On Monday evening I had been invited by the English department at school to go the theatre with them. The performance was 'The Wave', a well known and really thought provoking story that is based on real events and that is certainly worth looking up if you haven't heard about it (several films have also been produced). The production was in English, so of course I had no trouble understanding it. I arrived and awkwardly joined the group of teachers who were standing in the foyer and as a few students began to arrive, tried making conversation with them. Disappointingly only about 10 students had accepted the invitation, so there weren't really that many of us, but the rest of the audience was made of students from the various other schools in and around Regensburg. Before we entered the auditorium, a teacher posed a question to me in German. "But Marcus can't speak German, can he?" asked one of the pupils to the teacher. "Of course he can. His German is very good" she replied. And that was it. The shocked faces, surprised expressions and gasps signalled that my cover had been blown. Since we had specific seats I found myself sat next to some of these students, who now grilled me in order to test my German knowledge. I was embarrassed at first, since I had only spoken in English to these particular students before and whereas I'm normally in my comfort zone and totally confident, now I felt exposed. However as the conversation began to flow and I eased into the situation, I began to relish the opportunity to practise my German and reassure myself about my ability. The students told me how impressed they were (not to mention how shocked they were) and I think they feel closer to me after it. I received explanations of the best bars to visit in Regensburg and they were really interested to find out some more about me. We discussed how English is easier to learn as a foreign language compared with German since English can be found everywhere you look here in Germany. Oh and the performance? The show was great and I really enjoyed it. It was very cleverly acted out and the evening flew by which must be a good sign. I came away feeling happy, reassured and content. As I cycled back from the theatre (it was dark by this point) I discovered that the traffic lights and road lights are turned off during darkness. Despite the obvious risks involved, I think this is a great idea since it is so quite at night and it also makes travel more efficient since you don't have to wait at traffic lights for ages when it is obviously safe to go. Not to mention the energy this must save. Great idea Germany!
On Tuesday I didn't have much to do. Two of my classes had a test, so I played the role of invigilator and simply monitored the class. (Although the teacher did ask me to do the test too and then collected it with the others for marking. It's going to be pretty embarrassing if I don't get 100%!)With 5 minutes left at the end it was 'Ask Marcus Some More Questions' time. This time I was asked a question which took my breath away like no other before. "Hey Marcus, do you have a child?" Now I've been told I don't even look 20, so I'm not sure what kind of person this student thinks I am! He was being serious too! I answered with the obvious, but I did think to myself that I must be giving out the wrong impression if people have to ask me a question of this nature in the first place. In the afternoon the Year 10 students had mock speaking exams. I spectated in a few of them (much to the horror and fear of the students) and gave feedback afterwards.
On Wednesday I had my usual conversation class with the 'referendar.' These are teachers in training, who regularly get assessed and we have a lesson a week to discuss all matters relating to English, teaching and more. I often find it difficult to think of what we can do since they are all older than me and can speak fluent English. But we talk about classes and lessons and I try my best to offer any advice or suggestions. Seeing as though I had nothing to do after this, I was invited to a Year 5 class to practise some speaking. The students were as excited as ever and when the suggestion for groups of 3 to come outside and talk with me was put forward, every single pupil eagerly put their hand up. Great, I thought, some enthusiastic pupils. It seemed however that the only thing they were enthusiastic about was leaving the classroom as once out there, they were very quiet indeed. I understand their English ability isn't that good and I know it's scary speaking to natives, but I found it very difficult to make conversation. "So, what did you do at the weekend?" I asked. "I don't know" was the reply I received. So I asked the next person "O.K, what did you do at the weekend". "I don't know". I asked about TV, school, hobbies, family but always got the same answer "I don't know." It was difficult and if the odd student hadn't asked me questions, the conversation wouldn't have gone anywhere at all. After this class I joined the Year 10 class and visited a local cinema to watch a series of short films that are currently being shown as part of 'Regensburg Short Film Week.' They were in English (although some were Irish films and the students said they had difficulty understanding the accent) and they varied from the serious, to the funny to the really, really wacky, but it was enjoyable and different. On the way to the cinema I walked and talked with different members of the class. At one point, when an awkward silence arose, the students began muttering to each other in German thinking that I didn't know what they were saying. "Ask him something! Make some conversation!" "Like what though?" "I don't know...Ask him about England!" I had to hide my smile as I didn't want to give myself up (I'm going to keep this up with this class for a little longer and make sure they aren't saying too many negative things about me and thinking I cant understand them!), but it was a good feeling being able to understand them.
Thursday was another uneventful day which involved only two classes. I assisted in one class with the Year 10s and then did my weekly conversation class. I had prepared some fun activities and the lesson flew by, which as I've come to learn, is always a good sign. With two weeks to go until they take the test, they are as talkative as ever which is really good. I had lots of questions and it was good to chat with them. I had a haircut after school (I've got the hang of German haircut etiquette now and I've calculated that I will only need one more haircut before back in England! Exciting!) and then came back to await Lois' arrival.
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| Weekly Friday Cake time! |
On Saturday we took Jake to Nuremberg. After a tasty 'Lois and Marcus Breakfast' we caught the bus and then the train. The sun was blazing and as we whizzed through the Bavarian countryside on the train, Jake was in awe. Coming from such an urbanised area, like the centre of Paris, he was really able to appreciate the greenery in Bavaria and it also reminded us just how lucky we are to be placed here. The journey was nice as we laughed, reminisced and talked about how excited we are for final year at uni. In Nuremberg we showed Jake some of the sights (only once we had escaped the crazy old man who wanted to tell us the entire history of Nuremberg - being British we were too polite to just walk off but after 10 minutes of endless talking, we had to make excuses and leave!) and took Jake to the castle at the top of the hill for a great view over the whole city. With the midday sun taking its toll on us, we had a much needed ice cream break. After this, Jake was keen to see the former Nazi party rally grounds which Lois and I visited last time we were there. Despite being there before, we had completely forgotten how to get there! We ended up getting on the wrong train and leaving the city, meaning we had to get off, get another train back and start again. As impatient Marcus began to get annoyed, luckily Lois and Jake were there to calm me down and after some successful planning from Lois, we reached our destination. We visited the museum, but unfortunately discovered that they had recently introduced an entrance fee which we didn't want to pay so we walked outside and strolled around a beautiful lake. The paths were full of people enjoying the sun, the majority of who were on roller blades. They really love roller blading over here - mothers, fathers, sons and daughters all wearing roller skates. We showed Jake the grounds and the platform where Hitler stood to view his troops. Jake was impressed, but by this point we were all in need of a rest so went back to the city centre, found a nice bar and sat out in the sun. Following a drink and completely by chance we found our favourite Italian restaurant chain, Vapianos, so decided that that is where we would eat. After a tasty meal, we returned to Regensburg and took Jake to one of our favourite bars (we had to show him something in Regensburg!) before returning to the flat. We had planned to make 'a night of it' on Saturday, but we were so exhausted, we ended up in bed long before any of us had planned!
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| Ice Cream time! |
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| It was such a nice day that even the Church service was held ourside |
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| The Hofbräuhaus |
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| Jake enjoying the sun |
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| ending our Sunday in typical Bavarian style |
Until next time,
Tschüß
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