My First Week Here

So I (Tony) have been in Germany for a week and it has been great.  I really enjoy being here and experiencing all the culture.  People are telling me they want to hear what I think of Germany, so here I go.  For the most part there are small differences like transportation, the way the houses are built, and the food.  The houses are so simple but still cool.  I like riding the bus, but the Aalen buses are not really good at being on time.  The first night I was here we went to the store to get some cat litter.  We put it in my luggage to carry it back, but cobblestone roads and luggage wheels don’t go together.  By the time we got back the wheels were all broken.  Opps.  I went to school with Emily on Friday and it was cool.  The kids were cutie and they knew a lot of English and they were smart too.  On Saturday we got up really early and went to Oktoberfest with Emily’s friend Susan.  The train ride was an experience because there were no seats because everybody was going to Munich.  There were some drunken guys singing and being crazy.  We were standing for 2 hours but we finally got there and in to the festival grounds.  I thought it was just going to be people drinking, but it was a carnival with people getting smashed.  It was like a fair, but with more drinking and no 4-H projects.  Susan almost got puked on and we saw a lot of wasted people.  It was a pretty fun experience though.   As you all can imagine Emily was greatly enthused.  We were talking to a girl on the way back and she said I was pretty adventurous going to Oktoberfest after being in the county for 3 days. 

All the cars here are Benz’s, BMW, VW, or Audi, well I am exaggerating a little, but not really.  Everybody has a nice car and even the buses and work trunks are Mercedes Benz.  Shopping in a grocery store is different here, one cause a lot of things are cheaper and they push you through the checkout line like a herd of cows.  They scan your stuff ask for money and move on.  I have been pretty independent in trying to order food and riding and walking into town.   

The best thing about Germany so far is the Doner, and the Windows/Doors.  Doner is a Turkish food that has finely sliced beef in a pita with lettuce, onions, and a great sauce.  It is so good and at 1.50 euro you can’t go wrong.   

The windows and door are so cool and usable.  They can be closed shut, open all the way and then just opened at the top to get some air in.   click on the link and you will see how cool they are   http://image.made-in-china.com/4f0j00tezQGIAaBUpr/German-Style-Wood-Window.jpg  They are so smart to do this and it works so well.  Well that is what I have to say for not, but I am sure I will have more to say.  

 Tschuess(Bye)

For more pictures look at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2174811&id=185000672&l=9941f0113b

Tony and the kids are here!

Tony and the kids arrived yesterday! It was def. a day to remember for a several reasons.

1. My train decided to take a 40 min. pit stop in the middle of a corn field due to electrical difficulties. (I don't seem to be having the greatest luck with German trains so far!)

2. Tony's plane was delayed by two hours.

3. Punky peed all over.

4. We had to give Spunky and Ruthie a bath.

5. We traipsed through town with 20lb. of cat litter.

I arrived at the airport almost an hour late due to the a fore mentioned pit stop in a corn field. I'm all freaking out thinking Tony and the kids had probably been standing there for an hour wondering where and the heck I was. I wasn't aware that his plane was delayed.

Then I get to the airport and I'm standing there forever and EVER. Finally, I overheard a bunch of American military men behind me complaining about how they too were waiting for somebody who was on the flight from Chicago. Then I at least felt a little better about my corn pit stop.... not that this pit stop had been my fault.

FINALLY, after what seemed like a million years later, Tony walks out with a mountain of luggage and my CHILDREN... in pink carriers. I gave him and big kiss.  Then I smelled something REALLY REALLY bad. Apparently Spunky had pissed herself on the ride over. Man, did she stink and we had to smell her on the train from Frankfurt to Stuttgart and then on the train from Stuttgart to Aalen and then on the bus to our house. On the train from Stuttgart to Aalen we didn't even sit down, we just stood in the doorway of the train because we didn't want to make other people smell Spunky stench. At one point, we looked down and pee was leaking from her cage...... Do they make diapers for kitties?

Spunk smelled so bad from sitting in her cage and pee that we had to give her a bath. At first she hated it, but then I think she realized "Hey, if they give my a bath, then I won't have to lick all this pee off of myself." and then she just kind of sat in the tub and willingly let me give her a bath. We gave Ruthie a bath too because she smelled a little funny too. She too took the bath really well. Very proud mama. Oh man did they look like little rats though. SEE PICS ON THE KITTY ADVENTURE PAGE

We didn't have enough cat litter for all three cats so we had to take the bus back into town to get bags of litter. Trying to get multiple bags of cat litter home is a lot harder when you don't have a car. We took a carry on sized suitcase with us, but the litter was so heavy that we ended up screwing up on of the wheels... I'm sure the cobblestones didn't help either.

So that was our first night together in Germany as a family!

Weekend in the Alps!

Second Day of School

Today was my second day of school. I had yesterday off because nobody needed any help. It actually turned out to be a really good thing that I had yesterday of because.... well lets just say the stuff coming out of my nose was not of normal color or consistency. Thank God my doctor gave me 4 rounds of anti biotic to take with me before I left so I wouldn't have to go to the doctor here in Germany when I have a sinus infection. (After you have sinus surgery you're extremely  prone  to sinus infections for about a year there after.... not that I wasn't already REALLY prone to them.)

So enough about the inside of my face.

School was really good today. I went to one on English class with the 13th grade. They were reading this story about an American in India. The point of the story was to show students things each culture finds important or significant. For example, the Indian man was very proud of his religion and his family whereas the American man was very proud of his money and material things.

After that class there was a 20 min. break, where I painfully hung out in the teacher's room. It's getting better though. I suppose it will get less and less awkward each day.

Then I went to an 8th grade Geography class that was in English. In eighth grade students learn all about America. Today their task was to fill in a few of the "important" states and their capitals on a map.

Then with that same class we did English.

Then I had an hour break.... again, painfully in the teacher's room.

Lastly I went into two 5th grade English classes. I was again really impressed with what they knew! As long as you talked very slowly and used very simple English, you could use only English with them. I really don't know why the United States doesn't get  it's act together when it comes to teaching younger kids foreign languages because they just soak it up like sponges!!!!!

Tomorrow I will be with a 10th and 11th grade English class in the morning and then 9th grade Geography in the afternoon.

I'm official now too because I got keys to the building and everything! I even have a key to the teachers bathroom. THANK GOD because the kid's bathroom is really gross!

This weekend I am going on a girls weekend to a spa in the mountains with some teachers from my school. The spa is near the Neuschwannstein Castle.... which I'm really excited about because that area is GORGEOUS!!!!! Hmm, maybe after a weekend away with some teachers the teacher's room won't be so painful!

First Day of School

Today was my first day of school. It was interesting. Up until now, I've always played the role of a student while in Germany. This time I am a teacher. It feels a little weird.

It was a little awkward at first because we got there really early and all the teachers were standing around talking and wishing each other good luck on the new school year. I tend to get overwhelmed in large groups of people where I'm expected to make small talk in English, so being forced to make small talk with people I don't know in my second language was well... overwhelming.  I just seem to function better in one-on-one or small group settings, but I know that's not always possible, so today I took as a learning experience. All the teachers were very nice though and were all very interested in talking with me.

I find how the teacher's room works here interesting. There are a bunch of table and chairs in the room and each teacher is assigned to a table and to a specific chair at that table. I was assigned to a table with student teachers and university students doing their practicums. This is very nice because they are all about my age.

Today I went to two eighth grade English classes. I was really impressed with how much they know. They are already at the point of using only English in the classroom. Eighth grade is the first year students get introduced to American English and American Culture. A lot of the students today said they had a hard time understanding me because they were used to hearing only British English. As the students were saying that couldn't understand my American English, in the back of my head I was thinking that my nasally Wisconsin accent probably doesn't help either.

Tomorrow I have off which is probably good because I feel like I might be getting a sinus infection and having tomorrow to sleep might help me fight it off!  On Wednesday I will go and see 10th and 11th grade English classes.

Overall it was a good day. I don't feel like there were very many surprises for me  because I've been a student at a German Gymnasium as well, but I'm sure there are many surprises lurking around corners that I'm not anticipating!

Cologne

Today I got back from a 4 day Fulbright conference in Koeln. Getting there was quite the adventure. NO... I did not get on a wrong bus or train. This time it was totally NOT my fault.

So we're supposed to the Fulbright people at the main train station in Koeln at 3:30 on Monday because the conference was outside Koeln and they bussed us to and from the train station. My friend Susan and I planned our train trip so we would end up getting there at 3:00. We were hoping to have some time to walk around a little because there's this REALLY huge and famous church built right next to the train station.

Everything is going fine. We're sitting on the train admiring the Rhein, but then we get to Bonn. The conductor comes over the loud speaker saying that the train is no longer going to be going to Koeln and that we have to get out. So we end up having to take an hour ride on a street car to Koeln. (Normally the train trip from Bonn to Koeln would have been like 15, maybe 20 min.) Keep in mind too that this street car was jam packed because everybody else on our train had to do the same thing we did. It was really hot and the windows didn't open.

Once we get to Koeln we're dancing around the train station for awhile because we had been told a lady from the group had stayed behind to find us. After what seemed like forever, we couldn't find the lady, so we left.

From the train station in Koeln we had to take another street car about 15 min. to the last stop and from there we had to catch a taxi to where the conference was being held. Luckily we ran into two other girls from the Fulbright groups so we were able to share a taxi with them which made it a lot cheaper.

We weren't the only four who had missed the bus to the conference from the train station in Koeln though. There were at least 8 of us.

It actually turned out ok because by the time we got there all the boring logistical stuff was over and we got to go straight to dinner.

We found out later that somebody had actually been hit by another train on the same track we were on by another train so our train couldn't get through because. We also heard that while the others were waiting for the bus at the main train station in Koeln a guy died on the steps of the Cathedral and the ambulance and everything had to come.

Weird day!

The conference was pretty good. I think it was aimed at people who have never taken education classes before so it got a little boring at times, but overall it was pretty good. Surprisingly the food was really good. I don't know what's wrong with American cafeteria food, but German cafeteria food is actually pretty good... and this is coming from a really picky eater.

I was REALLY impressed. I had brought sheets, blankets, a towel, and a pillow because I didn't know if the sheets were going to reek like detergent or fabric softener. Apparently Germans understand the concept that clean doesn't mean drenched in stench because I was able to sleep in the sheets no problem. They smelled like NOTHING. Imagine that. Usually when I stay at a hotel in the US I end up miserable and can't sleep because of the stenchy detergents they all use.

I am really glad to be home though. I find that I get really overwhelmed being around so many people for such a long time. (There were probably close to 200 people there.) I wasn't by myself for four days from morning until night. I like a little down or "me" time. It doesn't have to be long, but five or ten min. of silence does wonders for my brain.

Also, some chick was DRENCHED in patchouli oil. No matter where she was in the room I could smell her like she was sitting right next to me. Keep in mind too that the room was big enough to seat about 200 people and there were that many people there. OMG! I thought I was going to die! I really don't understand why people like to use that stuff. I really think it just makes you smell like dirty hippy. Not to mention it's really REALLY potent even to people who aren't freaks of nature like me. The patchouli girl was  friends with one of my roommates at the conference and I was SO afraid she was going to sit on my bed while she was in my room or something. After she left the room I swear it took like 20 min. just to get the stench out. EWW!

Boo Boo gave me an ear full when I got home. She was so happy that I was home she didn't stop talking... well it was actually more like yelling.... for like a half an hour. I'm so glad to be back with my little Suki bear. I really can't wait until Tony and my two other fluff balls are here. Then life will again be as it should.