across from somebody - who definitely was not eating - and trying to plan.
Tuesday - Off to the cake shop. We did not give enough notice for a fancy cake so we get a less fancy cake. It sounds good...two layers, the bottom with cherry liquor and vanilla, the top with raspberry marmalade and vanilla. The only slightly sketchy thing is that everything will be covered in white, tasteless, somewhat stiff edible material. What happened to frosting! Ohh and there will be marzipan roses. Yum
Wednesday - Off to Basel to learn about my job. So far so good...except for the fact that nobody knows what history I'm teaching and there is really no curriculum for anything. Also, I have a class full of 'difficult boys' which I thought I was escaping by leaving American public education. Sadly, that was only a dream. Hopefully, by difficult boys, they just mean they're a little precocious. There's also the exciting possiblity that I'll do 1 on 1 instruction. I really hope this comes true!!!!
After that I managed to be a slightly embarrassing older sister at a 4th of July party full of study abroad students. Doesn't happen often, so it was fun!
Thursday - Get signed up as a resident of Freiburg. That's not the official residency..we're going for that tomorrow. Also, a case of incredible cramps so a low key evening. I watched 'letters from Iwo Jima'...very moving and intense.
Oh, also met with the insurance man who says insurance is going to cost a lot. I'm conflicted...I want excellent insurance, but I don't want to be paying far more than necessary. It seems that I can't get public insurance, but only rich people get private. We'll see.
Court process/not spriritual marriage on Saturday. I'm excited but nervous.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
First Day
Today was great. After sleeping until 2, I managed to wake up still exhausted and upset (moving to a new country is pretty upsetting=. Eating and showering cured everything and Jan and I set out to go couch and grocery shopping. We found two excellent couch prospects.. Both fake leather and both with a lounging section. One is a little more enormous than the other...so I'm leaning toward that one. I really don't believe couches are for sitting - I lie on couches and lean against couches while sitting on the ground..so a couch where two people can lie comfortably was a priority. Shopping in Germany is always an adventure and I even managed to order my own coffee! Progress.
My beautiful sister and I reunited over dinner and I'm can't help but think how lucky I am to have family in this city for my first month. I'm trying to think of ways to convince her to move here after college - I think she might.
Jan and I are going to the Bad tomorrow - the baths... So excited. I am in love with the German concept of floating around in hot water for hours to relax. I also love that at least my German feels the need to relax and re energize - which I wouldn't do on my own in quite the same way.
Well..4:37..maybe I can sleep. The jet lag / change to a normal time schedule is not going so well. Nothing seems to convince my body to fall asleep at the early hour of 8 Boston time. Tomorrow I am out of bed by 12 not matter what. I think that it's completely possible that I could spend months on the old time given the incredible darkness of my bedroom. Germans know how to design blinds that keep every tiny little glimmer of light out. I'm starting to think that's not so good when you have abnormal rhythms anyway.
So - today is much better than yesterday. Life in Germany is looking good.
My beautiful sister and I reunited over dinner and I'm can't help but think how lucky I am to have family in this city for my first month. I'm trying to think of ways to convince her to move here after college - I think she might.
Jan and I are going to the Bad tomorrow - the baths... So excited. I am in love with the German concept of floating around in hot water for hours to relax. I also love that at least my German feels the need to relax and re energize - which I wouldn't do on my own in quite the same way.
Well..4:37..maybe I can sleep. The jet lag / change to a normal time schedule is not going so well. Nothing seems to convince my body to fall asleep at the early hour of 8 Boston time. Tomorrow I am out of bed by 12 not matter what. I think that it's completely possible that I could spend months on the old time given the incredible darkness of my bedroom. Germans know how to design blinds that keep every tiny little glimmer of light out. I'm starting to think that's not so good when you have abnormal rhythms anyway.
So - today is much better than yesterday. Life in Germany is looking good.
Friday, June 29, 2007
In Germanz
I'll leave Germany with a 'Z' because that's what shows up on these crazy German keyboards. It's going to take a while to get used to typing in 'German.' So here is the saga of arrival in Germany:
After a few days of furiously attempting (somewhat successfully) to organize my life and packing I went to the airport with Mom and Dad. Saying good to my amazing parents was really tough, but I was a little shell shocked in general so the enormity of it's just hitting me now, at 3:30am German time. But more on that later.
I flew Aer Lingus, which I do not recommend, for the sole reason that Dublin airport is an insane, disorganized mess. Plus it looks like it comes out of a 50s movie. I had to sprint to make my flight and navigate through thongs of distressed, also late people. Including the lady going to Portugal who cut in line! Some people just have the guts to edge into the front. While somewhat territorial of my place in line, I can't bring myself to brazenly cut. The other Aer Lingus criticism is a dreadful lack of beverage service, leading to severe dehydration when your traveling for half a day.
I had two major concerns pre flight. 1 was being over the weight limit - no problem! The other was being deported from Germany for not having proof of health insurance or something. Luckily, my two immigration officials (one in Dublin, one in Frankfurt) decided to flirt with me instead of interrogating me and there was no problem. I wasted probably hours of my life worrying about this stuff, but you never know.
So, once in Franfurt my wonderful fiance was waiting for me with open arms. He was very enthusiastic. I was too, just a little too half asleep and exhausted to be very demonstrative. It was wonderful to see him and be in Germany again. Then we went and I slept for a few hours, before heading to Freiburg.
In Freiburg I caught my first glimpse of our beautiful apartment. It's really nice and Jan has done a good job of decorating. We're going to have to make a few compromises - like he wants turntables and I want book shelves...but I think that we'll be ok.
And the kitchen that Jan and a carpenter built is amazing. Beautiful new appliances, wooden cabinets...totally incredible.
I met our neighbors who invited us over for dinner which turned into chatting till 2am. I love having them as neighbors already. They are a recently married couple, she's Russian and he's German. In our apartment building (a renovated house) there's a Croatian, an American, 3 Germans, and an Austrian dating a French man. Pretty diverse! I think it will be a wonderful place to live and I hope that we can socialize often.
During dinner we drank a few too many classes of wine leading to a headache. Once in bed everything really hit me though and the tears started flowing. Not distressed tears, just wow my life has just changed incredibly and it's pretty shocking. Also, probably PMS tears and majorly 'I miss my mommy' tears. Reading just now this article: Mommy is truly dearest at - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/fashion/28mommy.html?em&ex=1183176000&en=d21df09bdbd6e1d4&ei=5087%0A
did not help!!
Well..I guess it's time to try and sleep! I have a feeling this blog is going to be excellent for processing what's going on. I anticipate being overwhelmed for some time to come!
After a few days of furiously attempting (somewhat successfully) to organize my life and packing I went to the airport with Mom and Dad. Saying good to my amazing parents was really tough, but I was a little shell shocked in general so the enormity of it's just hitting me now, at 3:30am German time. But more on that later.
I flew Aer Lingus, which I do not recommend, for the sole reason that Dublin airport is an insane, disorganized mess. Plus it looks like it comes out of a 50s movie. I had to sprint to make my flight and navigate through thongs of distressed, also late people. Including the lady going to Portugal who cut in line! Some people just have the guts to edge into the front. While somewhat territorial of my place in line, I can't bring myself to brazenly cut. The other Aer Lingus criticism is a dreadful lack of beverage service, leading to severe dehydration when your traveling for half a day.
I had two major concerns pre flight. 1 was being over the weight limit - no problem! The other was being deported from Germany for not having proof of health insurance or something. Luckily, my two immigration officials (one in Dublin, one in Frankfurt) decided to flirt with me instead of interrogating me and there was no problem. I wasted probably hours of my life worrying about this stuff, but you never know.
So, once in Franfurt my wonderful fiance was waiting for me with open arms. He was very enthusiastic. I was too, just a little too half asleep and exhausted to be very demonstrative. It was wonderful to see him and be in Germany again. Then we went and I slept for a few hours, before heading to Freiburg.
In Freiburg I caught my first glimpse of our beautiful apartment. It's really nice and Jan has done a good job of decorating. We're going to have to make a few compromises - like he wants turntables and I want book shelves...but I think that we'll be ok.
And the kitchen that Jan and a carpenter built is amazing. Beautiful new appliances, wooden cabinets...totally incredible.
I met our neighbors who invited us over for dinner which turned into chatting till 2am. I love having them as neighbors already. They are a recently married couple, she's Russian and he's German. In our apartment building (a renovated house) there's a Croatian, an American, 3 Germans, and an Austrian dating a French man. Pretty diverse! I think it will be a wonderful place to live and I hope that we can socialize often.
During dinner we drank a few too many classes of wine leading to a headache. Once in bed everything really hit me though and the tears started flowing. Not distressed tears, just wow my life has just changed incredibly and it's pretty shocking. Also, probably PMS tears and majorly 'I miss my mommy' tears. Reading just now this article: Mommy is truly dearest at - http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/fashion/28mommy.html?em&ex=1183176000&en=d21df09bdbd6e1d4&ei=5087%0A
did not help!!
Well..I guess it's time to try and sleep! I have a feeling this blog is going to be excellent for processing what's going on. I anticipate being overwhelmed for some time to come!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Time to Pack
In two hours Jan arrives to help me pack and visit, before I'm off. I have incredible amounts of STUFF and I need to sort it out. Luckily, that stuff is mostly clothing. But given that I haven't changed sizes in around 10 years now, and I hold on to those clothes I like, there are lots of them. But out with the clothes - in with Germany. I can only take 3 suitcases worth, so I better choose well. I don't think I'll do much clothes shopping once I get there, because the only store I seem to like is H&M..but who knows, maybe I'll discover something more. During my stint in Italy as an AFS student I managed to buy 1 shirt in a year, mostly because the Italians of Sardegna are tiny compared to me the giantess. I think that I'll fit into clothes in Germany though, so that's a plus.
I just had a cavity filled and X rays taken. My dental situation isn't horrible, but I have got to start flossing. Yuck. Also called about getting an encephalitis vaccine-apparently the ticks of the Black Forest are infecting people these days, but you can't get it in the US. I'll have to look into in Germany.
I just had a cavity filled and X rays taken. My dental situation isn't horrible, but I have got to start flossing. Yuck. Also called about getting an encephalitis vaccine-apparently the ticks of the Black Forest are infecting people these days, but you can't get it in the US. I'll have to look into in Germany.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Getting Started
Under the recommendation of my much more computer literate sister Carolyn, I am starting a blog. In a short 1.5 weeks I am moving to Germany and starting a new life. I'm getting married, living in my very first apartment, starting a job in Switzerland and over all having MAJOR LIFE CHANGES. It's exciting, it's pretty scary, and I can't wait. I figure writing about it and having a record of what's going on will help me process everything and generally vent. Also, it's a good way to keep in touch with my wonderful family whom I love very much and will miss horribly. I am making a promise to myself to keep this up so that I can look back and read over time.
Onto more exciting things. Wedding dresses!!!! I'm not so into the whole planning of weddings- but I am very into looking good in dresses and picking them out. So I will post my summer wedding dress. It reminds me of Degas' dancers and I love it. Although I will never be a ballerina (way to ungraceful and generally uncoordinated), I can at least dress like one.
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