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!)