So I experienced my first European Disco last night. It was a Russian Disco. I was told it was very popular a few years ago. First you walk in and it is kind of dark and there are red lights everywhere. They are blasting Russian music and people are jumping around and dancing. The type of music is both from the 70s Russian time and more popular. It was so much fun just dancing and acting silly. Of course I drank the Russian chose for drink: Vodka. How could I drink anything else. I went with some friends of mine that I have met here through the English speaking forum Toytown. When we left at 4am there were still many people in the club dancing and having a good time. It was definitely Berlin. Clubs and bars here stay open till all hours of the night.
After leaving we walked to a Turkish diner and got some delicious wrap with lamb, onions, lettuce, tomato and some great sauce. It tasted like the best food I have ever had. I finally settled in my bed around 5:15am. Like I said before that is really how Berlin is. I can only do this every once in a while, it is to hard on me. But I had a blast and I just wanted to share the fun times.
I posted a few slide shows below. One is of some of the people I have met and now hang out with here in Berlin and the other is school stuff. I hope you enjoy them and I know I will have more pictures. The last week in October I am traveling to Paris and London with my friend Sarah. We bought our plane tickets yesterday. We got a great deal, three plane rides for about 150 euro. You can't beat that. I will definitely write about the fun times in these cities and have more pictures.
I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Parent's Night
My school had their beginning of the year parent night. This is common in both schools I have taught at so I am used to this kind of evening. With that said I was still nervous about talking to all the parents about the classroom. You never know what could happen. The night went as most beginning of the year Parent's Nights go. I handed out materials, they signed some forms, we talked about procedures, asked and answered questions, etc. The most interesting part of the evening came after we left school.
My students have been together in the same class since the beginning of pre-school (for two years) and so they all know each other very well. It is a tradition for some of the parents to get together after functions such as these and go out for a drink. One parent asked me if I would like to join them. I was a little thrown back by the idea of me drinking with my parents when I first read the invite. I then asked some other teachers about this and they all said it was an ok thing to do over here. So I decided to wait and see how the evening at school went to see if I wanted to join them for a drink. In the end I decided it could be a good way to form a relationship with the parents, and we all know how important that is. So I decided to go. It was a wonderful experience. One parent even offered to order for me in German if I needed, but I said no thanks. I had many great conversations with the parents that were there and I felt really good about the rest of the evening. I just knew I had to share this experience with the people back home, because this is something that would never happen in the US (even though it was talked about sometimes with one parent I can think of, Deborah you know who I am talking about :) ).
It is actually supposed to be in the 60s for the next couple of days, so hopefully this weekend I can get out and about. I miss all of you and keep looking for more wonderful stories.
My students have been together in the same class since the beginning of pre-school (for two years) and so they all know each other very well. It is a tradition for some of the parents to get together after functions such as these and go out for a drink. One parent asked me if I would like to join them. I was a little thrown back by the idea of me drinking with my parents when I first read the invite. I then asked some other teachers about this and they all said it was an ok thing to do over here. So I decided to wait and see how the evening at school went to see if I wanted to join them for a drink. In the end I decided it could be a good way to form a relationship with the parents, and we all know how important that is. So I decided to go. It was a wonderful experience. One parent even offered to order for me in German if I needed, but I said no thanks. I had many great conversations with the parents that were there and I felt really good about the rest of the evening. I just knew I had to share this experience with the people back home, because this is something that would never happen in the US (even though it was talked about sometimes with one parent I can think of, Deborah you know who I am talking about :) ).
It is actually supposed to be in the 60s for the next couple of days, so hopefully this weekend I can get out and about. I miss all of you and keep looking for more wonderful stories.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The weekend was nice, it broke 60 degrees
I know I should write more often, it's just that things during the week are becoming a little routine. I am in the process of taken beginners German. There are 7 people in the class. 2 are from Italy, 2 are from the US, one is from Mexico, one from Venezuela, and one is from Brazil. It is quite a mixture, but it is a very fun class. I go on Mondays and Wednesdays and the teacher is really funny. She speaks English but she will not speak it to us during class. She tries to get us to speak German to her all the time, but it is hard with this group. I sit next to the guy from Mexico and he seems to pick things up quickly, so he is helping me a lot. Sometimes we have homework and I ask my German co-workers to help me. I have decided from this day on I am going to try and use German at least once a day. Wish me luck!!
This weekend it did hit 60 degrees one of the days. That is warm these days. This is the worst part about Germany, the cold. I wish it was warmer. Oh well. I spent the most of Saturday afternoon strolling around town looking through shops, eating ice cream, and I even stopped for coffee, did some people watching and read my book. I feel so European. It was fun. I tried to use German at the coffee place, but they immediately knew I was struggling and asked me questions in English. How am I suppose to learn German this way?
That evening I attended a birthday party for some new friends I have made. Quite a few of them are British, but there are some Canadians as well. Most are native English speakers. It was quite fun. Everyone was asked to dress up. I wore a dress and boots, with tights (again feeling very European). 2 of the guys showed up in tuxes (of course being British) and one guy even showed up in a girls dress. It was all good fun.
On Sunday I went to my first movie here in Germany. I saw Step Brothers. My friend Amy (who I teach with) had free passes. It was funny, but a little stupid. Oh well it was nice to see Will Farrell in a movie. I think we might see Batman next. I know that came out a long time ago in the states, but it just came out in late August here.
I will try to get more pictures up for everyone to see. I have some of the people I am hanging out with now, so maybe I can show those.
I miss you all and I can't wait to see everyone at Christmas.
This weekend it did hit 60 degrees one of the days. That is warm these days. This is the worst part about Germany, the cold. I wish it was warmer. Oh well. I spent the most of Saturday afternoon strolling around town looking through shops, eating ice cream, and I even stopped for coffee, did some people watching and read my book. I feel so European. It was fun. I tried to use German at the coffee place, but they immediately knew I was struggling and asked me questions in English. How am I suppose to learn German this way?
That evening I attended a birthday party for some new friends I have made. Quite a few of them are British, but there are some Canadians as well. Most are native English speakers. It was quite fun. Everyone was asked to dress up. I wore a dress and boots, with tights (again feeling very European). 2 of the guys showed up in tuxes (of course being British) and one guy even showed up in a girls dress. It was all good fun.
On Sunday I went to my first movie here in Germany. I saw Step Brothers. My friend Amy (who I teach with) had free passes. It was funny, but a little stupid. Oh well it was nice to see Will Farrell in a movie. I think we might see Batman next. I know that came out a long time ago in the states, but it just came out in late August here.
I will try to get more pictures up for everyone to see. I have some of the people I am hanging out with now, so maybe I can show those.
I miss you all and I can't wait to see everyone at Christmas.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I've Been Here 4 Weeks and I'm Already Sick
Yes, that is right I am sick. This week was the first week of school and the little ones already got me sick. Its the same old cold, but I think a new strand. I still can not believe how fast I got it. Tomorrow is Monday, I just hope I feel better or I am going to have to go to the doctor and that should be interesting. Everything is more interesting when you can't speak the language.
This week was a very busy one. The students started school. Which was a challenge. It's like I am teaching Kindergarten in the US because these kids have only been to preschool. So we are working on routines a lot and I have to figure out ways to tell them things without knowing German. So I use lots of pictures and hand movement. Which gets hard. But it has been ok.
So I already told you that last weekend I locked myself out, well on Tuesday I lost my keys on my way to work. Which just sucks because I have to take care of all that. It seems like I was not meant to have those keys. Oh well I am getting everything figured out. Losing my keys and having to deal with all that just made me miss how easy it would have been in the US, but I am working through it.
Later that night I did go to a restraunt called "The Bird." Here they have the best burgers I have ever tasted. They also put there burgers on English Muffins, but they are so freakin delicious. It was so good that I had to go back on Thursday. I have to stop eating like that. When I got home on Thursday I was in a burger coma and all I could do was go to bed.
I was invited to go to a birthday party on Friday and I was a little reluctant due to the fact I could feel myself getting sick. But I went anyways with the idea I wouldn't stay out too late. Did that happen, no. I didn't get home until after 4am. I think that is how Berlin works though. There are always people up in this city. I met some more great English speaking people. I also found out that there is a fast pitch softball league here for adults. That is crazy. This guy I met from Minnesota plays on a team. They are in the regional finals now (i think). I had a lot of fun Friday night, but I don't think my body liked me very much for staying up that late. Hopefully I will feel better soon.
I really wanted to do some site seeing before it got to cold here but I was sick this weekend so hopefully next weekend.
Well I hope everyone is good and I miss all of you. Keep me posted on how you are doing as well.
This week was a very busy one. The students started school. Which was a challenge. It's like I am teaching Kindergarten in the US because these kids have only been to preschool. So we are working on routines a lot and I have to figure out ways to tell them things without knowing German. So I use lots of pictures and hand movement. Which gets hard. But it has been ok.
So I already told you that last weekend I locked myself out, well on Tuesday I lost my keys on my way to work. Which just sucks because I have to take care of all that. It seems like I was not meant to have those keys. Oh well I am getting everything figured out. Losing my keys and having to deal with all that just made me miss how easy it would have been in the US, but I am working through it.
Later that night I did go to a restraunt called "The Bird." Here they have the best burgers I have ever tasted. They also put there burgers on English Muffins, but they are so freakin delicious. It was so good that I had to go back on Thursday. I have to stop eating like that. When I got home on Thursday I was in a burger coma and all I could do was go to bed.
I was invited to go to a birthday party on Friday and I was a little reluctant due to the fact I could feel myself getting sick. But I went anyways with the idea I wouldn't stay out too late. Did that happen, no. I didn't get home until after 4am. I think that is how Berlin works though. There are always people up in this city. I met some more great English speaking people. I also found out that there is a fast pitch softball league here for adults. That is crazy. This guy I met from Minnesota plays on a team. They are in the regional finals now (i think). I had a lot of fun Friday night, but I don't think my body liked me very much for staying up that late. Hopefully I will feel better soon.
I really wanted to do some site seeing before it got to cold here but I was sick this weekend so hopefully next weekend.
Well I hope everyone is good and I miss all of you. Keep me posted on how you are doing as well.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Locking yourself out is no fun
Well this weekend was quite interesting. I was actually extremely busy and stressed at some points.
Friday after work a bunch of people from school went out for Happy Hour. It was one of the teachers birthdays. The place was nice and I had a good time getting to know my co-workers. I had to go home early though due to the fact that we had the entering into 1st grade ceremony on Saturday morning.
This was interesting. In Germany it is a big deal for kids to start 1st grade. Traditionally you have a ceremony and the students get presents. We had it in a big fancy performance house. It was a little over the top, but it was neat to see the students all excited about it. We then walked 1/2 a mile back with the students (no parents) to the school where we went to the room and had a snack, took a class photo and did a lesson. This was when it got hairy. The parents were down in the lobby and on the playground drinking champagne (which is very fancy or posh as they say it here) and mingling. The problem with this was that the students knew this was going on and so, in the middle of a read aloud, they began chanting outside, outside, and so on. This was not a good start to the year. However this did prepare me for Monday. I knew I was going to have to lay down the law. The parents then came and picked up the students and hung around for a while longer. Everyone seemed quite nice but it was a mad house in my room. I wanted to take pictures, but there wasn't even time for that. So when this was finished I was exhausted.
Later that night I was invited to one of the teacher's houses for dinner. It was a very good home cooked meal and it was nice to hang out. I was with my friend from school Amy, she teaches 1st grade as well. After this I had to run home to feed the cats, then I was off to Amy's house to stay with her for the night. That's when it happened... I shut my apartment door behind me and did not have my keys. Now this usually isn't a problem, but my roommate is in Vienna for the weekend and so there was no other way to get back into the house. I started to stress. I decided not to take care of it that night, but to wait until the next day. I went to Amy's flat and crashed.
The next day me and 3 other teachers did a 10K walk around the center part of Berlin. It was actually cool to see everything, but of course I forgot to bring my camera with me. I got to see part of the wall, plus various other Berlin things. I plan to go back to this area so I will post some pictures when I get them.
When this walk was finished, I had my friend call the locksmith for me. He only spoke German and arranged for a time to meet me at my house. When I got there I was about 10 minutes late so I was so worried that I missed him, and I couldn't call him because he spoke no English, so I began to panic. Luckily the lady that owns the wine bar under my flat was unloading some wine and came over to see if I was ok. She knows my roommate so she helped me out and called the locksmith for me. He had not come yet and was on his way. I was so thankful for her.
He finally arrived and got into my flat in less than 30 seconds. Serious 30 seconds of work and it cost over 100 euro. I couldn't believe it. Now I always make sure I have my keys on me.
After this long exhausting weekend, I was able to just sit back and relax for the rest of the weekend. Which was all I really wanted to do.
As always I miss you all, and hope all is well at home. Please update me on how you are doing.
Friday after work a bunch of people from school went out for Happy Hour. It was one of the teachers birthdays. The place was nice and I had a good time getting to know my co-workers. I had to go home early though due to the fact that we had the entering into 1st grade ceremony on Saturday morning.
This was interesting. In Germany it is a big deal for kids to start 1st grade. Traditionally you have a ceremony and the students get presents. We had it in a big fancy performance house. It was a little over the top, but it was neat to see the students all excited about it. We then walked 1/2 a mile back with the students (no parents) to the school where we went to the room and had a snack, took a class photo and did a lesson. This was when it got hairy. The parents were down in the lobby and on the playground drinking champagne (which is very fancy or posh as they say it here) and mingling. The problem with this was that the students knew this was going on and so, in the middle of a read aloud, they began chanting outside, outside, and so on. This was not a good start to the year. However this did prepare me for Monday. I knew I was going to have to lay down the law. The parents then came and picked up the students and hung around for a while longer. Everyone seemed quite nice but it was a mad house in my room. I wanted to take pictures, but there wasn't even time for that. So when this was finished I was exhausted.
Later that night I was invited to one of the teacher's houses for dinner. It was a very good home cooked meal and it was nice to hang out. I was with my friend from school Amy, she teaches 1st grade as well. After this I had to run home to feed the cats, then I was off to Amy's house to stay with her for the night. That's when it happened... I shut my apartment door behind me and did not have my keys. Now this usually isn't a problem, but my roommate is in Vienna for the weekend and so there was no other way to get back into the house. I started to stress. I decided not to take care of it that night, but to wait until the next day. I went to Amy's flat and crashed.
The next day me and 3 other teachers did a 10K walk around the center part of Berlin. It was actually cool to see everything, but of course I forgot to bring my camera with me. I got to see part of the wall, plus various other Berlin things. I plan to go back to this area so I will post some pictures when I get them.
When this walk was finished, I had my friend call the locksmith for me. He only spoke German and arranged for a time to meet me at my house. When I got there I was about 10 minutes late so I was so worried that I missed him, and I couldn't call him because he spoke no English, so I began to panic. Luckily the lady that owns the wine bar under my flat was unloading some wine and came over to see if I was ok. She knows my roommate so she helped me out and called the locksmith for me. He had not come yet and was on his way. I was so thankful for her.
He finally arrived and got into my flat in less than 30 seconds. Serious 30 seconds of work and it cost over 100 euro. I couldn't believe it. Now I always make sure I have my keys on me.
After this long exhausting weekend, I was able to just sit back and relax for the rest of the weekend. Which was all I really wanted to do.
As always I miss you all, and hope all is well at home. Please update me on how you are doing.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Hello Hello
So I know it has been a while since I have posted and I am sorry. Don't worry I am still alive and kicking. It has been a crazy week and a half. I have been so busy trying to get my classroom together and get my mind set for this new school.
This school is very different then Westridge. Everyday they have at least one specials for an hour and German for an hour. They also get two 30 minute recesses and a 30 minute lunch. Some days they have two specials. So sometimes it feels like I am barely teaching. I think on Fridays I am literally teaching for 1 hour. I am going to have to get used to not seeing the students as much. On Thursdays I don't even have to be at work until 10am because my German teacher has the students till then. This will be an interesting change for me.
Outside of school my life is very good. In Berlin you do not get a lot of sunny warm days, so when this last weekend was sunny and upper 70s I was all about being outside. It's amazing how you don't really appreciate something until it is taken away.
We had a good Saturday planned. We went to IKEA in the morning, where I bought some school and apartment stuff. Then headed to the park around 1pm or 13:00 as they say it here. We stayed in the park until after 8pm just enjoying the nice weather. Then that evening I was invited to a birthday bbq with some people I met at an English speaking gathering. That turned into the police coming because we were being too loud so we moved the bbq to a neighborhood pub. I had a great Saturday.
Sunday was just as nice and my roommate and I went to the flea market. Then I went to dinner with a friend and saw the city. It was a very good weekend.
On Tuesday night my roommate and I had a small dinner party for some people. She is a great cook. I just chopped up veggies, peeled potatoes, and cleaned dishes. We drank some wine, talked to friends, and had a fabulous time.
I do not have any pictures right now because I have been so busy with other things. But I plan to visit Potsdam soon and I hear it is beautiful there. So I will post pictures after that.
I miss all of you and think about you often. Keep me posted on how you are doing.
This school is very different then Westridge. Everyday they have at least one specials for an hour and German for an hour. They also get two 30 minute recesses and a 30 minute lunch. Some days they have two specials. So sometimes it feels like I am barely teaching. I think on Fridays I am literally teaching for 1 hour. I am going to have to get used to not seeing the students as much. On Thursdays I don't even have to be at work until 10am because my German teacher has the students till then. This will be an interesting change for me.
Outside of school my life is very good. In Berlin you do not get a lot of sunny warm days, so when this last weekend was sunny and upper 70s I was all about being outside. It's amazing how you don't really appreciate something until it is taken away.
We had a good Saturday planned. We went to IKEA in the morning, where I bought some school and apartment stuff. Then headed to the park around 1pm or 13:00 as they say it here. We stayed in the park until after 8pm just enjoying the nice weather. Then that evening I was invited to a birthday bbq with some people I met at an English speaking gathering. That turned into the police coming because we were being too loud so we moved the bbq to a neighborhood pub. I had a great Saturday.
Sunday was just as nice and my roommate and I went to the flea market. Then I went to dinner with a friend and saw the city. It was a very good weekend.
On Tuesday night my roommate and I had a small dinner party for some people. She is a great cook. I just chopped up veggies, peeled potatoes, and cleaned dishes. We drank some wine, talked to friends, and had a fabulous time.
I do not have any pictures right now because I have been so busy with other things. But I plan to visit Potsdam soon and I hear it is beautiful there. So I will post pictures after that.
I miss all of you and think about you often. Keep me posted on how you are doing.
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