12h44 – I’m sitting in the office waiting for my third class again and have a few minutes, so I thought I’d start a journal entry. This class might have started a new trend…attending class. Three people came last week, one of which I hadn’t seen since July.

I have the purple car this week. The light green one is at a different office, so I took the purple one. Last week I had the tank again.

I slept in today. Two of my Deutsche Bankers were out of town (one in Frankfurt, the other in London), two were taking a training course and the fifth one was just coming back form holiday on Monday and wouldn’t have time to attend class. That’s fine. I love teaching them but I liked sleeping in today. The only bad thing was that I had to run down and put money in the parking meter at 8h so I didn’t get a parking ticket (there’s free parking in front of my flat 19h – 8h).

Life is still good in Germany, however the weather is terrible. I had a three-day weekend last weekend and it was cloudy, overcast and rainy the whole time. It’s rained a lot of this week also. I’m getting good use out of my new umbrellas.

This will cover weeks ending 13 & 20 October. I tried to write from Burger King last week, but for some odd reason, my battery was dead.

First of all, after I returned from Poland, I started thinking about life and decided that I’m here to stay for a while. I went back to Poland because I loved living there, and wanted to see if I still liked it as much after I left. I did, and I was glad to see that. However, it also helped me realise that my life in Germany is pretty good. I like my job, I like my co-workers, I’m earning decent money, I have internet access at home, I like Koblenz, etc.

Last week, one of my students from my APP2 conversation class, Bernd, went to The Hague for an interview with EuroPol, the European police force. He’s been in law enforcement for 27 years and feels he’s at a dead end where he is, so he things that EuroPol would be the next step. On Monday of this week, he told us about his interview, and that he had to wait until Tuesday to call to see if he was accepted. On Wednesday, he told us that he called an he was told he was overqualified for the officer position he had applied for, but they would like him to come up as a trainee for a higher position, the head of the officers division. He’s waiting for a letter of confirmation before he brings champagne. He’s not when he’ll start but it might be as soon as 1 December. Our class will be a lot different without him.

13h – It’s class time and no one’s shown up yet. I have to wait 20 minutes to see if they do or don’t. If not, I’ll go home.

13h20 – I’m going to shut down the computer and go home.

12h44 – I’m sitting in the office waiting for my third class again and have a few minutes, so I thought I’d start a journal entry. This class might have started a new trend…attending class. Three people came last week, one of which I hadn’t seen since July.

I have the purple car this week. The light green one is at a different office, so I took the purple one. Last week I had the tank again.

I slept in today. Two of my Deutsche Bankers were out of town (one in Frankfurt, the other in London), two were taking a training course and the fifth one was just coming back form holiday on Monday and wouldn’t have time to attend class. That’s fine. I love teaching them but I liked sleeping in today. The only bad thing was that I had to run down and put money in the parking meter at 8h so I didn’t get a parking ticket (there’s free parking in front of my flat 19h – 8h).

Life is still good in Germany, however the weather is terrible. I had a three-day weekend last weekend and it was cloudy, overcast and rainy the whole time. It’s rained a lot of this week also. I’m getting good use out of my new umbrellas.

This will cover weeks ending 13 & 20 October. I tried to write from Burger King last week, but for some odd reason, my battery was dead.

First of all, after I returned from Poland, I started thinking about life and decided that I’m here to stay for a while. I went back to Poland because I loved living there, and wanted to see if I still liked it as much after I left. I did, and I was glad to see that. However, it also helped me realise that my life in Germany is pretty good. I like my job, I like my co-workers, I’m earning decent money, I have internet access at home, I like Koblenz, etc.

Last week, one of my students from my APP2 conversation class, Bernd, went to The Hague for an interview with EuroPol, the European police force. He’s been in law enforcement for 27 years and feels he’s at a dead end where he is, so he things that EuroPol would be the next step. On Monday of this week, he told us about his interview, and that he had to wait until Tuesday to call to see if he was accepted. On Wednesday, he told us that he called an he was told he was overqualified for the officer position he had applied for, but they would like him to come up as a trainee for a higher position, the head of the officers division. He’s waiting for a letter of confirmation before he brings champagne. He’s not when he’ll start but it might be as soon as 1 December. Our class will be a lot different without him.

13h – It’s class time and no one’s shown up yet. I have to wait 20 minutes to see if they do or don’t. If not, I’ll go home.

13h20 – I’m going to shut down the computer and go home.

12h44 – I’m sitting in the office waiting for my t…

12h44 – I’m sitting in the office waiting for my third class again and have a few minutes, so I thought I’d start a journal entry. This class might have started a new trend…attending class. Three people came last week, one of which I hadn’t seen since July.

I have the purple car this week. The light green one is at a different office, so I took the purple one. Last week I had the tank again.

I slept in today. Two of my Deutsche Bankers were out of town (one in Frankfurt, the other in London), two were taking a training course and the fifth one was just coming back form holiday on Monday and wouldn’t have time to attend class. That’s fine. I love teaching them but I liked sleeping in today. The only bad thing was that I had to run down and put money in the parking meter at 8h so I didn’t get a parking ticket (there’s free parking in front of my flat 19h – 8h).

Life is still good in Germany, however the weather is terrible. I had a three-day weekend last weekend and it was cloudy, overcast and rainy the whole time. It’s rained a lot of this week also. I’m getting good use out of my new umbrellas.

This will cover weeks ending 13 & 20 October. I tried to write from Burger King last week, but for some odd reason, my battery was dead.

First of all, after I returned from Poland, I started thinking about life and decided that I’m here to stay for a while. I went back to Poland because I loved living there, and wanted to see if I still liked it as much after I left. I did, and I was glad to see that. However, it also helped me realise that my life in Germany is pretty good. I like my job, I like my co-workers, I’m earning decent money, I have internet access at home, I like Koblenz, etc.

Last week, one of my students from my APP2 conversation class, Bernd, went to The Hague for an interview with EuroPol, the European police force. He’s been in law enforcement for 27 years and feels he’s at a dead end where he is, so he things that EuroPol would be the next step. On Monday of this week, he told us about his interview, and that he had to wait until Tuesday to call to see if he was accepted. On Wednesday, he told us that he called an he was told he was overqualified for the officer position he had applied for, but they would like him to come up as a trainee for a higher position, the head of the officers division. He’s waiting for a letter of confirmation before he brings champagne. He’s not when he’ll start but it might be as soon as 1 December. Our class will be a lot different without him.

13h – It’s class time and no one’s shown up yet. I have to wait 20 minutes to see if they do or don’t. If not, I’ll go home.

13h20 – I’m going to shut down the computer and go home.

29 Aug 2002 – 29 Sept 2002 29 August – 12h15 – Her…

29 Aug 2002 – 29 Sept 2002

29 August – 12h15 – Here I sit in the office again, waiting to see if my 13h class will show up or not. I hope they don’t, so I can have free time and get paid for it.

When I got to work yesterday, I went to get the keys for the light green car, as I always do, but found that they, along with two others, were gone. I asked Jessica who had all the cars, and she told me that the purple one has things in it and isn’t being used, Iain had the dark green one and Ross had the light green one. So, I got the blue one.

My direct deposit went though fine this month. Our paychecks are electronically transferred from the school’s bank account to ours on the 27th of each month. Last month, mine didn’t get credited until the 31st, and I was worried that something was wrong. On Monday, David told me that he had received a fax from Deutsche Bank saying that they had been given the wrong account number. We went back through the paperwork and discovered that I had given him the correct number, and he had set up the transfer correctly, so it had to have been that the school’s bank, Volksbank, keyed it in incorrectly. Obviously that problem has been corrected now, so I’ll set up an electronic transfer from my account to my landlord’s account for my rent. Most things are done by electronic transfer in Germany.

There’s been a small change to my schedule. When I got to my 17h class last Thursday, they told me that they wanted to start the lesson at 16h30 instead. The confirmed that it would be fine with the class after them (the 2nd class gladly agreed to start at 18h instead of 18h30), so I told them that would be fine with me. It means that the 2nd class will end at 19h30 and I’ll be home at 20h instead of 20h30. I like it.

So, that means I have a lot to do today, and have less time. I didn’t take the blue car home last night, as it would have taken longer for me to walk to it than get home. Also, I would have had to run down at 8h this morning and pay for a place to park it until 9h30, when I left, because free parking in front of my building starts at 19h and ends at 8h the next morning (except on weekends, when it starts at 14h on Saturdays and ends at 8h on Sundays). I know that they give tickets, as I saw to police officers doing that on Tuesday when I was walking to work. So, I had to leave the house at 9h15 to get to where the tank was parked and still allow myself time to get to my 10h class. I won’t take it home tonight either, as if I did, I’d have to move it or..So, when I leave here at 14h, I have to have lunch, go grocery shopping and then go back into Koblenz to take my groceries home, since I wont’ take the car home tonight either, then run back out to Neuwied for my 16h30 job.

It’s 12h48 now. I have 12 minutes before class starts, if they show up. That gives me time to use the bathroom and prepare a bit more. Time to shut down the computer.

5 September – 13h53 – It’s Burger King time! My fourth class no-showed again, so I drove back into Koblenz and went to my PO Box to get my mail to kill time. I still love my Thursdays. I love being out of the office for a day. I hope my schedule never changes.

So, what’s new?

On Tuesday I found out that my Deutsche Bank group got their bill sorted out with their Frankfurt office and I could resume teaching there. I went this morning. It was good to see them again, and to celebrate; I didn’t take any grammar exercises with me. We did role-plays and then I gave grammar feedback.

On Wednesday, I found out that my second Compushack group had cancelled their lesson for this week. I know that they’ve been swamped with work, so that’s probably the reason. Theoretically, that’ll be two hours less in my pay check at the end of the month, however I have a few students going on vacation and they’ll be entitled to makeup lessons when they return, so I won’t be effected by this cancellation.

I love that group, as I do with all of my groups, however they worry me a bit. It consists of 50 – 60 year old ladies who are quite insecure about their English abilities. I’ve been encouraging them, as they’re doing very well, but they don’t seem to think that they are.

One of the ladies in my third lesson today told me that there is a festival going on next weekend in Koblenz, and this weekend is something called Museum Weekend, where you can go into some of the museums for free, and ride a bus for free between them. I’ll go to the Tourist Information office tomorrow to find out more about it.

What else?

I have the purple car today. I took it because it was behind the light green one, so it would be easier for Ross to get that one out than the purple one. I like it a lot. It has a great radio, and even a cd player. However, I didn’t bring a CD, as I enjoy listening to the radio when I drive. I can listen to cds at home.

When I got in it last night, I discovered that it didn’t have any gas! The needle was in the red, on empty. Our rule is that when it gets below ¼ tank, put gas in it. The only gas station I know of is out of town, as I don’t drive in Koblenz a lot, and I didn’t know if I’d make it there with that little amount of gas. I couldn’t go before my first class today, so I had to go after, at 9h30, put gas in it, and then get to my second class at 10h. Luckily, the second class is a five-minute drive from the gas station. I only put €10.96 because I don’t have a lot of money with me today. That amount only got me 10.25 litres.

The weather has been cooler this week, with the highs around 21C and lows around 10C. Monday and Tuesday were sunny, but it rained for a lot of Wednesday. Thursday has been a mixture of sun and clouds, but we haven’t had any rain yet.

I received the bill for my trip to the Canaries today. Twenty percent of it is due now and the rest is due by 15 November. I’ll pay the first part on tomorrow after my classes. The payment is done though a bank transfer, which is how most bills are paid in Germany. I’ve been told that the cost of the transfer is very small. I’m going to arrange to have my rent bank transferred directly to my landlord’s account also, for free. That way, I don’t have to try to track him down on rent day, or worry about paying it early when I’m on vacation. It’s a very handy thing.

I’m highly considering going back to Poland for a few days at the beginning of October. The third of that month is a public holiday (Reunification Day) and it would only take me 4 vacation days to get the whole week off. I could look for a scanner and cd writer and buy them tax-free. However, I’ll have to figure out if I can afford it, due to having to pay for the above-mentioned trip. Even if I can, I probably won’t be able to afford a scanner and CD writer, so forget tax free shopping.

German lessons are going well.

14h44 – That’s it for now. It’s grocery shopping time.

12 September – 13h18 – It’s Thursday again. My 13h class was a no show again, so I have some extra time. Yes, I’m at Burger King again.

Last night I went to a going away party for Paul and Marva. Marva is moving to London and Paul is returning to Portsmouth (England) this weekend. I usually don’t go out on weeknights, but made an exception. They’re great people and I’ll miss them. I had only planned on staying until 22h, but David and I ended up leaving at 24h. I got up at 5h30 this morning, so I’m a bit tired.

I’m driving the tank again today.

The week has been cold and rainy, but today is wonderfully sunny. It’s also windy and but cool (19C according to the radio).

There’s a festival this weekend called the Inner City festival. I don’t know much about it, except that it’s Friday – Sunday. I’ll probably exhaust myself and attend all of it. I love festivals.

I scheduled some vacation time this week. I’m taking the week of 30 September off to go back to Poland. I’ll leave on 28 September and spend the day in Wolfsburg, at the VW museum. I’ll then take the train to Berlin for the night. On the 29th, I’ll go to Warsaw. I’ll spend a few days there, will make one other stop and (location undetermined) and then go to Mragowo. I’ll be home on 6 October. A friend in Mragowo has already booked a hotel for me.

I’m excited about going back. I’ve already told a few friends I’m coming, and hope to get together with many. I’ll also stop in at the school I used to work at and say hi to my classes. The next time I’ll see them will be when I go back at the end of May. Basically, I’ll be there just before winter starts, and after winter ends. That’s how I like it.

I’m going to buy season tickets to the symphony. There are 10 concerts, one Friday night per month for the next ten months, and season tickets are €89. It’s a good deal and will give me something to do one Friday night per month.

What’s on for the rest of today? I have to drive back into Koblenz and pick up a cassette I forgot from the office and will probably check my mail while I’m there. Then, it’s the usual. Browse around the outlet mall shops until it’s tome for my last class. The 2nd class cancelled again, but other than being 2 hours short in my paycheck, it’s not a problem. A few people can’t attend classes for various reasons, so they’re all coming to the first class.

That’s it for now.

19 September – Once again it’s Thursday, and once again my 13h class cancelled on me. More free money.

It’s been a normal week for me. I’m still very busy with work, and 10 hours of German lessons per week has added to that. That’s okay. It’ll keep me busy.

Here’s my schedule:

Mondays – German lessons 8h30 – 11h45, teach 12h – 13h30 and 17h30 – 20h45.

Tuesdays – teach 8h30 – 9h30, 10h15 – 11h45 (both jobs out of the school) and 17h30 – 20h45 (at the school).

Wednesdays – German lessons 8h30 – 11h45, teach 12h – 13h30 and 17h30 – 20h45.

Thursdays – teach 8h30 – 9h30, 10h – 12h, 13h – 14h and 16h30 – 19h30 – all jobs this day are out of the school.

Fridays – German lessons 8h30 – 11h45, teach 12h – 13h30

Saturdays – teach every other Saturday 8h30 – 11h45.

My German is coming along, however I need to study more. Actually, study at all. I participate in class and do my homework, but haven’t studied at home in the 2-½ weeks I’ve been taking the class. I really need to, so I’ll start this weekend. I’ve been able to keep up so far, but am on the brink of falling behind. I don’t want that to happen, so I plan on studying for at least 30 minutes each day. I’ll study longer if I have the time.

My co-worker (and friend) Laure and I went out for lunch yesterday. She’s a French teacher at our school and is a great person. Unfortunately, this is her last month in Koblenz. Her boyfriend got a job teaching at a school in northern Germany, so she’s moving up there with him (they’ve been together for 8 years). I’ll miss her a lot.

Nine days until vacation!!! I can’t wait to get back to Poland. I’ve already arranged to see some friends in Warsaw, Gdansk and Mragowo. I probably won’t want to return to Germany. I hope I have a good time.

I’m considering getting a mobile phone here. I don’t really need it, but it would be more convenient than running down to the payphone on the rare occasion I want to make a call. Also, I had to email a friend in Poland to make a reservation for me at a hostel in Warsaw, and can’t make one in Gdansk until I get to Poland and my mobile starts working again. If I get one in Germany, I’ll make sure it’s not restricted to the country, like my Poland one is. I’ll also probably get one on a 24 month contract, because you usually get the phone at a great price, sometimes as low as €1, depending on the phone. O2, one of the mobile companies in Germany, has a plan where if you’re within 500 metres of your home, it works as a home phone and if you’re farther than that, it works as a mobile (all with the same number).

I bought my season tickets to the Symphony yesterday. It’ll give me something to do on Friday nights throughout the winter (there is one concert every month for the next 9 months, with the exception of November, which has two converts).

I have the purple car today.

29 September – 6h56 – I’m writing this on EC 45 on my way to Frankfurt. My destination: Poland!

What a busy week I’ve had. Not only did I have to do my normal work and preparation, I also had to make lesson plans for next week, to make it easier for the teachers covering my classes.

On Tuesday, my bankers gave me bad news…every second person in their department (Account Executives for middle markets) being laid off in Deutsche Bank’s restructuring program, and the ones that survive are being relocated to Mainz, near Frankfurt. That’ll end our lessons, and they expect it to happen by the end of the year. I’ll miss them.

Also on Tuesday, I told my Deutsche Telecom group that I was going on vacation next week. One of them said, “Are you coming back?” The reason for that question was because I started with that group when one of our former teachers went on vacation. She never came back from vacation, so I inherited the group. They were thinking that the same thing might happen if I go on vacation. I assured them that I was coming back and that I really like teaching their group.

I had the tank again on Thursday. I’m getting used to it now.

Yesterday was an extremely busy day for me. I got to work at 8h30 and work (preparing lessons, grading tests, etc) until 10h (I skipped the first part of my German lesson). Then, I had German lessons from 10h15 – 11h45, taught a class 12h – 13h30, did a make up lesson 14h – 15h30, did a second makeup lesson 17h30 – 19h, went to a friend’s going away party 19h15 – 9h45, went to the symphony 20h – 21h, went back to the going away party 21h15 – 22h30, and then went to a pub with Ross, Steph and Jessica 23h – 01h. I got up at 5h this morning.

I left the symphony during intermission because I wanted to get back to Laure’s going away party. I have season tickets to it, so I have nine more concerts, but there’s only one going away party for Laure.

Interestingly enough, at the going away party, my bosses (David and Annette) were there, because my friend is also a co-worker, and we got to talking about work for a bit. I told them that I feel lucky that I really like all of my students. Annette then told me that they really like me, as she’s only heard them say good things about me. I was very glad to hear that.

7h15 – It’s lighter out now. You can easily see the barges and the river. This has got to be on of my all time favourite train routes.

7h20 – The sky is a beautiful red colour now.

Here’s a quiz for you to find out your pirate name http://www.fidius.org/quiz/pirate.php.

Mine is Black Tom Bonney
Here’s the description:

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate’s life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!