Author: Stephanie Taralson

Die Zeit läuft unglaublich schnell. We’ve just entered the second half of the school year, which means changing schedules, a long weekend, and more daylight hours. I’m so grateful that the days of riding my bike to work at 7:30 am in pitch darkness are over and that the sun is poking out regularly. Running around the old city wall is much more appealing in the sunshine, not to mention grabbing groceries or walking to a friend’s house in the city center. I’m so looking forward to biking to the lake or eating lunch in my garden once the weather really perks up.

The last couple of weeks at work have been particularly nice and I’d like to share a couple of favourite stories from my classes.

As the year progresses, I have increasingly frequent opportunities to plan my own lessons and activities for my students, rather than simply work with whatever materials the teachers provide. I was initially uncomfortable making my own lesson plans, but I’m starting to relish the freedom of tailoring lessons any way I like. I also adore most of the students that I work with. I’ve heard some horror stories from other assistants here about their schools and students; thankfully, the stars have aligned for me and I work in a school that is filled to the brim with friendly kids and colleagues. The other day at the beginning of classes with one of my 7th grade groups, I made a point of telling them how much I appreciate it when they wave to me or say hello in the halls. I told them, “You are the friendliest class! I love it when you say hi to me. It’s so nice.” Then they all applauded.

Sometimes, you can’t help but laugh. Once, I was playing a game of 20 Questions with a group of 9th graders, and one bright and bubbly girl wanted to make a guess. “Spongebob Schwammkopf!” she yelled, and began singing the theme song to Spongebob Squarepants. (Schwammkopf means “sponge head.”)
I interrupted gently. “Actually, it’s ‘Squarepants,’ because his pants are square.” She burst into a new rendition. “Squarepants Schwammkopf, Squarepants Schwammkopf…”

Even on days when something I had prepared doesn’t quite go as planned, a student inevitably stays behind after class to talk to me and their interest and enthusiasm restores my self-confidence. Whether I’m working with 12-year-olds and showing them how to make a “th” sound, prodding 16-year-olds to consider the power of the media, staging debates on “skateboards vs. bikes” with 14-year-olds, discussing the characterization of Daisy in The Great Gatsby with 18-year-olds, playing Taboo or Apple to Apples, teaching entire classes of kids about Canadian culture, or sitting with one teenage student and talking about their trials, triumphs, and future plans, I get my energy from the appreciation that I feel from the kids and teachers with whom I work every day. Of course every day isn’t perfect, but focusing on the many positive moments is a good way to remind myself how much I enjoy being here.
Speaking of energy, if I don’t go to bed soon, I won’t have any for class tomorrow! Mach’s gut!

Hallo Leute!

I’m going to plead the same excuse as Alex – it’s a good sign that I’m late in posting another blog, because that must mean I’m having too good a time to write home. I thought this time around, I’d talk about what I’ll be doing here in Göttingen this week, to paint a picture of a typical week. Los geht’s!

Montag

– I get to sleep in! I have just one class in the late morning. My mentor teacher intentionally gave me a light schedule on Mondays so that I can ease back into the week.
– Tomorrow, I’ll be starting a German class at the uni that focuses on writing. I was lucky enough to be able to register as a student even though I’m not enrolled in a program, which means I can take language classes, and also (more importantly?) ride the train across all of Niedersachsen for free with the student Semester-Ticket.
– Every week on Monday, I meet with one of my language tandem partners. I put up a poster at the uni when I first came to Göttingen and had a tremendous response. The girl on Mondays is absolutely lovely: close to my age and with similar interests, so we have loads to talk about. We speak half the time in German and the other half in English, so that we can each practice speaking.

Dienstag

– Tuesdays are my day off from my job. Super luxurious.
– I already take one German class at the uni called “Landeskunde Interkulturelle.” It’s a combined speaking/vocabulary/culture class, and tomorrow we’ll be talking about communication, eg. jokes, slang, professionalism.
– In the afternoon I’ll be meeting with one of my students from the 7th grade to tutor him in English. He’s such a sweet boy, but his English level is very low and his parents are paying me for regular tutoring. It’s great to have some extra income.
– Every Tuesday evening I have rehearsal with my choir, the Göttinger Stadtkantorei. Joining this group was definitely the best decision that I’ve made towards helping myself get settled here. Over the past two months, this group has provided me with opportunities such as: a weekend rehearsal retreat in the Harz Mountains; a concert tour to England; singing in the gorgeous Jacobikirche with a full orchestra; and frequent parties and gatherings. I feel very much like I belong to a community and it’s such a nice way to meet people.

Mittwoch

– I have work from 9:30 am-1:00 pm, which is quite nice. I like that it’s more than just one class, but I don’t need to get up early.
– Another installment of my new writing class takes place on Wednesday.
– This week is an exception, but usually I have another commitment once or twice a week. One of my greatest concerns about being in Germany for a year was the lack of a piano – as a music graduate and piano major, it has been such a vital part of my life for the past five years and I was dreading being without it. Thankfully, I met a woman in my choir who invites me regularly to her home to practice on her grand piano. Her husband died last year and no one plays it anymore, so I think we both benefit. We chat and have tea together, and then I play for a couple of hours.

Donnerstag

– This is my longest day. I have classes from 7:50 am-11:30 am, then a break, and then in the afternoon I run an English club, alongside my mentor teacher. We have about 15 students, so we’ve split the group to make it more manageable.
– I usually meet with my second language tandem partner on Thursday. He has a Japanese girlfriend with whom he only speaks English, so he’s highly motivated to improve his speaking.
– This week, however, I have to miss all of these activities in order to travel to Braunschweig for a meeting with the PAD and other language assistants from this area. There are 10 assistants in the Göttingen area, and some of them have become my close friends. We see each other several times a week, generally, so I’m excited for us all to travel to Braunschweig together and have a day out.

Freitag

– I spend Fridays with my mentor teacher at school. We’re there from 7:50 am-1:00 pm, and then I’m free for the weekend. Feierabend!

Wochenende

– Every weekend I get up to something new. Last weekend I was in Hannover for a night and hung out with a group of language assistants who live there, before coming back to Göttingen for my choir concert. Yesterday I went hiking in the Harz Mountains with two American assistants and our German friend Stefan, and today I’m going to a football match with some friends. Other highlights have included trips to Bremen, Stuttgart, and Hamburg; visiting the Marienburg Castle near Hannover; the aforementioned choir trips to the Harz and to England; and many other things closer to home, like the symphony, going dancing, potlucks with friends, bicycling around Göttingen, cooking with my German roommate, walking in the forest at the edge of town or around the old town ramparts, and many, many coffees in cafes.

I get a bit homesick every so often, but I have a really good support network here and I feel comfortable and content in Germany. I’m thrilled about the beginning of the Advent season here and I’m thoroughly enjoying the Christmas preparations – although I could do without the groups of lads bellowing drinking songs as they walk past my house coming back from the Christmas market. Until next time, mach’s gut!