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!
Sometimes I think you are making words up when you write lol. No but seriously that is outstanding to actually do what you wanna do as a grown up and be ordered to get a master's. THat's like a dream come true for you, you professional student! I would suggest some sort of german history or literature. Might make teaching easier and well rounded. But I don't know, I"ll stick to what I DO know, babies, food, coffee, and wine. I didn't have to go to school for that :) I have an honorable degree in Life lol Way to go bro!
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