So, it's been nearly two weeks since The Big Move, and a lot has happened. My new place is great except there is one problem; there is no Wi-Fi. But I wasn't too worried - they have two computers downstairs in the computer room. No problem, I thought, I'll just do my blogging/emailing/banking from there. But nothing's ever as simple as you think it's going to be is it? Turns out that the software loaded onto those computers dates back to about 1993, the Internet Explorer is so old that it no longer supports most of the sites I was trying to access (and is painfully slow), and to top it all there is (for some reason) a child block, meaning I was unable to access my blog or my bank accounts. The Stone Age machines could just about cope with Facebook and my Hotmail account, but even they had to be viewed in 'Basic Format' (which is very annoying, believe me!). It did make me realise though, how much I do rely on this modern technology. It was horrible not being able to Skype my friends and family, and banking is a slow and painful process when you can't be sitting in the comfort of your own home sorting it all out. On the bright side though, it meant that I was a lot more productive without the annoying temptation of being able to log in to Facebook at my leisure. I appreciate it is a wonderful way of staying in contact with lots of people all at once, especially at times like this when I am away, and being able to share photos so easily is fantastic. However, the inexplicable compulsion I feel to log on immediately I go online drives me crazy. Sometimes I even find myself stalking pictures of a primary school acquaintance's aunty's husband's cat (or some other such pointless activity) and then I think "JESSICA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" and have to instantly cease such past-times. So it has been nice to avoid all that. The answer to my problems though has been to buy a dongle, so now I have a pay-as-you-go internet, meaning I am now very frugal with the time I spend online, and only use it for Skyping, blogging, and banking. It takes me back to the dear old days of dial-up.
First World problems aside however, I have been busying myself these last couple of weeks with getting acquainted with all my new housemates (who are all very nice from what I know of them so far) going to school, and visiting other Language Assistants in Goerlitz and Dresden.
School
School is great - I'm really enjoying being there. I've been there three weeks now and more or less know my way around. I've got used to the early starts and have been given a lot more responsibility in the classrooms than during my first week. The hardest thing has been adjusting the speed at which I speak and getting to understand the huge spectrum of ability and having to alter my behaviour and speech accordingly. If you are thinking of spending a year abroad teaching, then be prepared to have to speak very, very slowly at times. Also, you have to get used to dealing with some incredibly shy students. I have been doing a lot of one-to-one speaking practice with students outside the classroom during the last couple of weeks, and not all of them are very forthcoming with information, with some of them being unwilling to look at you and tending to answer with just yesses and nos. Of course it's very understandable for them to feel like this, but I guess I just have to keep trying to find new ways to get them to feel more comfortable and to open up. However, I am finding one-to-one a lot easier than dealing with groups; naturally with every group you have the students who don't want to stop talking, and those who will do anything to avoid starting. Encouraging the quieter ones to contribute without feeling like I am picking on them and grilling them against their will is very difficult, as is trying to get the more talkative ones to hold back a little to give the others a chance without subsequently making them feel awkward about contributing further. I'm hoping that this will be something I'll get better at with time.
Goerlitz and Dresden
Goerlitz is an interesting town right on the border of Poland. In fact, you can see Poland across the street. Whilst I was there I crossed the street and was having lunch in Poland (fortunately they were accepting Euros as I had no Zloty to offer). The town has some beautiful buildings, but it's easy to get lost if you are a newcomer. There's probably no more there than any other middling sized town, but it is very spread out and so seems like it's huge. When I compared it to Bautzen I realised how tight and compact it is compared to sprawling Goerlitz. One thing I found particularly interesting about the town is that it has not quite recovered from being in the clutches of the GDR, but is being done up slowly but surely. Walking down the street I would see one brand spanking newly done up establishment and then right next to it a derelict, disused shambles of a place that obviously hasn't been touched for a good few decades. It's an absolutely fascinating place which I would say is highly worth a visit. Bars and pubs are few and far between though, so if you want somewhere for a crazy night out this probably shouldn't be your first port of call.
Now Dresden Neustadt is more geared towards students and does offer a good night out, and the clubs stay open until very late. I have not yet had a chance to look around the more touristy Altstadt, but I am planning to go again to have a good sightseeing day out.
So for now, Tschuess, and Schoenes Wochenende.
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