Job-hunting and Horses

Traditional hand-painted eggs - a Sorbian custom

Almost a month since my last post and life has been speeding up and not slowing down as I come towards the end of my time here. With only 6 weeks until my final day I am already having to start thinking about the things I have to do before I go - closing my bank account, de-registering as a resident of Bautzen, and even worrying about not buying too much food so I don't have any left when I leave (and yes it's true - food wastage distresses me to an extreme degree).

I have also had to be thinking about what I am going to do when I get back - and have spent the last 4 months looking for, applying, and being interviewed for various jobs and internships. After weeks and weeks of feeling gloomy and depressed at the prospect of returning home and being yet another unemployed graduate living at home with my parents and not being able to get a foot in the job market, I was absolutely overjoyed to find out that I have been offered a 6-month Copywriting internship in Lima, Peru, with Spanish lessons included (I speak not a word of Spanish and after my disastrous attempt at learning Italian I am not sure I'll come back speaking like a native, but I might be able to order a coffee - or a hot chocolate, seeing as I hate coffee). Having never been to South America before, or indeed anywhere on the American continent, the idea of living and working in the capital city of such an interesting country is so exciting. It is also, hopefully, the first step to actually getting a proper career started. I am really looking forward to experiencing and writing about my next big adventure!

And, speaking about jobs, I have also become much busier in the last couple of weeks as I have started work in a cafe-restaurant in Bautzen. I have to say, cafe waitressing is 100000000 times better and more enjoyable than retail work, which I did the whole time I was studying. So my advice to all students looking for work - look for cafes over shops every time! Not only is the work much less boring and more varied, the atmosphere is relaxed and laid back, you get food and drink when you're working, AND the tips are a wonderful highlight! I always resented my sister coming home laden with the golden coin for working in a pub when I busted my ass being a shop assistant and came home with sweet FA. I also think it is a good thing to do on a year abroad as it does really help the language skills, which working at a school as a language assistant doesn't help with unfortunately as speaking English is a must :(

Sorbian women in traditional costume with their hand-painted eggs

And whilst these developments have been unfolding Easter has also passed and, as mentioned in my last blog post, so have the Easter riders (a local Slavic minority, Sorbians, have a tradition that involves all the men dressing up in top hats and riding through the town on horseback singing traditional Sorbian songs). Easter day was absolutely gloriously sunny, and joining the excited crowd in the town centre was a great way to spend the Easter morning. The roads were closed off and the many horses were adorned in their finery. They were trotted around for about half an hour in front of the many enthusiastic onlookers before lining up outside the church building for a short Easter service, around which the men rode a few times singing before heading off through the town. My camera was in constant action and I couldn't have looked more like an over-excited, eager tourist if I had tried - but I just thought, I'm never likely to see this again, and it is such a big deal in this area; think the royal wedding but maybe on a slightly smaller scale (Bautzen is no London!) - I was packed in like a sardine with the amount of people lining the streets. And as they say:

Take too many pictures,
Laugh too much,
Forgive freely,
And love like you've never been hurt.

Til next time.

Ciao x

PRAHA

Two weeks in after the holidays and I've spent about 50% of my time adorned in sunnies and t-shirts and the other 50% dressed as though I'm embarking on a trip to the North Pole. However, despite the yo-yo weather and the stressful mornings that go with it (not wanting to spend the upcoming 12 hours either sweating like a pig or risking meeting a cold and miserable end), it's been one of the best fortnights so far.

The first week was spent planning my weekend in the South-West of France, where I attended my grandmother's surprise 80th birthday party. As a punishment for being tucked away in some unknown place in the depths of Germany, it took me a while to get over the shock of how long and expensive the journey was going to be. I think I have been spoilt by the plethora of regular and cheap flights it is possible to get from London at any one time - I'm learning the hard way that travel isn't always so simple.

A couple of long journeys, a party, and a bit of sunburn later it was back to Germany to plan my upcoming trip to Prague.
Tip numero uno: when travelling, don't discount coaches! I was forced into a corner and booked one out of sheer desperation when I saw the price of the trains (ok, ok, I left it quite late in the day to book my travel), but it was the best decision I could have made. Comfy seats, hot drinks, and Zac Efron films on demand - I was in heaven.
And tip numero dos: if money is an issue, save it for doing the nice things Prague has to offer and skimp on hostels. When we booked our stay there were so many places for under £10 a night that there's really no reason to spend more. The hostel was pretty basic but clean and provided us with somewhere to sleep - the only issue I had was with the breakfast (or lack thereof), but what can you expect for £5 a night, right?

Going out on the first night we could see why it's such a popular place- the atmosphere was alive and infectious and I even made friends with a big, cuddly shark wandering the streets before we were recommended this absolute gem of a cocktail bar in the main square of the city. 'Black Angels' was the kind of place I would expect to be paying upwards of £10 per cocktail in London, but Prague being Prague we had personalised cocktails, friendly bar-staff, and a damn good night with change from a ten pound note (not that we paid in pounds, but if we had, we would have done).

The next day we umbrella-less souls braved the lashing rain to do a 4-hour tour of the city. Having no prior knowledge of the Czech Republic in the slightest, everything was fascinating to me. I discovered that:

1) Czechs are the biggest beer guzzlers in the world (even bigger than Germany).
2) There is a beautiful clock in the Old Town Square, which has chimed on the hour for about 600 years and      along with the chime comes a dancing chorus of figurines (think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-              esque).
3) The Czech Republic is one of the least religious countries in the world - the reason why so many churches
     have had to be given new uses, such as restaurants, theatres, and even strip clubs!
4) There is a part of the Jewish Quarter that Hitler never wanted destroyed as he had plans to open a
     'Museum of an Extinct Race' - if you didn't think he was psychotic enough!
5) Music by a Czech composer was the first music on the moon.

After a day of learning, we then thought it was important to experience the nightlife of the city and decided to take part in an organised bar crawl. I'd highly recommend it - doing it this way, we paid 500 Koruna (about £15) and got taken to 3 different bars and then a 5 storey club, with lots of drinks included in the price. Aside from the drink per buck advantage, doing it this way instead of on our own meant we met lots of people of a similar age and doing a similar kind of thing. Oh, and we got a t-shirt of course.

The last day we went to Prague Castle (the biggest in the world) and climbed the Old Town Hall, giving us a panoramic view of the city.

The city is a place I would highly recommend to anyone, and if you do decide to go, bear these things in mind:

1) It's a reasonably cheap city, so don't worry too much if you're not rolling in it.
2) Definitely try the Goulash, which you can find EVERYWHERE (unless you are a vegetarian or don't like       beef) - it's a heavenly experience, almost like angels are dancing in your mouth!
3) If you are travelling around Europe and can't be bothered to change up money, don't worry. Everywhere
     seems to accept Euros.
4) If you ARE changing up money, ask the people running the place you are staying or a tour guide to
    recommend a place - Prague seems to have more money exchange places than people, but we were
    warned that an awful lot of them charge extortionate commission and fees - and so it's best to go
    somewhere that's been recommended.
5) Don't ever change money with someone who comes up to you in the street - apparently a surprising
    amount of tourists do this, and it's never good news.

Mountainous Adventures

Well, where to begin! These past few weeks I've packed in an awful lot, managing to see some different parts of Germany and try my hand at skiing, and also going home to England for a couple of weeks whilst school broke up.

A little less than a month ago, I paid a visit to Meissen, not far from Dresden. The timing my friends and I decided on was a little off (we went on a Sunday, forgetting that around here that means shops are closed) and so it did seem like a bit of a ghost town, but we were able to appreciate its beauty nonetheless. This was the breath-taking view we were greeted with as the train pulled into the station (sadly the weather left a lot to be desired):

Its claim to fame is its porcelain (you might have heard of Meissen porcelain) and so its main tourist attraction is the factory where these world-famous, hand-made, very expensive products are produced. Fortunately for us, this was open, and so we paid our entrance fee and did the tour.The tour was short and sweet - it only took about 30 minutes, if that, but we were shown the journey the porcelain art makes from concept to fully-finished product. We watched highly-skilled men and women create the delicate pieces on their pottery wheels and with their own hands, and then decorate and paint them. In true German style the tour was thorough and alongside the full lowdown on how the porcelain is made, we also got a very interesting history of it and the factory itself. English headsets were provided, which is good news for tourists. It's definitely worth a visit if you are in the area (and is very well signposted so you can't miss it), but maybe to be avoided if you have young children as they will be bored, or possibly even knock over a 30,000 euro bowl (and there are plenty of those there, believe me - my stress levels were high as a kite as I made my way through the displays). The displays were very impressive, but as there was so much and only so much porcelain I can stand to see in one day, I didn't see everything, but got the idea. It made me feel very poor too.

This was gorgeous - and even better in the flesh. The little logo at the bottom is the 'Meissen Porcelain' logo that features on every piece made.

The weekend after this, I ventured a little further; travelling to the deepest southernmost part of Germany; an impressive-looking, mountainous region called Garmisch-Partenkirchen, right next to the Austrian border. After the 6-hour journey, checking into the hostel, collecting all my ski-gear, and then meeting the group of people I'd be spending the weekend with, I was glad to get into bed, ready for the early start the next morning. Getting up early both days was definitely a good idea as I was only there for two days and so wanted to get the most skiing time out of my ski-pass.

A shaky start was had. I spent the first morning almost crying with frustration as I couldn't work out how to control my skis and so spent 90% of the time lying in the snow. And getting up whilst you're wearing skis is nigh on impossible! And so I had to take them off every. single. time (which was most of the time actually). However, it was soon worked out that we had started on a red slope (which is one below a black - the most advanced type of ski slope you can get) and so after a little rest and recuperation we beginners downgraded ourselves to the much easier and more enjoyable baby slope, which was one below green, the easiest.

I did, however, after a while, feel the need to stretch myself and thought I did not want to leave Garmisch without at least mastering the green slope. So up I went. All was going well until I lost control of my skis whilst waiting in the queue at the top and went straight into a group of little four-year-olds on a skiing lesson. One of the children and I ended up on our backs in the snow with our skis so intertwined we couldn't separate them - the ski instructor had to come and do that. But after that mishap I was able to spend the rest of the day going (very slowly) down the slope without hurting anyone. Below is a skiing me.

Went back to the hostel that night reasonably pleased with myself - I had managed to master a least a modicum of control as far as the skis were concerned. But I was bothered that I hadn't plucked up the courage to go very fast. So the next day I decided to set myself free. Got to the top of the green slope and this time, instead of angling my skis so I went down more slowly than a snail, I just let myself go. And it was exhilarating. I even managed to turn a few times in order to avoid people. Pumped full of courage I did it again, but this time was not so lucky. As I was flying down the slope I saw a line of children appear in front of me, walking across the slope following their ski instructor. Scared I was going to go into them, I turned my skis, but not far enough - I (luckily) managed to miss the kids but skied at great speed into their instructor, went up into the air and came down with a thud (which made me feel very glad I was wearing a helmet, although I still had a slight headache for the rest of the day), as did he. Needless to say, after that I was a little more conservative with my speed, but I'm glad I managed to go fast at least once!

We also found time that day to hop on the train and go to the top of Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. As it was such a grey, snowy day that day, we didn't see much once we got there, but we made sure the moment was immortalised:

And then, after this fun-filled day I had to make my way to Munich airport to catch my flight home. Touched down in Gatwick very late at night and once I arrived home crawled into my nice, warm bed.

The Trials and Tribulations of being a Language Assistant

Having been treated to a week of heavy snow, it has in the last few days all but melted. A few icy patches here and there but nothing more. So it looks as though spring is on its way in this far-flung corner of Eastern Germany (although I have been warned that there could very possibly be another snow shower this month), and while that's been happening I've been teaching teaching teaching.

A few weeks ago a few of the Year 12 students (the last year, due to take their final exams in the next few months) requested extra lessons, so I conducted my first after school English conversation class last Wednesday. It's a little different from the normal lessons - the students who stay behind for an extra lesson are the ones that really, really want to learn, so there's none of that bashing your head against a brick wall trying to teach bored students who aren't very interested business. They instructed me to stop them and correct them every time they made a mistake, and the conversations they were having as exam practice were wonderfully detailed and interesting. So there was even more of a stark contrast when I came into school the next day to try and conduct lessons with some classes who seem to have an abject fear of contributing. That's one thing I had neglected to prepare for before I came - in my mind if you ask students for ideas or answers they give you ideas or answers. But maybe I'd forgotten what it was to be in school. Students do have a fear of giving 'obvious' answers as they seem convinced you're out to trick them, most are also worried about being the first to speak, and if you ask them to talk to each other for something like pair work, it's sometimes difficult to get any sound in the classroom other than a series of barely audible whispers. I had forgotten all this (and now, thinking about it, I definitely remember doing it), but my first few lesson plans were far too optimistic and I did not factor in time lost in trying to prise answers from students. For anyone looking to do an Assistantship abroad, bear in mind that it takes time to get to know the ebb and flow of individual students and classes, and try not to feel despondent when lessons don't turn out quite the way you imagine. If anything, this job has made me much more adaptable and I have got to the point now where I can change/invent/eke out/shorten lessons as situations change.

There is soon to be another two weeks off, and this half-term has flown by; I can hardly believe that next week is the last week of school. However, I'm very excited as next weekend I am going on my first ever ski trip. It's only two days and I doubt I'll be a pro by the end, but I'm glad I'll be seeing mountainous Bavaria at least once whilst I'm here. It will also be fun to actually try out skiing and discover my natural talents - but more news on that front in a couple of weeks.

Bis bald :)

A Spicey Life

Before I begin I would like to share something that wowed me earlier on this week. http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/198876/rare-color-film-shows-what-london-looked-like-in-1927/. This video is shot by Claude-Friese Greene in 1927 and is some of the first ever colour film footage. It's a pretty great way to spend five minutes if you have the time, and are interested in what London looks like in 1927. I was entranced not only by the scenery and the vintage colour quality, but also by the people, those people who had got up that morning and had no idea that a few seconds of their lives were to be captured in this historical moment, this fascinating time-capsule for people to enjoy evermore. But if you find that amazing, it's also worth checking out this project: http://vimeo.com/81368735 shot by Simon Smith. He has recreated, almost exactly, the footage from Greene and so we are presented with a perfect visual representation of the extent to which modern life has shaped our capital city, which, actually, when you see the video, is not very much at all.

But, from time-travelling to real travelling, I have had quite an eventful second week back. It started firstly by being told I was to have a reporter from the local Saechsische Zeitung (Saxon Newspaper) visit one of my lessons and then interview me. You can maybe imagine what such news did to my state of mind, and what a nervous wreck I was when I turned up to school on Monday! I was not even sure which language I was going to be interviewed in (of course, I strongly suspected German but you can never be sure...) and lo and behold, it was. The lesson was a little unnerving with a camera man wandering around photographing our faces at close range, and it made trying to pull off the relaxed but great and inspirational teacher vibe I was going for that little bit harder. However, success was had. An interview was conducted. German questions asked, German answers given. And the world kept spinning. Then two days later I was minding my own business in the staffroom, and unbeknownst to me I had become a local celebrity (I jest of course, but the staff were very excited). I must have shaken about 100 hands and received countless congratulatory greetings for an article I hadn't even seen yet. So I bought the paper, but I'm ashamed to say I still need to read it properly. It's gonna take a little time and mental effort on my part to get more than the main jist. And if you've ever wondered what I might look like when I'm desperately trying to look professional in the face of adversity, you're in luck. This is the photo that made the cut:

Another exciting thing that happened to me this week (Bautzen is definitely the place to be!) is that I tagged along on a school trip to the local theatre to see Anne Frank. It was an excellent production. I always hope it's going to end differently every time I see an adaptation, just like I do with Titanic. But of course it never does. The actors were all older pupils from my Gymnasium (and in case you haven't read my previous blog posts and don't speak any German, I mean the Grammar School I work at, not my local fitness centre, wherever that is...) and so I did feel a little sense of pride.

Also paid another little visit to Dresden this weekend, where Ellie and I went out for our traditional cocktails and also watched films, namely Spiceworld and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. I'm not even ashamed.

And so, in the words of Jim Carrey, in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.

Frohe Weihnachten

What a wonderful two weeks it has been. Filled with my birthday celebrations, various Christmas parties, and copious trips to Christmas markets, I have had the best December. My only gripe is that there was not more snow, but I am hoping for some when I return from Blighty in January.

Right now I am packed and ready to begin my long train and bus ride back to England (I have absolutely no idea what i was thinking when I booked this - I could kick myself. Although if I look on the bright side, I suppose it is more environmentally friendly and I did save 80 euros). Tonight I have the lovely pleasure of taking the 12 hour night train to Cologne before catching the 10 hour Megabus to London. I did remember to borrow lots of English books from the school library though, and I am well equipped with lots of German Bakery goodies and a neck cushion (had it for years - best investment I ever made).

Apart from the journey however, I am looking forward to going home. Despite the fact I've lived here for three months now and am pretty much used to it, I still get tired very easily, and I'm putting this down to the fact that constantly listening to, speaking, and reading German still takes more energy than it would if it were in English, and I am constantly in social situations with people I still don't really know properly, without the usual respite of being able to go home to relax with family or old friends. Having to be on your best behaviour at all times really does take its toll!

But when I reflect on my first 3 months here, I have nothing to complain about. I can now watch television and understand most of it without too much conscious effort, I am able to have long and decent conversations with people, and in the last few days have  found myself accidentally mixing the two languages together (which I'm taking as a good sign as it is a new development and I'm hoping it's evidence that my brain is starting to think in German - maybe wishful thinking, but I have to have something to hold on to). I was also very pleased that I managed to go to my staff Christmas meal and interact in German for a full 6 hours with no trouble. Simple pleasures eh....

I have also realised my talents as a teacher. When I say talents, I mean I managed to take a whole lesson alone with an entire class, and no major catastrophes occurred. My task was to take a lesson with 16/17 year-olds and teach them about Christmas in England. I was terrified the day before, when I was frantically planning (and crying on the inside), had a terrible night's sleep during which I dreamt I was being chased by a bear (the bear I'm assuming is a symbol...of something), and was almost dying by the time I got to school that morning. But, I would go as far to say I enjoyed it. I didn't dry up, forget was I was going to say, have an obnoxious class, or any other such disaster. I educated the class on the joys of crackers and mince pies (neither of which they'd heard of), and also showed them a video of a pantomime. They were terribly confused why these dancing, singing, gender-confused, brightly-coloured spectacles are so popular by the crazy English, and I'm sure that if they ever did have any respect for me it has all but vanished.

But now I must be off on my merry way. Farewell Deutschland, and Frohe Weihnachten.

Oh I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

I am almost weeping with joy. Today marks the first day of the Bautzen Christmas Market. I have been watching it gradually take shape every day on my way to and from school, and every day it became a little more magical, and I became a little more elated - and now I am a pure ball of elation, floating on a cloud of happiness, about to burst with Christmas bliss.

Bautzen being one of the smaller Christmas markets, it has a rather cute quality about it - as they say, the best things come in small, compact packages like Bautzen Weihnachtsmarkt. I fully intend to spend the run-up to Christmas making the most of the all the Gluehwein, Lebkuchen, and Currywurst that are on offer practically on my doorstep, and get most of my Christmas shopping done there. Of course, I also intend to visit the bigger one in Dresden too - one can never get enough of a German Weihnachtsmarkt!

Also getting me in the Christmas spirit was the snow we had this week. I was walking through town minding my own business and suddenly, out of nowhere, was assaulted by a flurry of little white hailstones. It was not an unwelcome moment. The mornings have been frosty and my heart has been sinking in disappointment every day upon waking up when I look out of my window and find everything is not covered in a thick white blanket. However, I am still in Germany for another three weeks until I go back to England, so there's still time. It was a bit disappointing that it rained today and washed away the only smidgens of snow, ice, and frost that there was, but I'm hoping this dreary weather won't be too frequent in the upcoming weeks.

Ah, and I did mean to give a little review of 'Mein Fuehrer' - the comedy about Hitler that I mentioned I was going to watch in one of my previous blog posts. The long and short of it was - it was a disappointment, and I was not sorry to hand it back to the Bibliothek. Although it was amusing in places, it failed to keep me engaged for the whole one and a half hours. The film was repetitive, didn't seem to go anywhere, and seemed a lot longer that it actually was. I have read some reviews that claimed it was distasteful - but I would disagree with that. In my opinion, to its credit, it did not cross the line between laughing at Hitler and disrespecting his victims, but it was just unfortunately a little boring. I was quite saddened to learn that it was the last film that the excellent German actor Ulrich Muehe made before he died that year (if you've seen 'The Lives of Others' you'll know his face) as I do think that with his talents he deserved to finish on more of a high.

So, onwards and upwards - tomorrow, a walk in the Saechsische Schweiz a (apparently) beautiful National Park near Dresden, before going to the Dresden Christmas market - I can hardly contain my excitement.

Water Boilers and Lazy Animals

Today is the first day of my half term. Two weeks off school, and with everyone in my Studentenwohnheim scurrying off home for the holidays I face the question - how to fill my two weeks living alone and without spending money. Well I suppose I could watch lots of German telly, rent some German films from the library, take strolls around town, and get through the pile of books I brought with me. All of this I intend to do, although I do know that I should be using this time to travel the country and visit people, go to Prague, and do all sorts of exciting things I don't have time for in my regular working week. However, all that will have to wait until next month, when I've been paid and am a little richer.

Anyway, this week I have managed to attend a German Biology lesson, a German Geography lesson about the landscapes of North and South America, and a German Maths lesson (I managed to get 3 out of 4 of the sums correct - a little embarrassing considering the pupils in the class were 12 years old, but I was nevertheless pleased to discover that I could remember at least something of my Maths lessons that finished 6 years ago). This was thanks to one of the English teachers not being able to come into school and so, as I am obliged to fill up my allotted 12 lessons a week productively, I decided that attending these lessons would be an interesting use of my time.

The rest of the time I've been learning to think on my feet and improvise. Having not been told what I've got to do before I actually get to some of my lessons, I've been given groups of kids and a topic, and been told to go and fill 45/20/15 minutes. At first it was a pretty scary experience - having to make it up as I go along, and thinking 'AAAAAH! I'VE GOT NOTHING PREPARED! WHAT DO I DO!?' but after a couple of times, it's not so bad - I suppose at least I should be grateful that I haven't had to spend every evening planning 2 or 3 full lessons like some of the other language assistants have.

Teaching your own language really does make you realise how much you actually don't know. Well obviously you know it, but you can't explain why. For example, doing some group-work with five 13-year-olds this week, and having to correct mistakes such as 'I have known him since 5 years' and 'I've been there for yesterday', the pressure was on as five beady eyes were on me looking for an explanation of when to use 'since' and 'for' correctly, and more importantly, why. So, with chalk in hand and a blackboard behind me (yes they still use blackboards and chalk in Germany) I tried to be every inch the knowledgeable and wise guide to the ins and outs of the English language they expected me to be. So, after stumbling through an explanation that even I wasn't sure was 100% correct, I wearily sat down and hoped that I'd at least been able to shed some light on this problem for them, and vowed silently that later on I would find out the answer once and for all.

It is a pretty strange experience being on the other side of a school environment. I am now a teacher/member of staff/adult in the children's eyes. They walk past me in the corridor and say "Hallo Frau Cropper" (I'm still not sure how comfortable I am being called Frau Cropper - it makes me feel a bit like an elderly spinster) and some look as though they're being led to the gallows when they come out to talk to me. On one occasion this week I got to a lesson before the teacher and as I walked into the noisy classroom, the students, who had all been chatting and laughing with eachother, promptly all went back to their seats, stopped talking, and looked at me. An awkward moment ensued, after which I panicked and assured them that they could carry on chatting until the teacher got there. 

Aside from my school pressures, I've really been appreciating the joys of the logical German language. After discovering mid-week that the kettle had started leaking and faced with the terrible prospect of maybe not being able to make tea, I realised that I did not know how to tell my Hausmeisterin (the woman who looks after the house and all the student residents) of this circumstance as I did not know the German word for 'kettle'. So, I approached a fellow housemate and asked (in German): "What is the that thing in the kitchen called that kocht (boils) Wasser (water)?". To which I received the reply: "A Wasserkocher". A 'water-boiler'? Really? Why didn't I think of that? Maybe because my language has stupid words like 'kettle' instead of just saying it how it is. I was further amused yesterday when I discovered that a sloth was called a 'Faultier' -quite literally a 'lazy animal'. 

So I continue to pursue my goal of being a German-speaker, and last night watched four 'How I Met Your Mother' episodes auf Deutsch. Although I probably got the jokes because I am a huge How I Met Your Mother geek and have seen them a hundred times before, I nevertheless allowed myself to wallow in the pride, happiness, and contentment that came from telling myself that I can now even understand humour in German.

Living Rooms and Melting Pork

Having now spent a month here in Germany, time is passing by a lot more quickly.

Friday afternoon I was a lady who lunched. And lunched in the most fantastic Sorbian restaurant. With Bautzen being a highly Sorbian area, it was only a matter of time before I visited 'Sorbisches Restaurant Wjelbik' in Kornstrasse (please, if you ever find yourself in Bautzen, do not pass this place by!), and it was possibly the nicest food I have ever had the pleasure to eat (and I have eaten a lot of nice food in my time). Part of its charm is the picturesque medieval brick walls and ceiling, and another is definitely the traditional Sorbian dress worn by the staff. Then the icing on the cake (for me) was the perfect portion sizes and melt-in-the-mouth pork covered with a delicious crispy coating. I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it.

After this I spent the weekend in Dresden (again), but this time looked around the Altstadt, the main tourist area, which is absolutely beautiful, but beware: also very expensive. I saw the very impressive Frauenkirche, which was in the middle of a gorgeous town square, and right next to the 'Fuerstenzug', the largest porcelain artwork in the world. Amidst all this sightseeing, my friend and I decided that this might be a lovely place to stop for a drink. So we sat down at a lovely-looking restaurant, but almost ran away with fright when we saw that the price of a 500ml bottle of water was 5, 30 euros (about £4.50). It was decided then and there that our thirst would be better quenched in the far more affordable Neustadt area. Here we found ourselves in the most adorable little cafe called 'Wohnzimmer', which lived up to its name as it looked, quite literally, like a living room. The cosy, homely place was decked out with mismatching sofas, armchairs, and coffee tables. And their hot chocolate was to die for!

The only downside to my trip was my bad experience with mitfahrdgelegenheit.de (which, up until now, I have always found a very reliable, and cheap, way of travelling around) on the way home. The site works by typing in which town you wish to travel from and to, and then a list of people making that journey in their cars is provided. Booking with one of these people means that they will take you to (insert desired town here) for a minimal fee. Everyone I have travelled with so far has been the epitome of friendliness and reliability, except the last guy I booked with. After hanging up on me on the phone twice, and then not replying to my email, he also thought it might be fun to just not turn up at the arranged place without letting me know. So, after half an hour of waiting at Neustadt train station I finally had to accept my fate and buy a train ticket, which was three times the price of what I was expecting to pay with Mitfahrgelegenheit. Ah such is life. At least I managed to get home.

My bad luck did not turn around yesterday either. Got to school and was working away in my first lesson, and got so carried away I forgot to leave when I should and go to my next one. The result was that I arrived at my second lesson as all the students were filing out of the room. Apologising to the teacher (who was thankfully very understanding and lovely about it, but I nevertheless felt terrible) then made me late to my third lesson. So all-in-all I was quite glad to get back home. Today, however, was a lot more successful, and I managed not to be an idiot. So hopefully my moment of madness will be soon forgotten by all.

On a completely different note, I watched this inspiring 11 minute speech by Tim Minchin yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoEezZD71sc. Enjoy :)

Language Learning and Bureaucracy

A week at school and I'm finally getting used to its ridiculously early starts. Spent the week sitting in on lessons with students from the ages of 10 - 17, all in an effort to understand the very different levels I will eventually be working with.

It is quite astounding to actually see how far these students come with regards to their English in only five years; much much further than English students come with most of their foreign languages (from my own experience), but from what I can see, most of the Year 11s (16-17 year-olds) in this school speak English almost fluently and can talk about and understand a range of topical subjects, whereas in England you can pretty much guarantee that unless you are extremely naturally talented at learning languages, or your parents come from another country, a language learned in school will be forgotten soon after leaving. And the reason for this: WE ARE ALWAYS TAUGHT IN ENGLISH. Even the 10-year-olds in Germany are immersed in English throughout their English lessons. They are constantly being spoken to by the teacher in the target language, and consequently pick it up much faster. My German lessons up until A-Level mostly consisted of being spoken to by my teacher in English, having German grammar explained in English, doing written exercises, and occasionally listening to a cassette tape of someone saying, "Hallo. Ich heisse Juergen". And I was not even exposed to a foreign language at school until I was 12. Terrible, some might say. Well, I would. Languages are essential, and our education system needs to start recognising that, before the whole of England succumbs to this terrible affliction that is monolingualism.

Aside from my school-life, I have been having a busy 'getting sorted' week; getting ready to move into my new Studentenwohnheim next week, opening a German bank account, and registering myself as a Bautzen resident. A word of warning to anybody wanting to live in Germany for over a month: make sure you go to the local Einwohnermeldeamt and REGISTER (abmelden). I never realised that in Germany every single person who moves to a new town has to register at the local office. Consequently got a serious ticking off from the (very grumpy) woman at the office because I made the mistake of telling her I lived in Bremen for three months in 2010. "Where are your papers", she asks. "Oh, I didn't know then that I had to register", I reply. Cue a stern talk and then half an hour of waiting around while she phones various people trying to find out what she should do. My advice would have been to accept that I have no papers for something I never did three years ago and move on, but I guess that's classic German bureaucracy for you. 

So now, I must pack. It's the big move on Monday.

Willkommen in Bautzen

As a 22-year-old graduate I was faced with the age old question of how best to fill my time now I no longer had the pressure of essays, lectures, and awkward landlords. So I set about applying for anything and everything, and praying for divine intervention to land me with a great job, ultimately leading to the perfect future (said envisaged perfect future entails both being fluent in German and money being no object. Simple dreams huh). My prayers were answered (sort of) eventually this summer when I found out I'd been offered a place as an English language assistant for a year in a Gymnasium (Grammar School) in Bautzen, which is a town in Saxony not far from Dresden. Ok, so my 800 euros a month isn't going to make me the millionaire I'd always hoped I'd be, but at least it did mean that the Fluency in German Dream was at least slightly in reach.

So, touching down at Cologne airport for my 3-day language assistant training course, I suddenly come to the realisation that this is where the real work begins. Suddenly filled with dread at the thought of having to deal with gobby teenagers, I consider using the few euros I have actually managed to bring to buy a flight back to London. But having got up at 3am to catch my horrendously early flight and also dealing with an unbearably heavy suitcase that does not have a proper handle, I decide I wanted to make that pain worth it. Fears quickly put aside though when I saw all the other mentally harassed, tired, and equally anxious language assistants, and I happily jumped onto the coach that arrived to take us to our destination about 45 minutes away from our city of arrival.

Having always travelled to cities and built up areas in Germany, I was not prepared for the absolutely gorgeous scenery I was confronted with. Steep valleys adorned with trees, green fields for miles, and not a building in sight. I think my previous encounters with especially Bremen and Berlin had got it into my head that Germany was one big bustling city. So seeing this side of it was lovely.

The hotel (Maria in der Aue in Wermelskirchen) was in the middle of nowhere, and as we got off the coach and I walked up to the building, it smacked of a medieval princess castle, what with its archway and round turret, and I was expecting the inside to look just as cosy. It wasn't. But it was certainly impressive. Its modern, business-like interior and rural, out-of-the-way setting are almost paradoxical. It was the kind of conference centre I'd expect to see in the middle of a city.

We were plied with vast amounts of absolutely delicious food morning, afternoon, and evening, with a mid-afternoon cake supply for good measure. As the course comprised intensity from 8 in the morning until about 8 at night, there was little time to burn off this food. Now, I am a keen eater and a not-so-keen exerciser, but even I was feeling so stodgy I wanted to go out for a run by the third day.

The train journey from Cologne to Bautzen was very, very long, and took up my whole Thursday. It also involved changing at Frankfurt and again at Dresden, but nevertheless, in true German-style, everything ran on time and it was a pretty smooth transition. I have been looking into cheaper and faster ways to travel around the country whilst I'm here and think I might try using the online hitch-hiking scheme Mitfahrgelegenheit next time I want to visit a large city. I've been told it's very cheap, and sometimes faster than travelling somewhere by train.

The journey here was definitely worth it though. The panoramic views of this old medieval town took my breath away, and I am excited to start exploring it properly. That hasn't been possible today though as it was my first day at the Philipp-Melanchthon-Gymnasium. A bit of a shock to the system as the school day starts at 7:30am here, meaning I was up at half past 5, but it is a lovely and welcoming school. Sat in on a few lessons and yearned for the German fluency of the 11-year-old students. Also realised that they actually all seemed like quite nice kids, so maybe my fears were a little bit off the mark.

Actually looking forward to starting properly now, and excited for this weekend as going to Poland for the day (another reason I like Bautzen - I am so close to the Czech and Polish borders). But for this afternoon I'm taking it easy. Will definitely be sleeping well tonight.