Well am now into my second week of teaching and to be honest actually loving every minute of it.
Last week was my introduction week and getting to know the layout of the school. It isn't too big and the classes are fairly small. All of the members of staff are really helpful too and very welcoming. I have so far sat in on an Art, Music, English, Maths, HSU(PSE! oh the memories) and of course German lessons. Some of the things they learn in their German lesson's I didn't learn until I was in sixth form taking my AS levels which is pathetic when you think about. Stupid English education system.
I am helping the kids to prepare for the Cambridge University English Language test. They are expected to know ALOT of specific vocabulary. I have to work with 3 different classes. Last Tuesday I was given a group and I was completely unprepared - so Simon Says was a great saver.
This week I was more prepared and have started creating little plans. I even have to keep a register on who has been to see me because sometimes I am alone with the kids or they are in groups. I think the groups are better. My idea for this week is to learn about clothes and also combining that with colours and the weather. 3 topics covered but I have ALOT more to go. I basically took half of my wardrobe into school with me, created some beautiful labels and voila created a clothes shop that need the things labelling. Very entertaining things but I think hands on learning is better and will stick better in their memories.
I have no idea what I will be doing next week because everything will be different. I think I might ask to just do English if I can next week with the year 4's because I need to really get stuck in with helping them out. I realised that there isn't very long until they have their exam which I believe is in May. I am going to have to RUN through some topics and pray the kids soak in the info.....mmmm i think Professor Fluffy maybe making a surprise visit abroad.
This week in German class the year 4's are writing a newspaper so I got to go on a class trip to the local newspaper office which was really interesting because I have never been in one before. There were some great questions and today the kids had their pictures in the paper because it is the newspaper who is organising the scheme about getting children involved in newspapers.
Living in Schloss Steffi is great too - today the weather was finally warm so I went out in the garden with my flip flops on - it's not exactly tropical yet but still it is not freezing or snowing....yet. Yesterday we had a MASSIVE bonfire and were cutting things down/ burning them on the fire from 2pm until 7pm. I was feeling very Jamie Oliver-inspired and so whacked some spuds on the fire also did some bananas with chocolate :-) SO TASTY. As it was St Patrick's Day of course I had a Guinness. Also I was given the last lesson with class 4A so I did a special St Paddy's day themed lesson and made them sing Molly Malone.
YAY tomorrow is Friday and what is even better is since I have done all my hours! I AM OFF! - lie in tomorrow non of this getting up at 6am. Although THANK GOD that it is light outside and I don't have to wake up in the dark
Thursday 18 March 2010
Sunday 7 March 2010
A Sunday in Stendal
After finally having a good nights sleep because Dottie flew home last night - so no snoring to accompany me when I sleep - I was awake around 8.30. Sat in bed reading and eventually got up at around 11am.
After breakfast I went with Kerstin to the stables and of course Hamlet came with.
After breakfast I went with Kerstin to the stables and of course Hamlet came with.
We went to see Kerstin's daughters horse who was in the stables. Christiane is home for the weekend so has taken the horse out for some exercise. Meanwhile christiane's boyfriend and Kerstin filled a trailer with muck to use in the garden for the vegetable patch which shall hopefully grow over the next few weeks. I didn't have any wellies with me so I couldn't get properly messy :-( Oh well that is on the shopping list.
Just ate a roast dinner for the first time in months. Am now in bed watching save the last dance.
Will just take it easy today for tomorrow is my first day in work at the school
Wednesday 3 March 2010
Freiburg, Hannover and Frauenstag
ALOT has happened since I last wrote on my blog which I will admit has been a fair while.
Well after being in Bonn Uni I managed to pass all of exams. I still had a problem trying to get everything done but oh well it is too late now because I have moved on to my new humble abode.
2 weeks ago I undertook my first car sharing experience which was great. Unfortunately the snow was still bad and it snowed most of the way down the motorway so we stopped about 6 to 7 times. Got to Freiburg after 6 hours in the car I have never been so glad to be somewhere. I met Babsi and Leon at the train station and Leon was a little bit confused. It was great to be with Leon and Chiara again because both of them have changed so much. Chiara is becoming a GREAT older sister and those sibling fights were something to witness I tell you - yelling at each other over who is the greatest pirate and who should have the pirate sword! OH IT WAS GREAT. Since it was Rosen montag which is a part of the Karneval celebrations I went to see how they celebrate it. We didn't stay too long because it was freezing but after a while it was a little bit samey-same. The parade people throw sweets at everyone and everyone yells to one another. I some how think it was different from the parade up in Cologne which was all over the news reports. Oh well there will be other years where I can go to the Karneval in Cologne.
This time in Freiburg - we drove up into the mountains and did something I have never done before - sledging. It was really hard and to be honest I didn't want to die by going over the edge. So I was being a careful sledder much to the annoyance of Chiara who wanted to go as fast as possible. Leon was a little bit scared and cried for most of the journey. In the end it was me who had the most fun I have never laughed/ screamed so much in my life.
That evening my auntie and uncle came to visit because it had been Leon's 3rd birthday on the Saturday so they had come to see my sister for a bit. They stayed for dinner and my sister cooked the best Lasagne ever....it's massive and is just so delicious.
I car shared back to Bonn on the following Wednesday and this time it only took us 4 hours because there was no snow and the traffic wasn't too bad either.
The weekend after Freiburg I went to Berlin with a rented car. stayed in a lovely Ferienwohnung right next to the Ku'Damm. Did a little sight seeing around Berlin (even though I have done it a million times before) went to Spandau to see where my family orginates from, went to most of the Platz's and also I went to the Russian soldier memorial where I have actually NEVER been before. Have been passed it loads of times but never actually went close up to it.
I had two weeks in Bonn before heading here to Stendal so I tried to abuse it as much as possible. Tried to meet up with people but it didn't always work I just have no idea where the time went. Had a night drinking with Bernie Boy, Ilya, Thomas and BOY SCHMIDT!!!! Was very good fun and lots of beer was drunk.
Packing to leave Bonn was geniuly very sad(can't spell!) because am leaving behind ALOT of good things ;-) We also happened to pick the best day to leave because the Xynthia storm hit Germany. Trees were falling down everywhere and as mum put her foot down in the car on the autobahn you could feel the wind pushing the car over the lanes. There were a few close calls I can tell you that. Also when we got to our guest house we had a power cut :-( eventually the electricity came back on.
SOOOO am now in Stendal - it's not too big probably about the size of childwall and wavertree but there is a macdonalds and burger king so I consider them signs of life. Today is international womans day which was celebrated in the former GDR and is still kind of celebrated in the eastern bundeslands. So my new landlady, Kerstin, took us to the theatre to see a musical comedy which was free but was taking donations for the women's shelter. It was tough for Dottie to understand but I thought that it was HILARIOUS. It was a one-woman show, she had a guitarist and also there were 2 signers on the stage because a group of deaf people had come to see the show. The interaction was great.
Apparently next week 'I love you, you're perfect now change' is on so I think that me and Kerstin will go and see that together. Oh and at some point I have to become a teacher in the school and start to think about my Year Abroad essay.
My how time moves on!
Well after being in Bonn Uni I managed to pass all of exams. I still had a problem trying to get everything done but oh well it is too late now because I have moved on to my new humble abode.
2 weeks ago I undertook my first car sharing experience which was great. Unfortunately the snow was still bad and it snowed most of the way down the motorway so we stopped about 6 to 7 times. Got to Freiburg after 6 hours in the car I have never been so glad to be somewhere. I met Babsi and Leon at the train station and Leon was a little bit confused. It was great to be with Leon and Chiara again because both of them have changed so much. Chiara is becoming a GREAT older sister and those sibling fights were something to witness I tell you - yelling at each other over who is the greatest pirate and who should have the pirate sword! OH IT WAS GREAT. Since it was Rosen montag which is a part of the Karneval celebrations I went to see how they celebrate it. We didn't stay too long because it was freezing but after a while it was a little bit samey-same. The parade people throw sweets at everyone and everyone yells to one another. I some how think it was different from the parade up in Cologne which was all over the news reports. Oh well there will be other years where I can go to the Karneval in Cologne.
This time in Freiburg - we drove up into the mountains and did something I have never done before - sledging. It was really hard and to be honest I didn't want to die by going over the edge. So I was being a careful sledder much to the annoyance of Chiara who wanted to go as fast as possible. Leon was a little bit scared and cried for most of the journey. In the end it was me who had the most fun I have never laughed/ screamed so much in my life.
That evening my auntie and uncle came to visit because it had been Leon's 3rd birthday on the Saturday so they had come to see my sister for a bit. They stayed for dinner and my sister cooked the best Lasagne ever....it's massive and is just so delicious.
I car shared back to Bonn on the following Wednesday and this time it only took us 4 hours because there was no snow and the traffic wasn't too bad either.
The weekend after Freiburg I went to Berlin with a rented car. stayed in a lovely Ferienwohnung right next to the Ku'Damm. Did a little sight seeing around Berlin (even though I have done it a million times before) went to Spandau to see where my family orginates from, went to most of the Platz's and also I went to the Russian soldier memorial where I have actually NEVER been before. Have been passed it loads of times but never actually went close up to it.
I had two weeks in Bonn before heading here to Stendal so I tried to abuse it as much as possible. Tried to meet up with people but it didn't always work I just have no idea where the time went. Had a night drinking with Bernie Boy, Ilya, Thomas and BOY SCHMIDT!!!! Was very good fun and lots of beer was drunk.
Packing to leave Bonn was geniuly very sad(can't spell!) because am leaving behind ALOT of good things ;-) We also happened to pick the best day to leave because the Xynthia storm hit Germany. Trees were falling down everywhere and as mum put her foot down in the car on the autobahn you could feel the wind pushing the car over the lanes. There were a few close calls I can tell you that. Also when we got to our guest house we had a power cut :-( eventually the electricity came back on.
SOOOO am now in Stendal - it's not too big probably about the size of childwall and wavertree but there is a macdonalds and burger king so I consider them signs of life. Today is international womans day which was celebrated in the former GDR and is still kind of celebrated in the eastern bundeslands. So my new landlady, Kerstin, took us to the theatre to see a musical comedy which was free but was taking donations for the women's shelter. It was tough for Dottie to understand but I thought that it was HILARIOUS. It was a one-woman show, she had a guitarist and also there were 2 signers on the stage because a group of deaf people had come to see the show. The interaction was great.
Apparently next week 'I love you, you're perfect now change' is on so I think that me and Kerstin will go and see that together. Oh and at some point I have to become a teacher in the school and start to think about my Year Abroad essay.
My how time moves on!
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