Hi, I'm Eleanor
A few days ago I was asked to write an A4 page about myself for the school. I couldn't work out if it's for the magazine or some other kind of brochure or just to mock and judge my choice of picture of myself, but either way I resented it. Despite this being a very normal thing to be asked to do it is never fun or easy to write about yourself like that, and while I can't get enough of it here on my blog, on my own terms, enforced self-obsession is not quite the same. I combated this problem by making it Fun, just really incredibly Super Fun, and incorporating as many song lyrics as possible into the text. I thought I'd post it here, as I'm not doing a proper blog this week; I came home for Easter, so I'll be spending all my time praising the good lord, eating chocolate eggs, and having eight portions of every meal because I didn't have to cook it for myself.
Enjoy, and Happy Chocolate Day!
Hi, I’m Eleanor and I’m the English Language Assistant at Agricola-Gymnasium this year, starting at the beginning of September and finishing at the end of May. This is my third year of being an undergraduate at the University of Manchester, where I study German Studies and Linguistics, and after I leave Germany I’ll go back to the UK to finish my Bachelor’s degree.
Lots of people have asked me why I chose to come to the wonderful city of Chemnitz for my year abroad. The answer is that people who decide to work at a school in Germany get to choose three federal states and order them in terms of preference. Saxony was my first choice, as I had never been to this part of Germany before, and thought it would be interesting to find out more about the area and its majestic history. I also thought it would be fun to spice up my life and go to the part of Germany containing the country’s most hated dialect.
In general I have had a really good experience in Germany. After a few hurdles involving non-existent accommodation at the beginning of the year and several months without Wi-Fi or reasonable housemates, I finally moved into a flat in the centre of Chemnitz and everything started looking up, thanks in no small part to the brilliant Christmas markets. Germany is definitely the best country in which to celebrate the festive season of goodwill. I’ve never had a dream come true until I tasted that waffle with nougat at the Christmas market. It was joyful and triumphant.
Chemnitz itself is not as bleak as everyone makes it out to be. Although nearly all the young people I’ve asked have been massively down on Chemnitz, I think we need to stop, and wait a minute – it has everything you could need and I’m really enjoying living here! It was a surprise at the beginning of the year how quiet it can be despite the large student population; having heard that Chemnitz is ‘the German Manchester’, I was expecting a buzzing hub of excitement and jollity. However although life here may not be as swift as the coursing river, I have found it is not actually as quiet as it first seemed.
I have met a number of lovely people through the tandem partner scheme set up by the TU Chemnitz, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to practise a foreign language.
As a Brit I of course have to mention the weather. Although it was surprisingly cold in the bleak midwinter with the weather outside being frightful, you do just have to shake it off. The warmer weather recently has given me hope that a new day will dawn, and I have confidence that spring will come again.
I want to thank everyone in Chemnitz who has made me feel so welcome and at home here. Although not everything in Germany was as I expected, the people have almost without exception been helpful and friendly to me. I have loved working at Agricola; it has given me an enormous sense of wellbeing, and I’m very grateful to everyone at the school offering kindness and affection, whether I’m right or wrong.
Enjoy, and Happy Chocolate Day!
Hi, I’m Eleanor and I’m the English Language Assistant at Agricola-Gymnasium this year, starting at the beginning of September and finishing at the end of May. This is my third year of being an undergraduate at the University of Manchester, where I study German Studies and Linguistics, and after I leave Germany I’ll go back to the UK to finish my Bachelor’s degree.
Lots of people have asked me why I chose to come to the wonderful city of Chemnitz for my year abroad. The answer is that people who decide to work at a school in Germany get to choose three federal states and order them in terms of preference. Saxony was my first choice, as I had never been to this part of Germany before, and thought it would be interesting to find out more about the area and its majestic history. I also thought it would be fun to spice up my life and go to the part of Germany containing the country’s most hated dialect.
In general I have had a really good experience in Germany. After a few hurdles involving non-existent accommodation at the beginning of the year and several months without Wi-Fi or reasonable housemates, I finally moved into a flat in the centre of Chemnitz and everything started looking up, thanks in no small part to the brilliant Christmas markets. Germany is definitely the best country in which to celebrate the festive season of goodwill. I’ve never had a dream come true until I tasted that waffle with nougat at the Christmas market. It was joyful and triumphant.
Chemnitz itself is not as bleak as everyone makes it out to be. Although nearly all the young people I’ve asked have been massively down on Chemnitz, I think we need to stop, and wait a minute – it has everything you could need and I’m really enjoying living here! It was a surprise at the beginning of the year how quiet it can be despite the large student population; having heard that Chemnitz is ‘the German Manchester’, I was expecting a buzzing hub of excitement and jollity. However although life here may not be as swift as the coursing river, I have found it is not actually as quiet as it first seemed.
I have met a number of lovely people through the tandem partner scheme set up by the TU Chemnitz, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to practise a foreign language.
As a Brit I of course have to mention the weather. Although it was surprisingly cold in the bleak midwinter with the weather outside being frightful, you do just have to shake it off. The warmer weather recently has given me hope that a new day will dawn, and I have confidence that spring will come again.
I want to thank everyone in Chemnitz who has made me feel so welcome and at home here. Although not everything in Germany was as I expected, the people have almost without exception been helpful and friendly to me. I have loved working at Agricola; it has given me an enormous sense of wellbeing, and I’m very grateful to everyone at the school offering kindness and affection, whether I’m right or wrong.
Comments
Post a Comment