better letters

I began to write some philosophical blog about today being the eve of my 25th (gasp) birthday - but stuff it, I'm scrapping that idea. I will only write this: I feel a bit... apprehensive... about my birthday, as for me the best celebration involves my family, mum's homemade burgers and a pavlova. This year, I'm thousands of miles away from all of this and ... meh. It's just going to be different. But hey, let's see how tomorrow pans out before I cast my verdict, haha. As mum wrote to me recently:

"Keep your face towards the sunshine, and let the shadows fall behind..."

Although, at the moment I could rephrase: "Keep your face towards the weak, cold half-light that creeps out every now and then between 8am - 4pm, and let the shadows fall behind..." I always wish sunshine for my birthday - this year I'm (honestly) more likely to get snow. Woo.

However, I decided to keep this blog upbeat, so instead will write about my most positive moments - all of which happen in school. I have a year 9 class I particularly enjoy - though recently we're making decidely less progress. Why? Because they've decided that my accent is absolutely hilarious and I can now barely say 5 words without the class disintegrating into laughter. The problem lies in the humble letter 'e'. Today we were writing 'formal letters', which was diabolical.

Miss Wilson: "Read the text so you......"
Class: (amidst laughter) "Read the WHAT?"
MW: "The text"
Class: "The tixt?"
MW: "The text" (...you little smartarses...)
Class: "Which tixt?"
MW: "Read the text so you learn how to write better formal letters"
Class: (amidst laughter) "bitter litters?"
MW: "Read the t-e-x-t so you learn how to write b-e-t-t-e-r formal ... uh... things"...
Class: (by this stage almost rolling around on the floor)

Thank goodness I'm not Australian, then they truly WOULD have something to laugh about. Hehe.

But, I am actually really aware of my accent. Earlier this week I downloaded some Shortland Street off the internet. For those non-kiwis, Shortland Street is a highly educational, classy TV programme from NZ. Only kidding - it's a trashy NZ soap opera set in a very fake hospital. Totally addictive. I played some to my year 10 class and just about died - far out, is my accent THAT strong??? I was absolutely horrified! Nothing much I can do about it though - so students, like it or lump it. And as for me, avoid 'better letters' at all costs. Ha.

thought for the day

"Wer Schmetterlinge lachen hoert, weiss, wie Wolken schmecken."

(Those who hear butterflies laughing, know how clouds taste...)

coming to life

Soo... a mid-week update with no special rhyme nor reason, just because my internet is actually working at the moment! I have been back to my normal timetable this week, somehow still feeling absolutely exhausted from last week despite having the world's laziest weekend on record. The moment came yesterday when I'd come face-to-face with my students who I met whilst at the Kirmes fest two weekends ago. I must confess, I had been looking forward very much to bringing up the topic, especially with the boy who very suavely purchased me a drink (it wasn't a coke, either). It didn't surprise me at all that he took my public ribbing extremely well, and even attempted (in English) to give as good as he got, so real kudos to him. Perhaps that's part of the reason he had a massive gaggle of girls flocking around him at the Kirmes (and at all other times, now I think of it...) I broke the news to the class that unfortunately I would henceforth be declining invitations to events which involve socialising with 15/16 year old students, just as another boy said he had planned to invite me to another such fest in December. Uh huh, apparently I'm doing SOMETHING right at the moment! Haha.

It occurred to me that perhaps I should write something about my 'normal timetable'. I write these blog entries without actually knowing if anyone even reads them, so they generally just contain snippets about what I'm feeling at the time, in no logical manner. So, for the first time on this blog I shall try to be informative, haha.

I work Tuesday to Friday in the KHS (Koenig-Heinrich-Schule), which is in good old Fritzlar. On Monday I (possibly illegally, haha) lend my skills elsewhere. But, Tuesday to Friday is my official working week. According to my job description I am contracted to work 12 hours a week, which I do not do for several reasons. One: if I'm only in school for 12 hours, what exactly else do I have to fill my time with? And two: my job is extremely good fun. I love it. Have probably written that before somewhere I imagine, haha. Because of those reasons, I am usually in school between 20-25 hours over 4 days. Each day I start at 7.55am, and before that I walk 30 minutes to the school. That gives me sufficient time to at least half wake up.

I am a 'Fremdsprachassistentin' (Language Assistant)... or basically, a 'jack-of-all-trades' to do with the English language. Or a walking dictionary. Or whatever the teacher wants me to be. I am currently involved in ... hm ... 9 different classes across a variety of levels. I am in two year 6 classes (age 11-12), three year 9 classes (age 14-15), one (aforementioned, many a time!) year 10 class (age 15-16), one year 11 class (age 16-17) and two year 12 classes (age 17-18). I am also the English speaking team member of a bi-lingual Politics/Economics year 9 class, which does my head in for many, many different reasons, none of which I can write here apart from my complete disinterest in and ignorance of either subject. Ha. Just trust me when I say it's *quite* difficult to appear even halfway knowledgable when 5 minutes before class you're handed a complicated text (in German) about the progression from an agrarian society to modern time, with the instructions 'translate and explain'. Ha. Good times.

So, a jack-of-all trades English assistant does more or less the following over the course of a week: walks around assisting students; participates in group work (which can involve anything from comparing answers to acting in a highly embarrassing roleplay; motivates and encourages; speaks ONLY English to the students and then cops flack for it; laughs a HELL of a lot; sits and counts the amount of times the boys in the front row smooth down their fringes; acts as a walking dictionary; corrects numerous exercise books full of work; laughs a lot more; tries to convince students I'm not a terrifying language monster... etc. You get the picture. Once a week, for 45 precious minutes I am the teacher. Lesson 5, class 10c, every Tuesday. I have no idea how this was worked into the timetable, but I love it. Every week I prepare something educational, and I can recall having pulled off a complete lesson ONCE. Every week after the lesson I always feel vaguely annoyed with myself that the class have (yet again) managed to convince me that games and conversation are more important than actual work. At this point, if any of my former students from NZ are reading this they may well be thinking "some things never change..." haha. Thankfully my mentor seems to be of the opinion that all the students need is to hear me speak, so each week the students have 45 minutes of the dulcet tones of my voice, and I have 45 minutes of laughter. When you have the task 'get them to talk as much as possible', it is absolutely hilarious some of the things you find out. One student ate a 1.5 kg burger last weekend, which cost 15 Euro. (I told him he obviously has too much time and money, haha). One student has a sister who has 33 pairs of shoes. One student's favourite food is doner without the vegetables. For example.

My absolute favourite part of the job is the students. I mean, ever since I first set foot in a classroom it has been. I'm not teaching because I'm so passionate about my subject that I feel I need to go and share it with the youth of today. I'm not teaching because I like the power and authority. It is the small things like finding out about a 1.5 kg burger that really makes my day. My special favourite students are in year 9/10, as they're old enough to have a good grasp of English, but still young enough to not care (much) about mistakes and just go for it. One of my colleagues paid me the greatest compliment recently without even knowing it. He said "in the classroom you come to life." And I think I somehow agree.

networking

Hello, and greetings from McDonalds in Kassel. In the last few days my internet has all but given up the ghost. I am guessing it has something to do with the wind/generally awful weather, but I nevertheless can't quite fathom how it's possible for no better connection to exist in Fritzlar. Anyway, in the meantime I'm enjoying a McFlurry and an hour of free super-fast internet at McDs. Thank goodness for the golden arches.

I have just survived an extremely busy week with the school network (as mentioned in my previous post, if I remember correctly). I woke up yesterday feeling totally 'fertig' (finished off, basically). Apparently it's been a very long time since I worked so hard. But overall it's been an absolutely fantastic week. I imagined I'd be tearing my hair out by Tuesday afternoon (the theme of the week was 'energy' ...), but no. It was *gasp* good fun. On Tuesday out whole group of around 60 bussed 3 hours to Wolfsburg, home to the original Volkswagen factory. Ding, ding, as a lifelong VW fan AND Top Gear devotee this was pretty neat. The set-up is amazing, they have not only a factory there but basically a theme park with all sorts of high-tech exhibitions. The best part was this: on our tour our guide (who was the splitting image of Tom Cruise, I kid you not!) took us into the 'executive lounge', or something to that effect. I was supervising a group of 15 students (all 16-17 years old) - somehow I'd managed to get an all-boys group. Do you want to know how to bring a group of teenage boys to absolute silent reverie? Take them to an exhibit containing nothing other than a Bugatti Veyron. Thanks to my Top Gear devotion, I also was aware that this was a pretty special car. There are only 300 in the world (mostly owned by Arabian Sheiks, David Beckham and the like). It was very, very cool. The boys stood with jaws on the floor for probably 5 minutes - as a teacher I can appreciate that it was kind of a miracle, haha. Perhaps my McDonald's internet will even allow me to upload photos!

On Wednesday... eugh. Not such a high-point. A "fascinating" tour around the rubbish-burning plant in Kassel. I could smell rubbish for the rest of the day. Thursday was my personal challenge. The whole day was devoted to chemistry and physics workshops, where I was expected to a) assist and b) translate from German to English. Those who know me may also know that my final science grade in school was really something to laugh at. For a while. So it was kind of funny getting my white coat and safety glasses on and making out like I had the faintest idea what I was doing. The highlight of that day: having a photo taken for the local paper, complete with scientists kit and boiling experiment. As yet it hasn't appeared in print, but I SO cannot wait to laugh at myself. It's going to be funny.

Yesterday was the final day. The whole day was devoted to preparing items about the week's activities for the students to present at the farewell evening; as well as so-called 'national items'. I was instructed to motivate a group of highly un-motivated boys with their presentation. Lo and behold, we managed to cobble together what I thought was a fantastic sketch. I was feeling pretty proud of myself (and the boys)... until they had to practice on stage and they froze and decided to not perform half of it. I could've ... hm ... I probably shouldn't think ill of students (or at least not write it in black and white!) But I was dissapointed. The farewell evening was still a fun experience though. I slept extremely well last night. I can't wait for my 'normal' timetable next week.

The best part of the whole week? Getting to know so many students better. The German contingent was made up of ... probably 30-40 year 11 students, 95% of whom I hadn't known before this week. The whole week was (in theory) conducted in English, and I was blown away at the effort the students put into actually speaking the language. I often have a problem that students are hesitant to talk to me (the scary native speaker, haha) - or they know I speak German so they don't try to speak English. Happily, this wasn't such an issue this week. The more and more time I spend around the students, the more I'm convinced I'm doing the right thing with my life. It's fun.

revenge is a dish...

Life is on the up. Definitely. There's no other way to describe it. If you read my last entry (EDIT 19/11 - which is now deleted) you could probably deduce that for around 3 weeks my life was a bit shit. I really had no idea if I could feel happy again, but thankfully I've discovered it is possible. Since I've returned to Fritzlar after the holidays I've had the best 2.5 weeks here since I arrived... for no special reason, really. I've just been reminding myself to stay positive, make the most of everything, and most importantly, not care overly about what people may or may not be thinking about me. This formula seems to be working, touch wood. Feigning self-confidence doesn't come easily, but I think I'm improving haha.

It all started the first day back at school, when I volunteered to help a colleague mark a stack of English exams. Now, in NZ we generally tick, cross, then give an Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit or Excellence. In Germany, to grade a paper involves giving separate marks for style, content, and then an extremely complicated error index. You can probably reckon with 30 minutes per paper. If you're quick. Marking is a bitch of a job, BUT I discovered that night when we were still only halfway through at 11pm, it can also be incredibly social. Oh my exciting life, haha. But it put me out there, and it's a great way to get to know colleagues better.

The pinnacle of my social life was last Friday night. At the end of my last blog I promised a witty story about the antics of German students, so here goes. I went with the twins plus one to a 'Kirmes' fest. Of course, I was none the wiser as to what that actually meant, and truly found out the hard way. The fest took place in a village, and was basically a school disco with alcohol. Literally two minutes after I stepped out of the car I saw one of my students, and by the time I'd actually reached the hall I felt like quasimodo or some other circus attraction, haha. "Miss Wilson!! Aaahhahahaha!" (<<<--- screaming year 9/10 girls) All of a sudden I felt my full 24 years and was regretting immensely being the sober driver. Thankfully, after not long I decided to just go with it and not give a stuff. After all, it was actually hilarious entertainment watching all these 'good' students downing tacky vodka shots and chasing each other around. The absolute highlight of my evening was when I was approached by one of my year 10 boys and he'd bought me a little bottle of vodka. (When I mentioned this to a colleague the following day he pointed out this was actually illegal as the boy was underage... oops. I just think it makes the story even better!). I have a feeling that the highlight of my upcoming week will be when I run into the poor boy and he's sober. Hopefully this happens first during class time, haha. I am so mean.

This week I am involved in the school 'network week', which is kind of an exchange run between KHS in Fritzlar, and schools in Hungary, Holland and Italy. There are around 50 students involved here and several guest teachers. I am involved the whole week to translate (as everything's done in English), but I think my official title should be "general dogsbody". The theme for the week is 'energy', which doesn't especially excite me, but so far it's been not bad. Highlight of the week so far - finally getting some English from one of the twins. After 2 months of him hearing my faltering German, I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy that sweet dish best titled 'Revenge', haha.

the freedom fiat

So... it's been ... 3 weeks since Ingrid visited me and we first discussed the possibility of me buying a car. I've faced 3 weeks worth of problems since then - sorting insurance, being ingulfed in a river of paperwork, understanding, and even more fun: speaking the language of buying a car. Oh, I haven't even mentioned actually finding an appropriate vehicle. I've met so many swindlers I've lost count. One guy even showed me a car which had 120,000km on the clock but a ticket in the engine saying the oil was changed at 214,000km. Busted? The worst thing was that I had a time limit: school holidays and plans which hinged on being able to drive on my own 4 wheels speedily away from Fritzlar. Last Monday was the last-ditch effort. After that I was going to give up and resign myself to paying the equivalent of $30 to get the bus to and from Kassel as my only form of escape. Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully we arrived on Monday to look and a little red Fiat - met the sellers (not swindlers), saw the car (not about to break apart) and even managed to bargain the price down a bit. So, car found - cue paperwork. My GOD it is impossibly difficult to buy a car here. I walked back and forward to the insurance office and the registration service so many times I could do it blindfolded. Not to mention having to bus then taxi back to the car twice, first to pay and collect the papers and second to attach the new plates. Fuuuuuu............

But! As of yesterday I am UNDERWAY. My car is a 2001 Fiat Punto, AKA the Freedom Fiat or my lovely little Italian friend. I'm especially enamoured by the colour - bright red. It's been pimped out with FLAME patterned seat covers and an awesome mp3 stereo. Couldn't want much more! I made my maiden journey from Homberg to Fritzlar (about 20km) totally shitting myself. Not only was it my maiden journey in a new car, but also my maiden journey driving on the right side of the road AND in a different country with new rules and regulations. Like the bloody speed changing from 100km to 70km every time you pass an exit on the road. Grrr. Well, obviously I made it and I was totally elated. I was so hyped up on adrenaline I could hardly sleep last night. I have MISSED driving like you wouldn't believe.

Today I faced two more ominous driving tests. Firstly, driving to Kassel - which involves a decent stretch of Autobahn. For the uninitiated, that means NO speed limit, lots of massive Audis, BMWs and Mercedes whizzing along at 220km and generally a bit of a free-for-all. My second test was driving into Kassel - the city centre, which turned out to be the more onorous task. The Autobahn was so much fun it should be illegal. Oh wait, that speed IS illegal everywhere but Germany... ha. I went at a time when traffic would be reasonably light, so I had a good deal of the road to myself. For your info, the Freedom Fiat can do 145km/h haha. But I usually sat around 120km. What a lead-foot, I'm truly going to find it difficult sticking to 100km back in NZ! Driving into Kassel was itself wasn't too bad, but finding a park was another story altogether. Although I have to say, when I did find one it was 50m from the shopping street and only cost 1 Euro per hour (eat that, Dunedin City Council $4 per hour...). So, I have changed my holiday plans slightly and next Tuesday I'm driving to Hoogeveen to stay with Ingrid for some days. What can I say, 3-4 hours on the Autobahn, bring it on! Ha. Photos to come, of course.

On another note, I have had the best week at school ever. Things are really starting to fall into place now and I have a routine, regular classes and know the students. I did a lot of relief this week as my mentor was away so I took both his German and English class with 'my' fave yr 10s. That meant we had 8 hours together, all English lessons. I learned that this class has a 'reputation' for being trouble. I, on the contrary, think it's fantastic. They're alive! When they like things, they LIKE things. When they hate things, they HATE things. On Tuesday I taught them the word 'pushover' after they convinced me that we should walk to Fritzlar and get ice cream. I also taught them 'whiny' 'persistant' and 'pain-in-the-ass'. The boys in question took it as a compliment. Haha. Said young man convinced me that if we went to Fritzlar that everyone would speak English to act as a tour-group, and to their credit they actually DID it. I walked along sneakily listening in, and heard the most random conversations - but all conducted in English. Good on them! I can't even get some of the older students to say 2 words to me in English, so this felt like a massive triumph. Good times, good times.

my daily giggle

Every day I walk 25 minutes to school. En route is a tunnel under the main road, totally covered in some wonderful graffiti gems. I always slow down for a read - onlookers must really wonder!

The pick of the bunch...

Did this student pass English?...

Lucky guy!

'History is shit (school subject)'

'The real players come from Fritzlar/Dortmund' Really... I highly doubt it! Haha. Not Fritzlar, anyway...