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!
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!
posted by Julien at 00:28
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