Christmas Greetings and Vacation at Last!

As of yesterday evening, my holiday vacation finally started and I am more than happy to have a little break to abate the overwhelming flood of work that has defined my daily routine since I started teaching in October. I looked at my last post and noticed that the time stamp was October 29th, meaning that it has been over two months since I last posted and also two months during which I have been teaching at Friedrich-Alexander University. 

I firstly must say that I have been thoroughly enjoying my job, my students, classes, and mingling with co-workers. Although this job certainly requires a lot of preparation work, it is absolutely true what they say: the more you put into your work, the more joy, engagement, and pleasure you receive in the end. While there have definitely been days where my motivation level has been sub-par, executing a well-planned and thorough lesson plan has offered such wonderful personal and professional rewards I had never anticipated. In fact, last month I was informed of a recent decision by the technical faculty to fully fund my full-time teaching position here at the university because of my apparently diligent work ethic and outstanding feedback from students. The fact that I was the first person in the language center to get a fully subsidized position, only a couple months after being signed on to the English team, was great reinforcement and motivation for further hard work. Needless to say, both my boss and I were very happy to have received this news, and even my students were excited to hear that I will be able to continue teaching the technical faculty in the coming semesters. 

Speaking of which, I was offered more classes within the technical faculty at more advanced levels, and as such, I will be primarily be teaching engineering students from this point forward. Although tentative, my schedule for the summer (next) semester is going to be 4 Level 2 - intermediate - engineering classes, 2 Level 3 - advanced - engineering classes, and 2 other general English classes. The added bonus is that a large portion of my current students will be able to matriculate to the higher courses upon completion of their current Level 2 classes, which will allow for great continuity and overarching learning capabilities within their studies. While it naturally lends itself to the fact that I'll have to crank up the difficulty and engagement level of the Level 3 courses, all while catering to the various fields of engineering of which the students are a part - mechanical and industrial engineering, mechatronics, international engineering production and management, and biomedical engineering - I cannot wait to enable to the students to really delve into their fields with a more focused attention on their studies in coordination with their English endeavors. I am currently thinking of making the more advanced classes center around case studies which will encompass a wide field of engineering studies that will then require students to analyze various currently employed engineering cases from their respective course of study. The hurdle will then be what case studies to incorporate and, naturally, basing long-term lesson plans on those case studies. Still, where there's a will, there's a way!

I have also decided to continue my education by attending graduate school here in Germany while concurrently teaching at FAU, with my intention of starting my Master's program next year. I am sure that adding a part-time study schedule to my current teaching schedule will be an immense adjustment; however, since I'll only be taking approximately 2 courses per semester and it will be my second year of teaching, the initial difficulty of planning completely new courses and being immersed in a completely new work environment will have subsided by then - or so I hope! I'm still uncertain as to what I would like to study, though FAU offers a myriad of invigorating and intellectually enriching programs I would love to pursue. The current programs I'm really looking into at the moment are Applied Linguistics, which has more of an applicable aspect to it, and one that could be applied not only to my English courses but also my study of languages. 

However, after perusing the programs offered, I also noticed that FAU offers a Master's and PhD in Medieval Studies, which, unbeknownst to many among my social groups, was the field for which I applied in the States for graduate school. Although I was unable to get into any programs in the States, I have a feeling that my chances for successful matriculation into a Master's and eventual PhD program here in Germany are much higher. I think it would be absolutely engrossing and fascinating, really, to partake in an intercultural, historical, and literary analysis of the medieval Zeitgeist and to eventually obtain a degree to show my knowledge in that area. The biggest impediment I see to pursuing such a degree is employment prospectives. While I am quite certain that I would be able to teach and continue independent research on medieval subjects, it is a pretty thoroughly researched field as is, and therefore not necessarily an expanding or sought-after field. Considering how difficult it was to land this job here in Germany and the seemingly unbearable impossibility of acquiring a job in the States, I just wonder if I would be putting myself in the same position by attaining a PhD in Medieval Studies. Still, with the tuition rates as low as they are, I could also see myself getting two Master's, one in Medieval Studies and one in Applied Linguistics, with then continuing on to research for a PhD in one of those subjects. As I still have time to make a decision regarding post-graduate education, I plan on talking with as many people as possible about the two options. 

As today is the 24th of December, all of Germany is closed for the day celebrating Christmas today, contrary to the American tradition of celebrating Christmas on the 25th, though I have seen a couple of my neighbors lollygagging about from time to time around the apartment complex. I sincerely plan on enjoying the next week by refusing to do any work and basking in my time of responsibility-free routine. Unfortunately, there is still a huge pile of work to be done during the break: essay correction and grading; intensive, advanced English course planning for the semester break; a technical English reference tool of as many technical machines, systems, parts, inventions, processes, and studies as possible; exam writing for all my courses this semester; and a heretofore course analysis of all my technical courses for future course composition purposes. Of all those items listed, I absolutely must complete essay corrections and exam composition, while the others are somewhat secondary or even tertiary. I think after a complete week of utter and unabashed lethargy, I'll be ready to jump back onto the work-wagon and will be able to check a number of things off this list much quicker; I'm sure a plethora of red bull consumption will increase my chances of achieving this goal as well! 

 While I am certainly sad that I was unable to come home for Christmas this year to see all my friends and family, it has made me look forward to our reunion next year even more. I must say that I am incredibly happy here in Germany and that, while it was certainly an immensely risky and seemingly "out-of-character" thing to do - not to mention the initial difficulties I had to face which certainly made life an uphill battle for a while - I feel like this is where I belong, that I am finally engaged in a professional and personal routine that is rewarding, challenging, and self-actualizing. I do want to say, "Thank you" to all the people who supported me these past couple months, either mentally, fiscally, or otherwise, as I wouldn't be here without your continuous love, support, and encouragement. Though there are absolutely days and sometimes weeks I just want to run home and get away from a lot of stress, I know that is purely a part of life that everyone experiences and makes one stronger if one is willing to learn. I look forward to the joys and sorrows that await me in the coming months and years, and cannot wait to experience what my life in Germany has in store for me. 

With that, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful slide into the new year, as they say in Germany. I miss you all incredibly, and there is not a day that goes by that I am not thinking of each and every one of you. I shall be thinking of you all even more in the coming days and wishing that your time with family and friends shall be unforgettable. Bis irgendwann nächstes Jahr, in alter Frische! (See you sometime next year, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!)

Terrific Teaching Times & Abhorrent Alliteration: My First Week of Teaching!

First of all, I'd like to start this post with a completely unrelated topic, namely: IKEA! I must say that Ikea has replaced my love of and obsession with Target, or rather I should say that my European equivalent would be Ikea, and man have I fallen head over heals in love with that store! Allow the following picture of Spongebob Schwammkopf (as he's called here in the land of Germans) to illustrate my initial feelings and impression upon entering the store:

Here's yet another once I found out how inexpensive but good quality things were there, as well:

Not only did I find all my furniture needs for future purchases, but I was also able to stock my supply of kitchen utensils and *finally* a quilt for my bed; huzzah for no longer having to only sleep with a sheet over me! In my trip to the land of "I wanna buy everything here right now and then get more stuff, too" I scored a 24-piece set of silverware [for adults, I should add!], a glass container with a latch (see here, hard to describe     ><) to hold my copious amounts of morning Musli, 4 drinking glasses (~16oz), a coffee cup, a silverware holder, and my quilt for a grand total of: 30.82 Euros (~$42)!! Fabulous! I will definitely be making more trips back there to fill up my apartment with more useful, currently lacking things! Another bonus is that it's only a ten-minute bike ride from my apartment - fabulous x2!

Anyway, back to less giddy adventures and the topic of this post, I completed my first week of teaching here at Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU), and it went incredibly well! I must say, the whole reality of being a teacher didn't really hit me until I was standing in my first class of the week, Vantage I, preparing for the lesson to come. When one of my first students came into the room and asked, "Is this where Vantage I will be?" I realized that it was game time, and that I would actually be back in my old, dearly missed profession of teaching. It's definitely a good thing that I decided to primarily focus on introductory information this week (with the exception to one class that meets twice a week), as it took a couple of lessons for me to get back into the swing of things. Thankfully, by the third class, I had a much better feel for being the "director" of the class, and my nerves had settled immensely by then as well. 

To my surprise, I was informed at the beginning of this week that my English for Technology Students courses, for which I originally planned 3-hour long lectures, would become 1.5-hour sessions in order to create more opportunities for the students. Apparently the demand for these new classes were much higher than originally anticipated, which is great for me and the Language Center, as it means that there'll still be a job for me after this semester - and hopefully even after this academic year! 

Unfortunately, there will only be one Study Skills for Technology Students course offered, which focuses primarily on preparing students to study abroad in an English-speaking country; essentially, a pre-departure, cultural class for students within the technical department of the university. There are still some details that need to be ironed out, as the majority of the students expressed an explicit disinterest in any cultural topics which is actually contradictory to the reason why they should be in that class. Apparently, they want to only learn about topics on technology, which is great but an entirely different class. Therefore, I have to discuss this "problem" with my boss and come to some sort of middle ground or what have you. 

I have the feeling that it'll come down to me telling the students, "Unfortunately, none of you have the ability to read (since the course description is in English and German) and are in the wrong course, and your punishment is that you'll have to suck it up and learn about life abroad...........which is actually going to be the best thing for you if you are required to live abroad for at least six months in order to receive your degree." Obviously, the subtle hints of sarcasm and condescension won't be in my little talk with them, however, I will have to be curt and candid with them about the fact that the Study Skills course revolves entirely around cultural, and not technological, topics. 

As I said, the majority of my classes were purely introductory lectures this week: going over course syllabi, tentative course material, specific topics to be covered in individual classes - grammatical or thematic - and, of course, the proverbial self-introductions. Of the seven courses I taught, only two were a struggle to get through as the students didn't really seem to react to any of my comments, jokes, energy, etc. A major portion of my teaching style is based upon the Gahman style of humor, and just humor in general, as I've found it keeps students interested and on their toes more. And if there are groups of people who are just immune or nonreactive to this, I can always tell it'll be a long semester with that class. Still, I also have the more somber, traditional lecture style as well, to suit those classes whose students want to make learning a serious matter (zzzzz, boring, but whatever!). 

One thing I did with all but one of my classes was an introductory survey and a beginning of the course written evaluation. The introductory survey was to elicit information from students regarding their own impression of their level of English, strengths and weaknesses within their language abilities, and topics they'd like to see the course cover. This was especially important with my technology courses, since this is the first semester any of them are being offered, and it also opened my eyes to a number of new technological fields I was completely unaware of. In my General English courses, however, it was more a way to get students' personal opinions on where their interests lie; most students like to see that their opinions matter and that the teacher is actually listening, so egocentric [j/k]! 

I've already processed all their responses and factored them into the individual course plans, and I think the students will really appreciate the further fine-tuning I've done to cater a bit more to their individual needs. Furthermore, after making some fun graphs and spreadsheets, I decided I would be showing the students the information I gathered so they can see the general level of the class and what their fellow students said.

The second evaluative piece of coursework I had students do was an impromptu essay on the topic of their field of study, their reasoning behind choosing that field, and their plans post-graduation. I figured since it would be a topic they were more passionate about and had given a lot of thought to, it would be one of the "easier" topics to discuss. My reasoning for having students do this was primarily to ascertain the general level of written English the students in my various classes possessed. Since I've never taught at this university before and didn't want to go into all my classes completely blind, I thought this would be a good way to get a good understanding of their written ability. 

An additional step I took to this evaluation was to breakdown the individual pieces of their writing into the categories of grammar, vocabulary, cohesiveness & general self-expression, and spelling & punctuation. I then wrote my impression on each respective category based on what they produced for each student, which will then create the basis for their individual learning plan for their course. I just finished reading, responding to, and creating my last learning plan yesterday, and while it is certainly going to be a great personal motivational/progression tool, it took way too long to do on my part. I have a total of 82 students, and having to read 82 essays and write tiny anecdotes about five different categories for every student and making each plan unique to the student was simply too time-consuming. I had to postpone a lot of my lesson planning for next week in order to finish everything, which is too bad as I have to now complete them sometime tomorrow. Still, it was a great lesson as I now think I'll only create these plans for my technology students who will really benefit from them the most.  

While lesson planning is certainly a long and thorough process, the feeling of seeing it come into fruition and have such a positive effect on my students and their attitude towards learning is so unique and rewarding. In the second session of my Vantage I course on Wednesday, I was able to get into the actual teaching aspect of the job - we learned about Present Simple and Continuous (I go and I am going, respectively) - and had some great discussions and a lot of fun with the activities planned. It's just such a great feeling to have your lessons go well and it provides such a motivating attitude and desire to push yourself further as a teacher! 

With a roller-coaster week behind me and my existential high from experiencing Ikea's grandiosity, I look forward to a relaxing evening at the movies tonight and a refreshing beer at home. I've got my food shopping done for the weekend (no stores are open on Sundays in Germany, even in larger cities), so I can focus on further relaxation and lesson planning for these two days. I am off to enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather we are having today with a second bike ride - I've ridden 20 km today! - and peregrinate through the city. 

Pictures of Nuremberg!

Here are some pictures of my surroundings - many apologies for the latency in posting these! Also, if I remember correctly, simply click on the picture to view a larger version of the same picture. Enjoy!

My apartment looking in from the entrance

Apartment from the standpoint of the kitchenette

A beautiful bridge I pass everyday on my bike ride to the train station

A local church near my apartment

I honestly have no idea what building this is, there were no signs...

One of the four towers that are essentially landmarks within the wall surrounding Nuremberg

Another church with a bird mansion - high-class bird lifestyle here in the Berg of Nurem!

This is probably the most famous church here in Nuremberg, "Die Lorenzkirche." Needless to say, its steeples are incredibly high and even sport numerous flying buttresses along its exterior!

A local stand selling flowers and vegetables. These are found all throughout the downtown area of Nuremberg where local farmers sell their crops and other various goods

This shot is also of the Lorenzkirche with my camera sitting on the ground - need I repeat that the steeples are high?

The facade and anterior doors to the Lorenzkirche. The figures are angels, saints, and various recognizable biblical people

One more shot of the Lorenzkirche

Typical Nuremberg architecture - medieval ftw!

A shopping boulevard in downtown Nuremberg

This is the "Fleischbruecke" named such because the butchers and meet grocers used to set up shop directly around this bridge back in the early to mid years of Nuremberg's history. "Fleisch" means "meat" or "flesh" while "Bruecke" means bridge, by the way, so the "Meat Bridge" ha!

This is the "Neuturm" or "New Tower" which is actually very old...about 500 years to be specific. "New" refers to the fact that it was one of the last towers to be built of the four that currently stand

This just reminded me of Hansel & Gretel 

Here's a shot of the Albrecht Duerrer (a famous German author/poet/thesbian/literary figure) Place, located on the outskirts of downtown Nuremberg. The tower in the picture belongs to Nuremberg Castle, which stretches to the upper left-hand portion of the picture

This is famous church # 2 in Nuremberg whose name escapes me at the time of writing this post, so its name shall remain as such! And this is a street I take to reach the innards of Nuremberg

This is famous church # 3, called the "Frauenkirche" or "Women's Church" located in the heart of downtown Nuremberg at the Hauptmarkt, or Main Market[place].

Ahhhhhhh! This picture/poster freaks me out: So essentially it's saying, "Keep your distance [from the edge of the platform]! Careful with trains that are passing by" and as you can see this woman is just minding her own business, listening to her favorite song by Justin Bieber, checkin' out that hottie to her right when, unbeknownst to her, this massive, high-speed train is about to fly right by and KILL her. Ahhhhhhhhh! Sad AND scared panda combo!!

I love this building: the Opera House located right next to the train station. I'm going to a performance of Beethoven's Fifth this Friday and cannot wait to see the interior of this majestic building. Also, I am absolutely taking you here when you come visit, Jean!

Surreptitious Suppositions, or My Parents Will Find this Post Familiar...

I just finished watching a number of my shows here in Starbucks and am very happy they have all returned at last! Unfortunately, internet wasn't installed on Monday because I needed a key to let in the worker to another room of a different building. Really annoying and frustrating, but I think I'm actually going to wait on getting internet until November as I just don't have the money and I'd rather eat than be able to go online :)

I had a very successful meeting with two future students of my technical English classes yesterday with my boss. This is the first time the two classes are being offered, so the course has to be made from scratch, or rather I have to make the class material from scratch! But I wanted to get input from the student representatives, to incorporate their input as to what they hope to gain from the class, and I now have a much more concrete idea of where I'm going to take the classes. Here are the two course descriptions I had to summarize in only 3 short lines><

English Study Skills for Technology Students Level 2, Course Description:

Intensive English course designed for technology students with the intent to study abroad in an English-speaking country. Course topics include university life in- and outside the classroom, higher academic writing and presenting, CV and cover letter production, and cultural insights into life abroad. 

English for Technology Students Level 2, Course Description:

Highly intensive English course focused on academic and professional written and oratory skills. Students will learn to produce essays and presentations in English at an intermediate to advanced level. A keen emphasis on technological terminology and coherent expression of technological knowledge in a professional setting defines the forefront of this course. 

I did warn the two students that the English for Technology Students (not the Study Skills course) would be incredibly rigorous and that I am expecting all the students to put in a lot of time, work, and energy into the class, just as I will. They seemed quite receptive to the ideas I had about the topics I hope to cover and offered a couple more ideas themselves. Unfortunately, just like in Japan, they simply just said, "Yeah, that sounds good." to a lot of what I said without actually brainstorming themselves. I plan on passing out a type of questionnaire at the beginning of the first lesson where students can then list specifically topics they'd like to have incorporated into the lessons. I think by announcing that they really have an incredibly large say in the direction of the class since it's so new, the students will be more motivated to provide suggestions. We shall see, though!

I'm very happy that September is slowly coming to an end as that means work and classes are coming up shortly. While I still have a tremendous amount of work to do in preparation, I have 3 weeks to complete all the prep work so I'm not too worried. I may actually end up having to teach a 3rd English for Technology Students course depending on the demand from students, which, in turn, hopefully means higher pay. But, from what I gathered in the meeting yesterday, the Language Center wants to try to stay away from the possibility of adding to my work load. Since it'd be another iteration of the same class, I wouldn't really mind having to take on another course load, though it would add 3 hours/week of actual teaching time. It'd at least keep me busy which is honestly something I'm looking forward to greatly at the moment. 

I'm planning on going to the university everyday, Monday-Friday, starting the first week of October to just kind of create a more habitual schedule work-wise. Plus, it allows me to get more into the flow of things and to commit a large amount of time in producing my lesson plans. All of the course reference guides - books actually - from which I hope to draw a lot of information for technical English terminology and my general English material is at the university anyway, so there's no reason why I shouldn't be there. Otherwise, though, I don't have any kind of professional obligation to physically be at the university outside of my teaching hours, even during the semester, which is quite nice actually. I don't know if I told you, but Mondays I teach 14:15-19:45, Tuesdays 16:15-19:45, Wednesdays 16:15-17:45, and Thursdays 10:15-11:45 (those are all military times, btw, as I tend to now think of those initially ><). While Mondays are certainly going to be more challenging due to 5.5 hours of teaching, the rest of the week is actually very acceptable; having Fridays completely free is certainly going to be nice as I can dedicate that day toward grading and prepping for the coming week. I'm going to try to have the approach toward work in which I do not do any work on the weekends, period. I will do all the work necessary during the week, but once the weekend has arrived, I will just have to wait until Monday to accomplish it. We'll see if I actually stick to that prospect, but it's really a "life philosophy" I'd like to commit to, so as to be able to create some semblance of life outside of work. 

I must say that I, unfortunately, have ended up with some irritating and less than admirable neighbors. While the area I live in is very nice, the same area, coincidentally, as my boss, my neighbors are anything but kind. I've tried on multiple occasions to strike up conversations with my immediate neighbors living beside me - both of whom are also American - but they simply refuse to acknowledge my presence. If I ring the doorbell or knock on the door, they don't come; if I greet them in passing, they act as if I'm not there. Similarly, my neighbors across the way are also not only rude but very white-trash, at least the German equivalent: they blast their music (and then yell at you if your music is too loud...oh, hypocrisy), dress and talk the part, and just treat others with a general sense of condescension. I've just learned to steer clear of everyone, and it's been going okay for the most part. Disappointing, as I was hoping there'd be more solidarity among the student residents but I guess not. Thankfully, my work colleagues are all amazingly open, kind, and helpful people, so I know I have that group of people to hang out with. 

Went to the library yesterday and got my quarterly membership registered. Unfortunately, libraries in Germany are kind of miserable and barely mediocre in terms of serves and "goods." They're not really supported locally or by the government, so a lot of the supporting funds have to come from patrons or donations, and what they do have to offer is quite dismal. Still, I went and got a card and took out the first book of a series whose third book I just finished. Thankfully, I did find a number of pamphlets at the library's entrance displaying and advertising various events that are going on throughout the Franken area (kind of the "county" name, I guess you could say, includes Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bamberg, Fuerth, and many other cities). There're a lot of city tours focusing on a variety of topics from Nuremberg architecture, medieval life in Nuremberg, to sightseeing and random historical tours. I'll definitely be partaking in a couple of them in the coming months! Plus, I found a pamphlet for our local planetarium which has a myriad of fascinating topics, not only related to astronomy/astrology, that I really want to go see. We'll have to see how my work schedule looks and how beat I am after a long work day, however! 

Well, it's 16:30 now and I should probably be heading back home soon. Gotta stop by the grocery store and then it's din din time!

Die Berge der Nürnberger Berg sind bergig, or "I Like Using the Word 'Berg' a lot in this Title"

Man, is this post overdue! I had been hoping to post something new for the past while, but had intended to take pictures of my surroundings first to give everyone at home a photographic impression of Nürnberg. However, I noticed that I had forgotten my USB cable in the states, which obviously inhibits me from transferring any pictures from my camera to my computer. So, please be patient until I am able to procure said cable!

I have been quite busy since my move here to Nürnberg, fulfilling a number of bureaucratic obligations such as filling out contracts, applying for a residence and work permit, registering my apartment, getting a new email address and username for school, opening a bank account, familiarizing myself with my surroundings, visiting various sightseeing hot-spots, and so many other things I cannot recall due to their tediousness and my willingness to forget their original purpose. Still, I've accomplished a great number of things and only have the remainder of my residence/work permit to finish, and I can then start to work on planning for my classes during the upcoming semester. 

Speaking of classes, I had a number of meetings with my boss, Kristina, and other colleagues regarding the course material/topics. I am scheduled to teach seven classes this semester, which lasts from October 17th until the beginning of February. I will be teaching four "Technical English" courses, two of which are more of intensive English courses that revolve around mastering academic English, the other two which cover English within a technical field, such as engineering, biomechanics, IT, etc. I really haven't received any further information regarding those four classes, so I can't really divulge the details until I've met with the directors of the respective departments. I will also be teaching two beginner English classes, Vantage English I and II, the latter being a bit more advanced than the prior [hence the II :)] 

These two classes will actually be quite rigorous and intensive, as the students absolutely must pass these in order to successfully graduate...so no pressure on me or the students....I've got a rough idea of how I'm going to approach these two classes, while the material covered in the courses is pre-determined. Since these are intensive English courses, I'm going to treat them as such by beginning the courses with a proficiency test to ascertain the level of my students' English and thereby determine the basis from which the course will develop. I'm then planning on having weekly quizzes as a means for the students, and myself, too, to track their progress and pinpoint which areas still need improvement/review. While that certainly sounds like a lot for the students already, I'm not planning on incorporating their weekly quiz scores into their overall grade, so as to lessen the pressure they're already being placed under. As for the weekly lessons, I have a couple ideas, but haven't really started to develop any definitive plans as of yet. 

The last class I'll be teaching won't take place until the latter half of the semester, but is one that I am greatly looking forward to. The course covers effective and efficient presentation skills in English, and, from what I've heard from my boss and previous course director, most students' presentation skills are severely lacking or non-existent. Thankfully, my rigorous presentation training at CLA and throughout K college have prepared me to teach this course, and I honestly cannot put in words how excited I am to be able to teach this "subject." 

The semester doesn't officially start until October 17th and I don't begin teaching until the 24th, but I obviously have a lot of preparatory work to accomplish in the meantime. I have an orientation seminar this Friday to help improve my teaching skills, and thereafter, the English department has weekly meetings to discuss upcoming and ongoing courses, the direction the department wishes to go in the next semester and academic year, and other various departmental issues. I'm slightly worried about the workload that stands before me, not because I am uncertain as to whether I'll be able to accomplish everything - if K college taught me anything, it was that there are always means to overcome mountains of work - but merely because I'm unaware of the kind of workload that is about to be thrust upon me. I'm certain it'll simply be another matter of adjustment and familiarizing myself with the day-to-day activities within and without the workplace, which I feel I'm quite apt at doing. 

Aside from preparing for work, I've been spending the majority of my time around Nürnberg, visiting sightseeing places, finding places to purchase items for my apartment, and just walking about aimlessly to merely take in the sights and to discover the nooks and crannies of the city. While I planned to make last weekend a touristic one, unforeseen inclement weather inhibited my tour and successful photography of my surroundings. I instead visited one of the numerous museums here, the National Museum of Germanic History, where I learned about prehistoric and protolithic (Stone Age period) history, as well as European medieval history and culture. The museum was way to big to actually take in all the information in a single day, so I imagine I'll purchase a season pass to allow for more frequent visits. I certainly learned a number of interesting, though most likely useless words (where modern-day conversations are concerned), but still I had a blast traversing the corridors and chambers housing numerous treasures of Europe's and Germany's past. 

I also stumbled upon what is now my absolute favorite store here in Nürnberg, and certainly a place I will without a doubt frequent to no end, namely Ultra Comix. As the name portrays, Ultra Comix boasts a wide collection of national and international comics, but also encompasses a wide range of fantasy books, collectibles, board and card games, painting figures (i.e. Warhammer 40K, Lord of the Rings), and other random paraphernalia related to objects that deter one from facing his current reality, lol. Since money is kind of tight at the moment, I imagine I'll start to create some sort of list of items I hope to own someday or at least something I can look forward to as a kind of reward for a long month's work! There are some amazing figurines of past video game characters that evoke the utmost feeling of nostalgia that I absolutely want to add to my collection - can anyone say Final Fantasy collectibles!?

The apartment is loosing its dungeon-esque feel to it, now that my clothes are strewn throughout the various corners of the room, and the typical look of "Paul's room" has taken over. Just like my wishlist from Ultra Comix has started to grow, I created an itemization of objects by which I wish to define my living space to make my un-humbe abode more satisfactory: I still need a duvet and an actual pillow for my bed which I'm sure will both lead to a more recuperative night's sleep as opposed to its current copacetic condition. The biggest item on my list, aside from those two "mandatory" objects, is a new desk where I can toil away and burn the midnight oil whilst grading papers and laughing at the inevitable mistakes my students are bound to make. And when I say I want a new desk, I mean a mother of a desk - one that stretches half the length of my room; I don't know why I have such a inclination towards a giant desk, especially since it would take up the little space I have, but I've always wanted a giant work space and I believe said desk would be able to fulfill this desire. 

Otherwise, I hope to procure more shelving space for my inevitable book collection, whether it be for teaching or self-study purposes. I imagine anyone reading this is well aware of my propensity to accumulate tons (as is the unit of measurement, not the synonym for 'a lot' lol) in books, ranging from academic to simply obscure topics. Lastly, I absolutely must buy a couple rugs for my apartment as I currently have laminate flooring which gets dirty in a heartbeat and is not that comfortable to sit upon. Still, these are all long-term investments, and I look forward to individualizing my apartment in time!

Other than walking for miles a day - figured out it's a 3.6 mile trip from my apartment to the main train station and back - I seem to by whiling away the time by partaking in inadvertent voyeurism, listening to music, and reading my new book, "Die Rache der Zwerge", or "Revenge of the Dwarves" which is truly so captivating, I have to literally throw the book away from me to stop reading it. 

I've taken it upon myself to conduct a personal intensive German course during which I am going to test out various new learning techniques. Unfortunately, my German has suffered a butchering since my last visit and even since I had to speak it at college, though I can still communicate well enough to engage in day-to-day activities with the "locals." Still, I do yearn for the ability to express myself as fluently and articulately as I once was able to, and the only way I'm going to do that is through rigorous studying! The largest impediment I see to actually re-mastering German is the fact that my days will be primarily defined by the English language, not only because of professional obligations, but also because it seems that none of my colleagues speak German to each other unless outside of the department. Therefore, I'll have to make it a personal point to delve into extra-curricular activities with natives to ensure a requisite use of the language. It would certainly be a travesty to live here in Germany and still be inarticulate after a year's residence. I think if I really put my mind to it, though, and try to immerse myself as much as possible in the culture, surroundings, and people, that improvement of my German skills will be much more natural. Time will tell....

I imagine the next couple of weeks are going to start to be more hectic, with my schedule filling up with more professional obligations and lesson planning; it is something that I am looking forward to incredibly at the moment, though I am sure I will yearn for some sort of respite after the semester and classes start. Until then, though, I plan on enjoying the remainder of my time off, reading, playing vintage video games on my lame-o computer that can only handle 16-bit graphics, and taking mindless promenades throughout and around the city. Thank goodness the temperature has gone down to an acceptable and welcomed 13 degrees Celsius...at least for now....

Final Sentence of Paragraph 31, Beginning of Chapter 9: Working in Germany

A stable internet connection has been re-established and I am back in Waldshut now with Grace and Basti for another week to relax a bit and prepare ever-so slightly for my move to Nuremberg. As I posted on the book of faces, I finally got a job at Friedrichs-Alexander University as a full-time teacher starting October 1st! I'm going to be teaching two classes this semester, the first of which is a technical English course of whose subject matter I'm not quite aware as of yet. The second class will be an intensive English course for about four weeks that will take place near the end of the semester. The course syllabus from the department hasn't been created yet, hence why I'm still unsure as to what the course will entail, but I have to return to the university on the 19th when I'll be enlightened upon what I need to be teaching my future students.

I thankfully found an apartment *relatively* easily, and it was actually quite coincidental that I found the one I did. I had previously been looking at sites online to no avail, but found an advertisement on-campus listing a variety of apartments for rent. Upon calling one of the numbers listed, I was informed that there were certain apartments in the Nuremberg area that were designated for teachers, apprentices, and students, and were also listed at a discount to those candidates. So, I went and saw the apartment on Thursday of last week, and while it's nothing grandiose, it certainly fulfills my needs for an apartment. It's a pretty small, one-room apartment, with kitchenette and my own bathroom. I think it's about 17 square meters - no idea what that would be in feet - but it's a bit larger than the apartment that I had in Japan. Despite its smaller size, I am thrilled to be able to have my own apartment and to be able to be living in a boisterous and bustling city. The commute to Erlangen is only about 15-20 minutes which is great, too. In case people don't know where either Erlangen or Nuremberg are, Nuremberg is ~12 miles south of Erlangen, both of which are north of Munich by a bit. The climate seems to be similar to Traverse City in that it can certainly get warm, but it generally stays a bit cooler than most other areas. Unfortunately, as is the case in most German cities, snow isn't very commonplace during winter which will certainly be missed but as long as it's cold and dreary, I'll be happy!

I am very much looking forward to exploring and researching the various facets of Nuremberg, which will be an endeavor in and of itself, considering the size of the city. I am absolutely going to have to make the occasional trek to the local clubs and create some new memories of getting inebriated and dancing the night away! I must say, I was first against the thought of living in a larger city because of the general overwhelming feeling of being drowned in the masses. However, once I actually was walking around Nuremberg, trying to locate my new residence, I couldn't help but think, "Man, it is going to be awesome living here!" There's just so much going on, so much to see and discover, and there's such a large factor of convenience that smaller cities cannot offer, that the requirement to acclimate to larger numbers of people seemed simply inconsequential.

Once I get a bit settled in my surroundings and daily professional ablutions, I hope to join a church choir so I can sing some relatively archaic but beautiful hymns in German. I have no idea why I have such an fondness of German hymns, but I think they are some of the most mellifluous and melodic musical compositions in classical history. Aside from choir, I would most definitely like to join another extracurricular club though I'm not entirely sure what that may be. Grace invited me to a yoga class in which she partakes here in Waldshut and it was actually very relaxing and rejuvenating despite the fact that I was the constant center of attention due to my inability to perform the moves correctly. Still, I'd like to do something more physically-oriented, though nothing too strenuous....because I'm lazy. I'm sure the daily necessity of walking to and from the stations for work and shopping will contribute to some form of physical activity, though.

One additional facet that made me incredibly excited about this position I received is the proposition of being able to get my masters and eventually, if desired, my doctorate through the university. My employers explicitly stated that they expect I get my masters at some point, and being a member of the university faculty, I think I have a pretty good chance of getting into some program there. I have absolutely no idea how German graduate school works, what has to be done in order to apply for a program, and what the program will actually entail, but it's something I find absolutely exhilarating and enticing. I'm not sure what subject I would pursue for a masters, but as of now I'm thinking either linguistics or medieval studies. I know my love of and affinity toward languages would lead to a natural manifestation within the field of linguistics, but the chance to study medieval studies in Europe, where everything took place and where history, literature, culture, and politics were shaped and modeled, would be...well, words cannot describe how awesome that would be. Still, I do also need to think of how practical that would be and whether it would actually result in some sort of teaching job here in Germany. I thankfully don't have to make any sort of decision pertaining to post-grad studies in the immediate future, so I'm going to give it some more thought and perhaps something else will come up before then, even!

This week is hopefully going to be rampant, in the positive sense naturally, with relaxation and leisure and I will then make my way back over to Nuremberg on Sunday. I sign the contract for my apartment on Monday, the 13th, and then start work a week later. I am so thrilled to have been able to land this job at the university, which was all thanks to the generous help from Grace, Basti, and Kyle, of whom I am eternally appreciative! I'm looking forward to what my teaching career in Germany has to offer, and cannot wait to start this new chapter in my life!

The Polarity Extrapolation of Unfamiliarity, or How Life's Different Abroad!

It's Thursday, August the 18th, and that means my parents are arriving tomorrow morgen! Grace and I have been busily tidying up the apartment to bring it up to an acceptable living standard for the folks and I was out vacuuming the balcony when it hit me - the sun's rays that is! I couldn't help but be reminded of a post from my friend, Jenny, who slyly posted with a subtle hint of snickering and mirth that the timely increase in temperature since my arrival has been providing her with bursts of Schadenfreude (<-- ooh a Germish word!). While I believe the weather in conjunction with my thus far fruitless endeavors to land a job has contributed to a general state of despondency, I received a wonderful email from a friend and K College colleague, Kyle, that there very well may be employment opportunities in Erlangen. I did get one job offer in Nuremberg that I had to "put on the shelf" so to say, but if I were to land another job in Erlangen, then that would make two jobs for certain and thereby ensure a more permanent residence here in Germany! Needless to say, my heart was aloft upon reading that email, and my hope was once again restored in my chances of being able to continue to live and work here.

Apropos Germany, I've been doing a lot of self-reflection and conducting many-a conversation with my sister, Grace, in regards to living abroad and I'd like to share my thoughts I thought I had thought (tee hee)! Shortly upon arrival in Waldshut-Tiengen and approximately two days thereafter, I can, without a doubt, say that the honeymoon phase of living abroad was obliterated. While intermittent spurts of joy, wonderment, and inspiration were certainly to be discovered in the most random of times, the overwhelming hurdle of having to demoralize and seemingly castrate myself in the process of application submissions defined the majority of my day-to-day routine. I was instantly reminded of my second time abroad in Japan where I was no longer the naive, boundless student, but rather an individual trying to make life work in a new surrounding and burgeoning profession.  

Now that I'm in Germany, for the second time, in an analogous circumstance to that of Japan, I couldn't help but notice the stark similarities. As I said before, living abroad as a student and then as a worker are vastly variable: as a student, the utmost responsibility one has is to attend class, which can even be twisted and mended to one's will, depending on how academically-oriented one wishes study abroad to be. Other than that, study abroad is primarily defined by proliferated inebriation, sight-seeing, and learning about the target culture/language usually from an academic and objective standpoint, depending on one's level of cultural immersion. As a worker, however, the responsibilities are manifold and the reality of living is translated just as it would in one's native country: bills have to be paid, work is (usually) 5 days a week, apartment upkeep, intermittent socializing with friends, marked less inebriation, etc. 

If I were to make a comparison between the two lifestyles, I would do so with the help of the county fair. As a study abroad student, you visit the fair, take in the sites, ride the rides, enjoy the local delicatessen, and have little care in the world. As a worker abroad, you're more like the employers at the fair, located in a somewhat unfamiliar surrounding, still having a lot of fun because of the inherent jovial quality of fairs, but also having to contribute to those who come into contact with the fair. I hope the above explanations hasn't portrayed life abroad as a continuous hamster-wheel race without excitement or pleasure, as that is not that case at all. These pleasures are found in daily excursions to the supermarket, random - and usually hilarious - encounters with people or objects in one's city, and merely the unpredictability of what's to come. This, more than anything, is what entices me so much about life abroad.

I will say, however, that the transition from my American life to a quasi German one - this comparison is made ever so lightly - has been less "ooohs" and "aaahhs" and more "oh yeah, I remember that!" While my second time in Japan may have culminated in an emotional and psychological deliquescence, it taught me innumerable lessons in how to view life, both as a whole and on a daily basis, especially where living abroad is concerned. I remember being told for the first time in high school about the "ruby glasses" metaphor, that going abroad and experiencing a different way of life, a variant perspective towards what it means to live (both philosophically and fundamentally) removes the ruby hue to result in an illumination of world perspectives and horizons. *Note: that is a very idealistic interpretation and I feel only an enlightened Buddhist monk would really ever be able to attain such nirvana* Still, the core of that metaphor holds true merely in the fact that living abroad changes you. I believe when going to work as an English teacher in Morioka, Japan, that enlightened and emphatically idealistic attitude towards living abroad defined my general mentality at that time. Whether I have "grown up," become more cynical or realistic, or most likely, due to the amazing conversations I had with friends and family in the past couple years, I now feel I am wearing less-ruby-hued glasses with a small asterisk reading "Still in training." And I am happy to be in that position. 

I feel I've already been on the "Psychological and Emotional Roller Coaster Sensation of Waldshut" these past two weeks, but things seem to be stabilizing and the light at the end of the tunnel is slowly starting to illuminate - either that or my astigmatism is worsening! I know I have a tendency to conflagrate current endeavors by allowing myself to be sucked into the black hole of defeatism, but I aim at remaining stalwart and stout whatever may come; easier said than done, though! Still, I think there is a world of adventure and exploration at my doorstep, and if my socially aberrant obsession with fantasy games and lore is any kind of reflection of what I wish to define my life by, then let me grab my dwarven cleric and tally ho! 

This post seems to have gotten a bit too reflective and elaborate, at least more than I had originally intended. Be that as it may, I am happy to have been able to do a lot of thinking during my numerous treks through the black forest as it helps to put many things into perspective for myself. Schools are concluding their vacation period in approximately one week, so I am anticipating a number of responses to my applications somewhat soon - fingers crossed. Until then, I shall continue to try to think of more posting ideas, ones that are perhaps less analytical or overbearing in theme. This weekend marks the 543rd celebration of a local festival, so expect copious comments and pictures of this truly time-tested faire. 

Perfunctory Pictures, or This is what Waldshut looks like...

So it's been way too sunny this entire week, for my liking at least, but for the last day it's supposed to be sunny, I thought it best to take advantage of the "glorious" (ahem) weather to show you my current surroundings. Also, I've tallied up the number of places I've applied to and the lucky number is.....156! I got another interview in Frankfurt but as I said in a previous post, I'm aiming towards jobs in the Erlangen/Nurenberg area but we'll have to wait and see if anything comes to fruition in that part of Germany. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and movie at the end!

My lunch some day this past week - I try to be as eclectic as possible with my food!

 The bus schedule - who'da thunk!? Public transportation?!!?!

 Here's the train station in all its glory!

 I think it's pretty evident what this is - but German style!

 Some local art near the train station

 Look at all the bikes!

 Some pretty building

 Deutsche Autos!

 Another cool looking building

 If only that said 28 degrees Fahrenheit...

 I finally found where Frodo lives - in Waldshut!

 Some statue of an unfortunate, disfigured man

 An advertisement for a local festival called Chilbi. They're celebrating it for the 543rd time! FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY THREE! America has some catching up to do with its celebrations...

 The entrance to the city-center

 Probably some saint or someone. He's got a golden staff so he must have been important!

 The caption next to this guy says, "I put my gold in my hat, this city will be called 'Waldshut'" This obviously sounds much better in German because it rhymes...

 Here is the church, here is the steeple! But most people in Germany don't go to church anymore so I doubt we'd see any people inside

 A stream of sorts that runs through the city center

 Fire station! All of these are run voluntarily in Germany, though if there aren't enough people to fill the positions, they force residents into becoming firemen, as I've heard

 People and shops! Here's a game for you: find the pigeon!!!

 An ice-cream shop with a beautiful facade

 Apparently, Gandalf isn't doing too well these days (the man with the long beard on the right)

 This goat belongs to a larger fountain of which there are many sprinkled throughout the city

 Some governmental building, can't remember which one. That's why the German flag is there though

Rat's Apothecary (pharmacy)! Rat is the owner's name though, this isn't a pharmacy aimed at continuing rats' existence

 A European farmer's market

This is the gate opposite to the one before

 This strapping lad is the "savior" of Waldshut when it was invaded by Switzerland. Essentially, after being surrounded and unable to get any food, this guy suggested to throw their last ram over the wall to show the Swiss that they were doing swimmingly. And it worked! The Swiss left and now Chilbi is celebrated each year in his and the ram's honor!

 The local beer of choice

 What is this doing in Germany!?

 The Rhein river! Across this river is Switzerland - we're so close!

 This is a kid's park - apparently kids climb on these ropes for fun. This definitely would not pass in America because a kid would inevitably get hurt and the city would be sued. Look at what the poor American kids are missing out on!

 Inside a local supermarket "Rewe"

 For all those who worked or are still working at Biggby Coffee: THE SUPER COFFEE MACHINE! Look how it glows in radiance and splendor!! Unfortunately, I still prefer American coffee, though European coffee is pretty good lol

 No explanation necessary...

 Grace and Basti's apartment is in the brown building up on the hill - the one that looks very castle-esque

 A shot of the subs before one enters the city

 Damnit! I have to leave my horse and buggy back at the entrance SAD PANDA!

License plate: WTF lol

Me in the FORBIDDEN BLACK FOREST though it's open to all and not really forbidden and only black at night for the most part