Just like Craig, I finally have a moment to share a bit with you all about my adventures in Deutschland so far! As he mentioned, there are several of us working with the PAD (PädagogischerAustaushDienst) this year as Fremdsprachenassist*en/innen, so we’ve all been on a very similar path thus far: traveling to Germany, attending our orientation course, and then traveling to our respective postings.
I’m living in the university city of Göttingen, which is essentially in the dead centre of Germany. Like Marburg, where Rowan is living, Göttingen was almost untouched by the Second World War, so the ancient ramparts of the city are very well-preserved and are a popular place for joggers and dog-walkers. It’s absolutely beautiful and incredibly easy to get around, especially when you have a bike – as does almost everyone here.
There have been a few logistical challenges that I’ve been dealing with, but everyone has been so supportive and helpful. Both my Betreuungslehrerin (mentor teacher) and I were not as organized and communicative as we could have been over the summer, and I arrived in Göttingen without having sorted out a flat to rent. Thankfully, another English teacher at the school responded to our slightly desperate email for a place to stay, saying “Wir lassen niemand auf der Straße!” Every day I’m on the hunt for a flat, which is proving to be unexpectedly difficult. All of the university students are pouring back into the city for the start of the semester on 1.October, and competition is cutthroat. However, several of my colleagues at school have been sending out emails and checking with contacts to see if anyone knows of a place to stay, and I’m not worried about being indefinitely homeless. However, a word of wisdom: do whatever it takes to arrange a flat before you leave Canada! I know it’s discouraging when you send out emails asking for Skype interviews and you don’t hear back, but stay diligent!
My German is improving daily and it’s exciting to experience such a noticeable improvement. I came here feeling like my German abilities were really low and like I would be heavily reliant on English, but I speak German at least 85% of the time, if not more. Everyone I meet is quite complimentary about my German, which I take as a tribute to my teachers. 🙂
I’m working in a Gymnasium (middle/high school) with students as young as 11-12 as as old as 18, although I haven’t fully started work yet. First I have a Hospitation phase, during which I observe the classes and get to know the teachers. Today I was in a 6te Klasse while they were learning how to talk about their summer holidays. Some of the boys at this age are really energetic and rowdy, and my favorite moment was when they were discussing the USA and confused a couple of landmarks (this was in German,):
Student: Mrs. Jähn, our textbook must be quite old, because it talks about the Empire State Building! That’s not even there anymore. It fell down!
Fr. Jähn: Thank god, no, it did not.
My other favorite classroom experience thus far happened in a 10te Klasse on my first day, when a 15-year-old boy asked me if it was true that Canada has a special national holiday when it’s legal to smoke marijuana. I hadn’t really expected to tell them about 4.20 on my first day in the school…
Ciao und VLG aus Göttingen!