lions and tigers and germ(an)s, oh my!

So, it’s my third week at the new school, and I’m starting to get the feel of the place/the students. Although this school/the students are very different from last year, they’re both beginning to warm to me. At first all the kids were nervous and quiet, (some still are) but I took the opportunity of teaching most of them by myself in order to show them a little bit more about me, my sense of humor, and other crazy things about me. Today I brought some fun youtube videos to class, in order to show political satire, so I showed some Colbert Report and some SNL from the election last year. While it was above most of the kids heads, some of them got it right off the bat (YAY!) and then I explained it to the rest of them. They’re slowly starting to realize that I’m more than just another boring teacher standing in front of the class and lecturing! W00t!
This week will actually be the first week I will have had all my classes, so we’ll see how meeting the new kids goes tomorrow! I’ve been plugging my extra-curricular stuff to the teachers and the older students a lot, so hopefully, once that starts, we’ll have lots of participation. In other news, the other ETA will be arriving at some point this week, to work at my old school… hopefully we can work on some of the community stuff together, and expand on what Karen and I did last year…
Not so much news about me personally… been pretty good, plodding along, apu. I’ve so far avoided the swine flu, even though I’m surrounded by teacup humans filled with germs. Hand sanitizer is a wonderful thing! There have been a lot of kids sick already, and I’m trying to avoid touching them at all. :X
Anyways, have a great week, everyone!!
-seany:o)

ps, you've got to admit, that's the best post title EVER!

auf deutsch!!

Today I had my first choir rehearsal at OHG, my old school. It was really nice to go back and see some old faces, and be welcomed back. After an entire year of listening to Germans sing songs in English, (just imagine bohemian rhapsody or Michael Jackson with a German accent!) we’re finally singing songs in German!! Only 2 of them, but still, it’s awesome… One of my old students leaned over to me and goes “you should sing this song with the worst American accent you possibly can, just so we know what you go through on a weekly basis!” I was sorely tempted, but it’s hard enough singing in German without intentionally sounding crap, so I stuck with my natural accent. Maybe for the performance next month the strong Ami accent will come out :D happy almost weekend, everyone!!
-s

case of the mondays on a tuesday.

So, I just started my second actual week of teaching, and in true German fashion, half of my classes for the week have been canceled. It’s "klassenfahrt" week, which means that lots of the classes and the teachers are away on school trips, so I’m either teaching alone, or classes have just been canceled. Now, normally, my schedule isn’t that intense: I work 5 hours on Tuesday, 4 hours on weds, and 3 on Friday. This week: 5 today, none tomorrow, and 1 on Friday. Out of a total of 12 hours that I normally work, I’m now working 6. Lots of free time is great, but there’s NOBODY HERE. I’ve been reading a lot, and playing by (not with!) myself outside. So far, I’m really enjoying the new school, and most of the kids and teachers are enthusiastic, but it’s again difficult to break into an already established micro-society, so I’m still very much an outsider… at least my German is much better than last year’s, so at least now I can converse with anyone who chooses to say hi! Nothing else really new to report, except that I made some bomb-ass pasta last night involving lots of veggies and home-made pesto sauce…

oh germany, i love you...

you come up with such interesting activities:

back in germany!

So, I’ve been in Göttingen a week! For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, the short and sweet story is that I suddenly was supposed to be at my school, unbeknownst to me, and so I had to rush the end of my summer, pack hurriedly, and get on a plane over here! I’m at a new Gymnasium now, the Hainberg gymnasium, which is just west of the city center, and a really pretty building. It is only the upper levels of school, so it starts at 9th grade (YAY!!) which means I’m only teaching older kids, which is just fine by me! The English teachers have been really welcoming and nice, and so now I’m juggling attempting to iron out my schedule for the semester. Other than that, I’ve been busy settling back into my apartment, organizing my life, and getting stuff done that needs to get done like: make my bike functional, get my visa(s), get school supplies, etc… It’s been beautiful weather here though, which has really helped/hindered my progress, as all I really want to do is go play in the sun and warmth! Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 91 degrees, so I’m not particularly excited about that, but it is also my second day off this week, so maybe I’ll go for a bike ride to somewhere cooler… we’ll see!
Hope everyone ELSE is having a great summer
-seany

summer so far!

Hey guys, sorry its been forever since I’ve written… I don’t even know if anyone reads this anymore. I’m back stateside, at home in MD for the time being, and have really enjoyed being home. The weather has been typically hot and humid, and its taken some getting used to, for sure, but having the beach there is a welcome break from the oppressive heat. I FINALLY heard where my placement for next year is, and, thankfully, I get to go back to Göttingen!! They switched schools on me, I’ll now be working at Hainberg Gymasium in downtown, but I get to keep my apartment, and still get to run the stammtisch, and other fun activities I had been able to do this past year. They also asked me to come back to Germany early, so that I could lead the orientation of this year’s FSAs, which will be interesting… thankfully, that also means I get to meet all the new kids, and make a new couch-surfing network!!! Yay! So, I’m heading back to Göttingen on or around sept 10th, and will then resume being a teaching assistant after the orientation, which runs from the 14th to the 17th. It’ll be so nice to head back, not having to worry about finding a new apartment, or moving, or anything… I can just take the train, walk a couple blocks, and hop into my bed! Makes the second year SO much more relaxing/less stressful! Now, let’s see… this summer, I’ve basically been hanging out at home, helping mama make some improvements to the house and the yard. I tried to find a job when I first got home, but there was basically nothing available, so I’ve spent most of my time on the beach, or baking. There’s also no internet at home, so I’ve been catching up on a lot of reading (moreso than I did in Germany!) It’s been a really nice and relaxing summer so far, and I’ve actually gotten quite a bit done around the house, but there’s still a ton to do… I’ve been working on designing a rainwater collection system for the house, so we can irrigate our garden, as well as staking out and clearing out a new fence-line to surround the property. My dad REALLY wants to have a legit garden, and is thwarted constantly by all the deer and squirrels, so the fence will keep out mother nature’s pests… hopefully… we’ll see! I’ve also been baking pretty much every day, now that I have a functional oven, and a fully stocked kitchen. I’ve been making bread, cakes, and random experimental things. Since mama and I are the only ones around during the week, we’ve both put on a little weight (yay!) because of the near-constant carb-loading. This makes me happy. Mama not so much. First things she said to me when she saw me: Ew, look at your hair! And: My god, have you been eating at all?!! So, we’ve improved on both of those issues since I’ve been home. Winter IS coming, and I need my insulation layer to help keep me warm!!
So, let’s see… the rest of the summer actually has a plan!! I’m meeting up with the girls from BC in new jersey next weekend, followed by a week in upstate NY with sara, before I’m her wedding date to one of her friend’s weedings. She promised me I could be outrageous. I can’t wait. Following that, I’m planning on a trip out to boston/the cape to visit peeps there, and then driving home with aidan, during which we will stop in NYC for a few days to play. Hopefully this will all actually work. (crosses fingers) My cell phone is back, it’s the same number it was before I left, so feel free to contact me, if you want to meet up, or if you’re interested in meeting me somewhere during my trip.
Hope all is well with everyone!! Greetings from the beach :D

-seany

why doesn't anyone take europe's music scene seriously??

here's why:
Germany's Eurovision contestant:



...and that wasn't even the worst(dressed) one!!!
norway, which won, was a strange combination of fiddler on the roof, and a mentally deficient,shit-eating-grinning harry potter. enjoy:



I hope you have enjoyed our lesson on european music today. homework for tonight: bleach out your ears, possibly also your eyes and brain.