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?

Not long left.. SO CRAM IT ALL IN!

Well, As Im sure that you all know by now, my time here is very close to the end. This time, im not going to be all mopey and complain about how the time has gone fast - not this time!  No, this time, im going to talk about what I have been up to of late.

Ill admit, that I have my diary in front of me here. This is not one of those "dear diary..." style ones, but one that keeps me and my life in order. Without it ..  the world would come caving in, and I would be curled up in a dark corner, muttering missed appointments to myself!

The last time I typed anything, was a while after Easter, but it was about Easter, So .. im going to start from there! :D

The first week back at work was hard work, because the Easter holidays were more "free time, that i filled up so much, that there was no free time anymore" So I was back after work after my "break", having not really stopped at all!  My friend came over from Scotland, and I was the typical tour guide! :P

However, I have written about that, so lets ignore it!

The first week back was also a new timetable. This was because of lots of reasons, and more than one day of about 70 pissed off teachers in a staff room.  Without going into too much detail though, I had to make my own.

Of course, I boobed it completely!

Here is a tip: If you are teaching in room 341 from 7:30- 8:20, you cant also be teaching in room 340 from 7:30- 8:20..  that (sad though it is) is impossible!

Still, according to my timetable, I was willing to give it a shot.

Guess what.. it didn't work! and. OF COURSE, there was no other lesson that I could move either of them to..  not one..  there are a total of 28 different lesson periods a week..  but one 1 would work...   great!   However, this issue has now been sorted...  by someone else! :D

The second week was emotional! I got some very good news, and in the same week, some very bad news from home. This was from the same person, and It sent me into worry-mode, especially with who it was exactly.  It was a week of sending   "are you alright?" texts, even though I knew the answer..   (yeah, I do that...   sorry!) but also a week of my brain trying to solve the worlds problems (yeah, I do that too!)

Im honest, I would not be like that if i was in the UK, where this person lives. But, being abroad, you feel a little detached from problems like this, especially when you are directly involved in some way.   It can be tough to take your mind off it (especially when you live the rock and roll lifestyle that I don't) and live alone..    so if you are going abroad, make sure you know how to distract yourself..

Luckily..  i do..  it involves organizing things that do not need organizing yet, walking around really quickly to feel important (a piece of paper in your hand usually helps!) and eating German sausages....


After the emotional week, it was a week of me , once again teaching Frisbee!! :D  Here is an example of harry potter, doing a hipster sport!

complete with University of Sunderland matching tracksuit..
'fashion' is my middle name...

I did about 3 double lessons overall, which made me feel like a true athlete (I even walked home afterwards!) one of which was with a 6 grade class! Luckily, their English was great, and they didn't question why I kept yelling "PANCAKE!" at them..   (its a way of catching...)

To top off this week, I went to the Opera!   Sadly without the small binoculars on a stick, I saw a Wagner. It was great, even if it was a total of 4 hours long (anything on you that makes contact with a chair hurts after that time!)  but i felt very cultured, which was great because I thought I needed a booster. I also forgot that it was written in OLD German, and was worried after 20 minutes that I had  lot of new words to learn..  This was cleared up..  I now know the words, and the modern version too!

We have had some nice weather (yeah, im from the UK! :D )  So here is Schlüchtern in the Sun! :D

a Lake

Sunset from my flat

A Nice view of a house that isnt mine..

Looking up the hill

The School

Looking down the Hill..

There was also an impromptu visit to wiesbaden! ..

Wiesbaden is really nice, and has its own natural (and hot) spring water. This water is said to contain healing properties, but don't drink more than a liter, as it contains cyanide, among other things.. It also has its own micro-climate, making it warmer than the rest of the area. This was great, as Dortmund were playing in the football, so we could sit outside, chill and have a few bets int he sun - wonderful!



The last week has been good too, Another frisbee lesson on Monday, and a Day off on Wednesday! Friday I was up early to go and drink coffee, but also.. I had to prepare..

Some of you will know, that I have an obsession with Motorsport, particularly 4 wheels - even my twitter name is mikee_F1 ..     so, when I got the chance to go and watch some, I bit the chance!!

yes, I am typing this now, still buzzing from watching the DTM at Hockenheim! :D

LOOK!!

The Welcome Sign

Out Seats

Me Standing on the In-field, after all the racing, you can walk the track!

The Lights!

Timo Glock

The Grid

The Grid Lights

The Train Station Sign

It was an awesome day. I would love to post all of the pics, but this is not a Motorsport blog, and not everyone cares about it!

So as you can tell, I have been busy, In 3 days, I fly home to go camping with Bear Grylls, and I also manage to sneak in a small leaving party too. Its all go here, which is weird, because its all go, just before the end!

Also, on a different note, I have had some really nice comments about my Blog. I thank those who have posted them! Its very much appreciated!

Have a great time! I may find time to post another soon!

Mike

Exam Season..

Exam Season has just finished here in Germany. It has been a long time coming for the students, who by the end really just wanted to sit their Exam.

Pre-exam season here is strange. Teachers are asking the students what they want to do. We would never have this in England, we would be told that we had to learn Grammar for the 200th time, and revise topics and stuff..

Im absolutely certain that one class I had, was helped by my idea of forced revision...  We watched a movie! :P

Emperor's New Groove!


I was invited to go and see the Exam questions during the exam. This confused me from the off, because teachers are not allowed in out exams in the UK. Here, there are no exam invigilators, the teacher do it. So I guess it must be ok for me!

The English questions were ok. out of the 3, I would have chosen the second set, but there were some that chose other ones too! (great for me, who has to mark some of them - its not as boring! :P)

I walked into the exam, and was baffled totally...

The exams are about 4 hours long- that may be crucial, before we get started!

Each student has their own table.

They all bring their own entire picnic of goodies and things to eat and drink. Cakes, Sweets, Fruit, Coke, Water.. everything.They just sit, do the exam and munch away! IN the UK, we have to take the label off the bottle of water we are allowed!!  Here, they just eat!

Second, they are very allowed to get up and strut around the room.  They have access to information which is at the front, so they are up, and off to go and have a look!   We would be killed for this!

AND - they can go to the toilet alone!  we have some creepy 70 year old guy follow us! but these guys here just get up and they are off!!!   (so, arrange to meet people! its aparantly, very easy! :P)


Its now Easter Holidays. 2 friends are heading to Germany right now. One comes today and will be here for a fair while, and the other comes on the 4th and is visiting me for a few days! :D   I plan to see the other one at some point in May: He is living in Koblenz!

Right. I think its best to do a better one later, when I have more to say!
After Easter! :D

Finally.. I have come back!

Christmas this year was very interesting..      I spent plenty of time away from home, seeing my mates, my dad and stepmum and the rest of the family too..     so all was good!!

I am now back in Germany.. and - apart from everyone wishing me a "Happy New Year!" , its pretty much like I have never really been away!  The town's Christmas Decorations are gone, the sales are over and the only real sign that it is (near) Christmas is that there is a slight dusting of snow on the floor right now.

This makes me realise that I was actually really comfortable here.. I put that partially down to the people of the school and local area.. but it was really nice to come back and slip in as if nothing had happened.

The three weeks of Christmas flew by in one respect, and dragged in another.  I was really happy to be going home for so many reasons. The break was great and the lie ins were awesome! I managed to see most of the family and even travel to London to see (one of my two) best mate(s) for new years Eve!  it was the first time for a few years that I didn't work for it !  so I could also afford the odd drink!

The Christmas period was typical. ..  the usual stuff that every family tends to do (and some things that other families just don't do..  especially this year...)   and it as the same in that we got all excited for something that is the same every time!!

It was the first Christmas that I noticed the change since turning 18..and not being a kid anymore.

Christmas eve was spent in the Indian - very sophisticated- with Prosecco and curry!

the run up to me coming back to Germany was slightly rocky..  I had other things on that were unavoidable and due to this, I didn't actually manage to pack properly.. and - I would say that the two things I forgot were some of the most important .. like...  towels.. and my bed sheets..  dammit!!

The day that I was flying came and I was waiting at the door like a dog for my dad to pick me up..  it was definitly time to get back to what has now become normality with some great colleges and some great friends now too!  I enjoyed seeing everyone.. but the time to go back was the right time!!

I am now here till may.. I may have the odd adventure here and there.. but only the one planned so far.. ..    I cant see it being difficult to stay here for a solid 5 months..

sorry that this entry is a tad on the "mopey Christmas" side and very little to do with my "adventures in germany"  but , I thought it was time for an update.. and to let you all know that I am enjoying this year abroad so much, that I was actually desperate to come back !!

cheers!