You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2002.
22 August – 12h05 – It’s Thursday again. I’m on my one hour break, but am sitting in the office and waiting, instead of going out and rushing around for the hour. It’s more relaxing to sit here. If my 13h class shows up, I’ll leave here at 14h to go have lunch and type a bit more (as long as my battery holds out), and then go to the outlet shops and look for badly needed trousers. My favourite old black ones are on their last legs.
Let’s see, what’s gone on this week?
I have a flatmate (roommate) now. His name is David and he is a new teacher at our school. He’s from New Hampshire and seems to be very nice. Also, he speaks fluent German. However, he likes to know everything that goes on at work, who gets along with who, who hates eachother, who dates who, etc. I keep my distance from all of that.
On Monday, we had a meeting that was all in German. When it started, I asked David, the boss, how to turn on the subtitles, and reminded him that I don’t speak German. He had one of my co-workers, Paul, translate for me. It was a very strange situation and not only was I surprised about it, but at first I was offended by it and thought that it was disrespectful to me. However, as the meeting went on and I had plenty of time to think about it, I lost those feelings and realised that it was it logical that it would be in German, as many of the other language teachers (French, Spanish, German) don’t speak English.
In that meeting, I found out that I have a new class. Our “school year students” came back from summer break on 19 August and I am teaching a CAE course. We’re using to CAE Gold book, which I quite like.
Until yesterday, the weather had been pretty good. Thursday – Tuesday were sunny, hot and humid. Yesterday and today have been cold and rainy. Yuck. I really hate this weather.
Last night, I chatted with one of my Polish friends (Luke) who is visiting the USA. He’s been there for two months and returns to Poland on Sunday. He’s had a great time and it was good to chat with him. We chatted on AIM.
That’s it for now. I have to review a few books and select one for a couple other classes, and it’s easier to do it in the peace and quiet of this office. More later from Burger King.
13h35 – My 13h group didn’t’ show up, so I waited 15 minutes into the class then left. I love it when they do that.
I remembered that I also have to go the grocery store today, a usual Thursday activity.
I guess that’s about it. I can’t think of anything else to type.
24 August – Last night was fun. My roommate came home and told me that some workmates were meeting this evening and invited me to go. It was a celebration for Malwa, Paul’s girlfriend, so I decided to go. We met Ross and Stephanie (his girlfriend) in front of the school and walked to Enchilada, a Mexican restaurant in Old Town. We talked, joked and laughed for hours. It was a great night out. I got home at 2h this morning.
15 August – It’s Thursday again. I’m at a different location now. I’m just outside of Neuwied at a McDonalds.
I went back to the Foreigner’s Police office today to drop off the paperwork for my residency permit. I got there at 7h25, even though it didn’t open until 8h so that I would be the first in line. It opened at 8h, but at 8h15 they put a sign on the door saying that my letter group had to go to doors 2, 3 or 4. I went in at 8h20 and the guy looked at my documents and processed them. He put a two-page residency visa in my passport and told me that I had to come back tomorrow to pick up the passport (a different guy told me I’d have to come back two or three days after doing that paperwork). He told me that the permit is good for 1 year. Annette told me that the first one is always good for one year, and after that, they give a 5-year one. She also told me that in other parts of Germany, they give you a three-month one, then you have to go back for a one year one, then after that one expires, you get a five-year one. I’ll be glad not to have to see that office again for another year.
I’m almost at the end of my workweek and it’s been a good week. As with last week in my APP2 class, it was just Manual and I again last evening. We did the same thing as last week, just talked about life. It was fun.
I’m getting a roommate on Saturday. All I know is that he’s an American and is from New Hampshire.
What’s up for this weekend? There’s a music festival I want to go to in Köln. I haven’t been able to find much information about it on the internet, so I’ll go around 15h and talk to the tourist information people to see what’s on. If it turns out to be good, I’ll go back on Saturday.
Other than that, it’s been a quiet week for me. Next week I’ll be busier, as we start new exam preparation classes for next June’s exams. All I know is I’ll be teaching a new class, which will add six hours to my weekly schedule. That’s fine. The extra money will be nice.
8 August – 12h15 – It’s Thursday again, which should mean it’s time for the Burger King Diaries, but it’s not. I guess it’s more like they’re not happening today because I accidentally left the house without any money and there aren’t any ATMs in the area. Also, the secretaries didn’t know if my 13h class is happening today or not, so I’m spending my hour break sitting in the office and waiting to see if the show up at 13h. I hope they don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I like them, but I’d rather have the free time and get paid for it.
Today is a sunny day. This is the first sunny Thursday since I’ve been in Koblenz. I know that because whenever I am in this office, it’s always cloudy. Today is different, and I love it.
When I went into work on Tuesday, Annette told me that she had my work and residency permit approval forms. On Wednesday, I brought a few other papers they had given me and she helped me fill them out so that I could take them to the Foreigner’s Police office today (since I have a car and a long break) and they would finalise the processing and put a stamp in my passport. The only problem is that I have to find the office myself. Annette showed me where it is on the map, so I should be able to do it.
Also on Wednesday, I found out that my bankers had cancelled their class for today, as well as both classes for next week. It turns out that the person in charge of English lessons, Jorg (one of my students), forgot to tell the Frankfurt office (where the bills are paid) that they would be continuing English lessons, so when the Frankfurt office got the bill, the called the Koblenz office to find out what was going on. Jorg is on vacation for another week, so they won’t be able to get it cleared up until he returns. It was nice sleeping in this morning.
So, what’s up for the rest of the week? I have to teach a 4-hour intensive class on Friday morning, starting at 8h30. Also, it’s my turn to work on Saturday (for 4 hours). Saturday night, a co-worker of mine is having a birthday party starting at 18h, and there’s also a thing called “Rhine in Flames,” which, from what I gather, is fireworks being shot off over the Rhine river at 23h. I’ll go to both.
1 August – 12h25 – I’ve been slacking off on writing the past few weeks. I don’t really know why, but I have been. I guess I was taking a break. Today I have plenty of time.
That’s right, it’s Thursday and it’s time for this week’s episode of the Burger King Diaries. My 13h class has been cancelled, so I have free time until 17h. Life is good. However, I do have to go back into Koblenz today to pay my rent.
Work has been going well. This week I was only scheduled to work my normal hours, no intensives like I had the previous two weeks. However, yesterday Iain told me that he has a class for me to teach on Friday. It’s a 1-student class. I accepted it, as I can use the extra money.
When I arrived at work Monday, I saw that our photocopier had been replaced. That’s good, as the other one was old and slow. This new one seems really nice. If only we knew how to use it. I put my paper in and pressed the green button. Nothing happened. I asked one of the secretaries, Jessica, for help and she got it to work. On Tuesday, I had another problem with it, so I asked the secretary (the old white haired lady) for help. She told me that she didn’t know how to use it, but Jessica had told her that you press buttons until something happens. We finally got it to work. I had two pages to copy, and without my knowledge, it shrunk them and copied both onto one page. That was fine with me, as they were big enough to be read. I showed the secretary what had happened, and she asked how I had done that. I told her that I didn’t do it, the machine did it all by itself. On Wednesday, now that I had the reputation of not being able to use the new copier, I put a book in to and saw the display change. I looked at Iain and said, ‘All I’ve done is put my materials in it. I haven’t pressed any buttons, and it’s already showing me it won’t copy.’ Annette came over and started pressing buttons, until eventually it did. She said, ‘The reason we don’t really know how to use this is because it’s only temporary. The one we want is on order and will be in soon. We’ll know how to use that one.” I felt better that others have been having problems with it also.
2 August – A nice sunny day.
I have to work for 6 hours this morning. There’s a festival starting tonight and running all weekend called the Gaukler Festival. I don’t know much about it, but from what I’ve been told, it’s a street performer kind of festival. That’s the kind I like best. I’ll be there all weekend, so won’t have time to write. I’ll probably start a new page for it.
4 August – That turned out to be a great festival.
