All in all, this week has turned out a lot better than I thought it would. And honestly, I think that part of it was because I stopped trying to control many aspects and just decided to go with the flow. Hmm. May have to start doing this more often.
I've actually done a lot of activities with the kids this week, which has definitely made me feel like I'm actually doing something with myself. Definitely beats sitting in the corner and feeling very much like a walking/talking dictionary.
To start off the week I did presentations on American high school with the eighth graders, which was pretty funny. I think my favorite moment was when we had a discussion session at the end. I basically asked them if they liked American high schools, and what they specifically liked about it, what they would like to incorporate into German schools, etc. They immediately said that they loved how we have dances and sports teams, etc etc etc. It was then that I dropped the bomb on them: American high schoolers have homework every night, and (GASP!) that homework is graded. In Germany, teachers are very limited on the amount of homework that they can give, and it's never graded. I think I literally saw about 20 jaws drop instantly in front of me. I had to laugh out loud at that.......we play hard, but we work hard too.
Then came the Thanksgiving presentations/activities on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday I started off with the 10th graders, and it went SO. WELL. I was thrilled. They absolutely ate up the turkey activity (pun intended), where I had them try to put the instructions of how to roast a turkey in order. Epic fail on their part, but they had a blast doing it!
It was on Wednesday night that I made the last minute decision to stop being such a hermit and catch the next train to Bochum, where my friend Emily lives. We went to the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) there, and had an absolute blast. The next day we once again made last minute plans and the two of us took the train from Bochum to Essen, where we met our friend Sara. There was another big Weihnachtsmarkt there, and we had a big dinner together since we all had to celebrate Thanksgiving away from home. I got home Thursday night oh-so-tired and broke, but oh-so-happy with life.
The week ended with my Thanksgiving presentation to the 5th graders, which I wasn't sure would go so well. Their vocabulary is pretty limited, so you can't do anything too intricate (read: interesting) with them. Probably the highlight of the week came when I taught them how to make hand-turkeys (you know, the kind that every one of us made at least fifty times in grade school by tracing around our hands). I drew one on the smartboard at the front of the class, and it was absolutely PRICELESS to see all their faces light up as if light bulbs had suddenly gone off in their heads - shouts of "OH, GEIIIIIIIIL!" (oh, cool!) came from everywhere and they scrambled to start drawing their turkeys. Best. Lesson. EVER.
Tomorrow I head off to Gladbeck for our big English TA Thanksgiving potluck...let's pray that the turkey works out. But yes - my mood is "spitze" right now, as they say in German. 21 days left until I come home, many activities planned to fill that time, and the only complaint I have is that I don't have an oven to make Christmas cookies. I guess that will have to wait until I get home!
Liebe Gruesse und bis bald,
Mary
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