Doings

This week was my second last week in Germany and it has been freezing. Really, the colder it gets the easier it is to leave. Steffen and I have been packing up the apartment so we have boxes and boxes of wines, documents, you name it. I myself have been packing my bags getting ready for departure. I'd say I'm about 2/3 there but everyday I find something new that I have to take and it's starting to get a bit worrying.
Also this week I made it my mission, as in I won't go until this is done mission, to get some nice pictures of Steffen and I. Since buying my camera tripod I feel I've been cursed with bad weather but finally we had a sunny day so no time was wasted. We went out to the 'white palace' as I call it, even though now it's just apartments, with the tripod and got to work.
We had so much fun using the tripod and since it was so cold we took the bus home instead of riding back and Steffen got dog shit on his bike hehe.
That night we went into Frankfurt with the tripod again to get some nice night pics of the skyline and played with all my camera settings.
We've also gone ice skating but the outside rink wasn't open yet. Steffen's a really good ice skater and I have just seemed to become worse. Still fun though. There was the cutest kinds there, too, one even wore a helmet and one was always falling over then would just jump right up again. I suppose it's easier when you're already so close to the ground.

This morning we woke up really late so we did what you always do when waking up late. We went to the eis cafe for brunch. I had my final After Eight and Steffen had his spaghetti eis.
And tonight we finally had the German pasta I brought in Florence, Italy. Tasted just like pasta.
Anyway, one more week left!!

Neuschwanstein and Munich

Last Friday Michelle, Steffen and I hopped back in the car and headed towards Neuschwantstein which is the castle that inspired Walt Disney's 'Disney Castle'. It was pouring the whole time we were driving in our little Fiat. We crossed into Austria, 3 minutes later we were back in Germany. Austria is immediatly so much prettier. The area that we were in was so beautiful, just how you imagine the stereotypical Germany to be which the green fields, mountains, lakes, castles shalala. It was all there, in Bavaria.
We reached our destination and after a while of contemplating we took a horse and carriage ride up the mountain to the castle. There was no way I was walking up there. Steffen found it amusing that the horse kept farting all the time in our faces. We made it up there and it really made a great impression. We couldn't go inside the castle because we didn't want to line up in the rain but the views were great and there's a bridge on one side of the castle where you can get the best photo. If you go make sure you get to this bridge, if I remember right it's called the marinebrucke.

After we caught the bus down the mountain and looked around the lake, brought some things then drove onto Munich.

I would have rathered to go to Salzburg, where The Sound of Music was filmed but it was rainy with low clouds so it wouldn't have been any good anyway. In Munich it had taken us forever to find parking, Steffen became extremely frustrated with the driving situation and I was growing tired and unexcited of walking in the rain again. We did it anyway and Munich was just okay though I can imagine it would be much better given the heavens weren't opening up on you. We didn't spend too long here and were all basically happy to start driving home. In the end it was just a simple day really, so that's all I can think of to write and hopefully some pictures can be up soon. Believe me, no one is more annoyed than I am that I've forgotten this golden appliance or whatever it is.
Just a note, the next posts will have a different style of writing. Ive been keeping a diary here and updating it pretty frequently so I'm just going to copy it onto this blog so instead of a boring recount it will be fresh words of how I felt in the moment and as things happened. That will all start in 2 days, see you then.

Mainfest and Camping

Last week Steffen and I joined a few friends to visit the Mainfest which occurred down on the riverside in Frankfurt. It was fun, a bit smaller than I expected though. We went on the flying chairs 3 times (then another time when we went back with Michelle) and another ride called the break dancer which really threw you around. Steffen had to have me almost in a headlock to stop my head from moving so much. I wanted my highland cow beanie for protection.

We rode our bikes home then the next day packed up some clothes and my backpack to go camping at the lake. We took our bikes on the train then rode them to the lake which was about 20 minutes away. We really looked like travellers when Steffen had the back pack with the sleeping bags and tents joined on, it was really fun.
At the camping site we pretty much parked our tent in the middle of a group but it was the only space left. They really didn't know how to take us these 40 year olds but in the end they were louder and up later than us. Here's just some pictures from the lake.

The next day we checked out, brought some chocolate milk and croissants and went for a ride around town while we waited for the train back to Offenbach. The town was just the typical German style town. It had a MaiBaum, which would have been awesome to see all done up.
We also visited the herb garden which had a loud sheep.

I swear from outside the wall it would have sounded like we were hitting it it was so loud.
The train came and we made our way back home in time to pick Michelle up from Frankfurt. There was way too much bike riding on this day but was still fun.

Hamburg

Last Sunday Michelle arrived from Berlin and then that Monday we hired a car and travelled to Hamburg. The drive up seemed so long and it was hard to keep awake, it seemed like 2pm when it was only 11am. We made it to Hamburg and began walking around with Steffen being our tour guide. Hamburg was nice though it wasn't a pretty as I thought it was made out to be. It has been written in guide books that it's the most beautiful German city but I personally think that would be Berlin.
We walked over to where the ships use to dock, the old collector houses. It was actually really interesting as Steffen told us how they had little cranes that helped get the loads from the ships up to the level where they would be stored.
After we kept walking towards the huge harbour where all the boats are now kept. The wharf/bridge just never ended. A random fact about Hamburg - The city has more bridges than Venice, which is hard to believe but true.
Michelle and I then caught an elevator to the top on a church bell tower and got a birds eye view of Hamburg. Really we weren't sure what we were looking at but we found the Hamburg Dom which is like an amusement park which we didn't know was there.
After we made our way to an old destroyed church which reminded me of the one in Koln but it just wasn't as grand, or in one piece.
By now we were starving and looking everywhere for food. Eventually we found a food court in a large shopping centre called the Europa passage. There were so much better shops in here than in Frankfurt. After eating we had no time for shopping but went for a walk around a large lake. Once again I was reminded of Copenhagen with all the copper roofs.

It was kind of gross to look down at the water though because it was green. A really bright green, all along the edges which was weird. Eventually I got the feeling it was going to rain soon so we headed back to the car and as soon as we were out of the car park it began to rain. Michelle was amazed at how I knew, I just said I've been in Germany for too long. The drive home was much better than the one up as we were more awake and Michelle told us more about her past trips in Sweden and Norway. We also discovered Knopper's which are so yum. Overall it was a good day and another fun road trip.

LDN

I have roughly 31 hours left here in Germany. I can't believe the months living here full time are finished. And as it would be, it's completely sunny outside for the first time in ages. It's warmer in London though, I checked. I really can't express how happy I am to be going to a country that speaks English. The people I walk past will be speaking English and that they will have a British accent is just a billion extra brownie points! It's hard to explain what it's like to be in country that doesn't speak your language all the time. When speaking English you normally speak before thinking for another language it's like think... think some more, then speak. Of course I'm excited to see Mum again. However the thing I'm most excited for is seeing the Harry Potter sites! I mean c'mon, how often do you get a chance to sit in The Great Hall or see platform 9 3/4?

So these are the places we're visiting: London, Cambridge, York, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Stratford upon Avon (Shakespeare's hood), Bath, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice and then Paris. For all of the UK we're hiring a car and driving around ourselves so we'll see all the places in between which will be great. Anywho, just a short post today, I'm off to figure what I need to take. See you in England!

Prüfung

Today, my second last day at work, was the day when we would see if a lot of hard work would transform into success. Today was the student I tutors oral exam. In Germany the scores range from 1 to 6, with 1 being the best and 6 the worst. 3 months ago everyone was expecting my student to get a 6 (if he didn't walk out of the exam that is). He had received a 2 in his written exam already which I could not have been more happy more. I also gave him a 2 for his overall class grade. We practised writing for weeks on weeks along with listening tasks and reading comprehension. Finally it had all worked out. To his surprise he actually wrote 214 words in the creative writing part where he was only required to write 150.

However today was the big one. I had sat in on some earlier oral exams just to see how it worked. Steffi asked the questions and did the conversation. Another teacher wrote down points. Then there was an official examiner and then me. Together we all sat around a table with the student, creating a calm setting. Though I don't think it made the students any calmer. If it were me I'd be freaked out too. Finally 12pm came around and it was my students turn. I went into the prep room with him where I wasn't allowed to say much. I had to ask if he felt ill and he said yes but I said I don't care you're doing this anyway. After 20 minutes we went to the examination room and I was so nervous. There wasn't much to worry about though, he read the required paragraph perfectly. All those pages of articles from the Internet I made him read were worth it. I could tell he was nervous as well and that he could have said a lot more. When the time was up I think he was a bit stunned, not believing that it had gone so fast. We sent him out for 2 minutes and everyone agreed he deserved a 1! It was so great, we called him back in and told him and he really didn't believe it there was this funny little laugh and then he just took some lollies from the plate on the table, still unable to believe it. Everyone was so happy and proud. I went down to the staff room afterwards and everyone congratulating me on how far I got him. I'm proud on myself but in the end it's the student that does the test and the talking, not me. It is weird to think though that I went to the school to help teach some English and learn German along the way but I never thought I would fully teach someone English. From nothing to really something. It's great to look back on the progress made, every time I got angry and yelled at him, every time he would get 100% in a paper I created. For two hours 3 days a week and 1 hour every other day for about 3 months we spoke complete English, wrote in complete English and read in complete English, which all lead to complete success. And finally tomorrow I can get my umbrella and Mary Poppins away, my work there, is done.

p.s. Prüfung means exams in German. I have heard this word one too many times in the last month due to Steffens exams and the exams at school. Prüfung prüfung prüfung.

Graduation.

Yesterday Steffen graduated and is no longer an apprentice at Hotel Waitz. And of course there is a good story to go with it all. I arrived home from work at 1 to find Marco and Steffen cooking this huge meal and already into the wine. A few minutes later our friend Chantelle "Chucky the killer puppy" walked in with all her Honduras gear on including a flag and was going to watch the Honduras vs Chile game. So here we were, a German supporter, an Italian supporter, a Honduras supporter and an Australian supporter all eating this huge meal around the tv with an electrician working on the side. We tried to get him have some champagne with us but no.

After lunch we were just sitting around watching the game and Steffen wouldn't stop with his Vuvuzela, finally found out the name to those things. So I broke it into its 3 parts and one by one through them out the window. Needless to say Steffen ran straight out to save his vuvuzela and only 2 parts could be found in the garden. It was so funny to see him searching for the last piece and we still haven't found it.

I brought him back inside after taking some photos from the window and we started to get ready for the graduation. Marco had to go to work then as well and Chantelle went home to get ready as well. It was a huge rush as we had about 45 minutes to prepare before the bus came. Steffen got my make-up all on his new Hugo Boss suit somehow and Chantelle and I were running around trying to figure out how to fit our heels into my bag so we could wear flats on way. Everything was a bit crazy but we did make the bus and train without a problem.
We finally made it to the venue after walking for what felt like ages. My dress wasn't entirely walker friendly. After standing outside for awhile waiting for more friends to come we went inside and the ceremony began. It was so boring. Steffen said he couldn't put up with the rubbish the teachers were talking so he went to the toilet. And here's where the typical graduation mistake happens. When Steffen was gone his name was called out along with about 14 other peoples. After all the names were called the students then went up onto the stage to receive their certificates. Well, Steffen still wasn't there was he. No way was I going to let him miss out on this time, especially since I dealt with him complaining about the school once every month when he had to go. So after our friend Jenny called and received no answer I got up and walked really quickly between the back section of seats and the front section. Tap tap tap tap bang. I fell onto my butt and right side extremely loudly and the hall went silent. I called a little es ist ok and tap tap taped on. Steffen, of course, was just walking slowly up the stairs from the toilets. I was so angry at this point. I said "You just graduated!" and he ran inside in time and I walked semi composed in front of everyone I just fell in front it. As soon as I had taken the photos I realised how much I actually hurt myself. I have a huge bruise on my right arm and knee which still hurt a day later.
Steffen came back to his seat and wasn't impressed that the mark in the certificate book wasn't the same as on the Internet. "This is what I got" and said to me showing the book and I just glared at him, raised my arm so he could see and said "This is what 'I' got!" and explained the situation. We decided to leave the hall soon after and began getting into the champagne provided. The girls and I had a great time outside, they all got a bit drunk, so funny, while Steffen talked to all his friends. This went on for a few hours and eventually we called Steffen's brother, Björn, to take us home.

Jenny and I

The girls

Chantelle and I, (and Vanessa).

Steffen, Marika, Robert and Alex. Other graduates from the Waitz.