Two more days until September.
September has such a different feel than August. The 'back to school' air, cooler days but still sunny skies, and an excitement that that differs from that of summer. This year, there will be no back to school for me, as now I am officially a college graduate. A couple of my friends back in NJ keep reminding me that school starts this week, which I find hard to believe because to me it seems like the summer just flew by, but a part of me doesn't believe that I. Am. Done. Even now after the whole Graduation thing, the whole diploma thing, the whole moving to Germany thing.
I will be signing up to take a German language course from the Volkhochschule for the end of September... so that'll be the extent of my classes for this "semester", but my main focus right now is trying to find a job. I say my main focus, but I actually haven't been focusing on it too much at all. LEOLingo has taken most of my attention and energy the last 5 weeks, but now with only one week left, I have to get myself moving on it. In all honesty, I guess I won't be too disappointed if I don't find work until perhaps beginning of October,which would give me some time to chill a bit and maybe travel some.
I had an "interview" of sorts yesterday with this guy named Jason, owner/creator of Nuremberg Tours in English. He invited me to come with him as he gave a tour of the Altstadt and the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds, and then to talk a bit after that. He was a really nice guy and although he couldn't offer anything regular or on a weekly basis, he said that if I learn the information for the tours, he might use me occasionally to give private tours. So while I still have to keep searching, I'm still excited by the possibility.
By this time next week, I will most definitely be in Italy. I am so so excited and looking forward to this well deserved and needed break at the completion of six full weeks of camp.
Sorry no pictures for today. I will definitely post some from Italy when I get back.
Until then. Viel Spaß.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
job hunting...
I can't escape it.
Somehow I thought finding a job in Germany would be a little less stressful than in the States, now that I'm an official college grad and all. But its equally so-- perhaps even a tad more.
I do realize that the fact that I don't speak German fluently (yet) severly hinders and limits the positions I have to apply for, but I thought finding a job to teach English wouldn't be too hard--and that teaching English this year would give me time to think about what I really want to do when I get back to the US sometime next year.
The problem has really been that I don't know where to even look. I've sent my resume to a couple of Language Schools in Nuremberg, but not more than two responded and they told me they aren't hiring. Several people have offered to "ask" someone they know to see if they are looking for an English teacher--but so far, I've got nothing.
I miss my craigslist...
This weekend went much too fast. Tomorrow starts another week of camp. Another set of German children for another five days. Work takes up the majority of my week, and yet I don't feel I have that much to say about it... is that normal? I'm not exactly dreading it--I only wish the weekend had more days in it. I have to try to use my weeknights more wisely. I don't want to spend each day wishing for the weekend.
Two weeks until Italy. (!)
No pictures to post this time.
Until next week. Viel Spaß.
Somehow I thought finding a job in Germany would be a little less stressful than in the States, now that I'm an official college grad and all. But its equally so-- perhaps even a tad more.
I do realize that the fact that I don't speak German fluently (yet) severly hinders and limits the positions I have to apply for, but I thought finding a job to teach English wouldn't be too hard--and that teaching English this year would give me time to think about what I really want to do when I get back to the US sometime next year.
The problem has really been that I don't know where to even look. I've sent my resume to a couple of Language Schools in Nuremberg, but not more than two responded and they told me they aren't hiring. Several people have offered to "ask" someone they know to see if they are looking for an English teacher--but so far, I've got nothing.
I miss my craigslist...
This weekend went much too fast. Tomorrow starts another week of camp. Another set of German children for another five days. Work takes up the majority of my week, and yet I don't feel I have that much to say about it... is that normal? I'm not exactly dreading it--I only wish the weekend had more days in it. I have to try to use my weeknights more wisely. I don't want to spend each day wishing for the weekend.
Two weeks until Italy. (!)
No pictures to post this time.
Until next week. Viel Spaß.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Regensburg to Nuremberg
Its already been two weeks since I last posted (entchuldigung). I promised myself I'd keep this blog up, so we'll just have to jump ahead and skip the week in Regensburg. This past week I was in Nuremberg, which is also where I'll be working the next three weeks.
Tomorrow already starts a new week of singing about speckled frogs and Fred the Moose with 7 and 8 year old German kids. I'm getting into the swing of things working with LEOLingo--and while its exhausting working with kids, the days seem to fly by and once we reach lunch time around 12:30, it's only 3 1/2 hours until the kids go home. Only 3 more weeks of camp and 3 more weeks until I leave for Italy (San Marino) for Daniela's brother's wedding. (which I'm super excited about--my first real Italian wedding ^^!).
Anyways--not going to write much this entry, but here are some pictures of my kids from the last week.
until next time, viel spaß :)
Tomorrow already starts a new week of singing about speckled frogs and Fred the Moose with 7 and 8 year old German kids. I'm getting into the swing of things working with LEOLingo--and while its exhausting working with kids, the days seem to fly by and once we reach lunch time around 12:30, it's only 3 1/2 hours until the kids go home. Only 3 more weeks of camp and 3 more weeks until I leave for Italy (San Marino) for Daniela's brother's wedding. (which I'm super excited about--my first real Italian wedding ^^!).
Anyways--not going to write much this entry, but here are some pictures of my kids from the last week.
until next time, viel spaß :)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Gloßner Bier and Tipping Canoes
So this past week I was in Neumarkt for the LEOLingo (Sprachcamp für Kinder) training. There were 16 of us from all over the English speaking world--and basically we had 2 1/2 days of theory training and then 5 half days of practical training working with kids from the Hauptschule and Grundschule.
In Neumarkt I stayed with Tini Gloßner and her 9 year old son Maxl. Tini's family are the owners of the Gloßner Bier Brewerie in Neumarkt producing (of course) beer and other drinks under the label of Neumarkter, including their new energy drink Moosebuefel (which reminded me of Red Bull, but better) and so my room was stocked each day with different kinds of drinks to try.
Their family has been in beer brewing business for 14 generations--and if you look at the side of the brewerie, they have the names of all their ancestors who worked there going back on a huge mural size family tree. Tini is also the owner of a mother-child clothing shop called Engel & Bengel in downtown Neumarkt. I think I got lucky with my host family, they were really interesting people...
LEOLingo arranged a lot of different activities for us each night including Bavaria Night, canoeing on the Altmuhlsee (which ended with me and three other girls not being able to control the boat and therefore hitting a tree and capsizing into the waist-high river), and so on and so forth. Overall while it was a really fun week, it was pretty exhausting. We did get the weekend off, although it went pretty fast because in only a couple of hours, I'll be catching a train to Regensburg for the next week of camp. Regensburg is supposedly THE university town and its also nicknamed the northernmost part of Italy, because of all its cafes and bars. So from what I've heard, should be a nice place. I guess you'll know by my next update.
So I'll keep it short. Until then... viel spaß.
In Neumarkt I stayed with Tini Gloßner and her 9 year old son Maxl. Tini's family are the owners of the Gloßner Bier Brewerie in Neumarkt producing (of course) beer and other drinks under the label of Neumarkter, including their new energy drink Moosebuefel (which reminded me of Red Bull, but better) and so my room was stocked each day with different kinds of drinks to try.
Their family has been in beer brewing business for 14 generations--and if you look at the side of the brewerie, they have the names of all their ancestors who worked there going back on a huge mural size family tree. Tini is also the owner of a mother-child clothing shop called Engel & Bengel in downtown Neumarkt. I think I got lucky with my host family, they were really interesting people...
LEOLingo arranged a lot of different activities for us each night including Bavaria Night, canoeing on the Altmuhlsee (which ended with me and three other girls not being able to control the boat and therefore hitting a tree and capsizing into the waist-high river), and so on and so forth. Overall while it was a really fun week, it was pretty exhausting. We did get the weekend off, although it went pretty fast because in only a couple of hours, I'll be catching a train to Regensburg for the next week of camp. Regensburg is supposedly THE university town and its also nicknamed the northernmost part of Italy, because of all its cafes and bars. So from what I've heard, should be a nice place. I guess you'll know by my next update.
So I'll keep it short. Until then... viel spaß.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Ich liebe deutsches brot <3
Perhaps its lust or early-stages of infatuation--but I am absolutely head over heels in love with German bread.
The backeries (in addition to being EVERYWHERE) have such an inviting, tempting atmosphere. All the colors, all the different types--sweet, savory, chocolate, fruit-filled, creme-filled, with cheese or ham on rye, seeded rolls, loafs, croissants, brötchen, pretzels, pumpernickle--and the list goes on.
All for a ridiculously low low price.
Germany is not the place for the faint-hearted. Or the carb watcher.
The backeries (in addition to being EVERYWHERE) have such an inviting, tempting atmosphere. All the colors, all the different types--sweet, savory, chocolate, fruit-filled, creme-filled, with cheese or ham on rye, seeded rolls, loafs, croissants, brötchen, pretzels, pumpernickle--and the list goes on.
All for a ridiculously low low price.
Germany is not the place for the faint-hearted. Or the carb watcher.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Neu Perspektive an der Altstadt
Usually a visit to Nürnberg means walking along Königstraße and the streets running perpendicular to it, visiting some shopping centres, eating eis, and perhaps enjoying the views of the old medieval skyline along the river. This time however, I thought I would change it up a bit and take the tour of the altstadt, given by one of the tour guides from the Touristen-Büro (its the only official tour in English offered to the public, at 1pm every day of the week in front of the Hauptmarkt Tourism Office).
It was worth every Euro--thanks of course to the fact that the city has an incredibly fascinating history, but also because Erika Jordan, our Mexican born, German tour guide had an incredible amount of knowledge on the history of the city and really took her time to show us as much as she could (the tour lasted almost 3 hours!) That's her underneath showing us St. George, the patron of the house there and the famous painting of the rabbit by Albrecht Dürer.
I am glad I got to know a little bit more about my future home (we are currently looking for an apartment in the city for September)... and while you may know little or lots about this place already, I thought I'd share a few interesting things I learned yesterday. Maybe it might even spark your interest in coming to see this beautiful place for yourselves one day.
1) Nuremberg (the English spelling for the city) is known for its Lebkuchen (or Christmas cookie that is similar to gingerbread), the Nürnberger sausages (which are nothing more than tiny sausages about the size of your ring finger), Albrect Dürer (the 15th century painter), it's wealthy and significant historical past during the time of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, the Nazi Party Rallies & War Trials in the 20th century, and the Kristkindlmarkt (the world famous Christmas market held every year, 4 weeks before Christmas Eve in the Hauptmarkt).
2) The old city is divided into two parts named after the two largest churches: the St. Lorenz and St. Sebald sections. The river Pegnitz cuts the city into almost even sized parts and runs directly through the middle, east to west.
3) During WWII, Nürnberg was the center of the Nazi party where most of the rallies were held. Hauptmarktplatz was renamed (as in all major German cities during the 30s) Adolf Hitler Platz and banners adorned with swastikas were mandatory on the homes and businesses in the square. Hitler began building a colloseum (which is in the outskirts of the city) he hoped to fit 400,000 people (Nuremberg's population is only 600,000), yet it was never completed due to the end of the war.
4) From 1933-1935, the city came up with a plan to save the historic artwork and architecure of the town just in case war broke out. A few years later, with the beginning of World War II, the city put the plan into action and removed everything of value from the museums and churches (including all the glass from the stained glass windows) and placed them into the underground tunnels that were built back in the 1500s for the beer breweries. As a result of this enormous effort on the part of the city, the majority of of the city's art and historical pieces still remain.
5) 90% of the city was destroyed in the bombing of the war, yet Nuremberg is one of the few cities (unlike Cologne or Frankfurt) that chose to try and rebuild the city as much as possible keeping the architecture and character of the medieval city that Nuremberg was before the war. (This by the way really gives the city charm ;).
6) In addition to Dürer, Nuremberg is home to the inventor of the first pocket watch (originally built in the shape of an egg that women found fashionable to wear around their necks) and to Levi Strauss, inventor of the blue jeans.
Looking forward to making Nuremberg my home. Then I will really take the time to get to know as much as I can about it.
:) Good times ahead.
It was worth every Euro--thanks of course to the fact that the city has an incredibly fascinating history, but also because Erika Jordan, our Mexican born, German tour guide had an incredible amount of knowledge on the history of the city and really took her time to show us as much as she could (the tour lasted almost 3 hours!) That's her underneath showing us St. George, the patron of the house there and the famous painting of the rabbit by Albrecht Dürer.
I am glad I got to know a little bit more about my future home (we are currently looking for an apartment in the city for September)... and while you may know little or lots about this place already, I thought I'd share a few interesting things I learned yesterday. Maybe it might even spark your interest in coming to see this beautiful place for yourselves one day.
1) Nuremberg (the English spelling for the city) is known for its Lebkuchen (or Christmas cookie that is similar to gingerbread), the Nürnberger sausages (which are nothing more than tiny sausages about the size of your ring finger), Albrect Dürer (the 15th century painter), it's wealthy and significant historical past during the time of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, the Nazi Party Rallies & War Trials in the 20th century, and the Kristkindlmarkt (the world famous Christmas market held every year, 4 weeks before Christmas Eve in the Hauptmarkt).
2) The old city is divided into two parts named after the two largest churches: the St. Lorenz and St. Sebald sections. The river Pegnitz cuts the city into almost even sized parts and runs directly through the middle, east to west.
3) During WWII, Nürnberg was the center of the Nazi party where most of the rallies were held. Hauptmarktplatz was renamed (as in all major German cities during the 30s) Adolf Hitler Platz and banners adorned with swastikas were mandatory on the homes and businesses in the square. Hitler began building a colloseum (which is in the outskirts of the city) he hoped to fit 400,000 people (Nuremberg's population is only 600,000), yet it was never completed due to the end of the war.
4) From 1933-1935, the city came up with a plan to save the historic artwork and architecure of the town just in case war broke out. A few years later, with the beginning of World War II, the city put the plan into action and removed everything of value from the museums and churches (including all the glass from the stained glass windows) and placed them into the underground tunnels that were built back in the 1500s for the beer breweries. As a result of this enormous effort on the part of the city, the majority of of the city's art and historical pieces still remain.
5) 90% of the city was destroyed in the bombing of the war, yet Nuremberg is one of the few cities (unlike Cologne or Frankfurt) that chose to try and rebuild the city as much as possible keeping the architecture and character of the medieval city that Nuremberg was before the war. (This by the way really gives the city charm ;).
6) In addition to Dürer, Nuremberg is home to the inventor of the first pocket watch (originally built in the shape of an egg that women found fashionable to wear around their necks) and to Levi Strauss, inventor of the blue jeans.
Looking forward to making Nuremberg my home. Then I will really take the time to get to know as much as I can about it.
:) Good times ahead.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
no, seriously, this is for real
A couple of weeks ago, I was playing some American country music for David and in turn, David played some German "folk" music for me.
You need to see it to believe it.
It's called "Gloria Alla Montagna"...**
(I couldn't upload the video directly but here's a link to the video on YouTube.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhL5QdElV00&feature=PlayList&p=0EC73BADE03CAB5A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=37
**Even if tempted to, don't exit until at least 0:37. It will be worth the wait, I promise.
You need to see it to believe it.
It's called "Gloria Alla Montagna"...**
(I couldn't upload the video directly but here's a link to the video on YouTube.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhL5QdElV00&feature=PlayList&p=0EC73BADE03CAB5A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=37
**Even if tempted to, don't exit until at least 0:37. It will be worth the wait, I promise.
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