The Secular Society

As part of the Great Julien Pritchard Thinking Drive 2006TM I thought I'd post about something that's been in the news a bit recently. Namely this business about faith schools. It got me thinking again, back actually to the Richard Dawkins documentary from January that I watched on youtube, and about religion, athieism, and secularism generally.

As usual, the government made a massive U-turn this week. Well I say as usual because anything remotely controversial for middle-England always ends up on the "would have been nice if we weren't so dependant on the Daily Mail" pile. For those of you who aren't up to speed on this, the plans the government had were to force faith state schools (that's schools that are the government's responsibility and funded by the taxpayer after all) to accept 25% of people from outside the faith of that school. Now this would have mainly affected Anglican and Catholic schools, but also the few Muslim state schools as well. The Government's line was that it would have helped social cohesion, by forcing people to mix you start to break d0wn some of the ghetto like barriers we have constructed in our society. But the government made private agreements with both Catholic and Anglican Churches and the matter was considered solved, and therefore not needing changes to the law.

Now for me this raises a couple of worrying issues; 1) That the government is still too scared to force schools that are state-run and funded by the taxpayer to accept people from all religous and cultural sections of society. 2) That they have only made agreements with the two big Christian churches and therefore the Muslim faith schools are not bound by the agreement and are not going to do their bit to help with intergration. Now, I know what some of you will be thinking, that you can't force religious schools to do things against their religion, and that governments shouldn't tell people how to live their lives. However, if you're going to be serious about intergration you do need some force of coercion, granted you need to use the carrot as well as the stick, but change doesn't just happen on its own, someone needs to be taking a lead somewhere.

Now wait a minute, if the government's arguement was that it is better for intergration that people from different faiths mix, which is why they needed quotas of people from outside the faith, then why bother with faith schools at all? I mean if mixing is good, then surely total mixing is good. And secular schools does not have to mean a lack of morals, discipline, decency and respect. In fact it could if done properly, mean the opposite, if we treat all faiths equally in our schools (and in our society generally), then we can all learn to interact and respect different views and beliefs. We don't have faith swimming baths, faith public libraries, faith police stations, and so on. So why have faith schools? We live in a secular society (forget this Christian country rubbish, the number of worshipping practising Christians is not any greater than for any other religion). Children should be taught about all religions equally, and not given priority to their own.

Or should that be their parents own? Because here comes my other problem, because as Richard Dawkins mentioned in that documentary I watched, why are children forced into their faith at such a young age? I mean I know my parents talked to me about politics young, but I was never told exactly what to believe. I was no more a socialist child, than my friends were Tory children, and yet had I been brought up in a Christian household, (or a Muslim or Jewish household for that matter) I would have been called a Christian child, or a Muslim child, without ever having given my consent. Children in their early teens are old enough to have their confirmation in the Catholic church, to make such a decision about the beliefs of the rest of their lives(sic), and yet they are not deemed old enough to make decision about relationships or sex.

Now obviously we can't force our way into a family's life and say that parents must be secular and apolitical, but surely the education that the state is providing for these families should be free of all bias. There would quite rightly be uproar if a school started saying a certain political doctrine was better than any other, and yet we don't bat an eyelid for religion. My point is that in a secular society, we should devolve schools from religious instruction, and let young people make up their own minds!

Gone Missing

Well where have I got to over the past two or three days? The answer is nowhere, I just haven't posted! Since the last post, I did a bit of shopping on Wednesday, well not really because I did not actually buy anything, because even when it is birthday money I feel bad spending it! Thursday was German lesson, followed by a very unproductive afternoon, though at least I decided broadly on potential topics for my year-abroad essay. Then over the weekend uni-mate and former housemate Josh Miller was in town with other language assistants out of Schleswig-Hollstein. Spent Friday and Saturday with them in town, pretty fun, and also all went out Saturday night when we all met up with all the Dresden assistants, most of whom I'd not seen in a couple of weeks! Got back here at 3am (that's after clocks going back) worse for wear, especially since I also went out with my housemate on Friday, need sleep, but I am going to have to get up tomorrow. Today I did a lesson plan for school, on school uniforms, could be fun, apart from that i have generally got that Sunday feeling for the first time since being in Germany, rats. Ah well it'll soon be Christmas....

Honesty? I mean honestly!

Ever since I started this blog, I've been musing what talk about aside from my mundane day-to-day activities. There are definately going to be more posts about what I am thinking as well about what I am doing. You see, I do occasionally have thoughts (even before I started writing this blog, believe it or not!), and it would be nice to make sense of them by ordering them down in my blog.

I have been randomly thinking about honesty recently (no this is not going to turn into a church sermon, honest!). Like honesty is always the best policy is it not? I mean we want our friends and families to be honest to us, we want the media to tell us the truth (fat chance some of the time) we want our politicians to be honest (fat chance all of the time), and so on an so forth. But are there times when it really is the best policy?

In fact me mentionning the politicans there raises an important side issue, do we really want them to be honest? Let's think about this for a minute. If we really knew what they'd been up to, we would never elect them, we would never elect any of them, result: anarchy. Actually, wait a sweet second, that's not such a bad idea, if we did get honesty from our politicians, we'd have to overthrow the political system, so yeah actually we do want it from them as well!

But going back to my general theme, when is it not the best idea to be honest? I mean let's say you get a birthday or christmas present you don't want. You can't actually tell the person you don't like it, because they've spent a lot of time or money, or perhaps both, getting it for you. And besides it's the thought that counts, and you can't doubt this, however much you can doubt the actual gift. However, you can't get away from the fact that you are not telling the truth, in fact you're doing more than that you're telling little white lies, (or big white lies depending on the size of the present). Thankfully this is not something I've had to worry about, having always liked the pressies I've been given.

However in other situations it is quite possible not to tell the truth by omission, without resorting to bald-faced lying. Is this being dishonest? I mean especially if you're not asked something, you're not being dishonest by not volunteering the information surely? And let's be honest in certain situations they may not want to know. If you like someone for example, but you're good friends, do you bother telling them? Because the mainstream school of thought is that you'll ruin the friendship by doing so, so you never mention this. You're not lying, because the person does not ask and/or they don't want to know, but you're still not being totally honest in your feelings for that person. Again this is not something I have had to worry about, not ever having fallen for any of my friends.

The point I am trying to make here, is that despite our society prizing honesty, there are many occasions where actually honesty is not the best policy, and we actually make things worse not better by telling the truth. We prize honesty, but we seem to prize being nice and getting along just that little bit more. The famous quote; "You want the truth, you can't handle the truth!" would seem to be strangely apt.

Active couple of days!(Oh really!)

Well it has been non-stop action since I got back from Dortmund, well ok not quite, but I have actually been doing stuff with my days instead of just dossing as was sometimes the case last week. Yesterday I got up late (surprise surprise), went food shopping (boring), and then went into town (oh something actually worth staying up for). I went to Karstadt to look into getting my broken phone fixed (yawn), it's going to be Friday before they can say what's wrong with it, because they have to send it off (you surprise me!). Ok being without a mobile phone til at least the end of the week did not make me the happiest chappy around (typical youth, can't do without their toys, poor did-dums), but then the purchase of new ink-cartridges, so i could finally print Becky's birthday card to me, and bought a new webcam (typical consumer capitalist), so Becky will stop nagging me to buy one next time she's online. After that went home (boooooring), and had a meal with housemates Manuella and Holger (I'm losing the will to live here), "will you shut up". Bloody split personality, gawd I don't know! After all that went to bed, and couldn't sleep (gawd I know I could).

Today i went to my German speaking class, which was as dull as dishwater (I know the feeling). Afterwards went to a cafe with Louise Tomasc and Katrien, for nice juice cocktails. Me and Katrien then went to the Deutsches Hygiene Museum, which was interesting, and I shall return to tomorrow, all being well. Went to a environment society meeting at the uni, and actually understood what was going on (I wish couldn't) woohoo! Then after that bussed it back home, chatted to housemates for a bit before going ont web and blogging, and that's it really (finally, thought he'd never finish) "oh put a sock in it will you!". Till next time chaps and chapeses!

Away to Dortmund and back again!

Well what a weekend! Left early Friday morning on the 09:08 Inter-City-Express to Dortmund. Nearly didn't make it, forgot my Bahncard (discount ticket card) and had to do back for it, good job I went to Dresden station an hour early in order to then go shopping in town for food for the trip. The forgetting of the Bahncard meant I had to buy food for the trip in the more expensive station shop in order to avoid going hungry or paying the extortionate Bord-Bistro prices. Yeah I know sound like a fat bastard, saying all this about food, but it was a six hour train journey, I didn't have any breakfast, as it turned out I wouldn't have any tea, so a reasonable lunch at a less-than extortionate price was important. Train journey went well without any problems for once, and I got to Dresden on time.

Andy's bandmate picked me up at the station and we drove to the gig venue. His band temple of twilight was playing in a town called Kleve near the Dutch border. Was a great concert and a great time was had by all. Andy's friends and people connected to his bands are all pretty cool, and it was all rather fun. I even bought the band's two EP's which gave the train journey home a little more variety on the music front.

Saturday consisted of me (and Andy) lounging around in bed til mid-afternoon. Having said that Andy get up earlier than me (well there's a first for everything), but what you gonna do when the rock legend that is Andy puts you up in such a comfortable bed as he did, what a guy! We then went into Dortmund city centre and had a mosey around. Andy took me to his favourite sausage take-away type place, and we had curry-wurst with chips, yum! We then went to like the best ice-cream palour I've been to in a while, 6 scoops with chocolate sauce, mmmmmm!

After doing some brief shopping, most of the rest of the day was spent drinking. We went first to an Irish bar for some cheap (well by German standards) cider, before moving onto a rock bar. Then we went to another bar for cheap vodka redbull, as well as some playing of pool and table-football. Then was off some curry, before heading into a club called spirit, where the drinks were cheap between 11 and midnight, we met up with some of Andy's mates, and a fun time was had by all and sundry, even if you ignore the old drunk Englishman who kept on taking to me. Also this club is the first one I have ever been to where you don't pay for your drinks at the bar. That's right ladies and gentlemen, they marked it on my card what i'd spent, and I then paid on departure, weird, but I suppose has its advantages, must do they wouldn't do it otherwise.

There's not much else to tell really, left Sunday afternoon got back here, learnt of Liverpool's awful defeat away at the scum and Wigan's brilliant win against Man Shity, but hey you can't have em all. Great weekend, Andy's a lege, (Liverpool are crap).

Today, tomorrow, whenever!

Got up at 09:30 this morning to go to my German language class. Made it in incident-free this time, partly because I don't have the memory of a goldfish, and could remember it from Tuesday. Lesson was ok, afterwards I mosied home. Spent the rest of the day dossing and doing nothing of note general internet crap really. And even posting isn't having the effect it usually does, ah well, that's life I suppose sometimes you will have a nothing day, or nothing days!

Tale of two Days

Tuesday :
I dragged my bloody great carcas out of bed at 09:30, ridiculously early for a holiday, amazingly late for a school week here in Germany, in order to go to my German language lesson. I stupidly signed-up to a German language course for foreigners, so my German doesn't just really on social osmosis to improve. By this I mean being in a German environment and speaking German will just naturally improve my German, which it probably will, but it doesn't hurt to do a language course as well.

I got the bus into uni (which was late, surprise surprise), found the building it was in no problem, however finding the room was another matter entirely. I should have had about 20 minutes to spare, but the bus being late, this was reduced to 10. This was rapidly eaten up by me not being able to find the room. When I did find what I thought was the room, I rapidly concluded it wasn't. I don't know quite what convinced me I was in the wrong lesson, but it might have something to do with the fact they werespeaking Spanish (at least i think it was Spanish). I eventually found the right room, after nearly giving up, and was, by this time about five or ten minutes late. The lesson was ok, but nowt spectacular.

After the lesson had lunch in town, before registering at both the city library and the uni library, so I now have no excuses to get on with the work I've got to do for Brum uni. Which means I am going to have to find new procrastination tools, bugger. In the evening I went to an erasmus party in one of the uni hall bars, was pretty fun, talked to a few people, mainly in German, which is always a bonus. Unfortunetly couldn't stay cos I had to get the last bus home, but what the hey. Fun-filled and productive day, so can't really complain!

Wednesday:
Today was a completely different kettle of fish. Didn't get up much before mid-day. Spent waaaaay too long dossing around on the internet, before eventually having a shower, and then cleaning the bathroom. Dossed some more, and before sweeping the kitchen floor. And that's pretty much it, apart from doing my homework for the language class tomorrow, packing my bag, oh and yeah dossing some more on the internet! I suppose today has been one of those really unproductive days, ah well! As long as I don't do it too often....

Ah, Lazy Days!

The official first day of my holiday started with an load of not doing very much. Nice lie-in in the morning, before eventually deciding it would be a good idea to actually do something of some worth. I made my mind up to go into town and see if I couldn't find out the time of the German language course I'd registered for tomorrow, as well as maybe registering at the uni library. Number 1 was achieved, relatively easily I might add. While the registering at the library would have taken place had I brought proof of address with me. Nevermind, I know how where and how to do this, it shall be done tomorrow.

Today is not a day for moaning, even if the buses were all a bit late, and I didn't quite manage to register at library. It was a beautiful sunny day, we're still getting them here in Saxony, even though it is starting (only starting mind) to get a little colder. Not much else of note today really, eventually managed to find the Dresden city centre branch of my bank, which is always useful. All in all a relaxing easy day, many more like these please!

Catching up

After a request from a friend to make a longer post I have succumbed. I may as well get this post out of the way, since it's the going to be long, detailing as it does some of the stuff I've been up to since getting here. Hard to remember and to squash a month's worth ot stuff into one post but I'll try.

The date of my arrival is forever etched in my memory Wednesday 6th September 2006, as is the time: 21:53, but for rather different reasons. As usual my train connections went royally tits-up missing two connections one in Frankfurt and one in Eisenach (birthplace of Johann Sebastion Bach, as it proudly reminds everyone on all the station signs) adding two hours onto my Journey from Paris to Dresden. My first impressions of Dresden were rather gloomy, this was unsurprising seeing as it was night-time. My mentor teacher met me at the station and took me to my new house, adding to her long list of favours she'd done and would continue to do for me, Kerstin is a legend.

The following week was spent finding my feet and doing the mundane things; finding the supermarkets, finding the pubs, finding the nightlife, registering as a resident here in Bannewitz, and opening a bank acount (not necessarily in that particular order). Towards the end of my first week, had Chris and Tom Hobbes coming up to visit, which was good, celebrated my 21st with a good few Weißenbeers in the Neustadt. And then it was off to the training course for assistants.

I had done it the weird way with regards to coming to Germany and the training course. Most normal assistants had come out to Germany straight to the training course, and then gone onto their new towns. I of course had to be different, and go to my new digs first, but what can you do. I was a little ambivalent about the whole course at the beginning, especially the meeting new people part. This was because at the time I felt I needed to be meeting German people and speaking German, not English with the local English language assistants. However in retrospect the course was fun even if a little weird, with the whole having to do lessons to your fellow course participants. And I also came round to the idea that there was nothing that wrong with getting to know other assistants, cos twas always nice to have some people you know at the beginning, and getting to know other people in Dresden was going to take time.

The day after my return from the course was my first at the school. This, like my arrival day, is etched in memory; Tuesday 19th September 2006. It was interesting, but I have to admit I was really nervous and scared just about being in the school. The staff room felt safe, but outside in the corridors, I had this paranoid fear I was going to get harassed by a load of German kids. However, I was pleasantly surprised by their behaviour in class, they weren't the little shits I thought they'd be. They were pretty well behaved, attentive, and, especially amongst the younger classes, enthusiastic! Over the next few days, as I started to get to know my way around, my fear of the school susbsided and my enjoyment increased, even though I was only observing. Last week I finally started helping out in lessons, it is going rather well, although I was nervous as hell doing my first lesson, but that again has started to subside now I've done a few more.

In terms of a social life, that has been getting going, eventually. First weeks or so I met up and went out with the other English language assistants. But in the past week or ten days I've finally started meeting up with some German people as well. Went out with my flatmate and his sister the last Friday, and this weekend started to get to know another group of Germans through one of the language assistants, going out and a bbq have ensued. It'll take time to build up a network of people I know, tis not like there's a freshers' for language assistants (would be cool if there was ;-)). In the past week or so I have also registered at the uni for cheap transport, access to the library and also maybe to indulge in the odd lecture or course.

Of course this is all not to forget the Oktoberfest, which I went to with Tom Hall who's erasmasing it up in Freiburg. Went down on the last weekend, (30th Sept-2nd Oct)spent three days drinking and then came back. Eternally grateful to Morven who put us up in Munich (you legend!), while also indulging in a spot of the old beer drinking herself!

I now have two weeks off, so no doubt more travelling and high jinks, as long as money, friends with places to stay, and enrolled-on German language courses, allow! Well that's all for now folks, there will be another installment soon, hopefully not quite as loing next time, happy hunting!

Intro

Well this is my first post in my new blog. The last one on msn spaces collapsed amid a yucky mess of laziness and dis-use. This blog is for me, and for all the people who can be bothered to read it. The idea behind it, is to give me a sounding board for life, to keep a record of my activities on my year abroad in Germany, and to keep those back home up to date on my activities while I am away, seeing as distance has made day-to-day contact impossible. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading about my trials and tribulations abroad, though more likely is that I bored you to tears, but we shall see....enjoy!