Unremarkable

Well the oven wouldn't work because one of the fuses had switched wonderful, by the time one my housemates showed me what was wrong it was time to go! Saturday at the party was good, followed as always by flower power, didn't get there til after 2, I left after about an hour, was absolutely shattered and didn't feel like getting the first bus home, so I got the last bus instead. Still meant going to bed at 4, but better than 6!

Sunday I read some books for my essay and chilled. Monday back at school, didn't do too much mainly observed lessons. Tuesday was more like it, continued the topic sport with 7a while did a listening on the royal family with 9a. Went out on Tuesday night to Katy's Garage, pretty fun, again felt shattered way before the end and left at 2. Slept til about 1 today, before doing a bit of the old tidying my room, and I also wrote that damn resource report for history, although I could do with someone looking at it for me (Tara where are you when I need you, lol!).

One of those days, but hopefully one of those nights!

Ah procrastination where have you been? Well wherever it was there's no doubt you're back now, I can safely say that today has been totally unproductive, but it's been the first such day in a long while so I'll let myself off the hook on that one. Got up at 1, and then proceeded to doss about, until it was too late to go swimming, and then too late to cook anything decent before going out. Now the oven's packed in so I may not be able to eat that pizza before I go out, damn.

Going back in time, Thursday was good, language course(less good) followed by bagels. Then bought pressie for nephew, before doing a couple of hours research in the library, and then pootling home. Friday went to school, had class 5 for the first time, they were lovely, and so enthusiastic and cute! The other classes were as normal, interesting. Then posted off presents after getting home, before going to watch an ice-hockey match with a colleague at the school, her husband and son. Was very fun and interesting, apart from the the fact that the Dresden Ice-Lions lost 3-1!

Mentally Environmental?

Going to the Dresden Uni student environment group meeting straight from the staff meeting at school today smacks a bit of over-the-topness. It was just three of us talking about the organic food campaign, but I while I am happy to be part of the group, and to do stuff, I am not as over-joyously enthusiastic as I was at People and Planet in Brum. Now why is this? Well the Brum lot are more radical and campaign over a wider range of issues than the group in Dresden, which is very much strictly environment stuff. There's also the fact I have good friends at P&P in brum, and there's a je ne sais quoi about P&P in general, that just can't be explained.

I met a fellow P&Per from another British uni who's also working as an assistant in the area, look on our faces when we realised we were both P&Pers was weird, but but P&P meant something to both of us. I don't know exactly what. But it's that something that I think is part of the reason I have tried to join green groups here, yet it can't be replicated, P&P is P&P. Having said that it's early days yet, and the green lot here are really nice too, but sometimes I occasionally wonder if I am doing things just for the sake of them....

Case in point, last week as I booked my trip home, me and this fellow P&Per booked our journey home by train, more expensive and more time-consuming, we're mental doing it. Also considering we're doing something by train that was so weird and outlandish, it needed to cut down a small rainforest's worth of paper to produce all our tickets, a plane ticket would have been a lot less paper, when you're more environmental one way, you're less the other. And I mean after all what's two bums on an aeroplane that's already flying anyway. But it's the principle of the matter, it makes little practical difference perhaps, that plane will still fly , with or without me, as will he train. But we're making a statement, saying no we wont support airport expansion and cheap flights just for our convenience. And in the long term it may make a small practical difference, fewer people fly, fewer new airports or runways, fewer new flights and fewer emissions.

I don't think I am doing it for the sake of it, I just occasionally have my doubts, but that's good right? Natural? If I did everything unquestioningly like an robot, then there'd be cause for concern, the fact I keep questioning myself in a lot of my beliefs can only be a good thing It means I have new ideas and really actually believe in what I am doing/saying, because I properly mull it over.

Average, I would say

Well last few days have been unremarkable. Holger's gone home for a few days, which, with the continued no-habitation of the other upstairs flatmate, means I've got the upstairs all to myself. Apart from when downstairs housemates occasionally come up to do washing or cook, but since two of those are away during the week, it means it's just Valentine. In last days went into Dresden twice in search of Birthday presents, and have no more prospects of belatedness after these, because there are no more birthdays . School on Monday was largely unremarkable, apart from one of the classes being a bit difficult, Tuesday I finished off my lesson from last week on British and American English, and today I was interviewed by a local newspaper about my work at the school, as well as observing and helping in a class which was doing the conditional (yeah it was riveting). After a yawnerrific staff meeting, only made slightly better than the last one by the fact I understood most of what was said this time round (hmmm maybe my German is improving). After that met up with environment group about organic food campaign. Came home dossed about, usual kind of days.

Mundane things

Quick update on the last day or two. Friday was good, lessons went ok, hung around in school til about 3 for no particular reason. Got home didn't go shopping because I couldn't be arsed and it was getting late. Then went with housemate Holger and a friend of his to a concert in a nice little bar in town. Music was good if slightly loud, and the beer was good and cheap. Saturday went into town and met up with some of my teaching colleagues from school. We went round the Grune Gowelbe, collection of precious stones, gold things, amber stuff statues and so on and so forth. All very beautiful. Lucky to be able to see it, because the tickets for the Historisches Grunes Gewolbe are sold out til July. Afterwards we went and had a look round the inside of the old fortifications of the City, also very interesting. These two cultural highlights were broken up by lunch at the Dampfschiff, again very nice. After the fortifications went for a drink with teachers. Then met up with Louise and Enrico and went to a house party. This was followed by a trip to an Erasmus Party which played the most god awful music ever. German cheese, christ. I stayed an hour. Today I have been doing my usual Sunday-dossing about. All in all a good weekend!

A long time coming

It's been over a week since I posted so quite a lot of catching up to do, especially since the last time I posted it was a poor attempt at putting my feelings into poetry. Although some people thought it was good, poetry, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. Ah well anyways, I may as well post about the trivialities of life here in Germany, especially since I haven't been speaking to some of you for a little while as well.

Well the week following my last blog entry was rather stop start, first week back after the school holidays, went in on Monday, then went to a party and out to a club (get me the socialite). Tuesday (31st) was a bank holiday here in Saxony. Called reformation day it is celebrated in protestant regions, because it was the day Martin Luther nailed his 90-whatever thesis to the church door. The catholic regions had the next day off, for all saints day (November 1st). Wednesday I was back in school, Thursday is my day off, as usual consisted of going to German lesson, followed on this occasion by a trip to the bagel cafe with Katrien and her sister, for lunch . Then followed by me spending the afternoon in the library rsearching essay topic, (finally got started) Friday back at school, did my lesson on school uniform with class 7a which went rather well.

The weekend was spent in Meißen at an overnight meeting of language assistants, which consisted of them trying to sell a English teacher training course they want some assistants to help out with, as well as giving us some teaching advice and tips. Not the most interesting weekend ever, but the wine tasting on the Saturday night was good, well I more than tasted it, mmmmm white wine.... The rest of Sunday was spent winding down and preparing for this last week ahead.

Monday did follow up lesson with 7a on uniform. Tuesday I sat in on a Georgian lady presenting herself (in German not Georgian or Russian, thankfully) to class 8 and did some dull passive work with class 9a. Uni lecturer came and visited me in Dresden and bought me hot chocolate and ice cream, good 'ol Robert Evans, good 'ol uni expenses! Then went to uni environment student group. Wednesday was rather more like it at school, did a lesson on sports and related things with 10a, and did a lesson with 8 about differences between American and British English, which was rather fun. In the evening went with Holger to drink a few Weißen beers in a pub near the uni. Today was spent going to German class, going for a bagel after, and then just mooching around, and not doing too much until I had to prepare my lessons, didn't much essay work, whoops! Ah well, there's always the weekend....

That's probably about it for now I'm afraid, I will post more regularly from now on, honest!

I'm Missing.....

I'm missing the Life I had back home.
I am missing the north, and chippy teas.
I miss my dad's cooking, in particular his lasanges and roast dinners with roasties.
I am missing northern accents with the proper vowels.
I miss Liverpool, Manchester, Wigan and even sunny Skem.
I am missing the pubs in Wigan, and friends from there or thereabouts.
I miss the Parboldians and pub quizzes in Newburgh.

I miss Birmingham in all it's finery,
I miss the city-centre and the park in Cannon Hill.
I miss Uni and all it's intelectual-sparring,
Lectures, Seminars, and even Essays are looked on with nostalgia.
I am missing Selly Oak and student hovels,
And empty pizza boxes and chip rappers and cans.
I miss the pubs there too, for their cheapness,
But also for the people that were there within them.
I miss the Guild of Students, Joe's Bar and the friendly staff that were my colleagues.
I even miss Guild Council, and Guild politics,
With it's arguments, disappointments and political brawls.
I miss P&P and the campaigning fun that I had with Becky, Chris, Steven and all the rest!

I do miss home, but when all is said and done,
I would not change what I am doing now for all the world,
Because, you see, being here can be just as wonderful!