Keep Chemnitz and Carry On
Hallo! I'm in Germany!
And I've been in a state of surreal confusion since the 4am(ish) start on Monday, 8th September, when I left Bedford and began the journey to Germany and the first stop: Cologne!
All the ELAs (English Language Assistants, for those of you who otherwise wouldn't understand the excellent puns I am convinced I can make about ELAs and my own name) from Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who had been placed in certain German states met in Cologne Hauptbahnhof on Monday, to be taken to our two-day-long training course in the Hotel Maria in der Aue. There, we were given incomprehensible paperwork concerning insurance and other bureaucracy, ritually humiliated, which took the form of teaching a lesson to the other ELAs while they pretended to be small German children, and provided with four or five excellent meals per day, all largely meat-, cheese- and cake-based. Personally, I had a fantastic time - it was lovely meeting the other ELAs from around the world, not only because they were all friendly and sweet, but also because we were all in exactly the same slightly nerve-wracking position.
On Thursday, yesterday, we went our separate ways after being driven back to Cologne and a swift trip up the hundreds of steps of the cathedral to view the city, which was looking beautiful despite the fog. I will post more pictures when I have access to my belongings.
The reason I am without access to my belongings is that I am currently somewhat homeless. The school organised a place for me to live, which was, in theory, great. The problem arose as soon as we saw the flat and its cracked staircase, lack of kitchen, equipment, any window coverings, cleanliness, and perhaps most importantly, electricity. So I stayed with one of my two mentors last night, the wonderful Ronny, and this evening I am with the equally lovely Heike. Today, Heike also walked me through the otherwise daunting tasks of registering as an inhabitant of the town, opening a bank account, and buying a SIM card. I also registered at the library, where I saw the petrified forest hitherto only hinted at, teasingly, by Wikipedia. It did not disappoint.
All in all, it's been a busy few days and I've had little to no time to feel at all blue. There was a brief low point today, but after I complained to Zoe and ate some pasta at Vapiano (amazing restaurant - they cook the pasta right there in front of you!!! You watch them do it!! Sensational) I felt much better. I learnt a valuable lesson also - don't not eat for eight hours because you don't cope with it well at all.
I learnt some other useful things today, such as the Saxon pronunciation of auch (ooch) and what you're called if you're a picky eater: krebsch/kräbsch (but with a longer, more closed vowel. I laughed for five minutes when Heike said it).
I'll write a proper post soon I hope, but I thought I should start before there's so much to say that it's too overwhelming to begin. Teaser of what my next post should is theory be about: my first lesson in school (today) and a weekend in Dresden (tomorrow). And maybe even a new WG with real-life Germans and electricity and stuff!! Lots of exciting things to look forward to.
And I've been in a state of surreal confusion since the 4am(ish) start on Monday, 8th September, when I left Bedford and began the journey to Germany and the first stop: Cologne!
All the ELAs (English Language Assistants, for those of you who otherwise wouldn't understand the excellent puns I am convinced I can make about ELAs and my own name) from Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who had been placed in certain German states met in Cologne Hauptbahnhof on Monday, to be taken to our two-day-long training course in the Hotel Maria in der Aue. There, we were given incomprehensible paperwork concerning insurance and other bureaucracy, ritually humiliated, which took the form of teaching a lesson to the other ELAs while they pretended to be small German children, and provided with four or five excellent meals per day, all largely meat-, cheese- and cake-based. Personally, I had a fantastic time - it was lovely meeting the other ELAs from around the world, not only because they were all friendly and sweet, but also because we were all in exactly the same slightly nerve-wracking position.
On Thursday, yesterday, we went our separate ways after being driven back to Cologne and a swift trip up the hundreds of steps of the cathedral to view the city, which was looking beautiful despite the fog. I will post more pictures when I have access to my belongings.
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| Edit: Here it is! Looking misty-rious |
I learnt some other useful things today, such as the Saxon pronunciation of auch (ooch) and what you're called if you're a picky eater: krebsch/kräbsch (but with a longer, more closed vowel. I laughed for five minutes when Heike said it).
I'll write a proper post soon I hope, but I thought I should start before there's so much to say that it's too overwhelming to begin. Teaser of what my next post should is theory be about: my first lesson in school (today) and a weekend in Dresden (tomorrow). And maybe even a new WG with real-life Germans and electricity and stuff!! Lots of exciting things to look forward to.
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