***Warning!!! LONG entry!***
So, I was about to start writing a new blog on my Tricky Tea Time account, and I had just realized what a stupid idea it was to have named it so. It's ok, you can agree. I guess I just wanted to do something more with a blog than just talk about my everyday life. That's boring enough, so I must as well give my readers something else to look forward to reading when nothing is going on in my life. But tea?! Who knows what I was thinking....
Alas, TTT shall be henceforth deleted and shelved only in our memories. Happy nightmares!
Without further ado, let's give Travelin' Trick a warm welcome round of applause! I'm going back to basics (thank you, Christina Aguilera) and just blogging about my boring life. Most of the time, however, I will be blogging about traveling to new places, learning new cultures, and struggling with language. Emphasis on the struggling with languages....
Ok.
Most of my readers already know who I am and what I'm doing at the moment. But for those of you who don't know, let me introduce myself.
Freshly graduated from Western Kentucky University with a B.A. in German and French, I am currently teaching English at a "Berufschule" (vocational or professional high school) in Giessen, Hessen, Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. The program lasts at least nine months, but, with a surplus of funds, I may stay for a total of two years. Work is really needed to be done on my German, so if I can stay for two years, by all means, I will.
As for the more boring stuff, I'm a 5'7" 23 year old military brat, who has no idea what he is going to do when he gets back from Germany. The possibility of being a high school German teacher still lingers, but only if I enjoy teaching in Germany first. That would also mean going back to school to get my Masters in education. If not, then I may either go the daring route and get my Ph D. in German, or go very wild and study something new like International Relations, Translation/Interpretation, or Nonproliferation Studies. Obviously my socks get knocked off when talking about linguistics, culture, and politics.
So there you have it.
Now, on to catching some of you up with what's been happening this past week that I've been in Germany.
Let me start off by saying that I FUCKING LOVE IT HERE!!! [clears throat] Yes. It's quite pleasant. The flight over here had very few bumps. I just wish I had packed a lot lighter. By now I should have Popeye arms from all the heavy luggage I had to carry back and forth from airport to plane to hostel to monastery to train station to car to school to apartment.
When I finally arrived in Cologne (Köln), I was already quite thrilled, as you can imagine. I had met some other Fulbrighters who were on the same plane from Munich to Cologne, and we all decided to stick together a little before we left for orientation. Even though I'm here to learn German, it was nice getting myself oriented in Germany with some Americans first. After we got checked into our hostels, we got ourselves a bit cleaned up and headed straight for the kebab stands to once again indulge on this mystery meat that rotates on a metal rod in some kind of heating machine, much like a rotisserie. We sat on steps by the Kölner Dom. It was magnificent! When I was in Vienna, I saw the Stephansdom, but it has nothing on the cathedral in Cologne. It's soooo big! And you won't catch me saying that very often....
Afterwards we went back to our hostel rooms. We weren't supposed to sleep any so that we could get over the jet lag, but I couldn't help myself. I never can. However, this time I only took a short nap of 1-2 hours. I felt like kakka when I woke up, but I still got up in time to have dinner with the rest of the Fulbrighters.
The next day we went back to the cathedral and took a tour of it in German. It was a little difficult to understand, but only because they were doing construction inside and EVERYTHING echoed. It also didn't help that we were such a large group. Nonetheless, it was a seemingly interesting tour, much like all the other tours of cathedrals in Europe anyone can experience. Once you've seen one, you really have seen them all.
After touring the city a little more, the time came when we had to meet up for our orientation. Once again I had to trek my thousand pound luggage from the hostel to the train station. There were already several Fulbrighters waiting for someone to give us further instructions. Here is when I quickly learned that I was going to meet a lot of people who already knew each other. It was amazing. Some people knew each other from the same college, some knew each other because they were on a previous study abroad program together. I, however, seemed to be the only one from Kentucky, even though I did meet someone who was in Vienna, but at different times and at a different school.
The orientation was held at a monastery out in the middle of nowhere in Altenberg. It reminded me much of J. K. Rowlings Hogwarts, actually. The cathedral looked much like the school, and we were all trotting back and forth in the courtyard in between sessions and meals. The sessions were mostly informative for sure, although long and draining, but I probably could have survived without. It was however nice that we got to meet everyone in the U.S. program, and I even made a few friends on the side who aren't too far from me in Frankfurt. Maeve and Mary. I really must have a thing with M's...
Altenberg itself wasn't too bad. Nothing to do in the town, nonetheless absolutely beautiful, it was just like you'd picture Germany; a town settled in a small valley with rolling hills on all sides, there were deep dark forests where on the ever so green ground grew gigantic toadstools. There were even signs that read, "Märchenwald," or Fairy Tale Forest. If my camera's SD card hadn't decided to destroy my photos, I would have posted them on this blog. Alas, I will have to hope that other Fulbrighters took photos and will gladly share them with me.
Once the orientation was over, I once again trekked my luggage to the buses, and we headed back to Cologne. I bought my ticket to Giessen, and, to my surprise, Maeve and Mary had to ride the same train. We talked almost the whole time about where we wanted to go and what plans we've already made. Even true for the others at the orientation, it was finally nice to see that there were other people who had similar interests in German and Germany. Quite surreal, actually. We're a rare breed in Kentucky :P.
Eventually, the anticipation was long gone, and we made it to Giessen. I was quite nervous about meeting my teacher. Initially we had some problems communicating, but we eventually did meet up and everything was fine. We went straight to the school, dropped off my luggage there, and she introduced me to a couple of classes. It's amazing how well the students know English, even though Conny thinks their capabilities aren't good enough. I guess that's every language teacher's feeling, though. She then introduces me to several of the other teachers, and they welcome me very enthusiastically. It was beginning to feel more and more like I had finally made the right decision.
Since I have yet to find a place of my own, Conny opted for me to stay at her place until I do. She lives in a large and very nice apartment. Her husband Olaf is a very cool guy, who actually teaches martial arts, namely Kung Fu, to kids. The two of them have been unbelievably hospitable. She alone has already done so much for me, I truly don't know how I can ever repay her.
We mostly only speak German with each other. Initially I had a hard time understanding her, because I've been out of German for so long and she does speak a little fast than what I'm used to. But now, three days already into it, I understand her quite well. It's the speaking back part that I have a hard time, but since yesterday, I've gotten a lot better. At least this time in Germany, I'm not as afraid to speak or make mistakes. For this reason I get this really good feeling that I WILL LEARN GERMAN, which is exactly the kind of encouragement I needed. Although, don't get me wrong, it's still not easy by any means. I just know that this is the only way it's going to happen. Just realizing that I'm going through the right process is encouragement enough to get the job done. Everything about this program seems to fit like finding pieces to put in to a very difficult puzzle. It's a shame I can't live with Conny the whole nine months; however, I need not to intrude on her life.
In other news, I got a bike. It feels sooo good that I know that I can get around town on the most cost efficient way possible. That will save me some traveling money for sure.
The kids at the school are great. Most of them think it's SOOO cool that I'm American, but I'm having a hard time acting like it. Everyone keeps telling me that even if I don't like some aspects of American culture, I still have to pretend somewhat that I partake in them. For example, fast food. Of course I do eat some fast food here and there, I really don't feel like I'm in the majority of Americans who eat it on a day by day basis. Especially KFC. It's hard pretending that I don't learn foreign languages, eat huge and late night dinners, go everywhere by car and never use public transportation, walk or ride bikes, don't know about other cultures or what's going on in the world very well, listen to music like 50 Cent and Eminem, and talk like surfer dudes. It's really tough, but I have to represent what the majority of Americans are like, or they will lose interest. All those things are why Americans are cool to them. However, I will draw the line at wearing cowboy attire...
Today, Conny has planned a trip for us to Marburg. A friend of hers is going to drive us to what everyone I've talked to so far has told me is a gorgeous well preserved Medieval town. I'm really looking forward to it! I will try once more to take some pictures, and if they come out, I will of course post them :).
I hope all is well with you all, and until next time,
Auf Wiederschreiben!
Trick
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