So beloved readers, here we are again, after my lovely trip home to the US. I am not going to speak too much on that subject here, as it does not involve Germany, but it was a lovely time, and great to see so many friends and family. I saw a few movies, including the amazing Les Miserables, whose soundtrack is now serenading me, and has been for the last three weeks. If you haven't seen it, go.
While flying back to America I struck up a conversation with a German woman who had been on holiday in the best country in the world. She told me that she loved it in America, and that people there were way more open and friendly. This is a comment I have heard many Germans say about Americans, and something I myself have missed while in Germany. It is not that Germans are unfriendly, once you get to know them they are great, but they have a certain shell which is difficult to penetrate, and to foreigners, they can come off as quite unfriendly. Meanwhile, Americans like to strike up conversations with strangers and are simply (most of the time) more willing to talk and converse. Contrary to last year's theme of fitting in, I decided to start this year off by putting some American culture into little old Rimbach. It was the woman on the plane who helped me realize that while Germans are less open, they love how friendly Americans are, and I decided to play that to my advantage. Thus it was that my first trip back to the grocery store had me asking the cashier in German: "How is it going today?" The blank stare I got back told the story of the differences between the two cultures. She had no idea why I was asking and how to respond. I asked again. Finally she responds: "Goood...?" At which point I realized that the only way we were going to connect was if I just took over the conversation, so without being asked I told her how tired I was from jet lag and that I had just come back from America, and my greatest fears and worries and trials and tribulations, my dreams, and everything there was to know about myself. We ended up having a nice chat, and I felt like my job of bringing American culture to Germany had successfully begun. It wasn't until a week later, however, that I realized the impact a small effort to start conversation can have on people. I was going through the checkout with the same cashier, but was having a downer day and just didn't have the motivation to start a conversation with her. I was planning on going through silently and conceding defeat when the cashier asks: "How's it going today?" We ended up having a great conversation. I still wonder at the fact, that only a week after a woman was dumfounded at the fact that I asked her how she was in the grocery store, she took initiative to ask me. I think it points to the power of making an effort to be friendly to people, you never know how you much can touch them.
It was also nice to be picked up by a fellow teacher at the airport in Germany. It was a strange feeling to be flying "home" to a foreign country, but it was nice to have friends to greet me immediately. The last three weeks have not been too eventful, as we have wrapped up the second semester. I have badly jammed two fingers in basketball and suffered a severe cut on another finger, but they are healing fast. Last week I was compelled to ask my students to anonymously fill out sheets answering how much and in what ways their English has improved this year, and in what ways my class is good and bad. I was admittedly quite nervous about the potential responses as at times I do not consider myself that great of a teacher. To my surprise, however, every response was overwhelmingly positive. Students indicated that their English was vastly improving and that they loved my teaching style. Several even called me the best English teacher ever. I feel incredibly grateful and blessed.
This Friday I was also invited by several students to go mountain biking with their sport class. I took up the challenge and joined them on a four hour bike ride through the Odenwald. Definitely a major highlight of the year to date. It was around 40 degrees and raining, but about 15 of us all toughed it out. At times it was as strenuous of a ride as I've had, climbing a steep mountain for a solid two hours. Every now and then, we had a gap in the fog and it allowed one to admire the incredible natural beauty of the Odenwald. Cows, pastures, beautiful forests, and rolling mini-mountains with little towns dotted throughout. The way down was incredibly cold, as our bikes skidded through mud and dirt splattered our faces. I was incredibly sore afterwards, but it was a great time. Today, around 15 students and 3 teachers came to watch me play basketball in Weinheim! I feel once again grateful and blessed that so many people would take 2 hours out of their Sunday to see me play. After shaking off initial nerves and my first two missed shots, I hit my last 3 and finished with 8 points, an ok game, but we won, which is the most important thing. Soon, some of the seniors will come over to my apartment and we will go over to the MLS, setting up the Super Bowl on a big screen. It should be a blast. With that, dear readers, I must leave you all.
Be merry and enjoy life, till my next post,
Luke
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Monday, December 10, 2012
An MLS ChristmasFest
Hey beloved readers,
So contrary to previous statements and promises uttered in my past posts, I failed to continuously update you all, and resorted again to my tendencies of procrastinating until I have a post full of information. Perhaps over New Years I will resolve to update more frequently, but I hate failing at things, so probably not. Anyways, I'll try to simply include the highlights of the last few weeks.
I'm not exactly sure how long it's been since last I put quill to paper, but let me assure you, it doesn't matter that I know right when I last updated you all, not too much has happened. Contrary to my excitement-filled November, my December has been much more run of the mill. Weeks of classes and basketball have gone by without too much to note. As far as classes go, I finished grading a ton of tests for my 11th grade class so I don't have too much work at the moment, and soon I will be giving a test to my 9th graders. Also my conversation class is reading Lord of the Flies which is great to read again! In terms of basketball, I finally worked my way into the starting five! Our coach was absent two games ago, and he left some players in charge. Since the players actually realize that I'm good, they immediately put me in the starting five and I responded with leading the team with 18 points! Yesterday we had another game and our coach left me in the starting five but I played horribly, so we'll see what happens next weekend... After the game I said to my coach "sorry, I played horribly today" and he responded with "good that you noticed", just so you guys can get an idea of him. Not my favorite guy. But my stats are recorded online so that's super awesome, and I'm 2nd in the league in free throw percentage!
The main highlight of the last few weeks came two weekends ago, however, at the MLS Weihnachtskonzert (Christmas concert for all you German-impaired readers). It was the same weekend as Christmasfest at St. Olaf, and thus a weekend which could easily lend itself to some bouts of college-sickness on the part of yours truly. However, playing in the Weihnachtskonzert was truly a blessing all weekend. There was a concert on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and it consisted of all the musical groups at the MLS and lasted around two and a half hours. I spent most of my time sitting backstage waiting to play, and while that could have been very boring, it was actually great to meet a ton of students outside of a classroom setting. I talked to my 9th graders a ton in German, and I think I made a few fans in a grade I previously thought didn't like me! Like Berlin, it was fun to let my personality shine through in an environment which was much more relaxed. I gave fist bumps to my fellow musicians as I went on stage and just had a blast. I had an improv solo with the jazz band which went really well all three nights and drew awesome, but unexpected, cheers from the crowd. On Friday night a group of students screamed "Mr. Obermann!!" as I walked on stage, which was really awesome. I also met some upper class students, who spoke great English and several of whom had studied in America already. It was nice to get to know some kids, who at 19, are really not that far from my age. Friday night I went out to a bar in town with some teachers and students and we had a really good time, and I ate dinner with a bunch of the upperclassmen after the concert on Saturday. All in all it was a great weekend filled with music and friends, as trite as that sounds.
Snow has begun to fall here in the Odenwald, and it is quite beautiful. I plan to get some photos soon, when the timing is right. Christmas spirit is definitely in the air, students are getting restless, lights are going up, and Weihnachtsmarkte are popping up all over the place. I'm also starting to miss my family and friends more, and I am really looking forward to the three weeks I will soon be spending with them over the holidays. This is probably the last update you will receive from me until I get back, barring any life changing events, so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
So contrary to previous statements and promises uttered in my past posts, I failed to continuously update you all, and resorted again to my tendencies of procrastinating until I have a post full of information. Perhaps over New Years I will resolve to update more frequently, but I hate failing at things, so probably not. Anyways, I'll try to simply include the highlights of the last few weeks.
I'm not exactly sure how long it's been since last I put quill to paper, but let me assure you, it doesn't matter that I know right when I last updated you all, not too much has happened. Contrary to my excitement-filled November, my December has been much more run of the mill. Weeks of classes and basketball have gone by without too much to note. As far as classes go, I finished grading a ton of tests for my 11th grade class so I don't have too much work at the moment, and soon I will be giving a test to my 9th graders. Also my conversation class is reading Lord of the Flies which is great to read again! In terms of basketball, I finally worked my way into the starting five! Our coach was absent two games ago, and he left some players in charge. Since the players actually realize that I'm good, they immediately put me in the starting five and I responded with leading the team with 18 points! Yesterday we had another game and our coach left me in the starting five but I played horribly, so we'll see what happens next weekend... After the game I said to my coach "sorry, I played horribly today" and he responded with "good that you noticed", just so you guys can get an idea of him. Not my favorite guy. But my stats are recorded online so that's super awesome, and I'm 2nd in the league in free throw percentage!
The main highlight of the last few weeks came two weekends ago, however, at the MLS Weihnachtskonzert (Christmas concert for all you German-impaired readers). It was the same weekend as Christmasfest at St. Olaf, and thus a weekend which could easily lend itself to some bouts of college-sickness on the part of yours truly. However, playing in the Weihnachtskonzert was truly a blessing all weekend. There was a concert on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and it consisted of all the musical groups at the MLS and lasted around two and a half hours. I spent most of my time sitting backstage waiting to play, and while that could have been very boring, it was actually great to meet a ton of students outside of a classroom setting. I talked to my 9th graders a ton in German, and I think I made a few fans in a grade I previously thought didn't like me! Like Berlin, it was fun to let my personality shine through in an environment which was much more relaxed. I gave fist bumps to my fellow musicians as I went on stage and just had a blast. I had an improv solo with the jazz band which went really well all three nights and drew awesome, but unexpected, cheers from the crowd. On Friday night a group of students screamed "Mr. Obermann!!" as I walked on stage, which was really awesome. I also met some upper class students, who spoke great English and several of whom had studied in America already. It was nice to get to know some kids, who at 19, are really not that far from my age. Friday night I went out to a bar in town with some teachers and students and we had a really good time, and I ate dinner with a bunch of the upperclassmen after the concert on Saturday. All in all it was a great weekend filled with music and friends, as trite as that sounds.
Snow has begun to fall here in the Odenwald, and it is quite beautiful. I plan to get some photos soon, when the timing is right. Christmas spirit is definitely in the air, students are getting restless, lights are going up, and Weihnachtsmarkte are popping up all over the place. I'm also starting to miss my family and friends more, and I am really looking forward to the three weeks I will soon be spending with them over the holidays. This is probably the last update you will receive from me until I get back, barring any life changing events, so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
School, Friends, Berlin!
Well friends, it's been a great couple of weeks for me here in Germany, and I am continuing my late night once in a month or so ritual of sitting down at my desk and informing you of my recent shenanigans.
After my friend Thomas left to go back to his university, I refocused on teaching for my classes. Monday went as Mondays usually go and class was not all that enjoyable. What's more, a couple students really gave me some attitude. The instance came up after class. It was really cold outside and they had a free period before their next class. They wanted me to leave the room unlocked so they could chill in the warm class room, but I had previously been told by a teacher that students weren't allowed to stay in classrooms unsupervised. I wasn't 100% sure on this rule, however, and I wanted to let the kids stay since it was so cold outside. However, I decided to be safe rather than sorry, and told them that they would have to leave, and that I would inquire as to whether or not they would be allowed to stay for next week. At this point, one student in particular adamantly refused to leave and said that I was wrong and she would stay. It took me getting quite stern before she left and it all put me in a very strange position. These kind of instances come up more often than I would have thought, where I am asked by a student if they can do something that is questionably within the rules. It could be in the rules, but it could also not be, and I almost always have to make a split second and uninformed gut call on what they should be allowed to do. It is, however, a nice exercise on thinking on my toes and being confident in my decisions. I later asked another teacher if I should have let them stay in the room, and he confirmed that they were not allowed in there alone. Victory: Luke. Later that day in Big Band I was also told that one of my solos would be twice as long, and therefore involve a lot of improvisation. I actually busted some out without too much trouble and it was fun to fool around on my sax with such freedom. The concert is in a few weeks, I believe.
The rest of the week went great. I had no class on Tuesday, but I went to Weinheim as usual to coach and play some basketball. The basketball was great on Tuesday, and we had some great competition for a couple hours. I got a ride home from my friend Martin, who doesn't speak too much English, but is almost always generous enough to give me rides when I need them. I also spent much of Tuesday preparing for my Wednesday lessons as I would have to teach participal constructions in place of relative clauses and for time and reason clauses. A subject which I am able to speak perfectly, and yet I know nothing about. I did a ton of research on them and prepared a nice grammar lesson for Wednesday's class. Incidentally, Wednesday went great. Class went smooth, with my students paying attention as I explained the complicated grammatical details to them. I even took part in a card game with some of my students during one of the breaks. Little did I know that this game involved your hand getting punched and knocked on the desk if you lost. Obviously, I lost, and the students all but destroyed my hand. I like to think it won me quite a bit of respect, however. On Thursday I had my conversation class and I ended up being a little disoriented and arriving there at the start of the class before my class. I was thus at first very distraught at the fact that I had no students showing up to class!! Was I that bad?? Then I realized that I was 45 minutes early and I sat outside for a while. Some students showed up early and we ended up talking for a half hour before class. Somehow I ended up telling them about the St. Olaf Darth Vader video on Youtube, which they found great, and it now has added about 100 views in the last week. I think it's currently circulating the MLS. Friday's class also went very well, though I may have attempted to pack way too much grammar into one class, since I would be gone the next week. Afterwards, however, I asked one of my students if it was too much, and she responded that no, it was fine, and that I was much easier to understand than their last English teacher (who was far better trained than I). I took that as quite the compliment! Basketball also went great on Friday, and I was on the same team as Philipp. He's 18, and other than that, about the exact same basketball player as I. We definitely enjoy being on the same team though, as we're easily the two fastest players on the court and we can really get running. After basketball I enjoyed a movie and a nice sleep.
On Saturday, I slept in and pretty much did nothing until later in the evening when I met up with Timo and Annett at the Sonne (a bar) in town. It was my first time in the bar, which I heard was Ian's favorite, and it was nice to meet the bartender, who speaks very good English. Timo, Annett, and I then went to the Rimbacher Kerwe, which is basically just a large tent packed with a ton of people and a band, and we hung out there till late in the evening. I spent a while talking with Timo and Annett, as well as other older students from the MLS. Later in the evening, I ran into a girl named Marie, who graduated last year from the MLS and is fluent in English. We talked for a while, and she then introduced me to several other people in the tent. One of them asked me where I was from, and after I said Texas asked if I was from Austin. Turns out, he lived there for half a year for work!! I couldn't believe it, and we were instantly best friends. I also met another guy who was determined to find me a girl at the Kerwe, despite my efforts to tell him it was a bad idea. He then ended up introducing me to around ten girls, all of whom were naturally students at the MLS. So that happened. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure it was obvious that I was being introduced against my will, and not trying to hit on them. Around 2am I took my leave and went home, but it was a fun night.
The next day, I went in to Weinheim to coach a basketball game and we ended up having another brutal defeat. Shortly thereafter, however, I met up with Elizabeth Peckham and family! For those of you who don't know, Elizabeth is a friend of mine from high school. We went into the Odenwald and had a nice dinner together, and it was great to catch up with them, before they drove back to Frankfurt. I then packed my things, and went down to meet the buses which would take me and over 100 students to Berlin and left at 12:15am.
I arrived at the buses to a mob scene of parents and kids all getting on them. Thankfully, teachers had spots reserved and I had a window seat near the front. I was hoping I would be able to get some sleep and without my headphones that would have been impossible. The students were in a festive mood, as they were going on a week long trip away from school, and they talked, yelled, and sang the whole 9 hour drive through the night to Berlin. I turned on music and was able to get probably around 5 hours of sleep, not bad. The week in Berlin turned out great. I won't get into it on a day by day basis, but I'll cover some highlights. We toured plenty of museums and governmental administration buildings, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of information I could understand during our tours. We also ended up staying at the same hotel that I stayed at three years ago while studying abroad in Berlin!! I can't imagine the odds. A few of my students from my conversation class joined the trip to Berlin, and it was great having students that knew me relatively well and wanted to talk to me. It was also nice getting to know some other teachers from the MLS better, while we went together with groups of students on tours. An especially pleasant surprise was how much my German improved. I got to know several teachers much better, and talked to them only through German. I'm finally at the point where I have no fear of hanging out with someone for a long time and letting a conversation wander in German. It's also nice to finally let my personality shine through in a foreign language. I'm finally being able to express stories in relatively the way I want to, and to spontaneously strike up conversations with soldiers at the Ministry of Defense, for example. Tuesday night proved to be an especially fun night, as we took the students to a club especially made for students. It's actually a great idea as it is then easier to control for the drinking age and everyone in the club was young except for us teachers. It was hilarious going to a club with students, however, and many of them would often drag me out on to the dance floor where I could show of my moves with groups of students. It was a fun night, and afterwards, I unfortunately did not have enough energy to go find an election party and stay up all night to see if Obama would win. I found out the next morning by asking the receptionist. I was also pleasantly surprised this week by having several students come up to me and say that my class is the best class or that I am the best teacher. It really was quite a confidence boost, and I can see why appreciation from your students is one of the true joys of teaching. The best one of these moments was when I met several students at a Christmas market and hung out with them for about 30 minutes before our tour. Several of them ended up buying me a huge cookie heart which says "Opa, your awesome" on it, and one of them gave me his hat to wear. Meanwhile, they all wanted a picture with me, and seemed to think I was pretty cool for wearing the hat and cookie heart around. Apparently, many students have now heard of that incident as well, but it's nice to express my energy with them and just have fun whenever I can. I'm really glad I could get to know more of my students a lot better on this trip. Thankfully, the bus ride back from Berlin was much more subdued and easier to sleep on. We arrived back at 2am on Saturday, and I got a much needed night of sleep back home.
Classes start up again on Monday, and I'll be sure to keep y'all posted.
'Till then, the Jayhawk season just started, ROCK CHALK!
After my friend Thomas left to go back to his university, I refocused on teaching for my classes. Monday went as Mondays usually go and class was not all that enjoyable. What's more, a couple students really gave me some attitude. The instance came up after class. It was really cold outside and they had a free period before their next class. They wanted me to leave the room unlocked so they could chill in the warm class room, but I had previously been told by a teacher that students weren't allowed to stay in classrooms unsupervised. I wasn't 100% sure on this rule, however, and I wanted to let the kids stay since it was so cold outside. However, I decided to be safe rather than sorry, and told them that they would have to leave, and that I would inquire as to whether or not they would be allowed to stay for next week. At this point, one student in particular adamantly refused to leave and said that I was wrong and she would stay. It took me getting quite stern before she left and it all put me in a very strange position. These kind of instances come up more often than I would have thought, where I am asked by a student if they can do something that is questionably within the rules. It could be in the rules, but it could also not be, and I almost always have to make a split second and uninformed gut call on what they should be allowed to do. It is, however, a nice exercise on thinking on my toes and being confident in my decisions. I later asked another teacher if I should have let them stay in the room, and he confirmed that they were not allowed in there alone. Victory: Luke. Later that day in Big Band I was also told that one of my solos would be twice as long, and therefore involve a lot of improvisation. I actually busted some out without too much trouble and it was fun to fool around on my sax with such freedom. The concert is in a few weeks, I believe.
The rest of the week went great. I had no class on Tuesday, but I went to Weinheim as usual to coach and play some basketball. The basketball was great on Tuesday, and we had some great competition for a couple hours. I got a ride home from my friend Martin, who doesn't speak too much English, but is almost always generous enough to give me rides when I need them. I also spent much of Tuesday preparing for my Wednesday lessons as I would have to teach participal constructions in place of relative clauses and for time and reason clauses. A subject which I am able to speak perfectly, and yet I know nothing about. I did a ton of research on them and prepared a nice grammar lesson for Wednesday's class. Incidentally, Wednesday went great. Class went smooth, with my students paying attention as I explained the complicated grammatical details to them. I even took part in a card game with some of my students during one of the breaks. Little did I know that this game involved your hand getting punched and knocked on the desk if you lost. Obviously, I lost, and the students all but destroyed my hand. I like to think it won me quite a bit of respect, however. On Thursday I had my conversation class and I ended up being a little disoriented and arriving there at the start of the class before my class. I was thus at first very distraught at the fact that I had no students showing up to class!! Was I that bad?? Then I realized that I was 45 minutes early and I sat outside for a while. Some students showed up early and we ended up talking for a half hour before class. Somehow I ended up telling them about the St. Olaf Darth Vader video on Youtube, which they found great, and it now has added about 100 views in the last week. I think it's currently circulating the MLS. Friday's class also went very well, though I may have attempted to pack way too much grammar into one class, since I would be gone the next week. Afterwards, however, I asked one of my students if it was too much, and she responded that no, it was fine, and that I was much easier to understand than their last English teacher (who was far better trained than I). I took that as quite the compliment! Basketball also went great on Friday, and I was on the same team as Philipp. He's 18, and other than that, about the exact same basketball player as I. We definitely enjoy being on the same team though, as we're easily the two fastest players on the court and we can really get running. After basketball I enjoyed a movie and a nice sleep.
On Saturday, I slept in and pretty much did nothing until later in the evening when I met up with Timo and Annett at the Sonne (a bar) in town. It was my first time in the bar, which I heard was Ian's favorite, and it was nice to meet the bartender, who speaks very good English. Timo, Annett, and I then went to the Rimbacher Kerwe, which is basically just a large tent packed with a ton of people and a band, and we hung out there till late in the evening. I spent a while talking with Timo and Annett, as well as other older students from the MLS. Later in the evening, I ran into a girl named Marie, who graduated last year from the MLS and is fluent in English. We talked for a while, and she then introduced me to several other people in the tent. One of them asked me where I was from, and after I said Texas asked if I was from Austin. Turns out, he lived there for half a year for work!! I couldn't believe it, and we were instantly best friends. I also met another guy who was determined to find me a girl at the Kerwe, despite my efforts to tell him it was a bad idea. He then ended up introducing me to around ten girls, all of whom were naturally students at the MLS. So that happened. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure it was obvious that I was being introduced against my will, and not trying to hit on them. Around 2am I took my leave and went home, but it was a fun night.
The next day, I went in to Weinheim to coach a basketball game and we ended up having another brutal defeat. Shortly thereafter, however, I met up with Elizabeth Peckham and family! For those of you who don't know, Elizabeth is a friend of mine from high school. We went into the Odenwald and had a nice dinner together, and it was great to catch up with them, before they drove back to Frankfurt. I then packed my things, and went down to meet the buses which would take me and over 100 students to Berlin and left at 12:15am.
I arrived at the buses to a mob scene of parents and kids all getting on them. Thankfully, teachers had spots reserved and I had a window seat near the front. I was hoping I would be able to get some sleep and without my headphones that would have been impossible. The students were in a festive mood, as they were going on a week long trip away from school, and they talked, yelled, and sang the whole 9 hour drive through the night to Berlin. I turned on music and was able to get probably around 5 hours of sleep, not bad. The week in Berlin turned out great. I won't get into it on a day by day basis, but I'll cover some highlights. We toured plenty of museums and governmental administration buildings, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of information I could understand during our tours. We also ended up staying at the same hotel that I stayed at three years ago while studying abroad in Berlin!! I can't imagine the odds. A few of my students from my conversation class joined the trip to Berlin, and it was great having students that knew me relatively well and wanted to talk to me. It was also nice getting to know some other teachers from the MLS better, while we went together with groups of students on tours. An especially pleasant surprise was how much my German improved. I got to know several teachers much better, and talked to them only through German. I'm finally at the point where I have no fear of hanging out with someone for a long time and letting a conversation wander in German. It's also nice to finally let my personality shine through in a foreign language. I'm finally being able to express stories in relatively the way I want to, and to spontaneously strike up conversations with soldiers at the Ministry of Defense, for example. Tuesday night proved to be an especially fun night, as we took the students to a club especially made for students. It's actually a great idea as it is then easier to control for the drinking age and everyone in the club was young except for us teachers. It was hilarious going to a club with students, however, and many of them would often drag me out on to the dance floor where I could show of my moves with groups of students. It was a fun night, and afterwards, I unfortunately did not have enough energy to go find an election party and stay up all night to see if Obama would win. I found out the next morning by asking the receptionist. I was also pleasantly surprised this week by having several students come up to me and say that my class is the best class or that I am the best teacher. It really was quite a confidence boost, and I can see why appreciation from your students is one of the true joys of teaching. The best one of these moments was when I met several students at a Christmas market and hung out with them for about 30 minutes before our tour. Several of them ended up buying me a huge cookie heart which says "Opa, your awesome" on it, and one of them gave me his hat to wear. Meanwhile, they all wanted a picture with me, and seemed to think I was pretty cool for wearing the hat and cookie heart around. Apparently, many students have now heard of that incident as well, but it's nice to express my energy with them and just have fun whenever I can. I'm really glad I could get to know more of my students a lot better on this trip. Thankfully, the bus ride back from Berlin was much more subdued and easier to sleep on. We arrived back at 2am on Saturday, and I got a much needed night of sleep back home.
Classes start up again on Monday, and I'll be sure to keep y'all posted.
'Till then, the Jayhawk season just started, ROCK CHALK!
Monday, October 29, 2012
...Some Time Later
Dear loyal fans and readers,
I am most sorry for the delay in updating all of you with my life stories. I have no real excuse for my lateness and I can only hope that those of you eagerly waiting for a post were able to somehow find some other reading material with which to pass the time. But your patience has paid off! Here is the story of my life in the last month.
I have continued to play and coach basketball in the area, and that has gone relatively smoothly. Unfortunately for me, the first basketball game that I coached resulted in a loss by over a 100 point margin. We had only five players who were far outmatched in athleticism by the opposing team, and after two of them fouled out, it was tough to keep up playing 5 against 3. Nevertheless, as one not accustomed to losing, that was rough. It has been tough coaching sometimes, since I am only an assistant coach and the main coach knows a ton more about how to run a practice than I do. Therefore, I often find myself standing around doing nothing, and it can be frustrating not feeling that helpful. I tend to enjoy Friday practices a lot more, when we split up the team and I take half of them on my own, and thus feel much more effective as a coach. As far as playing basketball goes, I got off to a slow start and only scored 2 points in our first victory. But I dished out 7 assists with 0 turnovers so still not a bad stat line. However, in my most recent game, I finally came out playing with more confidence and came into the game with our team down 12 in the second half. By the time I left, we were only down 2. I had 11 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals, so I'm not at all upset about that. We did lose by 1 however. My next game won't be until the 11th. Basketball continues to be a highlight of my week however, and it's great bonding with a bunch of the guys on the team. There are several guys around my age and we usually chill together during practice. One of them lives near me and he is nice enough to give me rides home when I need them. He also wants to watch some American sports with me in the near future so that will be nice. I may actually have a Super Bowl party after all!
Teaching is going well for the most part. I suppose the low point is my ninth grade class. I'm not sure if it is that age, that particular class, or me as a teacher, but we just don't seem to be gelling that well. They don't seem quite interested in me or my class, and I'm not having that much fun teaching them sometimes. However, I plan to continue to make an effort with them and things should go uphill. It just seems to be a tricky age, when those kids start to really get attitudes and think they're cool, yet are not mature enough yet to really be reasoned with. My 11th grade class is going great, however, as is my conversation class. I had a class meeting with my 11th graders, which basically means going out to a restaurant with them, and it was great to get to know several of them outside of class as well. They are good students, and come to class interested, hence boosting my enthusiasm and leading to good classes. Meanwhile, some of my conversation class students came up to me and told me they were excited to have me on their bus as we go to Berlin in a week, so that was good to hear. The main tough part about teaching comes from doing a job that I wasn't really educated to perform. It's really tough to have confidence in your work, when you don't always know what you are doing, but I am doing my best to welcome this as a challenge to really grow as a person.
Other updates from the last month include my dad visiting and my fall break. Two weeks before my fall break my dad visited from Texas. I lucked out on his visit because Wednesday was a national holiday, I had no class Tuesday, I cancelled my conversation class on Thursday, got a sub for Friday, and Monday's class was really early. Thus my dad and I were basically free to travel the entire week. We went to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Malmo, Sweden for a couple days and played several rounds of disc golf. Some people may like to get to know a country by seeing the sights, but I find little better than getting your hands dirty while throwing around a frisbee in a park. We had some great seafood in Copenhagen which ended up costing a ton, but my dad was nice enough to pay! We also drove to Munich, and enjoyed a Friday evening of Oktoberfest fun in a big tent! The beer was incredible and the atmosphere was like nothing I've ever really experienced before. Loud music, people sitting on benches, thousands of people packed into a tent, people standing on tables and singing, a million cheers throughout the night, and many new friends. I need to go back someday. It was also great just to show my dad around Rimbach, and have him see where I'm living. We went to what is quickly becoming my favorite restaurant in the area, and had the local specialty: Kochkäseschnitzel. Basically it's like breaded veal, covered in grilled onions, covered in melted cheese. It is amazing. My dad was also able to come to a couple of my basketball games for the first time since I was in middle school. His visit seemed to blow by, but it was great having him here.
Only a week later, fall break arrived and I flew to Venice for only 12 euros!! Ah, the beauty of cheap airlines! American needs some of those! Once in Venice, I met up with my cousins Garrett and Stacy, and my spirits were probably as high as they have been all fall. It was great to see them, and romp the streets of Europe, getting lost among the alleyways as I made many gut instinct calls on how to get back to our hostel. Garrett and I were adventurous enough to try the local Venetian cuisine: noodles dyed in squid ink, and they did not disappoint. We next took a train to Bologna, a highlight of which included a girl asking us to take a picture of her with a boy. They were hugging, holding hands, and kissing, so clearly together. We then asked her to take a picture of the three of us. They boy was inadvertently standing in the way, and she needed to get him to move. She tried to wave him away with her hands, and then called out to him: "Hey..hey...uh....oh what's his name....move!" Garrett and I were both in shock. The entire day went by with us wondering how this girl could be with this guy and somehow not know his name. Then by sheer luck we saw her hours later in the day and we got the chance to ask her! Turns out, they are dating, and she just momentarily forgot the name.... All the luck in the world to that couple. After Bologna was Florence, which was probably my favorite of our Italian cities. It was beautiful and artsy, but with enough of a local and young feel to not feel overwhelming. We saw the David for 11 euros, which to me was a little expensive, but it was spectacular nonetheless. We also found our two favorite restaurants of the trip. The first was supposed to be a great restaurant, and I ordered a traditional Florentine steak. It was great. Stacy, however, ordered tripe, unaware that that is a cow's stomach, and upon seeing what she was brought almost threw up on the waitress before swearing off meat forever. Garrett ordered ravioli, and enjoyed his 8 pieces of ravioli at the price of about 1 euro per piece. When I got the bill, I almost died at how much my steak cost. Basically, that restaurant was our favorite because of how absurd the night was. The second restaurant we found was in a less touristy area of Florence, and was a nice pizzeria with a brick oven. The pizza was amazing, and we ate there two days in a row. I was able to eat a delicious seafood pizza, and the staff was nice enough to round down the bill! Our last meal there cost 33,50, and they charged only 30! Someday, I will return. Our last stop was Rome, where we stayed in a great hostel and were able to meet some cool people. We spent our first night there going to a Lazio vs. AC Milan soccer game at the Stadio Olimpico. It was amazing, Lazio won 3-2, and we became Lazio fans for life. The second day was spent walking around the coliseum and just hanging out. The next morning, I left at 5:30am to fly back to Germany. It was amazing to see my cousins, and I am extremely lucky to have two cousins who I can consider as close to me as anyone I have in my life.
The rest of my break was spent in a rather quiet fashion, which was needed, and I have begun looking for and applying for management consultant positions back in the US, for when I return. This past weekend, I welcomed a visit from Thomas Zürn, whom I met while he studied in Austin at my high school for a year! He lives about 2 hours away from me, and he came and stayed all weekend. It was a great visit. We caught up on all sorts of stories from our lives and enjoyed the best that Rimbach has to offer. Meanwhile, we found tortillas in Rimbach, and made breakfast tacos that we will remember forever! Gosh, that was a needed meal. Note to mom and dad: Thank you so much for the salsa.
Rimbach received it's first snow this weekend, though it quickly melted, however the hills within view of my house are still frosted white. I have another week of classes upon me, before I join the 11th graders in a school trip to Berlin. I will also welcome the Peckham's to Rimbach on Sunday night for a nice dinner, which I am looking forward to. That's all for now dear friends, thanks for reading, and I'll try to make this a little more regular, hence keeping the entries shorter!
Luke
I am most sorry for the delay in updating all of you with my life stories. I have no real excuse for my lateness and I can only hope that those of you eagerly waiting for a post were able to somehow find some other reading material with which to pass the time. But your patience has paid off! Here is the story of my life in the last month.
I have continued to play and coach basketball in the area, and that has gone relatively smoothly. Unfortunately for me, the first basketball game that I coached resulted in a loss by over a 100 point margin. We had only five players who were far outmatched in athleticism by the opposing team, and after two of them fouled out, it was tough to keep up playing 5 against 3. Nevertheless, as one not accustomed to losing, that was rough. It has been tough coaching sometimes, since I am only an assistant coach and the main coach knows a ton more about how to run a practice than I do. Therefore, I often find myself standing around doing nothing, and it can be frustrating not feeling that helpful. I tend to enjoy Friday practices a lot more, when we split up the team and I take half of them on my own, and thus feel much more effective as a coach. As far as playing basketball goes, I got off to a slow start and only scored 2 points in our first victory. But I dished out 7 assists with 0 turnovers so still not a bad stat line. However, in my most recent game, I finally came out playing with more confidence and came into the game with our team down 12 in the second half. By the time I left, we were only down 2. I had 11 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals, so I'm not at all upset about that. We did lose by 1 however. My next game won't be until the 11th. Basketball continues to be a highlight of my week however, and it's great bonding with a bunch of the guys on the team. There are several guys around my age and we usually chill together during practice. One of them lives near me and he is nice enough to give me rides home when I need them. He also wants to watch some American sports with me in the near future so that will be nice. I may actually have a Super Bowl party after all!
Teaching is going well for the most part. I suppose the low point is my ninth grade class. I'm not sure if it is that age, that particular class, or me as a teacher, but we just don't seem to be gelling that well. They don't seem quite interested in me or my class, and I'm not having that much fun teaching them sometimes. However, I plan to continue to make an effort with them and things should go uphill. It just seems to be a tricky age, when those kids start to really get attitudes and think they're cool, yet are not mature enough yet to really be reasoned with. My 11th grade class is going great, however, as is my conversation class. I had a class meeting with my 11th graders, which basically means going out to a restaurant with them, and it was great to get to know several of them outside of class as well. They are good students, and come to class interested, hence boosting my enthusiasm and leading to good classes. Meanwhile, some of my conversation class students came up to me and told me they were excited to have me on their bus as we go to Berlin in a week, so that was good to hear. The main tough part about teaching comes from doing a job that I wasn't really educated to perform. It's really tough to have confidence in your work, when you don't always know what you are doing, but I am doing my best to welcome this as a challenge to really grow as a person.
Other updates from the last month include my dad visiting and my fall break. Two weeks before my fall break my dad visited from Texas. I lucked out on his visit because Wednesday was a national holiday, I had no class Tuesday, I cancelled my conversation class on Thursday, got a sub for Friday, and Monday's class was really early. Thus my dad and I were basically free to travel the entire week. We went to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Malmo, Sweden for a couple days and played several rounds of disc golf. Some people may like to get to know a country by seeing the sights, but I find little better than getting your hands dirty while throwing around a frisbee in a park. We had some great seafood in Copenhagen which ended up costing a ton, but my dad was nice enough to pay! We also drove to Munich, and enjoyed a Friday evening of Oktoberfest fun in a big tent! The beer was incredible and the atmosphere was like nothing I've ever really experienced before. Loud music, people sitting on benches, thousands of people packed into a tent, people standing on tables and singing, a million cheers throughout the night, and many new friends. I need to go back someday. It was also great just to show my dad around Rimbach, and have him see where I'm living. We went to what is quickly becoming my favorite restaurant in the area, and had the local specialty: Kochkäseschnitzel. Basically it's like breaded veal, covered in grilled onions, covered in melted cheese. It is amazing. My dad was also able to come to a couple of my basketball games for the first time since I was in middle school. His visit seemed to blow by, but it was great having him here.
Only a week later, fall break arrived and I flew to Venice for only 12 euros!! Ah, the beauty of cheap airlines! American needs some of those! Once in Venice, I met up with my cousins Garrett and Stacy, and my spirits were probably as high as they have been all fall. It was great to see them, and romp the streets of Europe, getting lost among the alleyways as I made many gut instinct calls on how to get back to our hostel. Garrett and I were adventurous enough to try the local Venetian cuisine: noodles dyed in squid ink, and they did not disappoint. We next took a train to Bologna, a highlight of which included a girl asking us to take a picture of her with a boy. They were hugging, holding hands, and kissing, so clearly together. We then asked her to take a picture of the three of us. They boy was inadvertently standing in the way, and she needed to get him to move. She tried to wave him away with her hands, and then called out to him: "Hey..hey...uh....oh what's his name....move!" Garrett and I were both in shock. The entire day went by with us wondering how this girl could be with this guy and somehow not know his name. Then by sheer luck we saw her hours later in the day and we got the chance to ask her! Turns out, they are dating, and she just momentarily forgot the name.... All the luck in the world to that couple. After Bologna was Florence, which was probably my favorite of our Italian cities. It was beautiful and artsy, but with enough of a local and young feel to not feel overwhelming. We saw the David for 11 euros, which to me was a little expensive, but it was spectacular nonetheless. We also found our two favorite restaurants of the trip. The first was supposed to be a great restaurant, and I ordered a traditional Florentine steak. It was great. Stacy, however, ordered tripe, unaware that that is a cow's stomach, and upon seeing what she was brought almost threw up on the waitress before swearing off meat forever. Garrett ordered ravioli, and enjoyed his 8 pieces of ravioli at the price of about 1 euro per piece. When I got the bill, I almost died at how much my steak cost. Basically, that restaurant was our favorite because of how absurd the night was. The second restaurant we found was in a less touristy area of Florence, and was a nice pizzeria with a brick oven. The pizza was amazing, and we ate there two days in a row. I was able to eat a delicious seafood pizza, and the staff was nice enough to round down the bill! Our last meal there cost 33,50, and they charged only 30! Someday, I will return. Our last stop was Rome, where we stayed in a great hostel and were able to meet some cool people. We spent our first night there going to a Lazio vs. AC Milan soccer game at the Stadio Olimpico. It was amazing, Lazio won 3-2, and we became Lazio fans for life. The second day was spent walking around the coliseum and just hanging out. The next morning, I left at 5:30am to fly back to Germany. It was amazing to see my cousins, and I am extremely lucky to have two cousins who I can consider as close to me as anyone I have in my life.
The rest of my break was spent in a rather quiet fashion, which was needed, and I have begun looking for and applying for management consultant positions back in the US, for when I return. This past weekend, I welcomed a visit from Thomas Zürn, whom I met while he studied in Austin at my high school for a year! He lives about 2 hours away from me, and he came and stayed all weekend. It was a great visit. We caught up on all sorts of stories from our lives and enjoyed the best that Rimbach has to offer. Meanwhile, we found tortillas in Rimbach, and made breakfast tacos that we will remember forever! Gosh, that was a needed meal. Note to mom and dad: Thank you so much for the salsa.
Rimbach received it's first snow this weekend, though it quickly melted, however the hills within view of my house are still frosted white. I have another week of classes upon me, before I join the 11th graders in a school trip to Berlin. I will also welcome the Peckham's to Rimbach on Sunday night for a nice dinner, which I am looking forward to. That's all for now dear friends, thanks for reading, and I'll try to make this a little more regular, hence keeping the entries shorter!
Luke
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Third Person
I'm writing here today to alert you of a certain phenomenon which I became aware of during my second or third week here in the Odenwald. I began to notice that whenever people referred to other people by their names, they would always put the word "the" in front of the name. For example, it is common to hear one say, "I was talking to the so-and-so the other day..." It turns out this is just part of the unique way of speaking in this region. At first it sounded very strange to me, but, being more than willing to take any opportunity to try to blend in, I began to adapt this strange colloquialism. To say I enjoy it would be quite the understatement. I have always longed to refer to myself in the third person in English. Sadly, it just comes off too darn egotistical. Now, however, I proudly introduce myself as "the Luke Obermann" whenever the opportunity arises. Alas, such a manner of speaking will be sorely missed upon my return, but makes it all the easier to cherish these next 9 months.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Updates!
Hey all,
It's been about two weeks since I've updated everyone with life here in little 'ol Rimbach, so here's what I've been up to, with some added commentary.
Two weeks ago ended up being a great week! Classes went more or less smoothly, and I continue to play basketball twice a week. Furthermore, on Thursday, I went out to Winzerfest in Bensheim with several other teachers, which is basically a festival in the middle of town where they only have wine to drink. We all drank a bunch of wine and hung out and it was really fun! I also made tentative plans with another teacher, Timo, to possibly visit Sweden and Norway this coming summer, so we will see whether or not that works out.
On Friday I played more basketball and I was offered a job coaching in town! That sounds like a great and fun opportunity, and a nice way to earn a little more money! Furthermore, after basketball one of the players told me he was driving back near Rimbach, so he offered me a ride. He even bought me dinner at McDonalds on the way back, and we spent around an hour talking and driving back, all in German of course. He dropped me off near Rimach, where my bike was, and I rode it through the center of town, when I thought I heard "LUKE!". After investigating, it turns out a friend of mine was taking a short break from work and had seen me. I'm finally getting to the point where I see people I know almost every time I go out in town! Victory! I got a few beers with him in a pub and met some more of his friends. One of them spoke very good English, and after learning that I don't have a car, offered to give me his scooter! So we will see if that happens. I could be living the dream soon, scootering around Europe! I spent Saturday evening going to a colleague's birthday party. Throughout the weekend, I was struck by the generosity I have so far encountered in my travels. Everyone seems more than willing to help me out when I have questions, they are generous with their money and buy me drinks all the time, and they give me rides back from basketball! Such encounters really make me reflect on how amazing people can be.
I didn't have much to do this last week, as one of my classes involved working on a presentation all week, and the other consisted of an exam. That does mean, however, that I now have a pile of exams to grade. Woo! One of my students showed me how to watch the NFL online though, and it's great to spend a Sunday evening procrastinating and watching football! Just like in college. My conversation class is going really well, and the kids really enjoy participating. After class this week, several of the kids had 45 min till their next class and they were sitting outside talking so they asked me to join them. We spent the next 45 min just chatting in English, but it felt great to be building better relationships with my students.
I also began coaching basketball this week, for kids ages 14-16. I don't completely know what I am doing, but Romy kindly lent me a basketball book and it's helping me learn more about my favorite sport! The kids are great, and they asked me to coach them in English since they said that that is the language basketball was meant to be played in. Meanwhile, I've been called for traveling many times in basketball which is frustrating and partly due to a difference in European vs American rules, but I am working on it, and this Friday I played some of the best basketball I have played in a long time, though I partially dislocated my shoulder for like the 9th time just because I moved it too fast, so it looks like I'll be dealing with weak shoulders until bionic joints become more readily available.
A couple more thoughts that I've had the last two weeks are as follows. I have noticed consistently that Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week, and it is also the day that I work the most. It's really interesting how I often feel very lazy, but that hard work really puts me in a good mood. I think I need a job where I am very engaged and work hard all day, but don't have to take my work home with me. Who knows though, my career is still up in the air. I am also really glad that I took positive psychology last year. Sometimes it gets boring and lonely here and I start to get down, but it's incredibly important to live in the moment and see how many things I have that I can be grateful for. Every time I start to think about how I am living alone in Germany, learning more about myself than I could have imagined, it's impossible to stay down for long. Even when I'm lonely, this experience is something that I need to spend every moment soaking up. Lastly, I have often been struck by how many people I have met who really remind me of someone back home, in the way that they look. It makes me think of dopplegangers, and given the near 7 billion people in this world, the odds really don't seem too extreme that somewhere in this world there is someone who looks almost exactly like most people we know. Of course, upon encountering this person, most of us would likely deny it to be true. Anyways, just a thought.
It's been about two weeks since I've updated everyone with life here in little 'ol Rimbach, so here's what I've been up to, with some added commentary.
Two weeks ago ended up being a great week! Classes went more or less smoothly, and I continue to play basketball twice a week. Furthermore, on Thursday, I went out to Winzerfest in Bensheim with several other teachers, which is basically a festival in the middle of town where they only have wine to drink. We all drank a bunch of wine and hung out and it was really fun! I also made tentative plans with another teacher, Timo, to possibly visit Sweden and Norway this coming summer, so we will see whether or not that works out.
On Friday I played more basketball and I was offered a job coaching in town! That sounds like a great and fun opportunity, and a nice way to earn a little more money! Furthermore, after basketball one of the players told me he was driving back near Rimbach, so he offered me a ride. He even bought me dinner at McDonalds on the way back, and we spent around an hour talking and driving back, all in German of course. He dropped me off near Rimach, where my bike was, and I rode it through the center of town, when I thought I heard "LUKE!". After investigating, it turns out a friend of mine was taking a short break from work and had seen me. I'm finally getting to the point where I see people I know almost every time I go out in town! Victory! I got a few beers with him in a pub and met some more of his friends. One of them spoke very good English, and after learning that I don't have a car, offered to give me his scooter! So we will see if that happens. I could be living the dream soon, scootering around Europe! I spent Saturday evening going to a colleague's birthday party. Throughout the weekend, I was struck by the generosity I have so far encountered in my travels. Everyone seems more than willing to help me out when I have questions, they are generous with their money and buy me drinks all the time, and they give me rides back from basketball! Such encounters really make me reflect on how amazing people can be.
I didn't have much to do this last week, as one of my classes involved working on a presentation all week, and the other consisted of an exam. That does mean, however, that I now have a pile of exams to grade. Woo! One of my students showed me how to watch the NFL online though, and it's great to spend a Sunday evening procrastinating and watching football! Just like in college. My conversation class is going really well, and the kids really enjoy participating. After class this week, several of the kids had 45 min till their next class and they were sitting outside talking so they asked me to join them. We spent the next 45 min just chatting in English, but it felt great to be building better relationships with my students.
I also began coaching basketball this week, for kids ages 14-16. I don't completely know what I am doing, but Romy kindly lent me a basketball book and it's helping me learn more about my favorite sport! The kids are great, and they asked me to coach them in English since they said that that is the language basketball was meant to be played in. Meanwhile, I've been called for traveling many times in basketball which is frustrating and partly due to a difference in European vs American rules, but I am working on it, and this Friday I played some of the best basketball I have played in a long time, though I partially dislocated my shoulder for like the 9th time just because I moved it too fast, so it looks like I'll be dealing with weak shoulders until bionic joints become more readily available.
A couple more thoughts that I've had the last two weeks are as follows. I have noticed consistently that Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week, and it is also the day that I work the most. It's really interesting how I often feel very lazy, but that hard work really puts me in a good mood. I think I need a job where I am very engaged and work hard all day, but don't have to take my work home with me. Who knows though, my career is still up in the air. I am also really glad that I took positive psychology last year. Sometimes it gets boring and lonely here and I start to get down, but it's incredibly important to live in the moment and see how many things I have that I can be grateful for. Every time I start to think about how I am living alone in Germany, learning more about myself than I could have imagined, it's impossible to stay down for long. Even when I'm lonely, this experience is something that I need to spend every moment soaking up. Lastly, I have often been struck by how many people I have met who really remind me of someone back home, in the way that they look. It makes me think of dopplegangers, and given the near 7 billion people in this world, the odds really don't seem too extreme that somewhere in this world there is someone who looks almost exactly like most people we know. Of course, upon encountering this person, most of us would likely deny it to be true. Anyways, just a thought.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Dinner with Oles
Last Thursday I was invited to eat dinner with Linda, a former Ole-Rimbach teacher. It was a great excursion. I met Linda and her husband and their three week old baby Deniz, and we went to their favorite restaurant in the area. Needless to say, it was great, and I had my first Kochkaese Schnitzel with caramelized onions, potatoes, and homemade bread. Wonderful stuff. Furthermore, it was great just getting to talk with a fellow Ole who has already gone through the same experience I am doing. It was fascinating just to hear all the changes that have already happened in the last 8 years alone, and to compare thoughts on moving to Germany. We both agreed that one of the largest difficulties is the occasional loneliness and overcoming the language barrier. It was comforting to really realize how teacher after teacher have overcome these barriers before me as well and had great years here. It was also really nice to talk about St. Olaf, as students are beginning to move back this week. Linda was in the Ole Choir and she shed a little dirt on it which was nice, since Ole Band is obviously far superior anyways. It was great talking about the Caf and the Pause, and kind of a surreal experience to be having such conversations in the middle of the Odenwald. Above all, it make me really begin to appreciate how this set of Olaf-Rimbach guest teachers really is a community. We have all gone through a pretty unique experience, and I have no doubt that by the end of my year here I will feel quite a bond with the other teachers, many of whom I've yet to meet.
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