Yuck...

I think I am getting a head cold. My throat no longer hurts but now I have the stereotypical signs of a cold. This is no good. When I get a cold it really tends to knock me out. This is not what I need right now.

Becca came to visit this weekend. Its great. More on this later.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I am logged into my blog from an seedy internet cafe near the bsu station here in Aachen. My usual internet fix, Starbucks closes at 8pm daily so if I don't get to the internet before then, I am forced to come here. When I logged in, my blog was automatically in German, even after logging in. I think its strange how even though I am logged into the system, it still puts everything in German. Good times.

It rained today, non-stop the entire day. Which usually, rain doesn't bother me and chilly, rainy days don't bother me either. However, I only had one lesson today since my firm class cancelled, I was going to take this opportunity to get some much needed shopping done. With good intentions, I went to the shopping area and tried to shop to my hearts content. Sadly, a trench coat I want is still just one size too small. Roar being a heifer. Boo hiss on small Europeans. I went online and looked for a trench coat and I couldn't find one either. Lame. I did manage to buy some new shoes today which were badly needed. The rain kind of forced me out of the shopping and sent me packing home with my shoes and slippers. I am still looking for a self-service laundromat. The one I went to today wants to charge €30 to wash and dry via a dryer two loads worth of clothes. Nichts kosher. Maybe I will break down and do it anyway because I do need to some clothes.

I have decided that I am earning enough money where my next apartment is going to be nice enough. I will own both a washer and dryer if it breaks the bank. I will also live on the first or second floor. I am also going to pull the modern card and not live in a home older than 1950ish. While my altbau is nice to look at, it creeks alot and the floors are not very solid.

My water heater, which also powers my air heating, is still broken so I am SOL on warm water, going on five days. If my landlord doesn't return tomorrow, then I am calling for someone to come and fix it and having them invoice her. Blah. Germans and their fall vacations. Otherwise, school is keeping me busy, a bit more than I had hoped actually. While this is good for my piggybank, its not really good for my stress levles. I wish I had more time to explore Aachen and go to Dresden, even if I could just have Saturday's off. Unfortunately, I got assigned a Friday night class from 5pm-8pm and Saturday's from 9am-1pm. That is no good. Its hard to prepare for three and four hour lessons.

And its still raining.

Progress

I'm now half way into Wednesday which pleases me greatly. My heavies working days are MTW, these are the days I spend most of my time teaching or preparing to teach. Thursdays and Fridays I have more time to explore Aachen, shop, etc.

Yesterday and today I've been tutoring this little boy named Achim. A ten year old German whose parents are forcing him to take English lessons. Of course, Germans learn English here at a young age, but its a slow, structured growth. Like most kids his age, he is having trouble grasping the concept of grammar and pronunciation. So his parents, who are way too ambitious for this sweet kid, are forcing him to use his fall break in school. Myself and two other Americans are his teachers. The parents are constantly asking us if we sent him home with vocabulary and homework. They want him to learn all of the sentence structures too...my boss came to our rescue. This is nearly impossible considering his level of English and the time we have with him (just a week). She defended our teaching methods, which are working. Just because your ten year old doesn't have two hours worth of English homework doesn't mean he isn't learning. Thankfully, most of my students are adults or university students, so don't have to deal with parents so much.

My water heater broke on Monday so I've been without hot water for a few days now. I think the pilot light burned out but I have no idea how to light a German water heater and I'm not so keen on exploring the many possibilities. My landlord is out of town. So today I'm going to become rather cozy with my neighbors and see if they can assist me even though we've never met before. Awkward? Probably.

I'm beginning to learn more and more of Aachen. Its actually a nice city. Hopefully this weekend I can spend getting to know it a bit more. Next Wednesday a German holiday. I might take a train to the Netherlands to Maastricht to see whats up there. It's not even an hour ride from what I understand. My friends in Dresden and elsewhere in Germany haven't been able to arrange our rendezvous yet because we're all frightfully busy. I work most Saturday mornings which prohibits me from traveling more than two hours away (like Dresden) for the weekend. Either way, I am meeting people here and getting more and more accustomed to the city and its weather, which is today quite chilly.

The art of being "angemeldet"

Invariably, life in Germany is somewhat anders or different than that in the States. And it should be, its a foreign country. Having moved into my apartment this week, I am now eligible to register or "anmelden" which allows me to then apply for the appropriate residence and working permits. Ah yes, I love the smell of German bureaucracy in the morning.

After my first lesson this morning, at the instruction of my boss went to the "Bürgerservice" or Citizens Services office and registered as a foreign national living in Aachen. Apparently, my 35 minute wait to register wasn't in vain. As a citizen of Aachen I'm entitled to a coupon book. Having briefly looked at the coupon book, there are coupons for reduced massages at the local spas (Aachen is a spa town). Woot, being legal has its privileges.

No internet in the house and my house is old and I'm already tiring of carrying my crap up four flights of stairs on a two or three times a day basis. At least I'll have legs of steel when this is done. I'm only there until December. With that in mind, I finally took some pictures and have uploaded them onto my facebook account. If you want to see my photos, click here.

Sometimes I feel like Jane Goodall and I'm going into the mist.

With that, I leave you with this thought from Dave Barry:

"Americans who travel abroad for the first time are shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign language"

Eine Kugel Eis bitte...

I'm not sure, but perhaps the four most important words in the German language are:

Eine kugel eis bitte.

Translation: one scoop of (enter flavor here) ice cream, please.

Today is/was Saturday. Which is the German shopping day since stores here are closed by law on Sunday (which is really annoying). So after class this morning, I had lunch with some fellow English teachers, which was great because I was dying for some companionship, even if the company and I don't match personalities 100%. Oh well, it was good. So I went shopping afterwards for things that I needed for my flat. And like the Hebrews cramming through the Red Sea, a billion Germans have crammed onto Aachen's central shopping district, Adalbertsteinweg. It was utter chaos. People stopping you to try and get you to donate funds for something or get you to buy something, etc. You can't move there are so many of them. Note to self: no more shopping on Saturday's if I can avoid it. Anyway, I would say 5 out of 10 Germans was carrying an ice cream cone. That famous German Eis is eaten probably a day by even the most health conscious German. And at 60 Euro cents a scoop, why yes, I'll have an ice cream too. Something about German ice cream, its just better. Mostly inspired by Italian Gelato I presume. My personal favorite: Straciatella.

With that in mind, this afternoon I also began the move in process to my flat. Pictures to come tomorrow. I had planned on posting photos today, but I left my camera in my briefcase and not my backpack so I couldn't take photos of my apartment. I'm in the hotel tonight for the last night (with internets) and then my apartment doesn't have any so i'm going to fall off the face of the earth for a while, well that is of course when I'm not in Starbucks. I do have SAT TV which is supple.

On Thursday I have to drive to a firm to give my lesson. This is beginning to to give me some angst because German's drive as if they have just dropped a pot of scalding coffee on their laps. At least my experience in Taxi cabs have been so. I took a taxis with some of my bags to my apartment today and the taxi drive reached at least 65 mph on some of those little back streets with lots of parked cards only inches from the moving vehicle. Needless to say, I'm a bit nervous. I have to get a German drivers license in a few weeks. That'll be fun too. Turns out I probably have to travel to Frankfurt in the next month to the consulate there. My grandfather left me a sizable estate and the investment firm wants me to go to the consulate to sign paperwork, etc. Which is lame because when do I have time to just jump on over to the consulate to sign some papers.

Tomorrow another English teacher and I are getting together for Starbucks! Yes! Socialization!

Katastrophe

If you don't want to read, what I consider to be truly traumatic news, then go no further.

My Sonicare toothbrush, that I love more than most people, won't recharge!!!! :(

I fear that when I plugged it into the wall (without a converter, it doesn't produce heat, shouldn't need one) here that I burned the circuitry for the charger. This absolutely devastates me. Never have my teeth felt so clean as when that toothbrush is gracing the enamel of my pearly whites. I'm going to have to buy a German one or something, if such a thing exists. I don't really think many Germans are concerned about electric toothbrushes. Le sigh. :(

Another catastrophe is the fact that many Germans feel like it is appropriate to wear denim jackets often. No.

Its much warmer today than it has been the past few days so I'm not dressed like an Inuit. It's actually a rather nice day. I have a lesson in thirty minutes with this woman who is improving her English in hopes of finding a job (unemployment in Germany is around 10%). Later today I have to take a bus to some suburb to teach for an hour and a half then take it back. I haven't driven the company car's yet and I haven't practiced so it would be rather bad for me to get behind the wheel of a German car, drive for 30 minutes when I haven't practiced yet.

I'm much more stressed than I thought I was. I don't necessarily feel stressed the way you usually do.Last night it kind of hit me, the weight of everything. The flight from the states, moving over here for two years, starting a new job, speaking German constantly, not having any friends (although more on this in a bit) and then on top of that, my grandfather passing away and my sister giving birth, all within the past week. My fingers and eye lids began twitching yesterday, which is my body's sign of stress. Like a good WASP I've kept my feeling suppressed regarding the death of my grandfather. Really, it sucks because that was the last connection I had to my Father besides my brothers and Mom. I will, as is my style, push on without event. And today is definitely the funeral for my Grandfather.

Last night I got to talk for about 15 minutes with some of the other English teachers. A girl from Australia ( I cannot remember her name to save my life) who actually studies in the Netherlands but works here, were having a good conversation and she was giving me some general tips on being here and such. I've also joined an online expat group in hopes of meeting people in a similar situation. Many of the English teachers here aren't here just to work, but rather they're students as well or in some cases here because their boyfriend/husband got a job in Aachen. I haven't met another male English teacher yet, but I know tomorrow a guy name Mike, an American who's been living in Germany for some time will arrive here. I hope he's young enough to where we hit it off easily.

Tomorrow is move in day for my apartment and over the weekend I'll be getting a cell phone and hopefully get DSL/Internet service installed in my apartment so I won't have to schlep up to the Starbucks for everything. Any recommendations for explaining tenses? I couldn't tell you what they are in English, I'm going to have to study that. Oy veh.

Nach Hause

Late this evening, I made a decision regarding my short-term accommodations here in Aachen. I chose an apartment I had viewed yesterday, respectively large, good price, location wasn't the best but wasn't bad either and the woman who is renting seemed to be rather friendly. Friendliness among landlords in Germany is of the most importance because Germans are not necessarily known for being understanding, especially to those who do not follow the status quo, which I'm sure will be me.

Either way, the flat is about a 15 minute walk from where I work and during bad weather, I could take the bus pretty easily. Parking, well there really isn't any so I guess its good that I have no car. I think I'll be signing a lease for three months at first, which is great. Either way, I'm glad to finally be in my own place rather quickly.

Last night I left the older womans house and moved into a very modern, nice Guest House of sorts only ten minutes or so from work. I love it here and tried to actually stay here for the next three months but its too expensive. On the same day my Grandfather passed away, my sister had her baby. Circle of life, go figure.

That famous German weather

I've always maintained that German weather was just as crazy as the people that live here. I continue to be right in this matter. Over the weekend and yesterday wasn't too bad. Mostly sunny with some clouds and no rain until today. The high for today was 10 degrees (C) (50F). Windy and rainy. I'm not quite prepared for this. By the way, it's only the middle of September. This my dears, is normal apparently. Thankfully, my Mother loves me enough to have sent me here with plenty of warm clothes, albeit not quite warm enough. Nor was I prepared for the rain. I'm in the process of looking for a trench coat which seems to be quite popular and practical here. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I don't wear extremely fancy clothing and I often shop off of the clearance rack because,well thats just the way it is. However, as I've gotten older and graduated, etc I've become familiar with some nicer lines of clothing and spending a little bit more is okay. With this in mind, I went into a store (and I'm not kidding) called Lust for Life (Lust in German is hard to define, something along the lines of, does it please you...etc). Anyway, this is apparently an uppity store which specializes in some more of the designer brands. Fair enough. I'm looking for a trench coat because I'm freezing in just my sweater and I'm tired of being wet. I figure, a trench coat would cost me around 100-150 Euros like it would back in the States. Nothing too fancy, just a tie around the middle, water proof, etc. Lo and behold I came across this amazing trench coat that I was prepared to drop a reasonable amount on because I will CLEARLY be getting a lot of use out of it.

The price tag read: 399,00 Euros. That's $554

Are you kidding me?

I almost died. I mean seriously, who can afford that stuff? I learned later on that Lust for Life carries only the designer stuff, etc. So, I'm going to take it down a notch. Live like a pauper I shall.
After I leave here I'm going to go shopping among the common folk for a coat and scarf and all that one needs to not catch pneumonia here. I've been drinking a lot of coffee which is going to bankrupt me. I'm sitting in the Starbucks (convenience + internet as it is I think five feet from my office) and I just paid EUR 3,50 for a tall mocha. That's the same as the states, but different currency so its really $4.50. Ridiculous.

First day of class went ok. I only have three students right now and more to come on the 1 of October. These students really have no knowledge of English or have very, very basic knowledge. Its hard to find people who've never been exposed to English because of the advent of globalization, etc. The first 30 minutes I was trying to get a feel for them, deciding on what to talk about, etc. I finally broke them down and the class ended on a good note. Tonight I have a private lesson and training. Woot.

Today I looked at two apartments. The first one was small, a bit far from the central part of the town and the tenant now is a smoker. Perhaps what bothered me the most was that the bed, came out of the closet and was tres small. No sir. Not really feeling that, plus it was managed by this Frau who I think was rather picky. The second one was on a much busier street, closer to the central and was much bigger. Came with this cool kitchen and table, a gigantic bathroom (hint-no shower, just a tub) and a large bedroom. Fully furnished. With all costs around EUR400. So not too bad, and she'll let me stay for say, three months. Then I could get a bigger place, etc. I have an appointment tomorrow to see another flat. This one is supposed to be realllllllly close, so thats exciting. Aachen is beginning to scare me because there is so much that I don't know about it. When I went to Dresden to study, I knew the basics to the city. No Beyond Borders friends here to help me get settled. Anyway, I hope to be in a new place, soon. I'm leaving the Frau's house tonight and moving into a "Guest House" or a hotel much closer to work. I can't keep going back to the suburbs like I have been.

And of course, now the sun is shining.

Another day....

Mom called me around 4am EST today, my Grandfather finally passed away after being ill for so long. Thankfully, all of us had our closure with him this past week. I feel like I got everything off of my chest that needed to be said, my family too. This has been a long time coming so he's no longer ill which to me is better. Nothing worse than not being the person you were before. Thanks to you who've sent me well wishes, etc.

So moving on from that. Its just shy of three o'clock in the afternoon and I haven't taught yet. My 'class' of one person isn't until tonight. I'm teaching the true beginners class. My student is from the Middle East. There is getting to be less and less people who are truly beginners in English. Almost everyone has exposure and that is why the class is the way it is. Apparently, as the course will move on it will grow they told me. It's a eight week course, so we'll see. I want more than one person in my class.

I also received my, what I like to call, dossiers, on my private lesson clients. Another English teacher and I, a nice girl from Iowa named Faye (freelancer), are sharing a client. So we have to have meetings often enough to discuss what she's learned, what we've covered, etc. Things in the office seem to be kind of crazy, new teacher coming in, myself, etc. I've still not quite learned the city yet. The advantage of studying in Dresden was that I already knew most of the city. I don't have that advantage here in Aachen. There is so much for me to learn about this city. Once I get a flat, I can do some exploring. I really need to meet some people my age and hang out. Many of the other English teachers I've met thus far are young 20'sish. Of course, most of which I've only shook hands with and said hello briefly. None have offered to hang out or get adjusted, whatever but of course, I just started today really. I'm sure that will change.

I have an appointment tomorrow (no German would let me come today to see a flat, go figure ) to see a flat not very far from the center. Furnished apartment, relatively good size wise. Price is also not too bad. We'll see how that goes. My boss was going to continue calling people to set up appointments for me to see them. I'm supposed to do a practice run tomorrow also of driving the car. Puedo ayudas. Already? Ugh, Germans and their driving scare me. Apparently I've been assured to not worry about that it comes easily after a while. I'm more concerned with getting lost. I got off the bus one bus stop too soon this morning and spent over an hour looking for my office. My feet hurt like a mo. the shoes I'm wearing are not conducive to getting lost in.

Aachen

As many of you have read already (via email I assume) my arrival here in Aachen has gone relatively smooth with no problems as of yet. If I can only go 13 days with nothing bad happening, I surpass my previous record. Last year I was here twelve days when I had my appendix removed.

It's Sunday in Germany, which means no shopping. However, the city is still a buzzing. They have been having this festival called "September Special" or something along those lines. I am content for now to sit in my Starbucks. Once I have a flat, I will feel more comfortable. I just hate staying at this ladies place for so long. Maybe tomorrow my dream flat will be available (ab sofort) and I can move in and sleep tomorrow in my German bed (ugh). I plan on spending two to three months in a smaller, temporary apartment and eventually moving into a bigger place. This way I can just get settled, get a layout of the city then save up some geld and move and go to Ikea! :)

I start teaching tomorrow. I'm only teaching the basic class on Monday for an hour. These are people who have never spoken a word of English before in their life. Should be good that I get to destroy that for them. Tuesday I start "privat unterrichten" or private lessons with this guy who is in the Lumber industry. He's an older gentleman apparently who scored about 24% on his language placement test. I hope he doesn't have any bad habits.

Bad news today from the home front. My grandfather is quite ill. He is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis for quite some time now. Mom called at 2:30 this morning to tell me that Hospice care has told them the less than two weeks theory. They're keeping him heavily sedated at this point which is the best. He's in a lot of pain. He told my Mom and the nurses that the past week has been the worst week of his life. He told me last week that if he should die before I come back (which was a given) that I am not to return home, its his dying decree I guess. So, follow it I shall.

Now, I've got to create some lesson plans, any suggestions?

New job, oh my

In a strange, twisted turn of events, I've accepted a job in Aachen, Germany.

I had originally applied for a job in Jacob's University. I received an email today from them informing that although I was an excellent candidate, they did not select me for the position. Oh well because I'm going to be English teacher in Aachen.

Crazy.

My flight leaves in twelve hours.