And now.. the Visitor, becomes the visited!

To say that it has been a long time since I have posted on here may be an understatement! its been a hell of a final year at uni and im pretty pleased to be able to say that it is now all over!

I haven't graduated yet..  (after reading my blog, do you really think that it would go smoothly?!)   no!

I decided that a better way to spend exam week would be to be in Hospital for a few days. This meant that I missed a sports exam. I have re-taken, but Graduation is scheduled for December 2012.

I've applied and been successful for a new Job. Im now in the police force! (totally different!) and I start in November.


Im free all the way through September. Ill be dipping candles for a few weeks (im not explaining that!) but for one week, its all going on!

Im very excited to announce that 2 of my classes from when I did my year abroad are coming over to London for a week! This makes me very happy!

Its a shame that the lack of time in my life has meant that I haven'
I hope they are excited as I am! im sure that some of their excitement will be that they are going on a trip, and that they are visiting a different country etc etc..    But hopefully they will be happy for a reunion!

I don't think they realise how much I miss them, I still have all of the photos and memories posted on my bedroom wall. My desktop background is a slide show of all of my pictures from Germany. It may have been a long time ago, but Schlüchtern is still my 'Happy Place'

To been able to go and see them as much as I wanted to. Instead, im becoming a massive English 3rd wheel on their trip!

and so, for one week in September, I will be getting drunk and living it up with the students who became my friends!  what more could you want?

What Im here for

ODDLY - half way through this the formatting changes...  I dont know why and cant be bothered to change it...and..
In a brief moment of being pathetic, I would like to say before I start, that after having a mate over for just a few days the other week.. It made me realise how BORING living by yourself can be..  !  so, if you ever want to come back mate? :D

Well, 
I have decided that I am going to do a post on the reason I am here :

"To improve my language skills and to gain necessary cultural experience by living in the foreign country"
according to my module guide!

I have (luckily) begun to dream in German now... which must be good...   I still get people in school saying
"you speak English all the time"
well yes - Im here to teach it - to students and the teachers - so I kinda have to -But the rules are
1) In school - English with the students all the time, unless necessary clarification is needed...  (its never necessary)
2) After school, German with the students, unless they speak in English first - then they have decided to have that conversation in English it is therefore their fault if it becomes difficult... they had the chance!
3) Teachers - either or, depending on the situation - if its general chat, German - complaining about other staff or students, English !
4) German all the time to non-school Folk..  don't assume that this shopkeeper can speak English.. go for German every time (excluding the Irish bar!)

I guess that this will mean, that to certain colleges, I only speak English  but tough!!   Im here to help them too! :D  
To my wonderful students who read this...   forget number 2 please..  if i know you have caught on to this you will get English 24/7!!  :D

  
Anyway!.. I have been here now long enough I think to have enough experience to deal with it, so here goes.

 The Culture
During our second year at Uni, we had a module (MFL111) which I know that all Sunderland students are now sniggering at, that was supposed to prepare us for coming abroad, and dealing with different situations that may arise
some of which were:
- going to a party - etiquette, should I take something and how long should I stay for
- out and about - dark places, new people and whole new surroundings
- what is that? - discovering the differences and how to deal with them.

well..  I paid £3320 for my tuition last year, and did 7 modules.   that makes £474.28 per module. 
MFL was a waste of £474. (there were some useful aspects, hence, not a waste of 28p)

We are all put together, German, French and Spanish, so it would be tough to do, but this would have been SO much better if they had brought a former Erasmus student from each language to tell us what they found shocking/ hard/ new/ different.

It meant that I was not prepared for some things in Germany, and I have had to adjust myself to certain things.

- Germans are really direct. There is no beating around the bush like in English. They are not rude with it, just to the point!
- Sorry is not said at every slight inconvenience, whether it was you or someone else that caused it
- "danke" (thank you) is not used as often.  basically, you only use it when someone has gone really out of their way for you, and not moved their trolley so you can get passed!
- The word 'sofort' (immediately)   that stereotype about it - its true..  sofort means sofort!

but there are other things too..

- Shopping - if you want pickled stuff, you are in luck!  if you are looking for a 13 min microwavable lasagne for one...  tough luck..  but also, in Germany, shopping is done by type of food...   meat from the butcher, break from the baker etc etc  so you cant just nip to one shop!!   also   DON'T FORGET YOUR BAGS!!  only very few places offer plastic bags, and the cheapest I have seen are 19 cent paper ones 

I Love tegut...

- to further that note - shop etiquette. 
"Schonen Tag noch" or 'have a nice day' is said really often..  reply "ebenso" or "gleichweis"  (likeways, or back atcha!) because that's the thing to do! and not doing it appears really rude..  you can see it on people's faces if someone doesn't say it! 
- saying Hello...  if you read my post about the German Health system (opens new window)  then you will get a good sense of how that works through an emphasised point of view..  but also see the point I make about people saying 'hello'    - but its not just at the doctors.. its everywhere!  pizza shops.. wherever.. people walk in an announce themselves with a "hallo"
once place I went the other day - the person didn't get a response the 1st time, so cleared their throat and said it again, louder. to get a response! 

- Sarcasm...   well...  when on form, I can be VERY sarcastic.. this should only be done with people who have spent time in the UK..  otherwise, they are likely to take you seriously..  because everyone is direct
I was joking the other day saying that if my students spoke German, then I would throw them out the window..  she then asked me "is that allowed?"  -_-

the other major thing.. is this 'du' and 'Sie' thing,  Both ways of saying 'you', but one of them is formal...
whoever invented that needs to be strung up! For  person who's mother tongue only has one form, this gets confusing..  I didn't use the 'sie' form the other day in a shop (I was very tired, and not feeling 100% -better now though, thanks for the concern) and I was treated like I had just shit in their kettle..   I didn't realise it at the time... but I do now.  I realise that it is like me going up to a person in Tescos and saying   "you, chips, where, now?"  but I didn't at the time realise the gravity of it..  and now - im over using it great!

my last major point for now.. is recycling.
Pfand is amazing..
(watch the format change!...)

basically, a bottle of coke or whatever will have a price show like this

€1,00 + 0,25 Pfand.

you pay a total of €1.25 at the till.  BUT when you take it to a recycling place, you get the 0,25 back, to encourage plastic bottle recycling!

a machine to collect your 'Pfand' back

This applies to plastic (and I think glass) bottles...

BUT.. you also have to sort out your rubbish int bins, like the UK.. 

oh dear..    its even coloured to help me!

however.. here .. is it treated almost like a life and death situation..

sort them wrong and suffer the wrath!!    I have obviously been doing it a few weeks now.. and all of a sudden, a very stern notice has appeared on the door to the bins telling us how to do it!

I think its aimed at me!



This is a long one eh?
Now the language..

There will be another blog on both of these topics, im sure, so this one is about the one thing I find most stark

ENGLISH
Centuries ago, English was made..  not the most creative language.. most of it was stolen from other people.. 
but , now, it appears that the other countries are taking stuff back.

there are so many words that have been derived from English that know about.. most are technology or new advancements.. but they even have phrases that they use..

for example

Ich werde es googlen - im going to Google it
Ich habe es gegoogled - I googled it

Man muss das im Facebook liken - you need to like that on facebook
dass habe ich geliked - I liked it

I mean really - geliked? that is taking an English verb and making it VERY German, grammatically!
other words - geaddet (added) / gestalked ( I mean c'mon!)

but there are loads - some can be found here (new window)

My favourite English word made German is 
angepissed - to be pissed off

du siehst ein bisschen angepissed aus - you look pissed off!!

but also phrases...

Germans will actually say

"you don't Say" as a phrase!    as a response to something shocking..    
someone used it to me (Jerome!) and I was like.. OK English now!!..  He was totally baffled...  because Germans use it!!

The video below below is in German and English combined (called Denglisch)

It doesn't matter if you don't understand as an English person... because to be fair, you will see how many English words and phrases there are! some words have been changed to make them conform with german grammar, but when you hear them, you will know which ones?

I will warn you - the song is average, but may get stuck in your head
This is called 'Denglisch' by a band called 'The Wise Guys'...  they use no instruments, so everything you hear is done by mouth



So.. ill put another language and culture blog up sometime.. but now yet eh? I think it will be about German TV - that is 2 birds, one stone!

The German Health System...

As if I haven't spent enough of my life in a hospital...
Well, those of you who have me on Facebook, will know that the other day, whilst attempting to cook.. I decided to totally ruin the top of my thumb with a knife.

A ceramic Knife!

Well, normally,  I try to laugh off injuries...  but - it was bleeding pretty badly.. for 30 minutes
The Irony behind it all is, that I bought a New knife, because I know - being a Scout for however many years - that blunt Knives can be dangerous.   I bought a ceramic one - which are ridiculously sharp, but also look like plastic to be deceptive (see right)
Anyway.
The offending Item that I was cutting was an Onion, ready to go into a Pasta - My dad will know exactly was I was up to!    My old knife was a tad blunt. When I say blunt.. I mean that butter was a struggle for it.  so I bought this new one.  I really wasn't used to how sharp it was - ans, having made sure my fingers were safe - I applied the same amount of pressure as I am used to (with a blunt knife)
The key word in the previous sentence was fingers.

I went straight through the onion (impressively well actually) and then straight into my thumb (again, Impressively well actually!)

Bleeding started.
Bleeding escalated

I have had first aid training (it is , at the moment out of date) so the first thing I did was whack it under the running tap .. well, this made it look like John Cramer has been in my flat (for those of you who don't know the name - he is the guy from SAW) and it wasn't helping the bleeding much., though it was sorting the pain out a treat.
So - I used my first aid know-how and went straight to the Pressure thing.  What did I use?  well..  A SOCK!   This was no ordinary sock.. It has just been in a wash with towels by mistake - so it had been boiled!  so it was Clean (ish) or cleaner than anything else anyway - and likely to hold together for longer than Bog-roll..

This is when I decided to go to Hospital...   I don't know the number for the ambulance here - and learning it is tempting fate - but I wasn't going to ring them for a bleeding finger - so, sock now tight and in hand, I was off on the 30 minute walk to the local A&E department..

Nice walk - the slight "going into shock" thing wasn't too nice, but I got to the hospital.  A&E was empty...

Now - Imagine ..
You have just had the minor panic of cutting your thumb that hasn't stopped nor slowed down the bleeding for what has now been an hour and you were in a hospital in a foreign country .. and you had to explain the problem.
Well.. the Nurse came, she smiles and said "Bitter Schön" (which is the |German way of saying "can I help")
Well, my sock had now born the brunt of about 45 minutes worth of pretty serious bleeding, and was now just dripping onto the floor..
I told her, in my bestest panicky German...   "Ich habe meiner Daume Geschnitten"  or 'I've cut my thumb'

She realized at that minute that German was not on the cards and said "Well, I am your guardian Angel - I can sort your thumb, and my american husband means I can speak English!"     Get in!

She then proceeded to do all of the paperwork..  she explained that, though she would love to do thumb first - its not possible to administer treatment until there was the paper work done !  (well, yes.. Im in Germany!)

Luckily, I had my wallet in my coat from a previous trip to the bank that day - oh - and to buy the bloody knife! so I have my EHIC and Insurance card with me :D

So - with not a single other patient - I was introduced to a nurse who only spoke German..who began to treat my thumb - by now, I was a bit more chilled and had caught my breath - so German was working now..  but - as the English speaking nurse was bored - she came in to help too...

It was all really good - apart from the German one asking if I had brought the knife with me...    because I clearly carry blood - covered kitchen knives around with me at night!

I was Glued (which failed) and stitched... bandaged and sent on my way - and told to go and register at a doctor to have it checked in the morning.

After he Hospital...

I just had to go home now...   and clean up all the blood from the floor
Today, I registered for a Doctor...  What a farce!

I went into town at 12, thinking that all the morning rush of people waking up Ill would be over - and people will not have fallen over in their lunch break yet.
Well, on a Thursday in Germany, you can apparently only be ill on on a Thursday during   9am-12PM and 5PM-7PM

well, I misse the 12 part, so loitered until 5 in coffee shops  (caffeine overload!)

I got in a 5:05PM, where the cue was out the door!! but I got to the desk at about 5:15, so not too bad - I registered (which the nice receptionist did mostly for me from my ID)In Germany, you choose your doctor.. She asked me to choose by saying 2 names..  and nothing else..  I was first like "it doesn't really matter, i don't plan to visit again! She told me i had to choose, so I went with the guy whose name was easier to pronounce!  Herr. Doktor Wagner. (now imagining some shite x-factor dropout!)  How she expected me to choose with just a name I ave no idea - don't get me wrong, I did't expect a powerpoint of their credentials or anything..  but its like.. whats the point??!   Then.. it was time... went and sat in ...

THE WAITING ROOM...
Oh my god..  This is the weirdest room I have ever been in...

Not the actual room.. but nor far off!

In German doctors surgeries , when people walk into the waiting room, they almost announce themselves with a "Guten tag" and we are expected to say the same back!  WHAT THE HELL!!   In the UK, talking in a doctors waiting room is Strictly forbidden!! but walking in an greeting everyone!!  This would explain the weird look I got when I walked in..  I did not greet the Ill people..

Also, the waiting room was just like a Mr. Bean Sketch:
-  man with a beans tin stuck on his hand
- a woman who was clearly there more often that the furniture
- the guy who makes a point of turning the page on his magazine
- the people that know each other, who have met by accident and describe their symptoms in Extreme detail and very loudly ( all im saying, I definitely spoke the least amount of German in that room.. and I understood that I didn't need to know about that part of this lady..so..  yeah...)
- That person's whose cough get worse the longer they wait..

Honestly..this was the clientele of the waiting room tonight - It was just odd.. with every walk of life crammed into what was clearly an old doctors office with some chairs in it..

Anyway..  I waited for about 35 minutes..  (I didn't have an appointment, so they just cram me in whenever)
I was then called into a room, were the same receptionist who has registered me, took my bandages off - I have no issue with this - I couldn't do it alone, and you don't exactly need  a degree to take a plaster off...

This revealed my thumb.  she asked me what the Hospital had done - which I explained (in German) .
She then just fucked off, almost yelling that she was off to find the doctor..  Great!

After the Bandage came off - stitching covered with strips

Whilst I was alone in this room..  I noticed the following...

- the sharps box was an old bulk size washing-up liquid fluid tub, with the top cut off
- the computer was logged on - and written in German and English .. if i'd have had sinister intentions..
- there were hoards of drugs (prescription) on the shelf above my head
- there were those stereotypical brown bottles, making it look like the hospital from the film Pearl Harbor!

the doctor shone a light on it - told me to go back Monday, took EUR10 off me , and left - after 2 minutes of looking at my hand, and 20 talking about why I was in Germany..   such a nice guy!

I was about to leave. when the receptionist came back.. and re-bandaged my thumb.. she gme me 2 spare bandages and then , as soon as she had finished said "bye!"

umm.. ok then..
The doctor then caught me on the way out, and said that the stitches are out on Monday..

(upside down) but what it looks like now - with a camp bandage bracelet!

so.. I loo forward to it...

going by the last few day.. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr Blobby took them out..


I have had to be so careful writing this.. Im kinda scared that Ill have written 'bondage' instead of 'bandage'

They say 'time flies when you are having fun', but this is ridiculous!

So. Im now towards the end of my seconds month!

This month has been quiet to say the least.  The first 2 weeks were in school, the second 2 are holidays.

Well, I had loads of plans for the 2 weeks - travel to Berlin, head to Hamburg.. but then at the start of the holidays, I had a 'brainwave' to pay 2 months rent in one go.
Next month will be great. This month, NO!!

Don't get me wrong, I haven't been left tight, just not enough to survive and go to Berlin and buy food - which, sadly, I still need!

So I am making it up by planning a larger trip during the 1st week in Easter/ But for now, its under wraps until its DEFINITELY happening, and its all completely confirmed!


But anyway, what have I been doing over the last few weeks, that have not cost very much?
Well, I try to make sure that I go for a walk once a day.  The weather here is great at the moment, so I may as well make the most of it - after all, its getting colder, and it could be my last chance before I have to go out wearing EVERYTHING I own (people who know me will know what I'm like with the cold..  It can be 30 degrees, if the wind blows at 29, I feel it!)

I was also asked to go to a park Its in Schlüchtern,but its pretty hidden.
Well, its a nice place to be ..

There is a playing field, a small play area.. Oh, and deer!   VERY TAME Deer..

 To make it perfectly clear..  The Deer are fenced.. yes but ..   the Humans have less space than they do!!  


It was pretty tough to get a photo, because they kept moving, and I kept getting a picture of their arse..  until one of the members of staff that I had gone with went all doctor dolittle on them, and made noises..!

  This guy followed us all the way around!

This was one of the younger ones.















Anyway it was nice! and good to see Human beings too!

Before the holidays, I had my 'big spend' of the month. (apart from the 2 months rent...)
I say 'big spend' .. It wasn't , but considering I had almost 3 weeks left before being paid..  I had to consider the future a bit!

Some of my students invited me to their (and I quote).. "school disco"
Now, despite being the DJ that the kids at my old high school still ask for in the hope that I am not at uni on that date because I (supposed to be) the best... (its always nice for a positive review!!)    I still expect a school disco to be terrible music, awful lights a DJ enjoying himself more than any of the guests and teenagers dancing with members of the opposite gender, but look like they are shifting a wardrobe!
So.. kinda like this..

Well .. it wasn't..

It was a HUGE rig...   about 600 people, and went from 9pm - 5am!  beer was flowing, spirits were flowing faster and, after being there for just 2 hours.. I ended up doing what I do best (and the answer isn't partying!)

DJ-ing!
well, not being the DJ, there was this kidda doing that who clearly had taken a disliking to me!  there was a word for him..   and it rhymes with 'Bosser'
Moving on..

One of my students was in charge of lighting. (which I do anyway..)  so, it ended up that we kinda shared the workload! :D

So, to be fair..
This type of thing would never happen in UK schools. EVER.. but they are stupid.. because this made SO MUCH MONEY!    They have asked me to DJ at the Christmas Disco..   er   YE!


There was another Major Event over the last week..  (notice the capital letters...)
to say its the best thing to happen so far, it a bit far..  but it is us there..
There was a special arrival to Schlüchtern the other day...

Yorkshire Tea makes Mike happy!

A colleague went to England (Whenever I say Colleague, I should probably point out that it is usually one of 4.. the rest are nice, but I don't have much to do with them , so its now worth writing about!)   but a colleague went to England.  She was there for 4 days and , as an English teacher, loved it. She even managed to catch the good weather that was about for a few days.

But, when I started here, she asked me what I miss the most about the UK..  my answer was 'Yorkshire tea'

well, she remembered.. and when she came back we met up.  I walked through the door, and she presented me with this 80 bag box of Yorkshire tea.  Well.. since then, I have been the happiest person in Germany !  its lovely.
I should probably also explain. that German 'tea' or what they pathetically refer to as 'tea' is like dishwater. dishwater that has been left overnight, warmed up by candles and had milk that is on the turn poured into is ..    its GRIM.
This was an awesome day.. until I took them home and realized that I had no milk, nor sugar and the shops were shut..    Im quite surprised that you couldn't hear me yell "BUGGAR" from where ever you are right now!

Just realized I have spent about 20 minutes talking about tea..  I definitely am British eh?



More news!  (This has been a month of little money, but news!)

(despite him running away during out early high school years) The one who remains my best friend SAM is coming over in April!   a couple of days after my birthday!   Well, I haven't seen him now in .. 3 years..  so to say that I am excited is a slight understatement!

Frankfurt, Kollegenausflug and the week ahead!

The Last week has been interesting.  Though I haven't really done much, at the same time, I kind of have!

Last week, I managed to Squeeze in more lessons that usual, just to help out a Colleague who couldn't make it into school.  I didn't mind, in fact, I really enjoyed it! :D

I have also got a lot of lessons to do for next week. I have booked myself to teach the full lesson for most of my lessons, which I am really looking forward to! :D  The lesson is the same for everyone, but it can be made easier or more difficult...

and it revolves around The Simpsons! :D


The main reason for updating this today, was to talk about Friday really.

Friday, was our Staff trip.

Now, this is not what I expected to be honest.  

We went to a place called Glauberg (to start) where we were dropped off on what can only be described as a back road and we walked for what I would say was about a mile and a half to a shack at the top of a hill. Nice views though!

View From Glauberg Hills

Frankfurt Skyline form Glauberg Hills

Here, we were served Brotchen (which are like sandwiches, but without a top on!) and drinks, ranging from water to apple juice to beer!!  (typical German!).  We then continued to hike for a further mile and a half to a museum, which was about Celts  (Woo!)

We had a guided tour..
to paint a picture..

1)I was tired..  having had a stressful week with home stuff, I fell asleep at 2 the morning before, and was awake at 6
2) I had just walked 3 miles, not amazingly far, but after 12 hours sleep over the last 4 days..  pretty tough
3)i was walking and listening and talking German. Some people struggle to understand, that the mental capacity to Listen, translate, understand, formulate response, translate and speak all so that the conversation doesn't lose flow is OK in bursts, but after 4 hours of it....  its tiring..   (hopefully fellow FSAs will know what I mean here!)

so .. the guided tour....

She spoke with a general speed of about 25 words per second, and similar to Faust, by the time I had translated the first sentence, she has then gone on to say around about 4 more so I understood some of it...

Big shout out to the teacher though, (and it did make me laugh) who then asked for a summary of the tour...    He is an English teacher, and must have been able to read my facial expression like a treat!

The View from the Museum Cafe

After this, we went to a town (I suppose you can call it) Called Budigen and had a coffee , then went to a Restaurant for a Meal.

Budigen 'town' center

Very nice restaurant!

I enjoyed this part...  we had a nice meal and I sat with the younger staff , enjoyed a few beers and talked about nothing sensible.  Which was nice!

On Saturday, I went to Frankfurt , and met up with another FSA.  He was pretty desperate to do something called the Ebbelwie Express , (translated as Apple-wine Express). This is an old tram, that costs EUR7.50 . With this , you get a ride of about an hour round trip, a bottle of apple wine and a packet of mini pretzels.

Not bad really!

Well, it can't exactly be called a sight-seeing tour. The tram (obviously) has to follow the tram lines, which in Frankfurt are more for practicality that tourism. There is one good view though...

The View from the Tram

What I can say it is, is a fairly relaxing hour on a tram that isn't very discreet (it looks like a circus on wheels!), that plays very loud, garish and stereo typically German Music. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable.

The Tram!

Apple wine, by the way, tastes very similar to a not-too-dry Cornish Cider.  The leaflet actually says "This Cider is now a world famous Wine" ..   Well..   Okay then!

We also went back to my Little corner of England in Germany (in the form of the Irish pub) and had a pint.
After the Pint, I clearly had some Dutch Courage and decided to go up the Bloody great tower.
The Lift travels at 20kph  and once you are up there..  its pretty windy..  but Frankfurt at night...

Frankfurt at night from the Main Tower 

 So a good weekend then really...   And the F1 topped it off.. a Second for Massa was great..  Ignoring the Winner and the non-finishing Ferrari.. :P


This next part, it to satisfy The University of Sunderland - as part of my 'reflective Diaries'

its not tough to live tough here
the language is fast
the Germans like beer
hate Lufthansa strikes
they have an unhealthy obsession with fizzy water
and their shops are weird

Oh, and all that Cultural awareness we did before we came??  total and utter Bull...   probably would have been better to teach us something useful??  

If that isn't reflective..

Just for you , Jo! :D


So.. Im not sure when I will next update this..  so - Stay safe all,
Turrah!

German Culture - A Week of the Arts!

This week has definitely been a week of  Culture for myself. I have done things this week that I would normally never choose to do, but have had the opportunity through school, as it was free.

On Tuesdays, I work with the teacher that organizes the theater trips for the students. The German government is pretty supportive of culture, so if you apply, you can get tickets (costing usually about EUR50) for just 5, which includes train travel!

Well, as staff, I go for free (if invited) so when I was, I grabbed the opportunity to with both hands, Using three excuses
1) When in Rome..
2) Its free!
3) Gets me out of the flat for a free night out!

My week's Tickets!

Both productions are in the same place,so im pretty well practiced at getting to the theater now! Which is a nice place:

Frankfurt Shauspielhaus

Thursday was "Faust",


Before the performance , we made use of the time and headed to the Staedel Museum to see "Schwarze Romantic", which is an art exhibition of paintings depicting the dark side of romance. Again, never my first choice (in fact, ever) but it was interesting to see them all. The Museum also plays host to Goethe's most famous painting (which all I know about it, is that he has 2 left feet!)

Goethe in the Roman Campagna

"Faust" is a very old German play, which tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil in order to gain ultimate knowledge but renders him eternally dammed. (in sort)
It is all spoken in INCREDIBLY old German, making it difficult for , not just me but also the students to follow..  all in all though, it was a good performance.
I found it tough to keep up..  so much so that I tended to zone out at times and just watch with the background noise!

Friday this week , I worked.   Not that it was a bother, but one of the members of staff were off, and I offered to go in to her older groups and do something useful instead of leaving them trusted.. (cause it never works!)

It was a good day, and I made use of the free coffee in the staff room! :D    It gets me out of the flat for an hour or so and  get some fresh air!

Saturday was the day of the Opera.   I had never been before, so m expectations were all over the place. Those of you that had seen my Facebook will know that I put the status"

"ooohh. Opera tomorrow - a very cultural week.. cant wait for the fat viking lady to show her lungs off! :D"

Well, It wasn't like that. It was different .. the tickets that we had got us brilliant seats, that normally cost about EUR70, without the train..  (not my picture, but definitely taken from where we were sat!)

Frankfurt Opera House

It was, however, a typical Opera.   

Man meets Woman
Woman meets Man
They fall in love

She spends 25 minutes dying...

Standard

I enjoyed it - there were German over titles to translate the Italian, s which made it easier to understand!  So from a language point of view, pretty good!

Saturday was , before the Opera,  a day to rest. I was tired this week, more so than usual - but I think its because I am settled in, enjoying it, and grabbing opportunities Left, right and center!


Aside from that - I hear that the UK is once again enjoying the joys of the weather there..  If you need a swimming kit - there is a spare one at my house- help yourself..  I don't need it here ! :D

Auf Englisch, "Buggered"

Also, I would like to use this opportunity to shout out to the 3 German police officers who gave me 3 hours of entertainment last Monday.  The two for crashing the car into the ditch (baring in mind I live on a dead end I i don't know what they were doing, let alone with the blues on...:/)


So that was my week!!   
Pretty different, Id say...

Till Next time

Mike

Looking ahead, by looking backwards

Exactly this time last month, I was at work, helping children to dip candles, having the prospect of moving to a new country in 3 days weighing me down for the entire shift.

They say that "a lot can happen in a month". Personally, I do not need any more proof that this saying is true.

I personally believe that I haven't been this happy for a fair time - and that's not to say I haven't been happy, just not this happy!  (:D smiley face to prove the point...)

Though it hasn't been long since I last updated my Blog, I thought I would update it today anyway!

Last week at school was brilliant! I think it was because I have found my feet, know where everything is , I have visited all of my classes now and I am beginning to have friends that I don't think I will ever lose contact with.

Monday was the same old - I have 2 lessons on a Monday - and one of them is with the teacher I stayed with for the few days, so it is always good! The other is with the 9th Grade - who are MENTAL - but in a good way!

Tuesday, my busiest day is always good - there is one lesson particularly that I look forward to, for no other reason but there is one lesson that is always a learning experience!  its mental - and the other staff that I am friendly always laugh (both hysterically and awkwardly) when I tell them about it - but I think it is great - because it is always different! (both meanings of the word!)
Wednesdays are good to - I have my own class that i teach - they don't know it yet but we are watching the Simpsons in English next week!

I enjoy Thursdays because I teach the FCE class - who tend to be very good, but lack confidence! - so i bribe them to talk with sweets!
This Thursday in particular enjoyed too - I went to a colleagues' house for a bit of a social night - we had a few beers, played some games and had a great chat!!   I had a brilliant night - and it was a great chance to learn more about the school and the systems in Germany!

Friday, I do nothing usually. Its my day off, so I normally use it to prepare for the week ahead , because then I have the weekend free! I went to get my bank card and PIN though this week - and since then keep repeating my pin under my breath so I don't forget it when I got o change it! (cause I will!)

Then, Yesterday...   Yesterday!
Its the start of the Oktoberfest season here - so everything turn Bayerisch for the period - EVERYTHING!
typical Bayerisch music, typical Bayerisch food and of course, Typical Bayerisch Beer!*

*German beer is deceptive - the bottle may say 5%, yes - but its a German 5% - which can be anything up to 3x the strength of the UK 5%, depending on which beer you buy!

I was in Fulda during the day with 2 other FSAs - we had a nice day just walking around - and I appreciated the time to speak English! - After that, I met up with 4 other of the Younger Colleagues from school, for a night that was described as "a few drinks"

well - first - they taught me about German beer - not that I am complaining - it was really interesting, and now i know what I will be ordering , and can sample some of the other wears here - instead of "eine Flasche Becks, bitte!"  I started with a bottle of becks and one of the members of staff looked at me , apused and shook his head.  He said "Eugh, you're definitely English aren't you!"(in a jokey way)  and then declared it was his round...



OH..  Dear...

It was the size of my Face and it could, on hot days, be used as a swimming pool!

and to give you the full picture...

This was that member of staff!

For someone who doesn't drink much this was an adventure...and remember the point about percentages..  this was a , quote from the bar lady:- "Timid"  12% - by German standards!   FAIL!

The other great thing was that these members of staff did not teach English, so I had to go the whole night Speaking German - and as EVERY person learning a language will know  - its always "better"  (NOT)  when you have had a few ...  

Finally - we ended up in a nightclub in Schlüchtern. - yes, there is a nightclub here..

If you can define it as that - its a basement club with about 2 lights that flash alternately, and the DJ is one of the bar staff that has nothing to do - quite good though, you can order a pint and a song!

We were the only people really dancing. and we only really danced to the English songs so DJ barlady was playing to our liking!!  awesome!

One thing that hit me though is that - not a single person seemed drunk- which was nice!  sure - everyone had  had a bevvy or two - but nothing like the collapsing sacks of shit you get in the English night clubs - no vomit to slip in , nothing!


So the last week has been great - and if the last few weeks set the tone for the entire trip - I really will have a great year this year!

got to head off now though - im off to top my week off with a daily dose for Formula 1!

GERMANY :D

Well,  I am here- Germany!    Today was a tough day though

Today I have managed to
- Brave terminal 5
- Brave (and I mean brave) the German Passport control
- get from one side of Frankfurt airport to the other for the trains
- get on the right train
-get off at the right stop and
- find my way to the hotel!

I'm pretty chuffed with myself!

Going back to the point about the German passport control:
I went to Berlin a couple of years ago - and i remember the guy on the passport check was really scary - he said nothing, he just looked at you, opened your passport , judged you by your photo, then put it on the desk, and swished his head as if to say "ill let you in.. for now... !"

Clearly , it had a long term effect on me - cause I was sweating like a politician in a room with Jeremy Paxman.

Well when i got there - (my mind may have been playing tricks on me) but the guy looked EXACTLY the same!     he took my passport, looked at it, and swooshed his head!!   my responce was a (quite loud) PHEW!

at that moment - i was stopped and asked to show my passport , but this time to a nice man in a police uniform and a SERIOUS pistol!

luckily, he let me pass too!

so yeah - BRAVED it!

Anyway - after the train i have arrived in Cologne, or Köln, to those in the know!   I was greeted by the pretty serious cathedral!  which is a fair thing!

So yeah - iv only been here about 7 hours now - but i like it !!     i have a lot to do for the next few days, but it should all be sorted!!

free morning tomorrow - then a course to go to!!  Im off to get a daylight pic of the above

turrah all!