Lots of talking, Ice Hockey and a chilled weekend

Monday began slightly later than normal, as the class I normally attend first, were doing a test (The students here are tested so much! A lot more than in England. They have a test at least every few weeks) Nevertheless, I enjoyed my lazy Monday morning before making my way to school. Obviously, I was very cautious and kept my eyes peeled for any sneaky 'Glatteis'. In my first class, I once again replaced the CD player, which the students normally listen to when practising listening. I rather enjoy this and I think the students prefer it, as it isn't some posh, British women speaking in a false, monotone voice, which is so often the case with educational listening tracks. On my way to the next class, I got chatting to some young students in the corridor. I hadn't met them before, but they had obviously heard about me and were intrigued. They asked me lots of questions but wouldn't believe that I was English! They asked a passing teacher if I was 'wirklich' English. The teacher however didn't help my case by telling them (in German) that I was working for the British Secret Service. I'm really not sure if they believed her, but I liked the idea nonetheless.

After another class and a conversation class with the Year 10s, I left school and came home via the cinema. I had wanted to see this particular film for some time after hearing lots about it from various students and friends, so I decided this was a good opportunity. After a few issues with the cashier (he gave me the wrong change, then, at extra cost, reserved me a seat that I didn't want! But I sorted it out) I made my way to the screen. It was very quiet and there were only about 4 others in there with me. The film was funny and kept me entertained. It was totally in German and it wasn't until after that I realised that I had just watched, understood and enjoyed a film in a totally different language. I find this pretty cool. This is one notable improvement during my Year Abroad. Whilst my speaking skills haven't improved as much as I wanted them to, I feel confident that my listening and reading skills have. I'm keen to keep exposing myself to more and more German in the hope that this improvement continues. The students at school appear to learn English through watching TV and Films, and their grasp of a foreign language is very good. If it works for them, why can't it work for me!? Speaking of listening to German, this week I've got into watching 'Ich bin ein Star...Holt mich hier raus!' or 'I'm a celebrity...Get me out of here' to you folks back home. This is a carbon copy of the British version I watch when in England. Ok, there is no Ant & Dec, but the two presenters give a good shot at making it funny and entertaining. The set is the exactly the same, the format the same and it even begins with the presenters shouting 'Ich bin ein Star...Holt mich hier rrraaaaauuuuuusssssssssss!'. Although the 'Dschungelprüfund' or 'Jungle Exam' doesn't quite have the same ring to it as a 'Bushtucker Trial'. It's often difficult to understand but I enjoy watching it and hopefully it's improving my German. I also used my Monday evening to practise some German Grammar, after I had been embarrassingly put on the spot during a lesson. I didn't know how to form a particular tense, and after studying German for so long, I really have no excuse.

I was relieved to hear from one of the teachers on Tuesday, that she thinks my presence is helping the students. Following my conversation class and told her that I was impressed with their level of English and she responded by saying that she is sure that part of the improvement is a result of me being there and working with them. After a few quiet weeks and the feeling that I'm not really appreciated or even required, this was a real boost.

At another meeting with Verena, my tandem-partner, on Tuesday afternoon, she invited me to 'Mini-Golf' that evening with some of her friends at a new mini-golf place in the city. I immediately chose the easy option and responded that I had things to do that evening, swayed by the idea of a cosy night inside my flat. But after getting home, I realised this was another opportunity I really shouldn't have turned down. You're only on a Year Abroad once, right? Better do it properly! I promptly text Verena and asked whether is was too late to accept her offer. Fortunately I was just in time and we met that evening at this new, funky and very alternative Mini Golf place in Regensburg. You see from the pictures that this wasn't an ordinary course. A Bedroom, crazy ramps, a half pipe and a toilet were all part of the course and it made for a good time. Golf really isn't my strong point, so I didn't win, but I met some more people, spoke a little German and had fun. I'm glad I went.

 The slightly alternative mini-golf course

 

On Wednesday in school, I was doing some more speaking practice with various classes. This is the type of work I enjoy the most. I take a small group, usually 4 students, outside the class and we just talk for about 10 minutes. This gives them the opportunity to speak in a more relaxed atmosphere, and since there aren't so many of them, they're usually not too afraid to say something, which is often the case when in class. I was working with a Year 5 class first of all, one which I hadn't yet met. Their English knowledge was basic (but saying that, it is a lot better than second language knowledge of any Year 5 I've ever met in England!), but we talked about brothers and sisters, pets, hobbies etc. I smiled when one boy got his numbers mixed up and told me that his sister was 90 instead of 19. And then had a little debate with one boy who tried telling me that English was harder than German. Pfft! "German is easy! English is hard." he said. "English is easy! German is hard." I replied. You get the idea. I guess both of us were correct in our own way. On Wednesday I also recorded a listening exercise, which would be played to a class later in the week. Obviously it wasn't an issue for me to just read a text aloud whilst being recorded, but like I've said before, something that is so simple for me, can have a really positive effect on the students. We played it back, and although like many people, I very much dislike the sound of my own voice, I was relieved to hear just the odd short vowel sound that defines the Yorkshire accent. The fact that my accent (which wa' neva strong in't first place) is less obvious, has been noticed not only by me, but also was commented on by Max, my brother, when I was at home over Christmas. I make an effort to speak clearly and annunciate words when speaking English here, so I guess it's affecting my accent. When speaking any language you automatically try to copy others around you (it's been proven, you know!) so I guess seeing as though the only other English person I spend my time with right now (LOIS!) has a very 'neutral' accent, that too has an effect. Anyhow, after spending a few months over summer back in Gods own county, I'm sure those short A's, those monophthong E's and the glottal stop will soon re-emerge.































Some of the work the Year 10's have been doing in class. I'm sure you can guess which ones were written by boys!




 

Thursday consisted of me doing some more speaking with groups of students and also my weekly conversation class. The class varies every two weeks, since half the class also do a German class every other week at the same time. The class is a year 10 class and I do enjoy teaching them. It's voluntary, therefore the students make an effort whilst they are there. I was telling Anja, my mentor teacher, how much I enjoy working with the class. She thinks the only reason I enjoy working with this class is because they are all girls, but that it isn't the case - honest!

 

Some of the German food I've enjoyed this week. On the left is a 'Fleischkäse Semmel' - Very similar to spam in a roll. I really like it and it only costs 1 Euro. Not bad!

On the right is a dish I made one evening. It's 'Gyros Geschnetzeltes mit Knödel' - Pretty much a stew with potato dumplings - Very Bavarian and very tasty!

On Friday, Lois and I made our usual trip into the city to do some shopping (and discovered 'Banana juice' amongst the many delights of the German Supermarket - a little different, but tasty!). We like to have lunch out on Friday and we do appreciate the fact that we can do this together on a weekday. There is something really nice about being able to have lunch out on a day off work and we feel lucky. On the way home, we saw some of my students on the bus. They were so intrigued to see me with a girl! They kept turning round, staring and then whispering to each other. I'm sure I will have lots of questions to answer when I'm back at school this week! On Friday night, we went to an Ice Hockey match. We were fortunate enough to be loaned some tickets from someone I know. Since it was a season ticket, we had reserved seats and were given VIP wristbands which allowed us into a special room during the intervals. Here we helped ourselves to some food and got free drinks. Considering we didn't have to pay for the tickets and managed to get some free food and drink, it wasn't a bad deal at all. Thanks to Peter who loaned us the tickets! The game itself was entertaining and it was a really nice thing to do together. Unfortunately Regensburg were beaten by a much better Freiburg, but the game wasn't without a few punches. Ice Hockey is a very fast, very rough game. And following a lot of pushing and shoving it wasn't long before the first punch was thrown. At this point, it turns into a full on team vs team fight. Helmets, sticks and gloves are thrown on the ice and the two teams really lay into each other. The officials stand around for a little while and simply watch what is going on, whilst the crowd go wild and music plays. Then, once the two teams are tiring, the officials step in and break it up. I found this 'interesting' to watch, whilst Lois found it hilarious and laughed throughout the event. Nevertheless, we both really enjoyed our evening.













VIP!



























The fight which Lois enjoyed oh so much








I'm guessing the first thing that you think of when you see this score (5-1) and the word 'Germany' is the famous England victory in the world cup qualifiers in 2001. However, I'm sorry to say that this score is a little more disappointing. Regensburg were well and truly thrashed by Freiburg. Freiburg 5 - Regensburg 1.




















Our usual Saturday day trip out was replaced this week, in favour of a chilled day around Regensburg. The weather was cold and we had no real desire to visit anywhere this week. Besides, with a trip planned to Stuttgart next weekend to see Anthony and Anna again, we decided to save our energy and money. So on Saturday, after another walk out to the shops to buy some cooking ingredients (and also the discovery of a strange Eastern European shop, where we found a whole shark in the freezer available for purchase) we had a very relaxed, chilled day in the flat. We watched a film in German to compensate the fact we were having a day off from experiencing German culture and also caught up on a little TV. I would say we are both active people, but it was nice to have a lazy day for a change. We awoke to quite a heavy snowfall on Sunday morning and in between episodes of '24', we went for a nice snowy walk. Another chilled day later and the weekend was once again over and another week about to begin.

 The Germans are very efficient. It wasn't even 12:00 and all roads, side roads and footpaths had been cleared of snow. Impressive!

Like I said, next weekend we are going to Stuttgart, so hopefully I will have a few interesting tales to tell about that. A cold spell has been forecast for the foreseeable future, and I feel 'Glatteis' may be making another unwanted appearance this week. I'm going to have to be extra careful! But until next time..

Tschüß!

 This is how I feel with German a lot of the time. "darein ---> daraus" "In one ear and out of the other"

 

P.S - I recently wrote a short piece about myself (in German!) for the website of one of my schools. Although it may be complete gobbledygook to some of you, here it is! http://www.realschule-am-judenstein.de/unser-teaching-assistant-marcus/

A little slip, a mischievous class, a trip to Würzburg and a tasty meal

So another week down just means another week closer to getting rid of cold, dark mornings and getting closer to summer - Call us keen but we're looking forward to getting the next few months out of the way and then enjoying some nicer weather and longer days!

Well, I've had a pretty quite week at school this week. Monday was a normal day, but didn't require me to do much. On Tuesday I experienced my first, of what I imagine could be many, wet bike rides to school. No, it wasn't pleasant and I got a few strange looks as I wandered around school with the front of my chinos a different colour to the back as a result of the rain whilst riding my bike, but I didn't mind really. On Tuesday several of my lessons (when I say several I mean all, except one!) were cancelled meaning I had lots of free time. I decided to use this usefully and did some food shopping. I felt more like a stay-at-home-mum than anyone else, as I wandered round the supermarket surrounded by pensioners, housewives and the standard oddballs one expects to find aimlessly strolling round supermarkets during the day. On Tuesday afternoon, I returned home and began working on my Year Abroad Project, an assignment from the university which will be assessed and contributes towards our final degree. It takes the form of an essay about a particular topic currently in German news. Now, whilst I think keeping up to date with the news is important, and even more so with national news on a Year Abroad, I do struggle to understand the reasoning behind such an assessment. For example, we are not assessed on anything to do with the teaching we're doing. I think a better Year Abroad assessment would be to get a report from our schools and for them to evaluate how we did during the year. At the moment, we have lessons to plan, language to learn, travelling to do and now an essay to write. Ah well, it is what it is, and I'm glad I've made a start. A few teachers understand that this project counts to our final mark and have kindly told me I can do as little or as much as I'd like in the school, which makes me feel easier.

 In further news, on Wednesday morning I had my first 'Fahrradunfall' or bike accident. My 'attacker' was both quick and invisible, and caught me by surprise. Let me explain. I left my flat at about 07:15. All was still dark and the air icy cold. I set off and descended the slight incline off my street. As I breezed around the corner at the bottom of my road, just like I always do, suddenly the bike slipped out from underneath me. I put my foot down to stop my imminent clatter but alas, it was no use as my foot also quickly slipped away. I ended up in a heap on the floor, my bike beside me and was bewildered as to what had just happened. And then I suddenly realised - 'Glatteis' or 'Black ice.' Glatteis is the term the Germans use for black ice, literally smooth/slick/glossy ice (I've yet to see ice that isn't smooth, slick or glossy, but that's what they say) If there is anything scarier than Black Ice, it's Glatteis. Fortunately for me, I was lucky. I jumped up, brushed myself down and surveyed the area to ensure that my high regarded reputation had not been tarnished by anyone seeing my embarrassing fall. Excluding slight chino wear and a little bruising on the knee, I got off scott-free. I think this was Glatteis warning me, not to get too sure of myself whilst riding my bike during these cold German winter months. However I take pride in reciting the old adage that pro cyclists use "If you don't crash, you're not trying hard enough."

Despite the 'shaky' start to my Wednesday, I had a very enjoyable day. I was not required in any classes and to make things better, I received an invitation to the cinema with the Year 10 English classes. We went to a really cute, traditional Cinema to watch 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' which starred Ben Stiller. It's a nice film, with some breath-taking shots of various landscapes. The film was in English but had German subtitles, which I did make an effort read, and pleasantly surprised myself by understanding most of them. Not bad as school days go, eh! In the afternoon I met with my tandem partner in order to practise some German. I still find I'm not improving and I'm still concerned by struggles I'm having, but it was a nice chat and we spoke lots about our Christmases and compared some of the differences between our two countries.

Seeing as though I wasn't needed in school until Thursday afternoon this particular week, I enjoyed a lazy Thursday morning in my flat. I did however make a little more progress on my essay before a leisurely lunch and then departing for school. (It really has been a good week for me, hasn't it?!) This is where my 'easy' week took a bit of a turn. I was working with a Year 5 class and had been asked to assist them in their afternoon lesson as they were doing a 'Comic Book Project' which involved them writing their own comic. Normally the Year 5's are very enthusiastic and are enthralled by every single word you say, so they do listen to you (to some extent). Today, however, was different. I was given my own group in a different classroom and we began designing our comic and thinking of dialogue they could include. But it soon became apparent they did not want to work. It took my about 30 minutes to simply get some of them to write something down and the fact I had to repeatedly keep telling them to turn around and stop talking was getting tiresome. A much needed break came after 45 minutes and they ran around the class for 15 mins, in their usual chaotic fashion. I was hoping the break would have allowed them to burn off all their energy and they may actually work for the next hour, but sadly I was wrong. The break had also given them 'ammunition' in the form of orange peel (They all get given mandarins by the school every break - I'm not sure why) and this became a problem. Orange peel began flying everywhere, even I was caught in the crossfire, and despite me telling all of them hundreds of times to stop, they took no notice. I raised my voice, which I have not yet had to do, but this also had no effect. After 15 minutes of orange throwing chaos, I collected every scrap of the damned stuff and threw it away myself. Some sneaky pupils had hidden some and a few remaining scraps began flying once again, but this was soon also collected and thrown away. Just as I thought I'd cracked it, they discovered how to make, what to them, appeared to be, the funniest noise in the world. Blowing a raspberry. The entire class thought this was hilarious and began simultaneously blowing raspberries at each other. One boy found it so funny, he actually fell off his chair laughing. Despite my increasingly louder voice, they took no notice whatsoever. I was really losing patience and resorted to calling them all babies in the hope that they would somehow feel bad and listen. After about 10 mins of raspberry blowing, they appeared worn out and with only 10 mins left, I pleaded with them to try and do something productive for the last bit of the lesson. At the end, I checked several pupils' work and was horrified to find that instead of the normal 'Oh no!' in a speech bubble, that one might expect to find in a comic, some of the pupils had written (pardon my French) 'Shhiittttt!'. This was Year 5! I told them this was absolutely not allowed, but they insisted that it was and wouldn't change it! I was so shocked. I'm guessing they learnt this kind of thing from unsuitable TV or film, but to them it was just normal. I spoke with the teacher after class and she was equally as unimpressed with her group too. Maybe it was the fact it was afternoon and they were just fed up. Maybe it was the fact they didn't like comics. But what ever the reason, I left the school, breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God that the worst lesson I have ever taken, was over.

My Thursday got miles better when I came home to find Lois waiting for me. We enjoyed a nice tea together and had an early night - I was worn out! On Friday we made the usual trip to Regensburg for supplies and spent the afternoon baking a cake, which was good fun. We made delicious home made pizzas for tea and then watched 'About Time' - A lovely British film which left us both smiling. We were both so absorbed by the film, we forgot we were in Germany until the credits rolled.

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, we made a day trip to Würzburg in North Bavaria. Despite once again greyness and clouds, we enjoyed looking round the old town. Filled with Baroque architecture (much like many of the places we've visited), it was another pretty city and reminded us a lot of Prague. It was another city with a really mix of new and old. We discovered an English Shop called 'Eton Place' and enjoyed looking at the all the everyday English products, that seem so foreign to us now! We walked across the well known old bridge and up to the fortress which overlooks the city. Here we enjoyed the nice views before descending and warming up with a coffee. Following our day out, we made our way back and timed it just right to go out for a meal in Regensburg before coming back to mine. We went to Margaritas, a Mexican restaurant just outside of the old town of Regensburg. The atmosphere was very lively and the Latin American music and décor gave it a real authentic feel. We enjoyed a very healthy portion of nachos to start with, followed by another large main course. The burrito I had was delicious and packed full of tasty chicken, whilst Lois said her enchiladas were equally as good. Washed down with a few beers and cocktails, it was a fantastic meal and we were both absolutely stuffed as we left and opted to walk home, to try and ease the digestion. The meal was very kindly paid for by Grandpa and Grandma, to whom we send our most sincere thanks. Thanks guys! It was perhaps one the nicest Mexicans we've enjoyed and we have vowed to visit again.

 I was pleased to see Yorkshire represented in Würzburg. I know where to come if I run out of tea! 

 Poser?

 

There simply is no better way to end a Saturday - or any day at that!



Sunday began with us organising a few more travel plans for the remainder of our Year Abroad, followed by the, almost now traditional, Sunday walk out. Before we knew it our time together was suddenly over for another week and it was time to say goodbye.

This week I will be keeping my eyes peeled for anymore of that sneaky 'Glatteis'. I'll let you know, how I get on.

Bis bald!

On a slightly side note, I recently did a very short article for the British Council about life here in Germany. It has been featured on their website, on their Twitter page and on their Facebook page. I feel famous! Check it out here: http://www.britishcouncil.de/en/language-assistants_Germany-Experience_part1

 

Back to school, back to normality....

In contrast to my previous post, I'm feeling a lot better now. Going back to school really helped and after just a few days, the intense urge to go back home had vanished. As I begrudgingly pedalled my way to school on Tuesday morning, I knew that despite my best wishes, it was the best thing for me and within a few hours of being there, it was like I had never left!

Tuesday began with lots of handshakes and wishes of 'Gutes, Neues Jahr'. Almost every teacher made an effort to come and wish me a happy new year and shake my hand. Teachers I had never even spoke to suddenly appeared in front of me, beaming and holding out an outstretched hand. Everybody seemed really happy to be back and the friendly atmosphere made me feel at ease. I was also surprised to find a belated Christmas gift in my pigeon hole from the Headmistress. I expected it to be the usual German chocolates or sweets, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find a flashing light and two fluorescent, flashing armbands to wear on my commute into school. These really will come in useful, as it is often dark when I leave the house and coupled with the bike lights I received for Christmas, I will now be more lit up than a Christmas tree on my ride into school. It was a lovely gesture and made me feel very appreciated. It was lessons as normal on Tuesday and I helped out and assisted when necessary and answered lots of questions from both teachers and pupils about my holidays. On the way home, I stopped by at the Citizens Bureau in order to register my new address. Germans love bureaucracy and paper work, so this was a fairly painless experience. It felt nice to have an address that was totally unique to me.

Wednesday was a quiet day with very little to do, since many teachers are still sorting out new plans etc. I didn't do very much at all but I'm thankful for the nice, easy 'slide' back into being a Language Assistant. I'm actually very thankful I didn't have much to do on Wednesday in school, since the afternoon really was testing. I had an appointment at the bank and together with my landlady we would organise the deposit to my flat. Since it is technically illegal to just hand over money for property in Germany, we had to open a joint account into which the deposit would be paid and which can only be released when the landlady says so. The problem was that I actually leave Germany before my landlady was able to check the flat and release my money, meaning I will be in England when the money is released. This caused a problem and caused lots of 'umming' and 'arrring' from all parties. Now finance isn't my strong point, and finance in German is even further from my strong point, so even after half an hour of this intense meeting, my brain felt absolutely frazzled. It's not often that my brain actually feels like it turns itself inside out, but that's what it felt like. I had to concentrate extra hard on my bike ride home, because my brain was just so exhausted! But fortunately we had found a solution and all the formalities to do with my new accommodation are now sorted and I can relax a little.

Thursday was another fairly quiet day, but I did end up helping out with a Year 6 class, whose teacher was away. Seeing as though their normal teacher was off, and the teacher covering had no plan for the class, we decided that I could do a little talk about the UK and they could ask me questions. It was good and they were very keen. When it came to question time, the pupils wrote a question then put it in a hat, from which I would then pick a piece of paper and answer the question. This was fun and I got a range of questions "Do you have a Girlfriend?" "Do you like Call Of Duty: Ghosts?" "Do you like Germany?" "Do you have a Girlfriend?" "Do you play PS4?" "Do you have a Girlfriend?" "What's your favourite Band?" "Do you have a Girlfriend?" - You get the idea. Finally one boy at the back of the room asked me a question himself. "What's your girlfriend called?" Coincidentally I had seen this boy at the bus stop in Regensburg and had acknowledged him, when Lois and I were moving me into my new flat the previous Monday. "My girlfriend is called Lois." I replied. "Ahh" he said. "She is very pretty" - Aw, what a lovely boy and what a nice thing to say. Although he doesn't have to tell me ;)

Lois came on Thursday evening and we have definitely taken advantage of having our own space. We've baked our first cake since being here in Germany (which I'm sure will become a weekend ritual) and made some pretty incredible meals for ourselves, now that we have a kitchen completely to ourselves. It's such good fun having our own space, not to mention the fact that we can both chill in our onesies and not be afraid of the social consequences! On the topic of the flat, I really am so happy here. It's probably still a novelty at the moment, but it's so cosy and it's even more homey now that I've bought a few more bits. It's felt like quite an expensive week since I've had to purchase the normal necessities - bedding - the first night without bedding was awful to say the least, towels, cloths, a Bavarian flag to hang on my wall - you know, the usual stuff. But its really feeling like my place now. Having a TV feels like a real luxury and I've enjoyed watching some German films and reality shows. I'm really enjoying my ride to school and back and I'm getting used to strategically packing my shopping so that I can ride back with it. I feel as though we are both going have lots of fun and happy times here.

 Another bonus to having my own place - I also get my own cleaner! I'm a very lucky boy!

 

 A Yorkshire lad in...Oberisling. This is where my new flat is.

 

 

Friday was spent around Regensburg doing a little shopping and getting used the bus system. On Saturday we made a day trip to a cute little town called 'Rothenburg ob der Tauber'. It's about 2.5 hours from Regensburg and is an old medieval village that lies on the Romantic Road - a road that stretches from the Alps right through to north Bavaria and includes lots of (you guessed it!) romantic, pretty little villages and towns. It's one of the prettiest, most romantic and most German places I have ever seen and is a wonderful place to visit. The town was used for the Vulgarian village scenes in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and has also been used in some of the Harry Potter films. The local delicacy is called a 'Schneeball' or 'Snowball' and is a sweet treat, almost like biscuit but made into ball and topped or filled with something sweet. We went for the Nougat filled Schneeball and it was actually pretty nice. They're hard to find anywhere else so we had to make the most of the opportunity. The other thing Rothenburg ob der Tauber is well known for is the all year round Christmas shop. The 'Käthe Wohlfahrt' Christmas shop is a huge store selling everything to do with Christmas and is open all year round. I can imagine that it's pretty surreal wandering round on a hot, July afternoon surrounded by baubles, Christmas trees and Christmas music. It was actually a lovely store and they did sell some really nice decorations, but seeing as though Christmas has only just finished we really couldn't bring ourselves to buy anything. The weather was a bit grey and it was cold, and unfortunately many shops were still on Christmas holiday but it was a great place to visit and I think whether you visit on a warm summers evening or a frosty winters evening when the village is lit up with Christmas lights, it's always going to look pretty.

 Schneeballen come in lots of different varieties.

 You're probably all fed up with the sight of Christmas decorations so soon after Christmas, but the Christmas shop is worth a visit whatever time of year it is.

 Woohoo! Bavaria!

                                               King of the Castle in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

              Beer, anyone?

Before coming back to my flat on Saturday evening, we stopped off at the supermarket to buy a beer each - it was Saturday evening after all, and now we had a cosy flat to drink it in. However after viewing the prices of various beers, the single beer each we had planned to buy, somehow turned into a crate of beer. But get this. The crate cost 8.90Euros, but then if I take the empty bottles back to the supermarket, they give me 3.10Euros back, as the bottles are then recycled and reused (See, I told you the Germans are efficient) So in essence, this crate of 20 X 0.5L bottles cost me 5.80Euros. That works out at 0.29 Cents a bottle. That. Is. Crazy. In England, if a young 20 year old were to step on a bus with a crate of 20 beers, you would immediately categorise him as a raging alcoholic or just some rough yob. But here, no one battered an eyelid as I stepped on the bus, straining from the weight of 10L of beer! In any case it should last a while and it means we don't have to venture out during the cold winter months when we want a tipple.

Sunday was another cold but this time, very sunny day. We made the most of this and went a lovely 2 hour stroll through the open fields around my flat. It was great to get some fresh air and explore the area. Sundays are always a little depressing, but the walk certainly helped. During the walk we chatted about how we were feeling one week on. We're both feeling 100 times better and genuinely feeling at home here in Germany. We would go as far as to say, that right now we don't actually want to leave (Wow! what a difference a week makes!). We're both aware of this amazing opportunity we have and are both very keen to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We both now have a positive outlook, and whilst we know it's not always going to be hunky-dory, we're really going to make sure we have the best of times.

One thing that I'm a little disappointed about at the moment, is my German language ability. We're half way through our Year Abroad now and my German just isn't at the level I expected or I wanted it to be at. Yes, we've only been back a week, but I'm frustrated that I still struggle with the most basic of conversations. We both make an effort to practice, so much so that we've spent several hours this weekend just speaking German to each other. I'm hoping that in this second part of our Year Abroad, the language begins to stick and I really, really hope to leave with a really good grasp of it. I'm going to keep up my German conversations with the teachers and practise as often as I can. Lois and I are in the privileged situation of being able to practise with each other so we've agreed to make the most of that as well. Whilst May seems a while away, we know that it will come round ever so fast, so we need to carry on making the most of it.

I'm glad that this post is a lot more positive in comparison to my previous. I'm sure the positivity and the enjoyment will only continue.

Here's to the next one,


Tschüss!

Return to the Fatherland

Hello all and Happy New Year!

    Here I am writing my first post of 2014 from my new flat here in Germany. Lois and I moved me in today (Monday) and I certainly couldn't have done it without her. It's surprising how much you accumulate over just a few months. We dragged, pushed, pulled and heaved our big bags from Lois' to mine but we made it. I can't tell you how nice it is to finally have a place of my own and to have my own space to live, cook and work. I'm really happy with it and it seems just perfect for me. The journey to the centre takes 10 minutes on the bus and a little longer by bike. A supermarket is a short ride / 20 minute walk and the flat itself is very cosy.

Monday 6th January is always a National Holiday here in Germany. (Something to do with the 3 kings visiting Jesus - consequently we've seen several different trios of Kings wondering the streets - Honestly! They go from house to house and bring luck and prosperity for the year ahead.) That means that absolutely nowhere is open. Nowhere, apart from the businesses inside train stations. That said, the only supermarket (which is actually more of a mini-market) can be found in Regensburg Train Station. And since this is the only supermarket for literally miles around open on a National Holiday, it was packed. We visited at 14:00 and the shelves were almost empty. We had planned to buy some food for tea here, but there was literally nothing (we didn't fancy two cucumbers and a yogurt - almost the only things available). In addition, there was nowhere for me to buy my bedding for this evening. Consequently I'm sleeping on a mattress tonight. Just a mattress. Fortunately the flat is warm and I have my onesie for added comfort. Tomorrow, I will be doing a large shop to buy all the food and necessities required.

 Cosy....

So since my last post, we've both done quite a bit, yet it seems to have flown by. We spent our last weekend in Germany in Munich, visiting the Christmas Markets. We were really impressed with the Munich Christmas Markets and even more impressed with a festival called 'Tollwood', also held in Munich. It's an alternative festival, with lots of wacky things being sold and displayed, but there was a nice feel to it and a great choice of food. I can't explain the excitement we were both feeling as we left our hotel on Sunday 22nd December and made our way to the airport to fly home for Christmas. The plane journey was filled with Christmas music and excitement for the two weeks which were to spent with our families. Arriving back home, it was as if we had never left, but equally, we valued being around family and the familiarity a lot more. My Christmas was wonderful and again, meant so much more since I had been away for so long. Chilling by the fire, watching TV and just being with family was just perfect and I enjoyed every minute of being at home for Christmas. NYE was spent with my family and Lois in London, which was an experience to say the least! Despite the crowds and the slightly obstructed view of the fireworks, we had a really great time and its something we hope to do again. Quite literally before we knew it we were making our way back to Manchester Airport at 5:00 on a Sunday Morning. Going through security, the inevitable frisking took place, and we left sunny England and arrived back in rainy Germany. Arriving back to Lois' flat was strange and it feels as though nothing ever happened. We've both asked each other a few times, where Christmas went! But for now, we have to get used to waiting for the Green Man once again, looking the opposite way when crossing roads and banishing the word 'queue' from our vocabulary.

 The huge Christmas Tree in Marienplatz, Munich.

 Ice Skating in Munich - Too cold for us!

 The really cool 'Tollwood' Festival

 A 'Schocko-Döner' - Chocolate Doner Kebab. Chocolate shavings served in a cakey roll - We had never seen anything like it before!

 Flying home for Christmas with out Christmas Jumpers on. We were like two little kids at, well... Christmas!

I thought saying 'Goodbye' to parents would be easier this time. We know what to expect in Germany, we know where to go and we have lots to look forward to, but oh, how wrong I was. It was equally as tough as the first time and the feeling seems to have, unfortunately, stuck. This is a part of the Year Abroad that is always brushed over. The feeling of being so far away from home and family can't be explained and has to be experienced. We have both spent the last two days feeling pretty down and upset at the thought of 5 months in Germany. We've been fed up with teaching, fed up with Germany and fed up with German! Yes, it's a fantastic experience for us both and yes, we have lots to look forward to, but it doesn't ease the pain and sadness of leaving loved ones. I don't want to sound soppy or 'weak' but I feel this feeling should be spoken about more, seeing as though the only stories we heard about previous students' Years Abroad were ones of amazing experiences and 24/7 happiness. Sometimes guys, Year Abroad sucks and it's felt like that for the past two days. The desire to be at home, and sometimes to just go home, has, at times, seemed almost overwhelming. I really don't know what state I'd be in without Lois. Genuinely, I don't know what I would have done had I been here alone and 'chapeau' to those who do a Year Abroad alone. We're so lucky to have each other and I know we've both helped each other get through the past few tough days.

I hate to be so depressing, but I'm just being honest. I feel it important to write about feelings like this, in order to be able to look back and see how far we've come. I think that once we both start schools and get stuck in again, we'll get right back into it and continue to enjoy our Year Abroad. School starts again tomorrow, and as much I can't be bothered with the planning and the effort of teaching, I know I'll feel better for it and I'm sure I'll enjoy parts.

I'll update you at the end of the week

Bis Bald