May 12th-19th
Monday
Today was a holiday, so almost everyone had off work. This didn't really affect me though because I usually always have Mondays off. So anyway, the other Kiel assistants and I did a tour of the Baltic coast on the Eastern side of Kiel in the Mercedes Benz that Siobhan had. We started at a lake called Seltener. We parked and walked down to the area designated “beach.” When we got to the “beach,” we couldn't help but laugh because it must have been only about 10-15 feet long, just big enough to get into the water! Here we made friends with some little children. We seem to attract them wherever we go. The one little boy really liked Dee and kept trying to get her to go deeper into the water. We spent about half an hour there and then were back in the car with the map in our hands, looking for our next destination. Lutjenburg was our next stop on the journey. Here we found the Bismark tower and climbed it to the top to get a fabulous view of the city and of the Baltic Coast. The rapeseed fields shone a golden yellow in the sun and added to the scenic view. We also found a giant chess board here with pieces that were about the size of me! It made me think of Harry Potter only here the pieces didn't attack you when playing! After climbing the tour and eating our picnic lunch, we went into town and got ice cream. We wandered around the town which is really small, but very cute and then we went back to the car to continue on in the direction of Schoenberger Strand. The water there was crystal clear and we decided to rent a paddle boat for half an hour. The girls made me do the talking to the man renting them, which of course didn't bother me. The guy asked me if I was from Denmark when I told him my last name. I laughed and said no, that it is English, but that I am from the States. Upon saying that I was from the States, the heads of all the people sitting at the rental place turned to me. I wasn't sure why this was so interesting...perhaps because I was speaking German...hopefully some day, the Germans will get used to the fact that some Americans can and do speak German! Anyway the boat ride was a lot of fun and the water and view were amazing. After this, we were all pretty exhausted from the day in the sun and we made our way back to Kiel. I went over to Dee's and we made fajitas for dinner and watched the movie “Now and Then.”
Tuesday was my first day back to school after my trip to Prague and of course everyone was asking how the trip was and whether I had recovered from it. The kids were happy to see me again, as they usually are when I have been gone for a while or we have a break. I only ended up having one class today and then in the afternoon, I went to the cheap showing (1 Euro) of “P.S. I love you” at the Bruecke Movie Theater with Dee and Shivs. The movie was really good, but also sad and I actually teared up at a few places.
On Wednesday, I once again didn't have much to do at school. I had class with my little ones and then had to help with the Abitur test corrections again.
I finally got to work with one of my 10th grade classes, on Thursday, that I haven't been with for about 3 or more weeks. They were so sweet when I came into the room, they all shouted “Vanessa!” and one of the students was teasing me saying “you don't like us anymore.” I told them that this wasn't true, but that I had been gone on the trip to Prague and then had been busy with some of the other classes. Once again, it's times like these, when you really like the teaching assistant position as opposed to the actual teaching position. Of course they would never have this reaction with a real teacher that they see all the time.
On Friday, after school Dee, Siobhan and I met up with Alex at the train station. He was on his way to visit Ryan in Sweden. We had coffee with him and saw him off. Then I came back home to go running and eat dinner. In the evening, I met back up with the Dee and Shivs and we went to the movies again and this time we saw “The Bucket List.” In German the title translates to “The Best Comes at the End.” I'm not really sure why the translations for the movie titles are sometimes extremely different, but I guess in this case it is because most German's don't understand or know the idiom “kicking the bucket” and would therefore not understand the English title if it were directly translated. It was another good movie, but also very sad.
]I was picked up at 9 am on Saturday by Jens (one of the English teachers at the school), Christiane (his wife), and Tjag (his 3-year old grandson). Jens had invited me to go to an island in the North Sea with them. The island is called Sylt and is the most famous island in Germany, next to maybe Ruegen. Sylt is a very expensive place to live, most of it is a Nature preservation and there are a lot of rich and prominent people who own homes there. We started off heading to Tonder in Denmark where we planning to catch the ferry over to the island. In the car, I was reading some German children's books to Tjag, who was quiet at first. It didn't take long though until he was my friend and talking up a storm. When we stopped in Tonder, we walked around the small, but cute city going in some of the shops. Here we grabbed a Danish hot dog (with pickles, bacon bits, mustard, and mayo). It was actually good, although I don't like most of these things! From Tonder, we drove to the place where the ferry arrives and drove the car onto the boat. Unfortunately, the weather was the worst it had been in days. The sky was cloudy and it was really windy and cool, so we went inside and sat down to enjoy the view. Now I have ridden both a train and a car onto a ferry! After the ferry made it to the island, we got back in the car and drove off. We drove through the dunes, which have formed from the sand and wind. We parked by a lighthouse and then walked through the dunes to the water. It was too windy there, so we drove to the other side because Tjag wanted to build a sandcastle. Christiane and I helped him and it looked really nice when we were done. When we were done here, we drove through more of Sylt and to another small village on the island, where we got out and walked around the old houses and then along the water. This was our last stop for the day and from here we drove on to Westerland, where we went on the German Cartrain. Once again a form of transportation that probably only exists in Germany, the land of innovation. You drive your car onto the train and sit in it, while the train takes you to your destination! There's a first time for everything, I guess! We rode it until it didn't go any further and then we drove into a small city to get dinner. We ate at an Imbiss. We had Currywurst and fries and Tjag was happy. He was starting to get tired after such a long day, but he never got winy and was never in a bad mood. He's a very sweet little boy, who asked me if I would stay the night with them as we came into Kiel and they dropped me off. I thought this was really sweet because Kirstin's kids always ask the same thing. Jens said I had won him over. I had a great day with them and thanked them for taking me and then went up to my apartment.
Sunday, I wanted to go to one of my teacher's (Kirstin's) today, but no one was there, when I called again. I haven't been over to see her and her kids and husband for a while. So instead, I ended up cleaning my room and doing laundry, when I found out that I was having visitors. Rachel and Leah were currently on a European tour and managed to fit me in the plan. They arrived at 1 am after some complications with the trains and I forgot to tell her that there was a Plum and a Plumly living in my building. Therefore, she rang the wrong room at first Oops...they got a little surprise! After I went down and got them, we sat around chatting a bit and then went to bed because we had to get up early to leave for Hamburg.
Monday
In Hamburg, I met up with Eva Schramm, who works for the American Consulate in Hamburg. I was going with her to the Hansa Kolleg a school for students around my age who are trying to get their highest education degree (they already had a lower one), so that they can go to college now. I was supposed to talk to a class of students about the upcoming elections in the U.S. there. She picked me up at the station and Rachel and Leah were off to do a harbor tour that I recommended to them, while I was speaking at the school. We planned to meet back up in the afternoon.
The first thing we did was take the subway to the area where the school is. From there we went to a cafe and she bought me coffee to go and a Chocolate Croissant. We walked to the school and sat outside on the steps drinking our coffee and eating. The teacher who we were meeting arrived shortly later and took us into the school. Eva, from the embassy, knows the teacher very well. Anyway, the teacher, Mrs. Feldner gave us a tour of the school and introduced us to the school director and her colleagues. The school was huge and had a lot of space, in comparison to my school. I was pretty nervous about speaking, but when I got in front of the class, they all smiled at me and this made me feel much more comfortable. They introduced me and then I began with a short introduction and from there didn't have to worry about making the session last long. The students were very interested in the topic and had endless questions for me. They had already covered the topic in-depth and you could tell that they had been well prepared for my coming. At first I was speaking way too fast (probably out of nervousness) and the school director saw the lost faces that I hadn't noticed and asked me if I could slow down a bit. From there on out things went fairly smoothly. Some of the questions, I was unsure of how to answer or just didn't know what they were asking about and left it at this. I tried to explain everything as best as I could and my throat was very dry and I was actually very exhausted after an hour and a half of answering questions. Of course their opinions were quite critical of the U.S. and with sometimes very good reasons. As suspected, one of the first questions was who I would vote for. Eva told me that they would ask me this and I had asked her if I was even allowed to tell them this. She said I was there as an American Citizen and although performing a sort of ambassador task, was nothing more than this and could say what I wanted. I continuously told the kids that some of my answers were my opinion and that not all Americans had the same one. I also tried to present both sides of the debate to them. Overall, I think it went very well and Mrs. Feldner and Eva were very impressed with the activity and participation of the students. They thanked me for coming and then we (Eva, Mrs. Feldner, and I) went to the school cafeteria and had lunch on the school, which was very nice. We said our goodbyes, then went over to the pet store across the street (Eva wanted to look for some things) and then we went back to the subway and rode to the station, where I was to meet up with Rachel and Leah.
It was still early, so I walked with Eva to her bus stop and then I went to the bank to get money. I found Rachel and Leah and then we went to the city hall to take some pictures and then to the bombed church in Hamburg that serves as a memorial of the war. From there we went to the red light district, which is for some reason a “must see” if in Hamburg. There we took pictures and then walked back towards the city and on the way stopped at a really nice park to take some more pictures. We were a little hungry, so we decided to have ice cream, which is very amazing in German and another “must” for any visitor! We were in luck and had a very good looking German boy waiting on us. In addition, the ice cream was wonderful!! After this, we were on our way back to the station. Out of the blue, a boy came up from behind us and asked us if we were American and then asked us where we were from. He had overheard us speaking English. Peter was his name and he told us he was from Kentucky. I laughed and said that I would be moving to Kentucky to study at the University of Kentucky. Then he said that this is where he studies! Rachel, Leah and I found this very random and strange. He ended up walking into the city with us and we talked to him, asking why he was in Germany (he was traveling on his own) and what he was doing. He had just visited a friend in Scotland who was studying abroad and then he wanted to come to Germany. After Hamburg, he was on his way to see Salzburg because he will probably study abroad there in a year or two. He studies international relations and is taking German. Interesting...I could possibly end up teaching him in German 2. We split up once we made it back into the city center and us girls laughed about the strange meeting.
Rachel and Leah were quiet on the train ride back to Kiel. When we got back, I showed them one of the best views of the city from the bridge and then we went to get dinner at the Balkan Restaurant, where I had been with Harald (Dr. Menz) when he came to visit. We were the only customers there, which made it very a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. I struck up conversation with the waitress who was telling us about her family and where they were originally from in former Yugoslavia. Rach chimed in now and then and I told her if she stayed in Germany for a while, she could become fluent. She remembers a lot for only minoring in it. Dinner was fabulous and after dinner, I took the two of them to the Kiel Brewery and ordered them a very typical German drink called “Alsterwasser” in the North. In the South known as “Radler.” After this, we were exhausted and headed back to my apartment to crash for the night.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Brace yourself!
May 5th-11th
This one is going to be long... but good!
Monday
After breakfast we all met in the lobby where our translator and tour guide joined up with us. She led us on a tour of the old part of the city and told us about some of the history of Prague and its important historical buildings. This was a very interesting tour although the kids grew pretty impatient after the first hour. It was hard to keep their attention because the translator kept giving a lot of detailed information, that didn't really interest the kids as much as she had hoped. She showed us part of the University in Prague, the building where Kafka was born, the Charles Bridge and Charles Alley. The tour lasted about 2 or 3 hours and by the time we were done, everyone was hungry for lunch.
We had wanted to all go out to lunch together at a place that the tour guide had recommended, but when we went in to the restaurant, most of the tables were reserved and they were yelling at us for trying to sit upstairs. We decided this was a bad idea and most of the kids wanted to eat at Subway and save money, so we decided to split up. Four of the girls stayed to eat with Sascha, Andrea and I at the restaurant and the rest were off. This time, we went back in and were seated immediately. It appeared to us, however, that the people working here hated tourists. I, of course, can definitely understand this, but then again think that it is an important part of what keeps them in business. The menu was only in Czech, which made it a little hard for us to understand what we were ordering. We could decipher a few things, but the language is of course very different from English or German. The waiter got angry when we asked him what the dishes were in English and hastily and rudely read through them. We ordered and then waited for our food. Somehow, the man misunderstood Andrea and brought beef instead of chicken for her and the other girls. This led to a long debate over what she ordered and I knew that she said chicken. The man became even more angry and walked away without saying anything. He came back with the order he had written down and pointed it out to us. Then he brought the chicken anyway. We were just glad to have our food. It was absolutely delicious as one could expect, we just had to overcome some obstacles to get it! I had ordered pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings. This is a traditional Czech meal. It can also be served with beef or chicken and there are two different types of dumplings, bread and potato dumplings. They both taste fabulous. The girls had ordered pancakes with fruit for desert and they looked amazing too. Unfortunately, I didn't have any room left for any. We feared getting the bill because we thought we might have to pay extra, but in the end the man was very nice to us and we didn't.
After eating we walked around the city some more and all sat down in a cafe. This wasn't the best idea because we were in the tourist section and payed triple the price for a coffee. We learned our lesson and didn't repeat this mistake. Later, we all separated and Andrea and I went to buy some postcards. We found really cheap ones and then sat at a restaurant having a drink as we filled them out. After this, it was time t meet back up with the rest of the class and then we went back to the hotel. Dinner was at 6 and there we planned to go out to a sports bar for the evening. I called my friend Marketa, who I met in Heidelberg and now works in Prague and told her to meet me there. She walked in the door and it was crazy seeing her again. Another reunion, two years after we last saw each other and things were as normal as ever! It was like no time had passed and we just picked up where we left off. We spent the rest of the evening catching up on the past two years and then we asked if she could tag along on the tour tomorrow and no one had a problem with this.
Tuesday
I woke up today and went for an early run with Viola, one of the students on the class trip. We had a nice half-hour chat while running and it was nice to get to know her better because she is a very sweet girl. After our run, I got ready for the day and went down to breakfast. I found Marketa after breakfast and then we were all off to Terezin, the ghetto where the European Jews were sent on their way to being deported to other work and concentration camps. I knew this would be the most depressing part of our stay. Appropriately enough, the weather was dreary and it even rained a little while we were there. It stopped, however, after we left Terezin. Fitting for the occasion, I must say. Our tour guide showed us around the cells and the rooms filled with giant bunks that had been overfilled with people and told us the stories about sickness and starvation that killed most of the people who came through Terezin. There weren't any gas chambers there. Most of the people who came through Terezin were however sent on and killed in the camps. There were very few survivors. Only two people managed to escape the ghetto because it was a fortress that was almost impossible to escape and it was heavily guarded.
After the actual tour of the ghetto and fortress, we went to a museum that recounted the history of the use of the ghetto. This was also very interesting, although unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to get to see and read everything. We took the bus back to the hotel and from here, Marketa and I went to grab lunch. We each had a gyro and then we met back up with the group and were off to the old part of the city again. Andrea was in search of a Pizzeria and we found one. Marketa and I just had coffee, while Sascha and Andrea ate. We found the Jazz club Agharta and planned to go there for the night. Unfortunately not all the kids wanted to go, but we turned out to be a good sized group. The band that played was fairly good and we had a nice relaxing night, while the others went back to the sports bar for the evening.
Wednesday
After breakfast today, we went to the monastery on the small side of Prague and from there we went up to the Prague Castle that sits on the hilltop with a beautiful view of the entire city. Here, me and a few of the girls wandered around the dome and then took the 287 stairs to the top of the tower, where we could see everything from above! From there we went along the Golden Alley where very small houses from that date to the middle ages reside. This is where we all met back up again and then we walked down through the small side. After turmoil over the day tickets, we split up into small groups and I went with Sascha to get lunch. We went back to another restaurant that the tour guide had suggested to us that was in a quiet, less touristy section of Prague along the Moldau River. The place was packed and as we were getting ready to eat somewhere else, a table became free. We sat outside because the weather was so beautiful and we ran into 3 of our students who decided they would join us. Here I had an absolutely delicious gulash with dumplings...MMmmm! Also typically Czech. This made the conversation a bit more interesting. I like Sascha, but he has a very dry personality and doesn't say a whole lot. After eating, I asked the girls if they wanted to join me in climbing the City Hall tower to get some pictures. They said yes and we split from Sascha there. The view was again amazing and the weather was perfect!! The girls and I stopped at a few shops on the way back to the hotel. Viola found me when I came in and asked me if I wanted to go running then so we didn't have to get up early in the morning, so we went for our jog. After dinner, the kids wanted to go back to the sports bar again because a German soccer team was playing (probably also because they could get really cheap beer there, just a wild guess!), but when we got there, the place was already packed. The boys split from Andrea, the girls and I hoping they would find seats for themselves. I was actually glad because we then went to a bar/cafe that was outside and right around the corner. It had a much nicer atmosphere. About 15-20 minutes later, the boys were back saying that they were asked to leave the bar by the manager because they were under 18. In Germany, kids can drink at the age of 16, but in the Czech Republic not until 18. We thought is was funny that they weren't served and had to laugh about it. Needless to say, I still find it funny that we were on a school trip and the kids were allowed to drink alcohol as long as they didn't get out of hand. Something like this wouldn't be allowed in the U.S., but then again maybe it would be better if it was because at least the drinking would be controlled if it was in front of a teacher, rather than hidden in bags and such. Just a thought.
Thursday
Today the kids were split up into groups and had to do a type of scavenger hunt and answer questions. The groups were picked at random and sent off at separate times. They then had to find all the answers and the group with the most correct would win a prize. I had planned to meet up with Marketa again today and she was bringing Petra, another Czech friend of mine from Heidelberg. She was able to come see me because May 8th is a national holiday in the Czech Republic, celebrating the victory over the Germans from World War II. It was great to see Petra again and we went for lunch after we met. It was wonderful to see the capital of Prague in the presence of my friends. It made the experience even better. They are very special friends of mine, even if I don't see them that often. At the cafe we ate at, we called yet another Czech friend of mine, who wasn't able to make it to Prague to see me. Hearing her voice for the first time in two years was also a special moment. I can't explain the feeling, but it's great to have friends from all over the world, who can share their culture, ideas and hearts with you. There's nothing quite like it.
After lunch, we went for a 2 hour walk through the old city across the bridge to the small side and through a park that I had been in two days ago. The weather was again the best I've seen while here in Europe and we sat along the river chatting and soaking up the sun. At 4 we left to go to Marketa's apartment. It was in a very nice area of Prague and the apartment was very nice and also large. It was nice to see where she lives and just relax and spend time with her and Petra before I had to see them off at the station. They were heading out for Olomouc, the city where they studied and where I visited them two years ago. We said our goodbyes and I was somewhat sad, but also very happy that I had the chance to see them again. I know it wasn't the last time, I will see them!
From the station, I went back to the hotel for dinner and in the evening we didn't have anything planned, so Andrea and I decided to have a drink and talk. It was a really relaxing night and a good end to a wonderful trip. I feel that I have a pretty close connection to her and a few of the other teachers here and this also makes me happy, but sad to know that I will be leaving soon... After this, I went back upstairs and joined some of the girls who were watching Germany's next top model and then I went to bed. Unfortunately, my roommates, although they wanted to live with me in a room, were not that social and didn't ever seem interested when I tried to start conversation with them.
Of course what would the trip be without some excitement! At about 3:30 in the morning, the fire alarm went off. My roommates weren't getting out of bed so I went out into the hallway to check things out. No one was leaving our floor, so I decided that it wasn't real. The Italians on the 3rd and 5th floors had been partying loudly every night we were at the hotel all through the night and hitting on our girls during the day (they're smart enough to not go for this!). Anyway, on this night, the Italians were smoking and set off the smoke detector. They then took the fire extinguisher and this set off the fire alarm. Apparently, my floor was the only floor that didn't exit the building. The kids on the 3rd floor along with Sascha and Andrea had all went outside in their pjs. I had seen a man who works at the hotel come to our floor and try to turn off the alarm, so I knew there was nothing wrong or he wouldn't have done this and he would have told us to leave. I was just glad to know it wasn't our students who did this.
Friday
In the morning we woke up and finished packing. We met in the lobby after breakfast and turned in our keys. Then we had to wait to get our deposit money back from the hotel. This was complicated, as they tried to short us 30 Euro and we had to wait until this was fixed. From the hotel we headed to the station. We arrived about an hour and a half before the train was to leave, so some of the kids went and bought food for the train.
To our luck, the train was delayed another half an hour and when that half an hour was up, twenty more minutes and then an hour and a half later our train from Budapest to Hamburg arrived. We were going to arrive late in Kiel and were unsure of the connection which we would be able to catch. Fortunately, we were able to get an ICE from Hamburg and only arrived about 30 minutes later than expected. The train ride seemed to last an eternity though because we had been waiting on it for so long. Sven, Andrea's husband met us at the station and Viola's mom, the girl I went running with had brought Andrea flowers and Sascha and I chocolates for taking the kids on the trip. I thought this was very sweet and thoughtful of her. The kids were off and so were we. They dropped me off at home and told me they would call me on the weekend, since they were planning to cook out because the weather was so nice. I thanked them and then went up to my room, looked at my pictures, and went to bed.
Saturday
I didn't sleep in today after the long journey. I woke up from the sun and went running around 8. I met up with my assistant friends around 10:30 and we left for Rendsburg in a black Mercedes Benz, for which Siobhan had won a free weekend rental. They had planned a cookout for the day at her place. It was funny riding with Siobhan in a car in Germany. First of all, she is from Northern Ireland and therefore used to driving on the other side of the road, second of all the car was an automatic (she got this in case Dee or I would have to drive for some reason) and she is used to a standard and thirdly, she didn't know where she was going and Dee became the navigation system with the atlas map! We made it to Rendsburg without getting lost or hurt! I was impressed. They went shopping, while Heather and I waited for them to get back. Everyone else arrived around 2 or so and we fired up the grill around 3 or 3:30. It took us a while to get it going, because the coals weren't that great, but finally it was ready for cooking. The first thing we put on the grill was the chicken. I had cut it into strips and Rebecca had put on the flavoring. Dee and I cooked the chicken and we placed the potatoes wrapped in foil on the coals to cook. After everything was ready, round one was eaten. Round two, the hamburgers were then cooked by Nick. We had salad with them and then round three was sausages, which I could only eat a half. I hadn't eaten this much meat in a long time because it is expensive (same as at home). Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we had been yelled at by a woman who lives in the complex where Siobhan lives. She told us that we had to put our grill where the other one was, only later to be told by the landlord that we could put it wherever we wanted. He actually MADE us move it to a grassy spot on the lawn, where he said it would be much nicer. It was really funny, because he sounded so angry when he was doing this based on his tone of voice, but he wasn't mad at all. I was just frustrated, that he wouldn't leave us alone. But silly me, “Ordnung muss sein” The Germans favorite quote: “There must be order.” Marshmallows and a cookie that Alex made were our deserts. Basically we had been eating for 5 straight hours...
This is where the movement has to come in! So we were playing ball, I was doing flips and Siobhan was juggling in the yard. I think we should start a traveling circus act! We also made up a game that we called Schlesi Ball (short for Schleswig-Holstein, our state). This consisted of Siobhan juggling knives in the middle of a giant circle of six people, three of whom were throwing balls to each other, and three of whom were tossing clubs to each other. Basically total chaos, but one would expect nothing else coming from us! Martin even taped this and it looks insane! We also made friends with the neighbors and their kids. They were grilling out too and the two little boys decided to play ball with us. The one kept kicking Dee's soccer ball over the fence and into the other neighbor's yard and we made him go get it. The little one wanted to learn baseball, so Alex and I took turns pitching to him. I have to admit that we were successful because he was hitting at the end.
Around 9:30 or so we left Rendsburg for Kiel. After we parked the merc, I came home and went straight to bed. Andrea had sent me a message saying they would be grilling tomorrow at 6.
Sunday
I woke up and went running and then just spent the rest of the morning and afternoon relaxing. Anke, my roommate, asked me if I wanted to go and get some ice cream with her so we walked up the road to her favorite place, bought an ice cream cone and sat outside in the sun. It was warm, but still windy. Later, I rode my bike to Andrea's and her sister was already there. Two of her other friends that I had already met once before were coming over with their 5 or so month old daughter (Andrea's god-child). I had seen the mother when the baby was still in her belly, so I was excited to get to see the little girl. She was absolutely adorable with huge blue eyes. Sven got the grill going and put the first round of meat on it. This was steak. I haven't had steak the whole time I have been here, so I was actually really excited and it was delicious! I had another piece (they were smaller) and then they gave me a piece of pork and yet another small piece of steak. I couldn't eat any more after this, although they tried to give me a sausage, I had to politely decline. I knew there was a reason that I hadn't eaten much for lunch. I was on meat overload from yesterday and today! You didn't hear me complaining though. After dinner, the others left and I stayed a while longer talking to Sven and Andrea. We had a coffee and watched the pictures on their tv that Andrea had taken while we in Prague. Her pictures were very good too. She took a lot more of the kids, which made me happy because I had a lot of the city. After this we went back outside for a while and then around 11:30, I decided it was time to ride back home and get to bed. I thanked them for the lovely evening and went home.
This one is going to be long... but good!
Monday
After breakfast we all met in the lobby where our translator and tour guide joined up with us. She led us on a tour of the old part of the city and told us about some of the history of Prague and its important historical buildings. This was a very interesting tour although the kids grew pretty impatient after the first hour. It was hard to keep their attention because the translator kept giving a lot of detailed information, that didn't really interest the kids as much as she had hoped. She showed us part of the University in Prague, the building where Kafka was born, the Charles Bridge and Charles Alley. The tour lasted about 2 or 3 hours and by the time we were done, everyone was hungry for lunch.
We had wanted to all go out to lunch together at a place that the tour guide had recommended, but when we went in to the restaurant, most of the tables were reserved and they were yelling at us for trying to sit upstairs. We decided this was a bad idea and most of the kids wanted to eat at Subway and save money, so we decided to split up. Four of the girls stayed to eat with Sascha, Andrea and I at the restaurant and the rest were off. This time, we went back in and were seated immediately. It appeared to us, however, that the people working here hated tourists. I, of course, can definitely understand this, but then again think that it is an important part of what keeps them in business. The menu was only in Czech, which made it a little hard for us to understand what we were ordering. We could decipher a few things, but the language is of course very different from English or German. The waiter got angry when we asked him what the dishes were in English and hastily and rudely read through them. We ordered and then waited for our food. Somehow, the man misunderstood Andrea and brought beef instead of chicken for her and the other girls. This led to a long debate over what she ordered and I knew that she said chicken. The man became even more angry and walked away without saying anything. He came back with the order he had written down and pointed it out to us. Then he brought the chicken anyway. We were just glad to have our food. It was absolutely delicious as one could expect, we just had to overcome some obstacles to get it! I had ordered pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings. This is a traditional Czech meal. It can also be served with beef or chicken and there are two different types of dumplings, bread and potato dumplings. They both taste fabulous. The girls had ordered pancakes with fruit for desert and they looked amazing too. Unfortunately, I didn't have any room left for any. We feared getting the bill because we thought we might have to pay extra, but in the end the man was very nice to us and we didn't.
After eating we walked around the city some more and all sat down in a cafe. This wasn't the best idea because we were in the tourist section and payed triple the price for a coffee. We learned our lesson and didn't repeat this mistake. Later, we all separated and Andrea and I went to buy some postcards. We found really cheap ones and then sat at a restaurant having a drink as we filled them out. After this, it was time t meet back up with the rest of the class and then we went back to the hotel. Dinner was at 6 and there we planned to go out to a sports bar for the evening. I called my friend Marketa, who I met in Heidelberg and now works in Prague and told her to meet me there. She walked in the door and it was crazy seeing her again. Another reunion, two years after we last saw each other and things were as normal as ever! It was like no time had passed and we just picked up where we left off. We spent the rest of the evening catching up on the past two years and then we asked if she could tag along on the tour tomorrow and no one had a problem with this.
Tuesday
I woke up today and went for an early run with Viola, one of the students on the class trip. We had a nice half-hour chat while running and it was nice to get to know her better because she is a very sweet girl. After our run, I got ready for the day and went down to breakfast. I found Marketa after breakfast and then we were all off to Terezin, the ghetto where the European Jews were sent on their way to being deported to other work and concentration camps. I knew this would be the most depressing part of our stay. Appropriately enough, the weather was dreary and it even rained a little while we were there. It stopped, however, after we left Terezin. Fitting for the occasion, I must say. Our tour guide showed us around the cells and the rooms filled with giant bunks that had been overfilled with people and told us the stories about sickness and starvation that killed most of the people who came through Terezin. There weren't any gas chambers there. Most of the people who came through Terezin were however sent on and killed in the camps. There were very few survivors. Only two people managed to escape the ghetto because it was a fortress that was almost impossible to escape and it was heavily guarded.
After the actual tour of the ghetto and fortress, we went to a museum that recounted the history of the use of the ghetto. This was also very interesting, although unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to get to see and read everything. We took the bus back to the hotel and from here, Marketa and I went to grab lunch. We each had a gyro and then we met back up with the group and were off to the old part of the city again. Andrea was in search of a Pizzeria and we found one. Marketa and I just had coffee, while Sascha and Andrea ate. We found the Jazz club Agharta and planned to go there for the night. Unfortunately not all the kids wanted to go, but we turned out to be a good sized group. The band that played was fairly good and we had a nice relaxing night, while the others went back to the sports bar for the evening.
Wednesday
After breakfast today, we went to the monastery on the small side of Prague and from there we went up to the Prague Castle that sits on the hilltop with a beautiful view of the entire city. Here, me and a few of the girls wandered around the dome and then took the 287 stairs to the top of the tower, where we could see everything from above! From there we went along the Golden Alley where very small houses from that date to the middle ages reside. This is where we all met back up again and then we walked down through the small side. After turmoil over the day tickets, we split up into small groups and I went with Sascha to get lunch. We went back to another restaurant that the tour guide had suggested to us that was in a quiet, less touristy section of Prague along the Moldau River. The place was packed and as we were getting ready to eat somewhere else, a table became free. We sat outside because the weather was so beautiful and we ran into 3 of our students who decided they would join us. Here I had an absolutely delicious gulash with dumplings...MMmmm! Also typically Czech. This made the conversation a bit more interesting. I like Sascha, but he has a very dry personality and doesn't say a whole lot. After eating, I asked the girls if they wanted to join me in climbing the City Hall tower to get some pictures. They said yes and we split from Sascha there. The view was again amazing and the weather was perfect!! The girls and I stopped at a few shops on the way back to the hotel. Viola found me when I came in and asked me if I wanted to go running then so we didn't have to get up early in the morning, so we went for our jog. After dinner, the kids wanted to go back to the sports bar again because a German soccer team was playing (probably also because they could get really cheap beer there, just a wild guess!), but when we got there, the place was already packed. The boys split from Andrea, the girls and I hoping they would find seats for themselves. I was actually glad because we then went to a bar/cafe that was outside and right around the corner. It had a much nicer atmosphere. About 15-20 minutes later, the boys were back saying that they were asked to leave the bar by the manager because they were under 18. In Germany, kids can drink at the age of 16, but in the Czech Republic not until 18. We thought is was funny that they weren't served and had to laugh about it. Needless to say, I still find it funny that we were on a school trip and the kids were allowed to drink alcohol as long as they didn't get out of hand. Something like this wouldn't be allowed in the U.S., but then again maybe it would be better if it was because at least the drinking would be controlled if it was in front of a teacher, rather than hidden in bags and such. Just a thought.
Thursday
Today the kids were split up into groups and had to do a type of scavenger hunt and answer questions. The groups were picked at random and sent off at separate times. They then had to find all the answers and the group with the most correct would win a prize. I had planned to meet up with Marketa again today and she was bringing Petra, another Czech friend of mine from Heidelberg. She was able to come see me because May 8th is a national holiday in the Czech Republic, celebrating the victory over the Germans from World War II. It was great to see Petra again and we went for lunch after we met. It was wonderful to see the capital of Prague in the presence of my friends. It made the experience even better. They are very special friends of mine, even if I don't see them that often. At the cafe we ate at, we called yet another Czech friend of mine, who wasn't able to make it to Prague to see me. Hearing her voice for the first time in two years was also a special moment. I can't explain the feeling, but it's great to have friends from all over the world, who can share their culture, ideas and hearts with you. There's nothing quite like it.
After lunch, we went for a 2 hour walk through the old city across the bridge to the small side and through a park that I had been in two days ago. The weather was again the best I've seen while here in Europe and we sat along the river chatting and soaking up the sun. At 4 we left to go to Marketa's apartment. It was in a very nice area of Prague and the apartment was very nice and also large. It was nice to see where she lives and just relax and spend time with her and Petra before I had to see them off at the station. They were heading out for Olomouc, the city where they studied and where I visited them two years ago. We said our goodbyes and I was somewhat sad, but also very happy that I had the chance to see them again. I know it wasn't the last time, I will see them!
From the station, I went back to the hotel for dinner and in the evening we didn't have anything planned, so Andrea and I decided to have a drink and talk. It was a really relaxing night and a good end to a wonderful trip. I feel that I have a pretty close connection to her and a few of the other teachers here and this also makes me happy, but sad to know that I will be leaving soon... After this, I went back upstairs and joined some of the girls who were watching Germany's next top model and then I went to bed. Unfortunately, my roommates, although they wanted to live with me in a room, were not that social and didn't ever seem interested when I tried to start conversation with them.
Of course what would the trip be without some excitement! At about 3:30 in the morning, the fire alarm went off. My roommates weren't getting out of bed so I went out into the hallway to check things out. No one was leaving our floor, so I decided that it wasn't real. The Italians on the 3rd and 5th floors had been partying loudly every night we were at the hotel all through the night and hitting on our girls during the day (they're smart enough to not go for this!). Anyway, on this night, the Italians were smoking and set off the smoke detector. They then took the fire extinguisher and this set off the fire alarm. Apparently, my floor was the only floor that didn't exit the building. The kids on the 3rd floor along with Sascha and Andrea had all went outside in their pjs. I had seen a man who works at the hotel come to our floor and try to turn off the alarm, so I knew there was nothing wrong or he wouldn't have done this and he would have told us to leave. I was just glad to know it wasn't our students who did this.
Friday
In the morning we woke up and finished packing. We met in the lobby after breakfast and turned in our keys. Then we had to wait to get our deposit money back from the hotel. This was complicated, as they tried to short us 30 Euro and we had to wait until this was fixed. From the hotel we headed to the station. We arrived about an hour and a half before the train was to leave, so some of the kids went and bought food for the train.
To our luck, the train was delayed another half an hour and when that half an hour was up, twenty more minutes and then an hour and a half later our train from Budapest to Hamburg arrived. We were going to arrive late in Kiel and were unsure of the connection which we would be able to catch. Fortunately, we were able to get an ICE from Hamburg and only arrived about 30 minutes later than expected. The train ride seemed to last an eternity though because we had been waiting on it for so long. Sven, Andrea's husband met us at the station and Viola's mom, the girl I went running with had brought Andrea flowers and Sascha and I chocolates for taking the kids on the trip. I thought this was very sweet and thoughtful of her. The kids were off and so were we. They dropped me off at home and told me they would call me on the weekend, since they were planning to cook out because the weather was so nice. I thanked them and then went up to my room, looked at my pictures, and went to bed.
Saturday
I didn't sleep in today after the long journey. I woke up from the sun and went running around 8. I met up with my assistant friends around 10:30 and we left for Rendsburg in a black Mercedes Benz, for which Siobhan had won a free weekend rental. They had planned a cookout for the day at her place. It was funny riding with Siobhan in a car in Germany. First of all, she is from Northern Ireland and therefore used to driving on the other side of the road, second of all the car was an automatic (she got this in case Dee or I would have to drive for some reason) and she is used to a standard and thirdly, she didn't know where she was going and Dee became the navigation system with the atlas map! We made it to Rendsburg without getting lost or hurt! I was impressed. They went shopping, while Heather and I waited for them to get back. Everyone else arrived around 2 or so and we fired up the grill around 3 or 3:30. It took us a while to get it going, because the coals weren't that great, but finally it was ready for cooking. The first thing we put on the grill was the chicken. I had cut it into strips and Rebecca had put on the flavoring. Dee and I cooked the chicken and we placed the potatoes wrapped in foil on the coals to cook. After everything was ready, round one was eaten. Round two, the hamburgers were then cooked by Nick. We had salad with them and then round three was sausages, which I could only eat a half. I hadn't eaten this much meat in a long time because it is expensive (same as at home). Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we had been yelled at by a woman who lives in the complex where Siobhan lives. She told us that we had to put our grill where the other one was, only later to be told by the landlord that we could put it wherever we wanted. He actually MADE us move it to a grassy spot on the lawn, where he said it would be much nicer. It was really funny, because he sounded so angry when he was doing this based on his tone of voice, but he wasn't mad at all. I was just frustrated, that he wouldn't leave us alone. But silly me, “Ordnung muss sein” The Germans favorite quote: “There must be order.” Marshmallows and a cookie that Alex made were our deserts. Basically we had been eating for 5 straight hours...
This is where the movement has to come in! So we were playing ball, I was doing flips and Siobhan was juggling in the yard. I think we should start a traveling circus act! We also made up a game that we called Schlesi Ball (short for Schleswig-Holstein, our state). This consisted of Siobhan juggling knives in the middle of a giant circle of six people, three of whom were throwing balls to each other, and three of whom were tossing clubs to each other. Basically total chaos, but one would expect nothing else coming from us! Martin even taped this and it looks insane! We also made friends with the neighbors and their kids. They were grilling out too and the two little boys decided to play ball with us. The one kept kicking Dee's soccer ball over the fence and into the other neighbor's yard and we made him go get it. The little one wanted to learn baseball, so Alex and I took turns pitching to him. I have to admit that we were successful because he was hitting at the end.
Around 9:30 or so we left Rendsburg for Kiel. After we parked the merc, I came home and went straight to bed. Andrea had sent me a message saying they would be grilling tomorrow at 6.
Sunday
I woke up and went running and then just spent the rest of the morning and afternoon relaxing. Anke, my roommate, asked me if I wanted to go and get some ice cream with her so we walked up the road to her favorite place, bought an ice cream cone and sat outside in the sun. It was warm, but still windy. Later, I rode my bike to Andrea's and her sister was already there. Two of her other friends that I had already met once before were coming over with their 5 or so month old daughter (Andrea's god-child). I had seen the mother when the baby was still in her belly, so I was excited to get to see the little girl. She was absolutely adorable with huge blue eyes. Sven got the grill going and put the first round of meat on it. This was steak. I haven't had steak the whole time I have been here, so I was actually really excited and it was delicious! I had another piece (they were smaller) and then they gave me a piece of pork and yet another small piece of steak. I couldn't eat any more after this, although they tried to give me a sausage, I had to politely decline. I knew there was a reason that I hadn't eaten much for lunch. I was on meat overload from yesterday and today! You didn't hear me complaining though. After dinner, the others left and I stayed a while longer talking to Sven and Andrea. We had a coffee and watched the pictures on their tv that Andrea had taken while we in Prague. Her pictures were very good too. She took a lot more of the kids, which made me happy because I had a lot of the city. After this we went back outside for a while and then around 11:30, I decided it was time to ride back home and get to bed. I thanked them for the lovely evening and went home.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
What kind of pants do you wear when dancing into May in southern Germany?
April 28th-May 5th
Monday
Today I had a class with the 8th graders for the first time by myself. I had been to a few of their classes before, so I knew their level and what to expect from them. My teacher had given me some vocabulary books with worksheets on the differences between British English and American English. A lot of people don't think that the differences in British and American English are that extreme, but I can say that there are more than I originally thought existed since I have been hanging around the Brits here and there are times when I simply don't understand what they are saying. This makes me think of a story. Ryan, my Scottish friend who left for Sweden, once told Dee that he didn't have any clean pants to wear and Dee said that she wears hers more than once a week and he looked at her disgusted...Clarification: to the Brits, pants are underwear! Anyway I didn't think this was too appropriate to tell the class, so I had copied one of the worksheets and then I had created a crossword puzzle for them also. This was fun for them, even if none of them got all of the right answers. The kids were pretty loud, but in my experience with them, this is how they normally are. It is hard to get a German classroom to be quiet. Sometimes you have to just stand at the front of the class and wait for them to realize they are too loud to continue. In my LK 13th grade class, after wandering around the whole school in search of a room with a screen and a DVD player, we started watching the movie “The Kingdom,” which is about Saudia Arabia and the U.S. This was not the first time I have had to go in search of a room at the school. It occurs very often, that rooms are changed and a class will be in the room that you normally have your class in and they send you somewhere else, only to find that this room is taken, too. The result is usually a waste of the first 5-10 minutes of class...The school is simply not big enough for the number of students that we have. To give you an example of the tightness in the classroom, the rows are so close together that you can't ask students to get up to come to the board, and students who come in late usually disturb the whole class trying to get to a seat because there is no other way. The normal class size is around 30, but once again the rooms just aren't made to hold this many kids.
Tuesday
Today, I had the eighth graders again for another lesson. This time we did another worksheet and afterwards we played bingo. I took in the Reese's cups that Natasha had brought and they were the prizes for the winners. They were excited when they won. One of the girls kept saying, “they had these in the U.S. when I was there!” I just laughed and thought to myself of course they did! We continued watching the movie in my LK class and then I had tutoring after school. After tutoring, I rushed home to finish packing my things and then I took the bus to the station. When I got on the train to leave for Heidelberg, I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone at home. I knew that I couldn't go there without it because I wouldn't be able to contact my friends. So needless to say, I had to get back on the bus and go back to my apartment. I had a little bit of time before the next train to Heidelberg and so I decided to go to the station early and grad a currywurst for dinner. I also had some things in my bag to snack on during the train ride. The connection ended up being better than the first one so it worked out in my favor that I missed it. I made it to Heidelberg around 11 p.m. and Kathrin met me at the station. We took the bus to Bismarkplatz and walked from there across the Neckar to her apartment in the Brueckenstrasse. We spent the next hour or so chatting before getting ready for bed.
Wednesday
Kathrin and I woke up around 9:30 the next day, ate breakfast and got ready to go to the Neckarwiese or the riverside as we would call it. The weather was beautiful and we sat in the sun taking pictures and talking. Other people had the same idea and were also laying around on the grass. Some people thought it was summer already and were laying out in swimsuits, to which Kathrin and I had to laugh! After an hour or so we went back to her apartment to get our things and meet up with some of her friends who I also knew from my semester abroad for lunch at the PH. We got lunch and made ourselves comfortable on the benches outside. Of course I can't go to Heidelberg, well the PH at least without seeing someone I know and the first person I saw was Markku, an exchange student who came to Bethany last year. He immediately got my attention and we talked for a few minutes and then I ate my lunch with the girls. Kathrin had a meeting with one of her professors, so I had contacted Beth Ann (Bethany student and friend of mine studying abroad) and we met at 2. We had coffee and cake and Markku talked to us some more until he had to leave. Kathrin came back and I had a hot chocolate, while she drank some coffee and we tried to plan for the afternoon/evening. We had originally planned to rent a paddle boat on the Neckar, but it rained so much that we didn't get to, so instead we went shopping in the Haupstrasse. For the evening, we had planned to “Tanz in den Mai” (dance/party into May; it's very popular to do this in Germany, they also put out May poles in every city for decoration) Our plan had originally been to go up to the Thingstaette where every year there is a big party for students in Heidelberg, but this is outside so we had to wait until later in the evening to decide what to do since it was still raining, as it always seems to when I come!.... . We ended up not going to the Thingstaette because it had rained so much and was probably really wet and muddy, but instead we had our own version in Kathrin's Apartment, with her five roommates and some of their friends and it was of course just as fun! Her roommates are all really nice and I think everyone had a good time! Beth Ann was also there.
Thursday
We woke up again around 9:30 and the four of us girls (Kathrin, myself, one of her roommates, and an old roommate of theirs) had breakfast together. We decided we were going to go out in a paddle boat on the Neckar this morning if the weather stayed nice. Sure enough, it did and we managed to get the paddle boat for a half an hour. It was Kathrin's roommates first time in a paddleboat and you could tell she enjoyed it. We had a beautiful view from the river and as I said it was perfect weather! This was a great way to end my unfortunately very short stay in Heidelberg. I was having a blast, but had planned to head down to Crailsheim to stop and see Svenni before going back up to Kiel. I wasn't sure if I would have the chance to do so again before I leave so I took this opportunity to do so. This meant, however, saying good bye to Kathrin once again, although I know I will see her again in July, when I am back in Heidelberg.
We made it back in time to get my stuff, grab a ticket and catch the tram to the station. I made it to the station with plenty of time and got on the train to Stuttgart and from there the train to Crailsheim. I met Svenni and Soeren at the station and they picked me up in their brand new car that they got for Christmas. I hadn't seen it yet and it was very nice. We got to their house and they had planned to cook out because the weather was so nice. Svenni and I went downstairs to help her grandma with the preparation. Her grandma was really excited to see me again and I was happy to see her too. Svenni and I made the pasta salad and a dip for the cucumbers. Then we had a nice long dinner outside on the back lawn. In the evening we watched television before getting ready for bed and school the next day.
Friday
Yes, you read correctly. I went to school with Svenni the next day, even though it was my day off! We met up with some of Svenni's friends before class started. The first two periods, she had math and she asked her teacher if it was ok that I was there and he didn't have a problem with it. He then asked her if I could speak good German and she said yes, so he asked me where exactly I was from and if I was visiting Germany. I told him that I was teaching here in Kiel, but I am sure that he thought that I misspoke/couldn't speak German because he looked at me like he didn't believe me. He probably thought I look to young to be teaching...The next two lessons, she had physics. We sat in the back and played games the first lesson and the second lesson the teacher gave them a worksheet and then sat and talked to us. The last two lessons of the day were English. Her teacher noticed that a guest was present and immediately asked me who I was and where I was from. I told her the states and that I was a friend of Svenni's and then she asked me if it would be ok if they spent the first hour of class asking me questions and then the second hour they could have free. I agreed and told Svenni later that she owed me! : ) Most of the conversation consisted of her asking me questions. The only thing Svenni could come up with to ask me, was what my favorite food is. She said she knew everything else, of course! I ended up talking about the elections and public transportation and a variety of other topics, such as why I am here. The teacher thanked me and we left when the bell rang. We got back to Svenni's house and her grandma already had lunch ready for us so we went downstairs to eat. We decided that we would go to the Brombac Lake when we were finished because the weather was so nice that we didn't want to waste the day inside! I was really proud of Svenni for finding her way to the lake after she told me she had only driven there a few times before. We had beautiful views of the scenery around us on the way there and at one point we got distracted from talking and missed our turn off, but this didn't matter. We just went to the other side of the lake first. We went down to the water and took some pictures and then we went to get ice cream. Instead, they were selling something called a Germknoedel. I had never eaten this before, but Svenni assured me that it was good, so I took her word for it. Most Americans reading this probably think it sounds gross because it looks like it says germ dumpling, but it has nothing to do with germs and it is absolutely delicious! It is a type of huge bread dumpling with a fruit filling (ours was strawberry) and it had cinnamon on top and warm vanilla sauce all around it!! Mmm! I later found out this comes from Austria.
Saturday
Today, I spent most of my day on the train. In the morning, we woke up and ran to the bakery to get some breakfast and something for me to take on the train and then it was time to say goodbye. Heike, Svenni's mom had written me a note, since she was already gone for the day and I went downstairs to say goodbye to grandma. I'll admit it, I almost cried. There were definitely tears in my eyes, when she asked me if she would see me again before I leave for home and I told her I wasn't sure, but that I would definitely be back. As I said goodbye to Svenni at the station, it was the same for both of us. Neither of us wanted to cry, but we could both sense the tension of the moment so we just smiled and said until next time! The train ride back to Kiel went smoothly and I came back unpacked my things and went to the supermarket to buy food for the 9 hour train ride to Prague tomorrow morning. I then made dinner and packed my bag again and went to bed so that I would be able to get up at 5 a.m.
Sunday
Andrea and her husband picked me up at 6 a.m. from my apartment and we went to the station to meet the class and our other chaperon for the trip. All the kids were on time and we boarded the train. I was really excited for the trip and to get to know the kids, so I couldn't concentrate too much on reading or anything of the sort. When we had to switch trains in Buechen, a woman was sitting in one of our reserved seats and wouldn't move. It was really funny because she was asking us what we wanted her to do and we said get up and find a new seat! Isn't that obvious?? Then there was another class group that boarded our train in Berlin. The girls in this class kept trying to get the attention of our boys, but thankfully it wasn't effective! The train ride to Prague went by very quickly, probably because I was so excited and as we got close to the border and were riding along the Moldau, the scenery was so beautiful. We arrived at the station and were met by our Translator and guide for the trip. I never did get her name, but she was a very friendly lady. She helped us get our Metro tickets and then took us to our hotel and helped us get checked in. The next shock was to come, upon entering our rooms. We were originally told that there were only 2 and 3 person rooms and we ended up being four to a room. When we opened the doors, we understood. The rooms were originally for two people but had two extra cots placed in them and there was barely enough room to walk. It could have been worse, but we were paying just as much as everyone else and therefore complained. We were told we had to make it through the night and they would deal with it in the morning. I was in a room with 3 very sweet girls who I got to know very quickly. We ended up going into the city together after dinner for a few hours. Sascha, the other chaperon walked around with us and showed us the places to see. Then it was back to the hotel for the night. My first impression of Prague was that it was a very beautiful and clean city and I had only seen a very small part of it. I couldn't wait to see more!
Monday
Today I had a class with the 8th graders for the first time by myself. I had been to a few of their classes before, so I knew their level and what to expect from them. My teacher had given me some vocabulary books with worksheets on the differences between British English and American English. A lot of people don't think that the differences in British and American English are that extreme, but I can say that there are more than I originally thought existed since I have been hanging around the Brits here and there are times when I simply don't understand what they are saying. This makes me think of a story. Ryan, my Scottish friend who left for Sweden, once told Dee that he didn't have any clean pants to wear and Dee said that she wears hers more than once a week and he looked at her disgusted...Clarification: to the Brits, pants are underwear! Anyway I didn't think this was too appropriate to tell the class, so I had copied one of the worksheets and then I had created a crossword puzzle for them also. This was fun for them, even if none of them got all of the right answers. The kids were pretty loud, but in my experience with them, this is how they normally are. It is hard to get a German classroom to be quiet. Sometimes you have to just stand at the front of the class and wait for them to realize they are too loud to continue. In my LK 13th grade class, after wandering around the whole school in search of a room with a screen and a DVD player, we started watching the movie “The Kingdom,” which is about Saudia Arabia and the U.S. This was not the first time I have had to go in search of a room at the school. It occurs very often, that rooms are changed and a class will be in the room that you normally have your class in and they send you somewhere else, only to find that this room is taken, too. The result is usually a waste of the first 5-10 minutes of class...The school is simply not big enough for the number of students that we have. To give you an example of the tightness in the classroom, the rows are so close together that you can't ask students to get up to come to the board, and students who come in late usually disturb the whole class trying to get to a seat because there is no other way. The normal class size is around 30, but once again the rooms just aren't made to hold this many kids.
Tuesday
Today, I had the eighth graders again for another lesson. This time we did another worksheet and afterwards we played bingo. I took in the Reese's cups that Natasha had brought and they were the prizes for the winners. They were excited when they won. One of the girls kept saying, “they had these in the U.S. when I was there!” I just laughed and thought to myself of course they did! We continued watching the movie in my LK class and then I had tutoring after school. After tutoring, I rushed home to finish packing my things and then I took the bus to the station. When I got on the train to leave for Heidelberg, I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone at home. I knew that I couldn't go there without it because I wouldn't be able to contact my friends. So needless to say, I had to get back on the bus and go back to my apartment. I had a little bit of time before the next train to Heidelberg and so I decided to go to the station early and grad a currywurst for dinner. I also had some things in my bag to snack on during the train ride. The connection ended up being better than the first one so it worked out in my favor that I missed it. I made it to Heidelberg around 11 p.m. and Kathrin met me at the station. We took the bus to Bismarkplatz and walked from there across the Neckar to her apartment in the Brueckenstrasse. We spent the next hour or so chatting before getting ready for bed.
Wednesday
Kathrin and I woke up around 9:30 the next day, ate breakfast and got ready to go to the Neckarwiese or the riverside as we would call it. The weather was beautiful and we sat in the sun taking pictures and talking. Other people had the same idea and were also laying around on the grass. Some people thought it was summer already and were laying out in swimsuits, to which Kathrin and I had to laugh! After an hour or so we went back to her apartment to get our things and meet up with some of her friends who I also knew from my semester abroad for lunch at the PH. We got lunch and made ourselves comfortable on the benches outside. Of course I can't go to Heidelberg, well the PH at least without seeing someone I know and the first person I saw was Markku, an exchange student who came to Bethany last year. He immediately got my attention and we talked for a few minutes and then I ate my lunch with the girls. Kathrin had a meeting with one of her professors, so I had contacted Beth Ann (Bethany student and friend of mine studying abroad) and we met at 2. We had coffee and cake and Markku talked to us some more until he had to leave. Kathrin came back and I had a hot chocolate, while she drank some coffee and we tried to plan for the afternoon/evening. We had originally planned to rent a paddle boat on the Neckar, but it rained so much that we didn't get to, so instead we went shopping in the Haupstrasse. For the evening, we had planned to “Tanz in den Mai” (dance/party into May; it's very popular to do this in Germany, they also put out May poles in every city for decoration) Our plan had originally been to go up to the Thingstaette where every year there is a big party for students in Heidelberg, but this is outside so we had to wait until later in the evening to decide what to do since it was still raining, as it always seems to when I come!.... . We ended up not going to the Thingstaette because it had rained so much and was probably really wet and muddy, but instead we had our own version in Kathrin's Apartment, with her five roommates and some of their friends and it was of course just as fun! Her roommates are all really nice and I think everyone had a good time! Beth Ann was also there.
Thursday
We woke up again around 9:30 and the four of us girls (Kathrin, myself, one of her roommates, and an old roommate of theirs) had breakfast together. We decided we were going to go out in a paddle boat on the Neckar this morning if the weather stayed nice. Sure enough, it did and we managed to get the paddle boat for a half an hour. It was Kathrin's roommates first time in a paddleboat and you could tell she enjoyed it. We had a beautiful view from the river and as I said it was perfect weather! This was a great way to end my unfortunately very short stay in Heidelberg. I was having a blast, but had planned to head down to Crailsheim to stop and see Svenni before going back up to Kiel. I wasn't sure if I would have the chance to do so again before I leave so I took this opportunity to do so. This meant, however, saying good bye to Kathrin once again, although I know I will see her again in July, when I am back in Heidelberg.
We made it back in time to get my stuff, grab a ticket and catch the tram to the station. I made it to the station with plenty of time and got on the train to Stuttgart and from there the train to Crailsheim. I met Svenni and Soeren at the station and they picked me up in their brand new car that they got for Christmas. I hadn't seen it yet and it was very nice. We got to their house and they had planned to cook out because the weather was so nice. Svenni and I went downstairs to help her grandma with the preparation. Her grandma was really excited to see me again and I was happy to see her too. Svenni and I made the pasta salad and a dip for the cucumbers. Then we had a nice long dinner outside on the back lawn. In the evening we watched television before getting ready for bed and school the next day.
Friday
Yes, you read correctly. I went to school with Svenni the next day, even though it was my day off! We met up with some of Svenni's friends before class started. The first two periods, she had math and she asked her teacher if it was ok that I was there and he didn't have a problem with it. He then asked her if I could speak good German and she said yes, so he asked me where exactly I was from and if I was visiting Germany. I told him that I was teaching here in Kiel, but I am sure that he thought that I misspoke/couldn't speak German because he looked at me like he didn't believe me. He probably thought I look to young to be teaching...The next two lessons, she had physics. We sat in the back and played games the first lesson and the second lesson the teacher gave them a worksheet and then sat and talked to us. The last two lessons of the day were English. Her teacher noticed that a guest was present and immediately asked me who I was and where I was from. I told her the states and that I was a friend of Svenni's and then she asked me if it would be ok if they spent the first hour of class asking me questions and then the second hour they could have free. I agreed and told Svenni later that she owed me! : ) Most of the conversation consisted of her asking me questions. The only thing Svenni could come up with to ask me, was what my favorite food is. She said she knew everything else, of course! I ended up talking about the elections and public transportation and a variety of other topics, such as why I am here. The teacher thanked me and we left when the bell rang. We got back to Svenni's house and her grandma already had lunch ready for us so we went downstairs to eat. We decided that we would go to the Brombac Lake when we were finished because the weather was so nice that we didn't want to waste the day inside! I was really proud of Svenni for finding her way to the lake after she told me she had only driven there a few times before. We had beautiful views of the scenery around us on the way there and at one point we got distracted from talking and missed our turn off, but this didn't matter. We just went to the other side of the lake first. We went down to the water and took some pictures and then we went to get ice cream. Instead, they were selling something called a Germknoedel. I had never eaten this before, but Svenni assured me that it was good, so I took her word for it. Most Americans reading this probably think it sounds gross because it looks like it says germ dumpling, but it has nothing to do with germs and it is absolutely delicious! It is a type of huge bread dumpling with a fruit filling (ours was strawberry) and it had cinnamon on top and warm vanilla sauce all around it!! Mmm! I later found out this comes from Austria.
Saturday
Today, I spent most of my day on the train. In the morning, we woke up and ran to the bakery to get some breakfast and something for me to take on the train and then it was time to say goodbye. Heike, Svenni's mom had written me a note, since she was already gone for the day and I went downstairs to say goodbye to grandma. I'll admit it, I almost cried. There were definitely tears in my eyes, when she asked me if she would see me again before I leave for home and I told her I wasn't sure, but that I would definitely be back. As I said goodbye to Svenni at the station, it was the same for both of us. Neither of us wanted to cry, but we could both sense the tension of the moment so we just smiled and said until next time! The train ride back to Kiel went smoothly and I came back unpacked my things and went to the supermarket to buy food for the 9 hour train ride to Prague tomorrow morning. I then made dinner and packed my bag again and went to bed so that I would be able to get up at 5 a.m.
Sunday
Andrea and her husband picked me up at 6 a.m. from my apartment and we went to the station to meet the class and our other chaperon for the trip. All the kids were on time and we boarded the train. I was really excited for the trip and to get to know the kids, so I couldn't concentrate too much on reading or anything of the sort. When we had to switch trains in Buechen, a woman was sitting in one of our reserved seats and wouldn't move. It was really funny because she was asking us what we wanted her to do and we said get up and find a new seat! Isn't that obvious?? Then there was another class group that boarded our train in Berlin. The girls in this class kept trying to get the attention of our boys, but thankfully it wasn't effective! The train ride to Prague went by very quickly, probably because I was so excited and as we got close to the border and were riding along the Moldau, the scenery was so beautiful. We arrived at the station and were met by our Translator and guide for the trip. I never did get her name, but she was a very friendly lady. She helped us get our Metro tickets and then took us to our hotel and helped us get checked in. The next shock was to come, upon entering our rooms. We were originally told that there were only 2 and 3 person rooms and we ended up being four to a room. When we opened the doors, we understood. The rooms were originally for two people but had two extra cots placed in them and there was barely enough room to walk. It could have been worse, but we were paying just as much as everyone else and therefore complained. We were told we had to make it through the night and they would deal with it in the morning. I was in a room with 3 very sweet girls who I got to know very quickly. We ended up going into the city together after dinner for a few hours. Sascha, the other chaperon walked around with us and showed us the places to see. Then it was back to the hotel for the night. My first impression of Prague was that it was a very beautiful and clean city and I had only seen a very small part of it. I couldn't wait to see more!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
North Sea Mudflats
April 22-28th
Monday
In my LK class of 13th graders, we started the interviews today. They actually went quite well. The students did make some of the mistakes that we had talked about not doing in the dos and don'ts class, but overall I was impressed with their answers. This was the only class I had today and in the evening, we had a meeting at Andrea's for the chaperons of the Prague trip, which was myself, her and Sascha, a history teacher at the school. It's required that a male and female chaperon go on any trip with the students. Otherwise it could have just been Andrea and I and I wouldn't have had to pay for the trip. O well, I know it will be worth it! We planned out the five days and set times and rules for the students. I'm starting to get really excited, both to see the city and to meet up with my friends!
Tuesday
We had more interviews, I did my tutoring after school and then Siobhan, Dee and I went for a walk along the harbor. We went to subway and got sandwiches since Dee had some coupons that were going to expire and we took them to the seating area at the harbor so we could sit along the water. It turned out not to be the greatest idea because it was cold and windy, but we did have a nice view. I am finally going to be taking part in the Meet US program that I had written about at the beginning of my assistantship. It is the program with the embassy, where they send you to other schools to talk to students about life in the U.S. I have been invited to Rostock. I had really wanted to go here, but didn't think that I would be able to manage the money and get there before leaving, but it looks like everything has worked out this way! The embassy is even allowing me to stay overnight because the journey is a longer distance and the program begins in the morning. The embassy booked a youth hostel room for me on board a boat! I'm really excited to get to have this experience! This will be at the beginning of June.
Wed.
Not much exciting happened today, I just continued the interview lessons with my 13th graders, which still seem to be going generally well, even if the kids aren't highly motivated. I was also invited by my 6th graders to participate in their Sports day at school next week on Monday, but unfortunately I won't be able to join them, since I have to substitute for one of my teachers then.
Thurs.
Today I had class and then one of my teachers called off because she had a migraine. This teacher was supposed to meet up with a Finnish lady who was visiting our school to try to set up an exchange program for students. The teacher who called off was supposed to show the woman around Kiel and since she wasn't there to do this, Andrea asked me if I could do her this favor and show the woman around. I cannot for the life of me remember her name, but she was nice. Andrea dropped us off at the harbor and we walked along it to the old part of the city. She bought a few postcards and then we went around little Kiel and past the city hall. We spoke a mixture of English and German. Of course her English skills are much better than her German, since most Scandinavians are perfect at English, but what surprised me, was when I found out that she teaches both English and German. I found this interesting because of her lack in knowledge of the language, but then remembered that this happens in the U.S. also because most of the time you are not forced to study abroad if you study a foreign language. After this we decided to stop and have a drink. I ordered coffee and she ordered a beer and I kept the receipt since I had paid because Andrea told me if we stopped to have coffee I would be reimbursed for it. I wasn't sure if the school would reimburse the beer or not, but then I remembered, this is Germany and not the U.S. and that they would most likely do so. After stopping, we went to the post office so that she could get some stamps for the postcards and then we called Andrea and told her where to meet us. We all three then went for coffee and cake. Once again on the school's money! This evening it thunder-stormed and rained heavily. The reason I wanted to write about this, is because I don't think this happens in Germany as often as it does at home. At least not from my experience of living here! This may be only the second one I have ever seen here.
Friday
Siobhan, Dee and I went to Preetz after school to try and pick up Siobhan's free Mercedes-Benz rental car that she won for a weekend at her school's Christmas Bazaar back in December. During the train ride, Dee was hit on by a creepy drunken man with long blonde hair who must have been in his mid-thirties. His pick-up lines were the best we've ever heard. Here's what he said: “Are you sixteen?” (eyes not moving from her face) Dee didn't answer so he continued by saying “younger?” Luckily he got off at the stop before ours. We couldn't stop laughing about this the whole way to Preetz. When we arrived at the dealership, the man told us that we couldn't have the car immediately, but that it would be at least a week, so we decided to get it on the weekend of the 9th, when I will be back from Prague and they will be back from Copenhagen. Since we were in Preetz and our plans had changed, we decided to actually look around the town. We had been there before but only when it was dark and before Chris, another assistant, left. We stopped and got ice cream and just enjoyed the beautiful weather we were having today. After wandering around a bit and sitting at a lake in Preetz for an hour, we decided to get the next train to Kiel. We went back to the station and were sitting on the platform waiting for the train to come. We watched a boy climbing a tree in the distance and it looked like he was going to fall, he was up so high. We got so distracted, that when I looked up and questioned why the train on the track across from us said Kiel and had been sitting there so long. Originally we had thought it had come from Kiel, but it turns out that this was our train and we were on the wrong platform. We didn't pay any attention because the train to Kiel usually leaves from the one that we were at, but it just so happens that this one didn't. So we ended up waiting another half an hour or so for the next train back to Kiel.
Saturday
Nick, one of the assistants had planned a get together on the North Sea for us all for his birthday on the North Sea, since this is where he is located. First we went to Heide to pick him up and then from there we rode the train to Buesum. It is a small touristy town because it is known for its Wattenmeer. This term doesn't really translate very well into English, but I think the closest you can come to it is mud flats. This area is preserved and it is popular to walk on and is said to be good for your skin. When we got to Buesum, we found a supermarket and all of us purchased a picnic lunch. We paid to go down to the water and the mud flats (yes this is normal in Germany, in some places you have to pay to go onto the beach; this keeps the beach clean and in order and Germans love order!). We ate our lunch and then took our shoes off in preparation for the mud flats. This would be another first for me. Contrary to what I thought, it was actually solid in most places. This is probably a good thing or else you would sink and get stuck in the mud! We walked all the way out to the water, which also wasn't as cold as I had thought it would be. It was slowly working its way in for high tide. By the time we had gotten back onto shore and put on our shoes after washing our feet, the mudflats could no longer be seen. The water of the North Sea is just as clear as that of the Baltic. Both being the clearest water sources I have ever seen... After walking around the town a little, we took the train back to Heide where we had reservations for dinner. It was not quite time for dinner, so we walked around Heide for a little while and sat in a cafe for an hour or so. Our dinner reservations were at an Italian restaurant. The food was delicious and very well priced for the portions that we received. I couldn't even finish my pizza, it was so large. After dinner we left for the station to catch our train. We had to change trains on the way back and our train had a delay. We almost missed the last train back to Kiel, but the conductor was nice enough to contact the train and ask them to wait for us, which they did since it was the last one for the evening. On the train ride back, we had another strange encounter with a drunken man who kept asking us if we smoked. He must have asked us about 3 or 4 times until he finally got the point that none of us do! His last comment to us was “There are 7 of you with sunglasses and all and you're telling me you don't smoke.” All we kept thinking, was how could having sunglasses automatically make you a smoker? When we finally got into Kiel, it was after midnight because of the delays. I went straight to bed.
Sunday in the park
Today, I decided to just relax and take it easy after our fun packed weekend. I knew I had a few weeks of traveling ahead and didn't want to wear myself out before this. Dee and Siobhan called me and asked if I wanted to go to Schrevenpark, the big park close to us. I agreed and we packed a picnic lunch to take with us. The weather was the best it has been the whole time. We were wearing shorts and laying in the sun and most of the students in Kiel had had the same idea. Everyone was out grilling in the park or playing frisbee or some other sport. We had fun people watching and Siobhan found some fellow jugglers who asked to borrow her clubs. The Rastafari man of Kiel was also in the park dancing around and singing. We spent the whole afternoon there and around 7 we called it a day.
Monday
In my LK class of 13th graders, we started the interviews today. They actually went quite well. The students did make some of the mistakes that we had talked about not doing in the dos and don'ts class, but overall I was impressed with their answers. This was the only class I had today and in the evening, we had a meeting at Andrea's for the chaperons of the Prague trip, which was myself, her and Sascha, a history teacher at the school. It's required that a male and female chaperon go on any trip with the students. Otherwise it could have just been Andrea and I and I wouldn't have had to pay for the trip. O well, I know it will be worth it! We planned out the five days and set times and rules for the students. I'm starting to get really excited, both to see the city and to meet up with my friends!
Tuesday
We had more interviews, I did my tutoring after school and then Siobhan, Dee and I went for a walk along the harbor. We went to subway and got sandwiches since Dee had some coupons that were going to expire and we took them to the seating area at the harbor so we could sit along the water. It turned out not to be the greatest idea because it was cold and windy, but we did have a nice view. I am finally going to be taking part in the Meet US program that I had written about at the beginning of my assistantship. It is the program with the embassy, where they send you to other schools to talk to students about life in the U.S. I have been invited to Rostock. I had really wanted to go here, but didn't think that I would be able to manage the money and get there before leaving, but it looks like everything has worked out this way! The embassy is even allowing me to stay overnight because the journey is a longer distance and the program begins in the morning. The embassy booked a youth hostel room for me on board a boat! I'm really excited to get to have this experience! This will be at the beginning of June.
Wed.
Not much exciting happened today, I just continued the interview lessons with my 13th graders, which still seem to be going generally well, even if the kids aren't highly motivated. I was also invited by my 6th graders to participate in their Sports day at school next week on Monday, but unfortunately I won't be able to join them, since I have to substitute for one of my teachers then.
Thurs.
Today I had class and then one of my teachers called off because she had a migraine. This teacher was supposed to meet up with a Finnish lady who was visiting our school to try to set up an exchange program for students. The teacher who called off was supposed to show the woman around Kiel and since she wasn't there to do this, Andrea asked me if I could do her this favor and show the woman around. I cannot for the life of me remember her name, but she was nice. Andrea dropped us off at the harbor and we walked along it to the old part of the city. She bought a few postcards and then we went around little Kiel and past the city hall. We spoke a mixture of English and German. Of course her English skills are much better than her German, since most Scandinavians are perfect at English, but what surprised me, was when I found out that she teaches both English and German. I found this interesting because of her lack in knowledge of the language, but then remembered that this happens in the U.S. also because most of the time you are not forced to study abroad if you study a foreign language. After this we decided to stop and have a drink. I ordered coffee and she ordered a beer and I kept the receipt since I had paid because Andrea told me if we stopped to have coffee I would be reimbursed for it. I wasn't sure if the school would reimburse the beer or not, but then I remembered, this is Germany and not the U.S. and that they would most likely do so. After stopping, we went to the post office so that she could get some stamps for the postcards and then we called Andrea and told her where to meet us. We all three then went for coffee and cake. Once again on the school's money! This evening it thunder-stormed and rained heavily. The reason I wanted to write about this, is because I don't think this happens in Germany as often as it does at home. At least not from my experience of living here! This may be only the second one I have ever seen here.
Friday
Siobhan, Dee and I went to Preetz after school to try and pick up Siobhan's free Mercedes-Benz rental car that she won for a weekend at her school's Christmas Bazaar back in December. During the train ride, Dee was hit on by a creepy drunken man with long blonde hair who must have been in his mid-thirties. His pick-up lines were the best we've ever heard. Here's what he said: “Are you sixteen?” (eyes not moving from her face) Dee didn't answer so he continued by saying “younger?” Luckily he got off at the stop before ours. We couldn't stop laughing about this the whole way to Preetz. When we arrived at the dealership, the man told us that we couldn't have the car immediately, but that it would be at least a week, so we decided to get it on the weekend of the 9th, when I will be back from Prague and they will be back from Copenhagen. Since we were in Preetz and our plans had changed, we decided to actually look around the town. We had been there before but only when it was dark and before Chris, another assistant, left. We stopped and got ice cream and just enjoyed the beautiful weather we were having today. After wandering around a bit and sitting at a lake in Preetz for an hour, we decided to get the next train to Kiel. We went back to the station and were sitting on the platform waiting for the train to come. We watched a boy climbing a tree in the distance and it looked like he was going to fall, he was up so high. We got so distracted, that when I looked up and questioned why the train on the track across from us said Kiel and had been sitting there so long. Originally we had thought it had come from Kiel, but it turns out that this was our train and we were on the wrong platform. We didn't pay any attention because the train to Kiel usually leaves from the one that we were at, but it just so happens that this one didn't. So we ended up waiting another half an hour or so for the next train back to Kiel.
Saturday
Nick, one of the assistants had planned a get together on the North Sea for us all for his birthday on the North Sea, since this is where he is located. First we went to Heide to pick him up and then from there we rode the train to Buesum. It is a small touristy town because it is known for its Wattenmeer. This term doesn't really translate very well into English, but I think the closest you can come to it is mud flats. This area is preserved and it is popular to walk on and is said to be good for your skin. When we got to Buesum, we found a supermarket and all of us purchased a picnic lunch. We paid to go down to the water and the mud flats (yes this is normal in Germany, in some places you have to pay to go onto the beach; this keeps the beach clean and in order and Germans love order!). We ate our lunch and then took our shoes off in preparation for the mud flats. This would be another first for me. Contrary to what I thought, it was actually solid in most places. This is probably a good thing or else you would sink and get stuck in the mud! We walked all the way out to the water, which also wasn't as cold as I had thought it would be. It was slowly working its way in for high tide. By the time we had gotten back onto shore and put on our shoes after washing our feet, the mudflats could no longer be seen. The water of the North Sea is just as clear as that of the Baltic. Both being the clearest water sources I have ever seen... After walking around the town a little, we took the train back to Heide where we had reservations for dinner. It was not quite time for dinner, so we walked around Heide for a little while and sat in a cafe for an hour or so. Our dinner reservations were at an Italian restaurant. The food was delicious and very well priced for the portions that we received. I couldn't even finish my pizza, it was so large. After dinner we left for the station to catch our train. We had to change trains on the way back and our train had a delay. We almost missed the last train back to Kiel, but the conductor was nice enough to contact the train and ask them to wait for us, which they did since it was the last one for the evening. On the train ride back, we had another strange encounter with a drunken man who kept asking us if we smoked. He must have asked us about 3 or 4 times until he finally got the point that none of us do! His last comment to us was “There are 7 of you with sunglasses and all and you're telling me you don't smoke.” All we kept thinking, was how could having sunglasses automatically make you a smoker? When we finally got into Kiel, it was after midnight because of the delays. I went straight to bed.
Sunday in the park
Today, I decided to just relax and take it easy after our fun packed weekend. I knew I had a few weeks of traveling ahead and didn't want to wear myself out before this. Dee and Siobhan called me and asked if I wanted to go to Schrevenpark, the big park close to us. I agreed and we packed a picnic lunch to take with us. The weather was the best it has been the whole time. We were wearing shorts and laying in the sun and most of the students in Kiel had had the same idea. Everyone was out grilling in the park or playing frisbee or some other sport. We had fun people watching and Siobhan found some fellow jugglers who asked to borrow her clubs. The Rastafari man of Kiel was also in the park dancing around and singing. We spent the whole afternoon there and around 7 we called it a day.
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