Day 3 - still alive, with a 2nd language headache
(This is the same as the email I'm sending out - I'm sorry- I wanted to add pictures, but my laptop isn't connected to the wireless network here yet, so I'm borrowing one, and it doesn't like to upload photos, for some reason?! They will come, promise)
Hello hello! Greetings from the land of sausage and lederhosen!
I've arrived safe and sound, and have had relatively few adventures, so far!
Although my host family didn't know when I was coming until the night before, they've made me super-welcome! They live in a four storey-mansion - my room on the top floor still has a 10-foot ceiling! (I promise, I'll lay off the exclaimation points now)
There are two kids in this family, Phillipa, who is 11, and Moritz, who is 10, but they don't attend either of the two schools I'm working at. My host mother, Susanne, is a very active PTA lady at the elementary school her son was just at last year, and she and two other mothers campaigned to have an English assistant (me) come there, in addition to the high school I was originally signed up for. I don't love being part of the politics, but both schools seem quite nice. Next week I go to Cologne for a week of training that all of the English assistant teachers in Germany attend. I'm nervous, but don't figure it can really be that intense. My host parents are out on their sailboat with some friends this weekend, so I'm being a bit independant, and also being taken care of by the other two PTA moms, Sybelle and Anna.
I miss easy conversations in English (the Bensel parents speak great English, but they're trying to help me with my German, bless them), and familiar faces. I'm super-tired of learning names!
But I have a phone #0173-7676-305, and I'm managing the jet-lag really well - sleeping through the night already.
Take care!
Russ
PS: the adventures were:
1) taking a taxi to my host family, who live a ways outside of Hamburg. Imagine if Maple Ridge or Mission was actually well-connected by fast convenient transit to downtown Vancouver- like that. Well, this taxi driver didn't know where the town was. I had to show him on the map book. And his map book didn't show the roads. So once we got to the village, we had to stop and ask for directions. I was so relieved to arrive!
2) last night, after having pizza and watching Fahrenheit 9/11 with the 17-year old son of PTA mom #2, Phillipus, I borrowed a bike and came back 'home' to the Bensels. I unlocked the alarm system and the door, came inside, then did the lock and alarm again.... and then the alarm system went off. I managed to stop the outside sirens pretty quick, but there was this nagging 'BEEEEEEEEEEEP' that just wouldn't stop.
Luckily, I had a cell phone! So, I called my host parents, got the call from the security company, apologized a lot, but despite repeated instructions from Susanne, couldn't turn off the BEEEEP. So Wolfgang comes on the phone, tries a few of the same things (this is baffling them, because they've never made the mistake of turning on motion detectors while in the house, I'm sure), then asks me to read what the buttons say. Finally, I read the last one, and as I'm reading it, I realize that 'alarmgeber aus' probably translates pretty easily to 'siren off'. He suggests that button, really calmly, I press it, the siren ends, and then they go back to their sailing! I felt like such a fool.
Hello hello! Greetings from the land of sausage and lederhosen!
I've arrived safe and sound, and have had relatively few adventures, so far!
Although my host family didn't know when I was coming until the night before, they've made me super-welcome! They live in a four storey-mansion - my room on the top floor still has a 10-foot ceiling! (I promise, I'll lay off the exclaimation points now)
There are two kids in this family, Phillipa, who is 11, and Moritz, who is 10, but they don't attend either of the two schools I'm working at. My host mother, Susanne, is a very active PTA lady at the elementary school her son was just at last year, and she and two other mothers campaigned to have an English assistant (me) come there, in addition to the high school I was originally signed up for. I don't love being part of the politics, but both schools seem quite nice. Next week I go to Cologne for a week of training that all of the English assistant teachers in Germany attend. I'm nervous, but don't figure it can really be that intense. My host parents are out on their sailboat with some friends this weekend, so I'm being a bit independant, and also being taken care of by the other two PTA moms, Sybelle and Anna.
I miss easy conversations in English (the Bensel parents speak great English, but they're trying to help me with my German, bless them), and familiar faces. I'm super-tired of learning names!
But I have a phone #0173-7676-305, and I'm managing the jet-lag really well - sleeping through the night already.
Take care!
Russ
PS: the adventures were:
1) taking a taxi to my host family, who live a ways outside of Hamburg. Imagine if Maple Ridge or Mission was actually well-connected by fast convenient transit to downtown Vancouver- like that. Well, this taxi driver didn't know where the town was. I had to show him on the map book. And his map book didn't show the roads. So once we got to the village, we had to stop and ask for directions. I was so relieved to arrive!
2) last night, after having pizza and watching Fahrenheit 9/11 with the 17-year old son of PTA mom #2, Phillipus, I borrowed a bike and came back 'home' to the Bensels. I unlocked the alarm system and the door, came inside, then did the lock and alarm again.... and then the alarm system went off. I managed to stop the outside sirens pretty quick, but there was this nagging 'BEEEEEEEEEEEP' that just wouldn't stop.
Luckily, I had a cell phone! So, I called my host parents, got the call from the security company, apologized a lot, but despite repeated instructions from Susanne, couldn't turn off the BEEEEP. So Wolfgang comes on the phone, tries a few of the same things (this is baffling them, because they've never made the mistake of turning on motion detectors while in the house, I'm sure), then asks me to read what the buttons say. Finally, I read the last one, and as I'm reading it, I realize that 'alarmgeber aus' probably translates pretty easily to 'siren off'. He suggests that button, really calmly, I press it, the siren ends, and then they go back to their sailing! I felt like such a fool.
posted by Russ at 10:39 AM
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