It's time for a change
Well, this day came quicker than I expected it to. Tomorrow, I leave for my new life in Germany. Yes, the inevitable Year Abroad is here. And weirdly, I just want it to be over as quickly as possible. Not sure how I'm feeling about it all at the moment. While yes, I am sad I'm leaving, I actually want to go. I have only minor nerves, but feel oddly relaxed about the whole thing. I'm more worried about getting a train ticket and hoiking my case onto a train than teaching! I leave mega early to fly to Dusseldorf, to then train it to Cologne. I'm staying in Cologne until Monday, then it's onto my teaching course at Altenberg. I figured if I have a few days in Cologne it will mean I can get accustomed to living in Germany by myself. And used to travelling. After the training course, I'm travelling up to my final destination, Hamburg. Annoyingly I need to stay in a hotel since I don't have the heart to tell Iris, my mentor, that she mucked up my arrival day and housing contract day. But it does mean I can have a wonder round on my own and do a bit of exploring. I shall be living here>. I realise it's student halls, but it was the only reasonable place to live. Everyone had a real problem finding somewhere to live, many still are struggling to find somewhere. Then Monday, I start work at the lovely Gymnasium Farmsen> as an English language, history and geography assistant. It looks like a lovely school, I just hope they won't be like my friend's school, who after just one week of sitting in is being made to cover four classes next week due to the teacher being off on holiday! I'm pretty sure that's against the rules, but alas he has to do it. So far for lesson material I'm thinking the beloved newspaper/magazine lesson and I got loads of leaflets on Nottingham. Figured I can get them to conversation or something on comparing it to German touristy things. If anyone has any suggestions for lessons, feel free to drop me a bell.
Enough about the year abroad. What else has been happening? Well, Berlin was immense (see facebook for photographic evidence). There is a new Chinese housemate at the house. She is friggin' insane (may do a whole post on her in the future). I am thinking of leaving my job at Forest. I realise some of you may think I'm nuts for doing that in today's economic climate, but I just can't stay there anymore. Since Vikki left it has been awful. They've brought in a woman who is just trying to make the office like her previous office (which we have been informed was awful) and a new manager who is just as evil and bitchy as this new woman. Christine, as she is sadly known, is horrible. She's come in and made loads of changes. I understand change needs to happen, but staff got no say on the matter. Tim is another matter altogether. He's been really off with me for ages, barely having spoken to me. I wonder if it's because I saw him on Vikki's leaving do with a lady most definitely not his fiancee. It turned out she was in fact the ex/girlfriend of a friend of our's. My hours have been totally cut back - apparently having help set up the ID system and doing all the other shit no on else will touch means I don't deserve more than one day a week. Yes, one day a week. When I left on Monday, no one wished me luck, just to have fun. No one said to keep in touch, I never even got a card goodbye. I was upset, but far more pissed off than anything else. It felt like such a slap in the face. I've been there three years and do all the crap jobs for them, as well as working matchdays when they were struggling and I get nothing. I just don't see why I should go to a job which is making me miserable and I feel underappreciated. Even at Boots I at least felt appreciated. You know it's bad when people who have been there nearly ten years (Gemz) are considering leaving it's not a good thing. This> is also really making me consider my future there. Since I'm apparently not doing enough hours, I think I could be the first to go. I actually saw the chairman, Mr Arthur, yesterday in town. He looked frazzled; all I wanted to do was tell him where to shove his job.
In terms of work, we've all become really close. I did notice that fewer and fewer friends were being put on shifts together. Me included in that. It was three weeks since I last saw Simon. We've become really good friends, he even was willing to go out on a night out together. We decided against it when it was obvious no one else was going. I also didn't want his psycho girlfriend having a go at me. Gemz and I are also close. I must admit they are the two I will miss the most.
In terms of uni, my dissertation topic is picked. I will be studying "The effect of the 11th Plenum on East German Cinema". I'm going to try and figure out if one can say there is a point where the effect was no longer felt or if it even did affect cinema. It does mean that I do get to spend lots of time watching films and maybe travel over to the Filmarchiv in Berlin to have a look at some of their stockpile. No idea about year abroad essay yet, maybe something on the Hanseatic League or the imfamous red-light district. I got a first on all my dissertation prep, so a certain lady *coughsazcough* thinks this is a sure sign I will get a first. I hope I do, I'm sick of just missing out on higher marks. Plus I think it could surprise quite a few people.
Erm, I cannot think of anything else to write, so I shall see you all in the Fatherland. Liebe <3
Enough about the year abroad. What else has been happening? Well, Berlin was immense (see facebook for photographic evidence). There is a new Chinese housemate at the house. She is friggin' insane (may do a whole post on her in the future). I am thinking of leaving my job at Forest. I realise some of you may think I'm nuts for doing that in today's economic climate, but I just can't stay there anymore. Since Vikki left it has been awful. They've brought in a woman who is just trying to make the office like her previous office (which we have been informed was awful) and a new manager who is just as evil and bitchy as this new woman. Christine, as she is sadly known, is horrible. She's come in and made loads of changes. I understand change needs to happen, but staff got no say on the matter. Tim is another matter altogether. He's been really off with me for ages, barely having spoken to me. I wonder if it's because I saw him on Vikki's leaving do with a lady most definitely not his fiancee. It turned out she was in fact the ex/girlfriend of a friend of our's. My hours have been totally cut back - apparently having help set up the ID system and doing all the other shit no on else will touch means I don't deserve more than one day a week. Yes, one day a week. When I left on Monday, no one wished me luck, just to have fun. No one said to keep in touch, I never even got a card goodbye. I was upset, but far more pissed off than anything else. It felt like such a slap in the face. I've been there three years and do all the crap jobs for them, as well as working matchdays when they were struggling and I get nothing. I just don't see why I should go to a job which is making me miserable and I feel underappreciated. Even at Boots I at least felt appreciated. You know it's bad when people who have been there nearly ten years (Gemz) are considering leaving it's not a good thing. This> is also really making me consider my future there. Since I'm apparently not doing enough hours, I think I could be the first to go. I actually saw the chairman, Mr Arthur, yesterday in town. He looked frazzled; all I wanted to do was tell him where to shove his job.
In terms of work, we've all become really close. I did notice that fewer and fewer friends were being put on shifts together. Me included in that. It was three weeks since I last saw Simon. We've become really good friends, he even was willing to go out on a night out together. We decided against it when it was obvious no one else was going. I also didn't want his psycho girlfriend having a go at me. Gemz and I are also close. I must admit they are the two I will miss the most.
In terms of uni, my dissertation topic is picked. I will be studying "The effect of the 11th Plenum on East German Cinema". I'm going to try and figure out if one can say there is a point where the effect was no longer felt or if it even did affect cinema. It does mean that I do get to spend lots of time watching films and maybe travel over to the Filmarchiv in Berlin to have a look at some of their stockpile. No idea about year abroad essay yet, maybe something on the Hanseatic League or the imfamous red-light district. I got a first on all my dissertation prep, so a certain lady *coughsazcough* thinks this is a sure sign I will get a first. I hope I do, I'm sick of just missing out on higher marks. Plus I think it could surprise quite a few people.
Erm, I cannot think of anything else to write, so I shall see you all in the Fatherland. Liebe <3