Some things in life are bad, they can really make you mad...
Now, I don’t know about you, but I have truly had enough of
winter. Whether it be the mornings that are still cold, dark and miserable, the
snow that was pretty for, ooh about three hours and then just becomes
inconvenient, or the sun that occasionally pops it’s head out for five glorious
minutes before retreating humbly back behind the grey, swollen clouds, I’m fed
up with it and cannot wait for spring. However, we have the rest of February to
get through yet, which means several more weeks of numb extremities, red noses
and hat-hair. One thing that is improving, however, is that the days are slowly
getting longer. I no longer have to walk to school in the complete darkness and
it’s no longer pitch-black outside when I settle down to my mid-afternoon
cuppa.
Other things just make you swear and curse...
Coming back to Bensheim after Christmas, I was very
enthusiastic to face the new year and the new term. Maybe it was the weather
(believe it or not, snow can get a little depressing after a while), or maybe I
just hadn’t anticipated that I would have to settle back into German life quite
as much as I did, but with one thing and another I had a case of the post-holiday blues after having been
back about 10 days. My head was all over the place; I was forgetting things
left, right and centre, including how to speak German, was missing the comforts
of home and was thoroughly fed up of constantly being cold. I’m pleased to say
that has passed, however, and I have lots of things to keep me busy over the
coming weeks.
When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle,
and this'll help things turn out for the best
Last week at school,
the Year 11s had ‘Projektwoche.’ For anyone who has seen the film ‘Die Welle,’
(The Wave) the concept is very similar, only without all the drama of the
re-birth of fascism inside a German school. Basically the teachers offer the
students a particular project for the week; one that is somewhat off the beaten
track of what is normally covered in the curriculum. The topic dealt with in
the film is autocracy, which, to keep it simple, gets out of hand, shall we
say. Our topic was a lot tamer than autocracy, namely international humour;
comparing British, German and American comedy series. It’s difficult to pick up
on the humour in something when it’s not in your native language. Half the time
you’re so preoccupied with translating the dialogue from one language to the other,
the comedic value sometimes gets lost on you. This being true, I thought in
general the students tackled the concept of ‘comedy auf Englisch’ rather well. Programmes like ‘How I Met Your Mother’
and ‘Big Bang Theory’ are very popular over here, so I guess they’ve become
used to regularly watching TV programmes in English. The comedy series from
Britain - Fawlty Towers, The Office, Human Remains and League of Gentlemen -
didn’t quite go down so well. British comedy, like the British people, is
rather understated – it’s a lot more subtle than its American counterpart, so
I’m not sure the students completely understood what was supposedly funny about
the programmes. (In fact, sometimes, nor did I!) They did manage a few laughs
during Fawlty Towers, however, which made me happy. On the last day of the
project week, the students had to come up with and present a comedy sketch of
their own. One of the groups decided to do a sort of parody of the four
teachers, myself included, who had taken the project. It’s always interesting
to see how other people perceive you. The girl playing me chose to adorn big
glasses, her hair in a high bun, and said ‘lovely,’ over and over again. She
got me down to a T, and I thought it was brilliant. What struck me most, though, was that, yes is was supposed to be a comedic parody of the teachers, but the student playing me chose to portray me as quite a cheery person. Now, anyone who knows me well will probably tell you than I can moan for England when I put my mind to it, but I've decided to try to always have a postive mental outlook, wherever possible. Hence...
Annnndddd... Always look on the bright side of life...
I seem to have a lot more time on my hands this term for some
reason, so I have decided to try to make the most of it. Instead of sitting at home, twiddling my thumbs and working my
way through my entire Downton Abbey DVD collection, I have decided to get active. After losing the will to do
any form of exercise apart from my daily walk to school at the end of last
term, combined with eating far too much turkey-and-stuffing-goodness over
Christmas, I decided it was about time that I introduced some form of physical
activity back into my life.
- For anyone who reads this regularly, or for anyone who happened to read last week’s post, I have started salsa lessons. These are *touches wood* so far, going surprisingly well. I have not fallen over yet, nor have I stepped on my dance partner’s toes, so I’m thinking that, for me anyway, this is one major achievement!
- After an extended break, I have started going back to zumba classes à la deutsch. It’s not the most high-intensity work out ever, but it’s an hour’s worth of jiggling away one’s wobbly bits, so I can’t complain. I did have a very surreal moment during this week’s class, though. They introduced a new routine to the…wait for it…gangnam style. Oh. Dear. God. Watching a load of 40-something women do the gangnam style is an image that will remain burned on my memory for many years to come.
- Every year, I tell myself that I will get into some form of regular exercise routine. Without fail, it appears in my New Year’s Resolution’s list. This grand plan lasts roughly until about the 5th of January, before I lose any modicum of will power to do any exercise other than getting off the sofa to walk all the way to the kitchen to make a cuppa. Not this year, however. I’ve decided that the only way I will make myself do something is if I have a goal to work towards. Therefore, on the 14th July 2013, once I am back in Blighty, I, Emily Clarke, will be running the Race For Life. Yes, it’s only 5km, but it’s a target, and one for a good cause, as it raises money for Breast Cancer Care. I’ll let you know how it goes.
And finally, before I bore you all half to death with my
ramblings, there’s just enough time to look ahead to all the things coming up
this term. The German Karneval season
is almost upon us, where for a couple of days each year, the Germans let loose
and ‘party hard,’ so to speak. Fancy dress costumes are adorned, crazy German
music (think ‘oops upside your head-esque’ but in German!) is played all hours of the day and night, and it is the
perfect excuse for a beer (or six). I’m spending most of the Fasching weekend
in Munich, so I’m sure many-a tale will be told after that.
I apologise for the lack of pictures in this post, by the
way. I haven’t taken any photos since I’ve been back. Here's a song you might enjoy, though...
Anyway, that’s all for now. My post-holiday blues have
passed, and this term feels so much different. I say this time and time again, but the time is going so quickly! I'm incredibly lucky to have all these opportunities this year, and I thoroughly intend to make the most of them with the time I have left. Looking on the bright side of life really does make things so much better!
Bis dann
Emily
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