First and foremost - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Secondly, I apologize that I haven't been writing in here as often as I would've liked to. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with that in the near future!
For the time being however, I'd like to express my disappointment with the extent to which Halloween is celebrated here (or rather, the lack thereof)! In case you don't know, Germans (and most of Europe for that matter) don't celebrate Halloween - no trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, etc.
Yes, American culture is slowly spreading over as far as Halloween is concerned, but as of right now that only means that bars host Halloween parties, and you don't see many of the clever Halloween costumes that American college students are known for - rather, their costumes tend to stay on the dark/goth side - lots of black. The other type of costumes are worn here around Carneval time (more to come on that later).
I spent yesterday giving a presentation on Halloween to my fifth graders, and that reminded me of just how much I miss our traditions! (Needless to say, they LOVED it...although that might have had something to do with the fact that I brought in candy and made them yell "TRICK OR TREAT" at the top of their lungs) We did Halloween puzzles and games, and ended the class with some Halloween music (The Monster Mash, etc). It was great to see them so excited!
So today I'm off to visit my friend Emily in Bochum (a city about an hour away), and we're going to miss Halloween together by going shopping, carving pumpkins, making carmel apples, and watching Halloween movies.
To those of you back stateside, take advantage of our fantastic American traditions - I expect to see pictures of everyone's costumes!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
One hell of a dry spell...
So after about a month without internet, the wait is finally over.
After making several phone calls and having two different technicians visit my apartment, I am not officially connected to the internet. In the midst of my euphoria, I immediately set about opening a bottle of wine, finding a website to catch up on this season of Gossip Girl and Project Runway, and making myself an omelet, I now finally have the time to sit down and let you know that YES, I am still alive and well (Well, the two of you who consistently read this blog anyway).
I've settled into my apartment, which is about 5-7 minutes walking distance from the school that I teach at - Clemens-Brentano Gymnasium. The city is nice, but rather small (45,000 people). Although this is bigger than Galesburg (population-wise), there really isn't anything to do, especially when you take into account that I know nobody my age who lives here. Most of the younger teachers live in Muenster, which is about 20 minutes away by train. I've already met one of my teacher-friends there, and this weekend there will be a "social" night for all of the younger teachers. (I'm VERY much looking forward to a social Friday night)
Other than that, I met several other Americans who are also English teaching assistants in the area. We met at the orientation in Altenberg at the beginning of September and have been able to meet up several times since then. We are planning to do all of our traveling together, which includes a trip to Barcelona and Paris which will happen next week (during our Fall break).
Aaaaaand, honestly that pretty much catches you up on my situation here. Not too much going on - just a lot of red tape to get through initially, and trying to create a social life in my new surroundings. More updates to come in the future!
After making several phone calls and having two different technicians visit my apartment, I am not officially connected to the internet. In the midst of my euphoria, I immediately set about opening a bottle of wine, finding a website to catch up on this season of Gossip Girl and Project Runway, and making myself an omelet, I now finally have the time to sit down and let you know that YES, I am still alive and well (Well, the two of you who consistently read this blog anyway).
I've settled into my apartment, which is about 5-7 minutes walking distance from the school that I teach at - Clemens-Brentano Gymnasium. The city is nice, but rather small (45,000 people). Although this is bigger than Galesburg (population-wise), there really isn't anything to do, especially when you take into account that I know nobody my age who lives here. Most of the younger teachers live in Muenster, which is about 20 minutes away by train. I've already met one of my teacher-friends there, and this weekend there will be a "social" night for all of the younger teachers. (I'm VERY much looking forward to a social Friday night)
Other than that, I met several other Americans who are also English teaching assistants in the area. We met at the orientation in Altenberg at the beginning of September and have been able to meet up several times since then. We are planning to do all of our traveling together, which includes a trip to Barcelona and Paris which will happen next week (during our Fall break).
Aaaaaand, honestly that pretty much catches you up on my situation here. Not too much going on - just a lot of red tape to get through initially, and trying to create a social life in my new surroundings. More updates to come in the future!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
