Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner...

...that I love London town

True story.

Anyway, the last week of term before the Christmas holidays is always an exciting one, no matter where in the world you are, and this one was no exception. The festive spirit in school was palpable throughout the week. After the excitement of Munich over the weekend, Monday was a fairly normal day, except that I saw ‘Der Hobbit’ with Emily and Heidi in the evening. I’m a pretty mega Lord of the Rings fan, and The Hobbit is one of my favourite books, so I've been looking forward to seeing it for ages. Also, Richard Armitage, one of the most gorgeous men on the planet, and potentially my future husband if things with Colin Firth don't work out so well, was one of the protagonists in the film. Ok, so looking like a dwarf, slightly podgier than usual, with long hair and dressed up in medieval clothes, he wasn't looking at his best, but it was nice to gaze at him for an hour or two, anyway. 

On Tuesday, I got to go to Strasbourg on a day trip with some of the students studying French. Strasbourg has long been one of the cities I would most love to visit (aren't they all!), and it didn’t disappoint. Maybe it was just my perception of it, but it was a lot smaller than I expected it to be, but was very cosy and beautiful, all the same. Something I've noticed about cities in Europe generally is that you could go to a very typical town in France or Germany; possibly even Luxembourg or Belgium, and the towns and cities have a very similar feel. Very...what's the word...European. The buildings look rather similar, and there is definitely a common atmosphere to a lot of the places I have visited so far. It's not a bad thing; merely an observation. It's a well-known fact of life, however, that the British like to do things differently, so I have a feeling that a bit of a culture shock may be awaiting me when I go home. Another thing I noticed was how hard it was to speak French! I think I've become so used to hearing and speaking German most of the time, that trying to squeeze French words out of my brain was very, very tricky indeed. Final year is going to be interesting. 

On Thursday I finally got to explore the Bensheim Christmas market properly, meeting up with some of the teachers from school for a mug of Glühwein or two before the staff xmas party. Staff Christmas parties are definitely a lot tamer over here than they are in the UK. You get a couple of glasses of wine inside the Brits, and off we go, having no inhibitions whatsoever about drunkenly doing the YMCA or singing along at the top of our voice to the Grease Megamix. The Germans were far more sophisticated, choosing instead to enjoy the delights of the buffet and (mostly sober) conversation. We were also treated to a performance by the teachers' band, which just goes to show how much hidden talent there is lurking in school. I'm really glad I went along to it, as it will be the only staff Christmas party I get to experience, under these circumstances anyway, and the atmosphere was very relaxed, casual and festive. The teachers I have befriended at school are all just so wonderful. They've made a real, conscious effort to include me in things, check I'm ok, put up with my stilted German and have been warm and welcoming at the same time too. It was a great way to round off what has been a brilliant couple of weeks. 

Steffen and the Christmas Angels

And finally, on Friday, I had my last early morning for three and a half weeks, headed into school for one last bit of festive cheer and to say a sad farewell to Emily before heading home. It was a bit of an odd end to the term, for reasons that I probably shouldn't divulge, but at least now my fellow colleagues and I can breathe a sigh of relief that the first term of the year is done, and has been done well. 

Now that we've established that the world probably isn't going to end today, all that remains is to put the last few bits and pieces into my suitcase, check, double-check and triple-check that I have my passport and tickets, and I’ll be off back to England. You have no idea how happy that makes me. The last four months have been fantastic! I have met some great people, seen some great places and done some great things. But despite being so far away for so long, my connection with my ‘Heimat’ feels stronger than ever, and the prospect of heading home to the people I love most in the world is bringing one huge smile to my face right now! I have no doubt, however, that come January, I will be ready to face the new year, refreshed and raring to go, to make my second half of my year abroad one to remember. 

So, operation ‘Home Time’ is a go-go. Destination: good old London town. 500 miles and counting. 

Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner - a bit of British culture to share with you

Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Bis Januar. Alles Liebe und Gute.

Turrah for now.

Emily

München

To hell with imaginative blog post titles. This one needed an eponymous heading.

So I had planned on my last weekend before the holidays being a fairly relaxed one. A chance to pack all my stuff properly, clean my flat, tie up any loose ends, and maybe even one last trip to Heidelberg for any emergency Christmas presents that might need buying. Somehow, however, I ended up in Munich. Ok, so I’m exaggerating. It was planned; but only like a week in advance. And coming from the Queen of ‘let’s take a minute to think about this,’ it was one of the most spontaneous decisions I’ve ever made.

As the holidays approach, regardless of your situation, everyone starts to look forward and countdown to them. That’s natural. Everyone needs a break. But for me, the holidays have another significance as well, as it will be the first time in four months that I can go home, relax, be looked after, and most importantly spend some time with the people I love most in the world. It’s easy, then, to lose all perspective, and lose yourself in a slump of moroseness, and just focus on all the things you love about home. The grass is always greener, after all. Am I guilty of this? Of course. Well, sometimes. But I’ve been making a really conscious effort not to let that dominate the past few weeks, and have tried to make the most of every opportunity. Germany has so many wonderful things to offer, and I would be a fool if I didn’t make the most of them. Hence, Munich.

Emily and I headed off early on Friday morning, with Jorge and Heidi following a couple of hours behind. I seem to say this about every German city I go to, but Munich is definitely up there with one of the most amazing places that I’ve visited so far. As we sat on the train, the snow got deeper and the terrain more mountainous, until we eventually arrived in a small town of a mere 8 million people in the south of Bavaria. Just as the sun was beginning to set, the four of us headed into the main city centre to do some exploring. Munich is known for its iconic architecture, and it is extremely hard to miss the dominating structure that is the ‘Frauenkirche;’ a huge cathedral with two domes that look like mushrooms atop its spires. Other activies included a visit to ‘Residenz’ – a huge collection of historical artefacts stored in a palace-like building in the centre of Munich, and before we left on Sunday, an hour or so at the outdoor ice rink that accompanied the Christmas market. I have a hard enough time remaining upright when I am on flat ground with flat shoes on…so let’s just say I don’t think I’ll be receiving an invitation to appear on ‘Dancing On Ice’ any time soon. Heidi, who plays ice hockey back in Canada, was very patient with the three of us, leading me slowly round in a circle while I hung onto her hand for dear life, and occasionally skated around by herself, making the most difficult way to move look perfectly easy and elegant! Munich is also undoubtedly known for its nightlife and love of alcohol – Oktoberfest, beer halls, anyone? But, rather than having a night or two on the town, we opted instead to stay in our youth hostel, and play a few cheeky games of cards. It was the most I have laughed and the most fun I have had in ages!

Enjoying some of the culture Munich has to offer

Preparing to take our lives in our hands...and go skating. 

What can I say, we were naturals! 

The weather, though, was f.r.e.e.z.i.n.g. Once we had left the Bergstraße (where Bensheim is located,) the temperature dropped by a good few degrees. The German solution to this cold snap is merely to add more layers to the ones you already have on. So, if you don’t mind walking around bearing a startling resemblance to the Michelin man, you’re on to a winner. Coming from a country, however, where girls and guys will go out on  Friday night in the middle of January wearing little more than the bare essentials, i.e. a top and some form of trouser, because they’re too stingy to pay for the cloakroom in clubs, walking around looking like the yeti from the depths of the Antarctic is not really something I’m willing to do. However, we did plenty of exercise, so that kept us warm for the most part.

On Saturday I visited my first concentration camp. It was without a doubt the most thought-provoking, oddly-fascinating, humbling, sobering, haunting, spine-chilling experience that I have ever had. Anger and sadness seemed to hit me in waves. Dachau was the first concentration camp used by the Nazis, and was to become a model for all future ones. The town itself really is nothing special – rather dull, rather bleak, yet its name is known throughout the world for inhumanity beyond all reasonable understanding. It sounds odd, but I’m glad I went. You can learn a lot about what happened in concentration camps in text books; you can gasp and shake your head at the statistics, but it is not until you see one for yourself that the true horror of what Nazis inflicted on innocent people really comes into focus. Visiting it somehow made it personal. The most heart-wrenching point for me was seeing someone’s personal belongings contained in a glass cabinet. It makes you realise that each and every person to be trapped behind the gate had a story. I will never know the beginning of that story, but I think I can make some fairly certain conclusions about its end. What went on behind those gates is a capacity for evil that I will never be able to understand, and it was an experience that will stay with me for as long as I live.

Fritz Dressel, wherever you are, may you rest in peace

Some of the most spine-chilling words I have ever read.

Seeing Dachau made me put a lot of things into perspective. I talk a lot about how much I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends over the holidays, and think that four months away from them seems like the longest time ever. Some of those poor people, however, went into that camp probably in the full knowledge that they would never see their family or their friends again. Especially as its Christmas, it made it all the more poignant and clearer in my head as to just how good I have it. As our train pulled away from Munich, and the mercury inside the thermometer rose a few degrees as we approached the Bergstraße, I thought a lot about just how lucky I am to have all these opportunities and to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Emily 

The pursuit of happyness

I was in quite a pensive mood the other day, and felt the need to have a good old think about things. At the risk of sounding incredibly corny, I’ve learnt an awful lot about myself since being here. I guess it was always there for me to discover, but I’d never really thought about it properly until now. I’ve learnt that when push comes to shove, I am a lot better at getting on with things than I first thought I was, that living a long way away from family and friends can, at times, be much tougher than first anticipated, and that it is not a failure to admit that things are hard at times.

It’s a strange thing, happiness, and I’ve discovered that my view of it has been entirely warped. I decided, probably around the end of Year 10, so when I was about 15, that languages were the route I wanted to go down in life, so the knowledge that at some point I would be spending a long time in another country was a prospect that has gradually been edging nearer for several years. It was only really last year, though, when ‘Life in Germany’ became a real deal that I had to cope with. So whenever I hit a bit of a bad day at uni last year, I just kept looking for the German light at the end of the tunnel, telling myself that when I eventually got there, everything would work itself out, and happiness would be achieved. Mentally I had it up on a pedestal, hoping that when I made it to Germany, everything would slot into place. As you know, most of the time, it’s fantastic, but I couldn’t work it out in my head why I wasn’t ‘happy’ all the time. But then it hit me. No one is happy all the time, no matter who you are or how mentally strong you may be. It’s impossible, because happiness is not an absolute. It is relative; completely and utterly relative.

Happiness, unlike Germany, is not a physical destination. You do not arrive at its station at 8.20 on a Monday morning and are there to stay. Happiness is an emotion; it undulates, ebbs, flows, comes and goes like any other feeling. It’s not something you acquire over time; it’s not something you can achieve. So the days when sadness, homesickness or stress is the prevailing emotion should not be thought of as a failure. And it’s taken me an awfully long time to figure that out.

I guess it was quite naïve to think that every day in Germany would be plain sailing. I mean, I’m on my own, 500 miles away from everyone I know and love, in a country that’s unfamiliar, in a culture that’s not my own. Of course there were going to be some rocky patches. In fact, I think I’d be more concerned if there weren’t. Often, when people are going through a tough patch, people tell them to just stick at it, push on through and make the best out of a bad situation. Fortunately, this doesn’t apply to me. I don’t have to make the best out of a bad situation. I am lucky enough to be able to make the best out of a brilliant situation. Germany is a fantastic country, with so many places to explore. I have been placed in a lovely school, with lovely colleagues and lovely students. Simone is, as ever, unfailingly brilliant. She and Thomas are quickly becoming two of my favourite people in the world. Simone, despite being one of the busiest teachers in school, is always ready to make time for me, whatever my question or query, and will go to every length to help me solve it. She has been an invaluable source of support and encouragement, and has quickly become a great friend, as well. But in spite of all of that, not every day can be a great one. And I guess those not-so-great days  seem all the worse when you live a long way away from home, because the people that would normally make you a cuppa and talk you through the bad patch are no longer on hand.

Sorry about the monologue. But it’s just that I’ve only really begun to appreciate this in the last week or so, and felt the need to get it off my chest. There are days when I wake up, raring to go, and think to myself; today will be a good day. Let’s do this. There are days when I don’t stop smiling all day. There are days when I can't wait to speak to my parents to tell them about all the amazing things that have happened that day. There are days when I want to stay in Germany forever. Then there are days that don’t go so well; when I long to go back to my flat and spend the rest of the afternoon in my pjs watching episodes of Downton Abbey. There are days when things don’t go smoothly and I get stressed; when I am angry at the world and everyone in it. There are days when I just need a good cry. That is ok. That is not a sign of failure or of weakness. That is just life.

Just my thought for the day.

Bis später,

Emily

Jingle Bells and Jolliness

We're walking in a winter Wunderland!

 
The festive cheer is now engulfing the Vaterland, and I must say it is such a nice atmosphere. I don’t know what it was exactly, but something seems to have twigged in my head, and I’ve realised that whenever I’m having a self-pitying, ‘the-holidays-are-still-so-far-away’ moment, the trick is to keep busy. I’m glad that I haven’t sat around, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the holidays to arrive, as, actually keeping busy is both a great way to have fun and see new things. And before I knew it, there were only a couple of weeks left till my return to the Heimatland.  

On Sunday morning, I awoke to find Bensheim an inch deep in snow. Not the rain that was disguising itself as snow, as we had in October. This was proper, full-on, ‘weather outside is frightful’ type of snow. Twas very exciting. I may be in my twenties now, but that does not mean I still don’t have the reaction similar to that of a four year old when I look out of my window to find that the snow really is falling all around me. I always think that snow is at its prettiest during the night, as there are very few people or cars around to mess it up and spoil how perfect it looks. The Germans, however, don’t waste time enjoying the prettiness of the snow. Ever the efficient, logical people that they are, (and I love them for it,) the minute the world wakes up, they’re out on the street with their shovels and brooms, making sure that the weather doesn’t stop them going about their daily business. It made me chuckle to myself, as at the first sign of snow in the UK, everything comes to a grinding halt – cars are abandoned, train lines stop running, and God forbid the schools should stay open, where you run the risk of a child falling over and getting injured! Not here. Everything carried on pretty much as per, but it was an excuse for me to crack out my new wellies to walk to school on Monday.

Did someone say 'Schneeeeeee?'

Continuing with the Christmas spirit that has dominated my blogs for the last few weeks – I do apologise, I’m a big fan of Christmas – 6^th December in Germany is ‘Nikolaustag.’ I’d come across it when we studied German traditions at school, but it didn’t really occur to me that it was going on until I got to school on Thursday morning to find a chocolate Santa in my pigeon hole. The lovely Simone had sent it to me, which put a big smile on my face. I also got a hot chocolate on a spoon from another mysterious ‘Nikolaus,’ but I have yet to discover who it was.

On a sadder note, I found out this week that both the Emily’s are going home. It’s a shame that their year has been cut so short, especially as their German was really beginning to come along.  But that’s life, I guess. Full of the unexpected. Although having said that, even though I’ve only known them a few short months, I can already tell that they are the kind of girls that will make a success out of anything they put their minds to, so I wish them the very best of luck.

On Saturday, I met up with a couple of language assistants in Nuremberg, to visit the Christmas market there. Although I walked around for most of the day not being able to feel either my toes or the end of my nose (the BBC reported a temperature of -4 degrees!), we had a really lovely day, as it’s always nice to meet up and see how everyone’s getting on. I think I’ve mentioned this already, but the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg is one of the biggest and most famous Christmas markets in Germany, so I’m glad we got to visit it while we are over here. It certainly didn’t disappoint! Hannah mentioned this, and I definitely agree - the thing that's so lovely about the way the Germans do Christmas is that it’s so much more traditional than in the UK. Crimbo at home is lovely too, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s become much more modernised in recent years, whereas the Germans choose to embrace the holiday season in all its traditional, tasteful glory, which makes it feel even more festive and cosy. We wandered round the market for most of the afternoon, as in amongst the crowds it felt a little warmer, stopping every couple of minutes to admire all the little gifts the stalls have on offer -you really can buy anything and everything to do with Christmas from these places - and stopped to have a mug of Glühwein, (or Kinderpunsch for the less hardy among us, namely me) to help warm us up a little bit. 

So the woman's head kinda ruins the picture, but at least you get an idea of what a Christmas market sells

Glühwein and giggles :) 

To hell with 'Pfand' - I'm keeping this mug!! It's proving useful already.

The last couple of weeks have been so much fun. I am soooo ready for a few relaxing weeks at home, but life in Germany, apart from the occasional blip, is proving to be everything I hoped for, and more.

So that’s all there is to report, really. It appears that Christmas in Germany really is all around.

Emily  

German Christmas Adventures

Is it just me, or is Christmas on overdrive this year?

Nope. This is just how the Germans do Christmas. And it’s bloody fantastic! There is no better country to get you into the Christmassy mood. This is hands down my favourite time of year, and the Germans like to embrace it. Big style.

I wrote in my blog a few days ago that I was determined to make these last few weeks of term count. And that’s what I’m trying to do. When in doubt, do as ze Germans do. Here’s a snippet of some of my adventures:

Last weekend, just as Bensheim was beginning to prepare for its own Christmas market, I met up with one of the Emily’s, and we went for a hot chocolate and a chinwag in this dainty little coffee shop in town that I’ve adopted as my new favourite watering hole. It’s good to have someone to chat to – although only a mere 16 years of age, she is lovely and wise beyond her years, and it’s comforting to know that she has been experiencing exactly the same culture shocks as I have been. Bensheim is beginning to look very festive, and I’m looking forward to discovering all the delights its Christmas market has to offer over the next weeks.

This week in school passed as per, with relatively little going on out of the ordinary. That was until we got to Thursday. During my first period English lessons, we were studying writing invoices and payment reminders; very interesting, yet perhaps not the most spine-tinglingly exciting of topics. About half way through the lesson, some b.e.a.uuu.tiful piano music started up from the room adjacent to ours. Even though its sound was slightly distorted as it came through the wall, you could tell that whoever it was who was playing was really rather talented. After about 10 minutes, one of the girls asked Frau Fuda is she knew who was playing. It was apparently a young guy who had come in to practice. Well, you can imagine the effect that this had on the girls in the room. A mass exodus occurred, with pretty much only the boys, Frau Fuda and I staying resolutely in our seats. Even though I was desperate to go and have a look as well, I thought to myself, ‘No. I am supposed to be a responsible adult here. I will not be tempted out of the room by the prospect of a good looking guy and a piano.’ Screw that! The temptation quickly overcame me, and I went to watch, too. Well. What can I say. I wish I had recorded it, because I have seriously never heard anyone play the piano like that before. He was incredible. I had goosebumps and may even have shed a tear oder zwei. I think I may have fallen slightly in love. It was just so incongruous to what normally occurs during lessons; I could have stayed there all day.

So, after I had recovered from watching the beautiful man on his beautiful piano, came the news that some school students and a couple of youth workers from Amersham, UK had arrived at school, as they are looking to set up some kind of exchange partnership with the Karl Kübel Schule. That’s right; living, breathing, British people had arrived in my little corner of Germany. I’m not sure what made me so excited about it. I guess it was just nice to remember that people from my Heimatland do genuinely still exist! 

Anyway, the words ‘Christmas’ and ‘Germany’ are synonymous with one thing. Yes, Christmas markets. Christmas markets are what make Christmas feel like Christmas. They take those quintessential images of the holiday season; wooden shacks topped with snow, gingerbread, woolly hats, ‘chestnuts roasting on an open fire’ etc. etc. and squish them all together within a 100m x 100m area, (usually accompanied by bright lights, Christmas songs and of course Glühwein to make it feel even more atmospheric.) My first proper experience of a Christmas market à la deutsch was in Mannheim. I headed over there with two girls from Simone’s Yr 13 group, who are both so nice.  It’s such a cosy atmosphere, wandering round; a mug of Glühwein in one hand, a Bratwurst in the other, looking at all the quirky gifts on offer.  After that we ventured over to the National Theatre to meet up with some other people from their class, Simone and Thomas to watch a production of ‘Avenue Q.’ I’m forever seeing adverts for it whenever I walk through Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus, so it reminded me a little bit of home, which was nice. It’s not what we’d call your ‘typical’ musical. It’s a little bit like The Muppets in that the actors carry puppets around, and it’s quite easy to forget that there are actually humans doing all the actions for them. The storyline and songs were a little bit eyebrow-raising, though. When they piped up with one number entitled ‘Das Internet ist für Pornos,’(I don’t think you need an English translation,) succeeded by a scene in which they undressed the puppets and showed them err…having a good time…I did wonder a little bit what we were in for. But it was very good fun, nonetheless. Afterwards we finished off the evening in a restaurant for a drink, a pizza and a chat, before heading home. The students from Simone’s class are the same ones I got to know a bit in Amsterdam, and it reminded me just how nice and friendly they all are! Apart from the fact that it has suddenly turned so damn cold, it was a really lovely evening, with really lovely people and I hope there are more opportunities like that one before I leave.

Then reality kicked in and I realised I had better start getting organised with my Christmas shopping. Call me crazy, but I actually really enjoy it. Ok, so it can be mildly stressful when you’ve left allyourshoppingtothe23rddecemberandthencan’tfindanythingbecauseit’sreallybusyincentrallondonandithasallsoldoutandahhhhh, but most of the time, it is fine. So on Saturday, I wrapped up warm and headed out into the cold to buy pressies for my beloveds. I was merrily buying away, when something dawned on me. Somehow, irgendwie, I have got to get all of these presents home in a suitcase. Oops. May have to do some premature package-sending before I fly home.  

You might think that once you’ve seen one Christmas market, you’ve seen them all. Oh no, no, no, sonny Jim. I have plenty more on my list. I got to see a little bit of the Heidelberg market, which is apparently one of the biggest and most famous in the area. I still have yet to properly explore the Bensheim one, which is now in full swing, and next weekend I’m venturing over to the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, which is one of the most famous ones in Germany, I think. That means many more opportunities for a few cheeky mugs of Glühwein, so I’m looking forward to the last few weeks over here. 

One last thing. On Wednesday I will have been in Germany for 100 days. That seems ridonkulous. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.

This is a picture from a pre-Christmas dinner in Leamington this time last year. It's crazy to think how much has changed since then. 

<3 

Bis bald, Emily