Back in the Game

Okay, I totally won today. Not that teaching is about winning or losing. Or, at least, it shouldn't be, but after last week, I was in the hole, and I feel like I am out of the hole. Granted its slippery and I need to stand my ground, but I'm currently very optimistic. I just laid down the law today. We finally went over rules (rules that I took for granted they would know already: mistake # 1) and consequences. I told them that I had a lot of ideas for the year, but I could not work with the amount disruption that has been going on to date.

Then we played telephone-pictionary which I didn't intend to do for over half the class, but, hey, sometimes you just have to make a cornucopia (which is a phrase that I coined last year after I spent five hours making a thanksgiving cornucopia out of bread dough rather than studying for midterms and writing important papers. Sometimes, you have to do the thing thats right in the moment, regardless of if its good in the long term. Like scrapping my grammar lesson in favor of a game. I'm hoping the phrase will catch on. I have a lot of power actually because people almost worship my native speakerness and trust that I know best. With all hope, I will have gotten enough control over the 8b class so that by Thanksgiving time I can teach them how to make a cornucopia, too.)

Tonight was Elternabend/"parent's night". That was kind of cool. When I got up to talk, the women in the back corner kept on talking. And then it was kind of awkward because the past three weeks I've gotten very good at waiting until its quiet before I speak, so I kind of waited out of habit and plus, I couldn't be heard, and then I felt weird waiting because I'm not THEIR teacher, but then I felt dumb talking over them as if I don't think that I am worth being heard. But they stopped eventually. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I think I spoke alright, although I don't hear my own mistakes so its hard to know. It was good to talk with the other 8b teacher's tonight and share experiences. I think we are collectively going to make a new seating arrangement.

Mondays are by far my busiest days. I teach an 11th grade compensation course the first two hours of the day (as I understand it, the upper grades need to choose two subjects to get supplemental help in and attend these weekly classes. So I have a supplemental english course). Today, was okay, but I should probably have a little bit more structure for next Monday. Its clear now that they don't exactly care about practicing their English when we are together. I made them answer Would You Rather questions to start class off. I hate when I plan fun things to do and then it feels like mandatory fun once I introduce the plan to the class. But they are such a silent group, I'm just trying to shake them up a bit. Then I teach 9th grade English, which is my 7 person class. We usually have fun together. They are writing short stories using Australian vocab. They are due tomorrow and the plan is to go get ice cream and read them to one another. Following 3rd period with my 9th graders I have a period off, and then have hall duty outside the cafeteria during which I occasionally try to reprimand a few rowdy 6th graders and then realize I don't have the vocabulary to effectively stop them. Afterwards, I spend a cozy hour with my 8th graders during the 5th period. And today, I was a substitute during 6th period in the 7d English class. SURPRISE 7d is so much fun! I wish I got to be with them everyday. One of the girls was in Martha's Vineyard this summer, so thats cool, because I'm from Cape Cod and MV is an island off Cape Cod.

Considering some days I only teach one 45 minute lesson, Mondays are jam packed. Especially when I am a substitute. Which has happened once a week so far. I'm okay with that. Honestly, I should volunteer to substitute more often. My world is small and I haven't exactly found ways to fill the time completely.

I had a moment today after school that was just sort of realizing that this is what my life is going to be like and feel like for a while. I don't really know what I mean, but I guess it was just recognizing the pattern that I have been in and knowing that this is the pattern that is going to continue. I think I'm okay with that. I used to be sort of pessimistic about starting a year long position when I'd much rather settle in somewhere for a number of years at least. But honestly, after packing up to move in between massachusetts and minnesota twice a year, being in one place for nearly 365 days is a gift. And, its such a relief to be teaching on an annual schedule versus a semester long schedule like in college. Its crazy to think that I will be together with these same students until July 25th!!! That is a long time.

But now, I am going to go to bed early with a book.

sunrise over the hills behind my house. one good thing about waking up early

yes. I did go back to school after hours and recreate a lesson and take a picture of myself on self timer. 

the 8b classroom. its got a lot going for it. 

Beyond the 8b and teacher's rooms, I spend a lot of time in the computer room where the computers seldom run efficiently and throw me into a panic each time I try to print something shortly before class and still leave enough time to copy it with double sides 23 times. 

Straws

This is a lot of Straw

This is the last straw

Frankly, I don't really know what my straw count is. It felt like my last straw was robbed today when I sent a student out of the classroom for lighting their shoe with a lighter and than lying about having the lighter ..... they also sit in the front row, so clearly they doubt my intelligence. 

The last two days have been pretty bad. And although the 8th graders I have are tough, a lot of it has to do with the learning curve of classroom management that I'm slowly ascending. Wednesday was GREAT! They were so well behaved in class, I didn't know what to do. I got nervous in the middle of class because I felt like I wasn't taking full advantage of how good they were being. I actually prepared a lot for Thursday. I consulted the teacher's guide for the first time and really felt like I had a good plan for the double period, but a series of things went wrong with my plan (ie technology) and they were antsy because it was the afternoon and really hot out plus the fact that they are 8th graders and 8th graders are a unique type of being that needs to be coddled the right way or they will explode. Then I couldn't explain well enough why you use the present perfect progressive and why you use the past perfect progressive and basically everything just sort of slipped out of control. I'm really not proud of Thursday. I don't blame them for being mad at me, because I haven't been consistent in the way I discipline them. And I know what its like to have an inconsistent teacher and I really don't want to be that. But I'll be darned if these 23 youngens don't learn to sit and listen to directions without whispering to their neighbors every 3 seconds. 

So I really didn't want to go to class today because I was still in a bad mood from yesterday and I both felt like I needed to address what happened yesterday, but also knew that it was still too close to talk about and I really didn't have a solution. So, instead I planned a boring lesson that didn't involve a lot of teaching. And I hated myself the entire lesson. I was mean. And cold. Also, its really not fun having to take someone out of class. That shook me up a bit. They were rude and disrespectful and I think I stood my ground alright, but it wasn't fun. That's the part that makes me the saddest- being a teacher I can't respect. 

So, after class, I ran away to the book store and read children's books (This is Not My Hat aka Das Ist Nicht Mein Hut) and hung out with Elke, the wonderful owner. 

This is one of my favorite poems. Its by Mary Oliver.

I GO DOWN TO THE SHORE

I go down to the shore in the morning

And depending on the hour the waves

Are rolling in or moving out,

And I say, oh, I am miserable,

What shall-

What should I do? And the sea says

In its lovely voice:

Excuse me, I have work to do.

I like this poem because its a lesson I need to be reminded of often. I know that I can wallow in my sadness longer than is really beneficial, and this poem is telling me stop feeling sorry for myself, pull myself together and resolve my problems, rather than feel miserable about them. I've been thinking about that a lot today, because today is not a good day. But, I'm making the active choice to not feel miserable about it all. 

Something my sister and I do when we are feeling sad/mad/any other negative emotion is play "The I Like" game. You can only start sentences with "I like" and you play until everyone feels better and is usually laughing. 

I like iced coffee after school

I like that I can understand the book I am reading in German 

I like folk bands

I like wine festivals

I like being able to walk to school

I like wearing my blue dress

I like how willing the other teachers are to help me

I like living in Germany

I like cooking with pumpkins

I like baking on Saturdays 

I like wooden blocks

I like woolen socks

I like writing poems

I like memorizing lines 

I like walls of photographs

I like the color red 

see. you try it. it works. 

Weingute Ausflug

Yesterday was the the MLS teacher field trip! Pretty funny that there was only a half day of school so that the teachers could go out with one another. At 11 am, we boarded coach busses to travel from Rimbach to the village Lautertal and eat at the restaurant/hotel Kuralpe. Riding on the bus is an adventure in itself since its so big in comparison to the small streets we drive on and tinier villages we drive through. It felt like a roller coaster sometimes.

Eating lunch 

Walking after lunch

SUPER ORANGE SLUG!

a little bit more landscape to show where we were

When we arrived in Nierstein-Schwabsbug, at the Weingut, we were greeted with a small glass of wine, coffee and a large assortment of cakes. Shortly after, we were herded onto tractor trailers and thats when it really began. I had been..., perhaps, warned is the best word, of this trip the past 2 weeks. The Kollegiumausflug 5 years ago was also the Weingut so many of the teacher's had already been. I was told that we would be pulled around on a tractor and get drunk on wine. And thats exactly what happened.

Prost!

I'm sorry, but baggied wurst is weird. No matter what the German's say, I think this is odd. We each got a little packet of food (read:two brotchens and a hunk of wurst) on the ride to enjoy with our wine. I laughed when I pulled this out of my bag, but my colleagues asked me "what else you would you put it in?".  Touche. However, I would say we simply do not each sausage in situations that aren't conducive for using plates. Then again, America is a big place and maybe I've been living in the wrong part of the country. 

i took this myself

Rhein

Photo cred: Frau Wilhelm

I combined my "guest teacher card" with Annett's ability to rally people together to convince everyone this photo was worth taking. 

Romy and Tilo

All and all, a wonderful trip.

When we got back to Rimbach, a group of us decided to continue the evening by going to a local pub/beer garden. It was really nice to get to know more of the teachers, especially on a less bumpy terrain than through the Winegut, and I enjoyed getting to speak so much German. I'm so thankful for the German I learned previously. It has made it so much easier to get to know the staff, and not to mention just keeping the kiddos in line, too. I think I surprise my 8th graders sometimes that I can understand the sly comments they make in German when they think I'm not listening.

So if you are planning a trip to Germany, I would highly recommend that you add this to your itinerary. If you come in the next 11 months, I'll join you! 

When a Cactus Blooms Part 2

Clearly I know nothing about plants because I was blown away by this surprise this morning

Who knew about cacti blossoms? 

So its going to be a good day apparently. 

When a Cactus Blooms

I feel almost jittery because I want to share so much that I don't know what to write about first. For instance, I'm currently staring out the window at my cactus in awe at this cactus sprout that has grown at least 5 inches this week and turned this beautiful magenta color and I want you to see how beautiful it is so we can marvel at the wonder of life together. And I want to talk about my teacher's calender and show you how organized I got today. I want to talk about teacher rooms, cubby holes, bad coffee and good pens. And I want to talk about good neighbors, living alone and being a foreigner without feeling foreign. And I especially want to say that I am so happy I came to Rimbach and am working at the MLS and sometimes I just want to gush about it because I feel giddy. But then I feel silly for feeling so giddy because giddiness is often equated with naiveté. And everyone knows that 22 year olds have reached the highest achievable level of wisdom....

Naja. Let me tell you about life at school. I teach a 9th grade English class 4 hours a week, an 8th grade class 4 hours a week and an 11th grade class every Monday for a double period. I will also be leading up to two conversation classes for years 8th-13th, but we are still working out when to hold those. And I'll be assisting with the English drama group, but that also hasn't begun yet. It's been nice to only have two classes (the 11th grade remedial English class hasn't started yet either) to worry about the first two weeks. Although, I did arrive at school this Monday at 7:25 am only to learn that the upper grades had some sort of assembly and classes were cancelled. Sometimes I'm the last to hear about things.

My 9th grade class is a dream. There are only 7 students. Which is funny since it is almost parallel to my very first high school German class of 6 people. At first I dreaded going to teach them because they were so quiet, but they've started to feel more comfortable and I think I could even say they're having fun. Its a wonderful environment to help me find my voice in the classroom. As I've learned this week, I have a long way to go before I know myself as a teacher and can apply that in an organized and regular way. But that is why the teacher's room is my new favorite place. I only taught during the first period today, but I hung around to be social and learn how to do things like keep a grade book. And drink bad coffee. And borrow good pens. Some other time I'll elaborate on German's elaborate school supply system.
Yesterday, I had a double period with the 9th graders in the afternoon so I took them outside and sat in this this outdoor, stone courtyard and discussed racism in Australia. It was a rewarding moment because last semester I took a class about how to incorporate multiculturalism (however you define that) into mainstream lessons and 6 months later, I'm doing it myself.

Another reason I hung out so long today, was to get tips on managing my 8th graders. 90% of my classroom experience has been with children under the age of 10. So I really don't know much about middle schoolers. Apart from growing up with many younger cousins (bless your hearts). Additionally, some of the other teacher's have told me the 8b class is particularly difficult haha. But I'm totally up for the challenge. I mean, what else would I be doing? I'm here to teach. My life is quite small. For once (RIP St. Olaf). So what I'm saying is, I have the energy for this. Plus, my friends teaching in the US are teaching 5 or more periods a day. I teach at most 3 a day and only one of those are with 8th graders. I have nothing to complain about.

 The most frustrating thing is that they consistently talk while I am speaking. Everyone keeps blaming it on the age, and I'm no authority to say it isn't, but I've experienced similar problems in my other Germany experiences. Especially at the University I studied at in Konstanz I found it so irritating that people will blatantly talk with their neighbor and hardly try to conceal the conversation to a whisper. The same was true when I went to school in Heidelberg and Hannover. And even in the teacher's conference at MLS. So maybe its a cultural thing? I don't want to generalize. This is the trend I have noticed and perhaps it is particularly striking to me because I went to a private high school and St. Olaf- so perhaps its just a matter of where I've spent my time learning? Anyway, I don't know how much I'm going to get at changing that behavior. But I think I might start with a reward system (gasp!). And just like that, Alfie Kohn flew out the window.

I actually successfully baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies two nights ago to give to my neighbors. Hanna liked them so much she wants to learn how to make them this weekend so she can bring them to her class on Monday to celebrate her birthday. Also, after much "beklagen" on my part that Germany doesn't know how to bake chocolate chip cookies, I found this video from one of my favorite German bands on how to bake chocolate chip cookies.

So definitely not a flop, but not necessarily good enough that I was sad to give them all away. I brought some to the teacher's room, too. 

This is my cubby. Or "Fach" in German. Or Pigeon Hole as the German's translate it into English. I kind of like referring to is at a Pigeon Hole. 

And this is the teacher's room where I spend lots of my time. And maybe its because I can tune out German so easily, but I haven't experienced any of the teacher griping that I was warned takes place in teacher's rooms in the US.

Well, its getting late and I want to go to bed on time today for once. Although, I am enjoying how easy it is to go to bed early when you live by yourself. Before I go, let me tell you about this evening, because I paused this post in the middle of writing it so I could go somewhere.

There are a few things that I find very important to have anywhere that I am living. Among this list are cozy coffee shops, small bookstores and public libraries. While Rimbach is laking in both coffee shops and libraries, they do have something I am always looking for. Adult ballet classes. I either never fulfilled or never outgrew my obsession with being a ballerina and the dream is very much alive today. Unfortunately, you can never find classes for people my age. I am very shocked that there is such a class in this small village that I can even walk to. Life couldn't be better. Oh, but then it did, because Sabine and Hanna Schmitt (downstairs neighbors, mom and youngest daughter) offered to drive me to class today because they wanted to make sure I found everything alright. Then they picked me up. And then we spontaneously went to watch Caroline (older daughter) at track practice. And met some family friends. And there was soccer practice. And some old people were grilling. It made me feel so at home because half my childhood was spent on the sidelines of various cousin sporting events. There is a competition for all the track and field athletes next Sunday that Caroline and Hanna are in. So I'm going to go, too. It's just the best of both worlds because I'm such a family orientated person so I'm getting all the benefits of a home stay, while getting to live independently in my own space. See why I'm so giddy? Seriously, I prepared myself for a sad lonely year living in Germany for over 6 months now. I honestly didn't think I would find this many communities to be a part of. I think it helps that I have a sort of "i've got nothing to lose" spirit about it all. I wouldn't be throwing myself into this many things at home, I don't think. 

This is Bernard. 

The Beginning again

Hello! Guten Tag! Guten Abend!

I am proud to introduce myself as the 31st Rimbach Gastleherin! Actually living in Rimbach and starting school this week has helped me appreciate even more what a unique piece of history I am now apart of. Thank you to everyone who helped keep this program alive and thriving over the past few years. Even at the start of my year, I already feel excited to continue following the future guest teachers.

The past 11 days have been far more enjoyable and far less lonely than I predicted. I pessimistically anticipated that I would be sitting alone in my apartment with nothing to do or no one to see until school started. That was not my experience however. I have met so many generous teachers from MLS who invited me into their homes, took me on outings, and fed me lots of pflaum kuchen. On top of that, the family who I live in the apartment with has been likewise welcoming, leaving me doorstep gifts, inviting me to festivals and helping me settle into the house. In kurz, in Rimbach ich fuehle mich daheim.

Although there are many stories to tell from the past week and a half, I'll just sum it up with a series of pictures I took. There should be one for each day.

August 10th: The day after I arrived, two friends I studied abroad with in Konstanz visited me. It was a wonderful way to explore Rimbach for the first time. Here I am in front of MLS. 

August 10th: On our walk around Rimbach, we found a concert festival taking place in Rimbach that evening. Although my friends had to return to Stuttgart, I decided to go alone and ended up having a lot of fun. You know that person who is literally the first to shamelessly get up and start dancing when ever there is an opportunity? Well, that was the women sitting next to me- so I joined her. Funny that I ended up dancing at a Blues Festival when I was searching for something culturally german to cure my homesickness. 

August 11: On my second day, Romy, Jutta Meyer, her husband Bernt and their two French friends invited me on a trip to see some local sites. We visited the Welde brewery for a tour and sampling, the palace Schwetzinger above, and the town of Weinheim. I was so happy to be included on the outing and it was wonderful getting to know Romy and Jutta better since they are also English teachers at MLS. 

August 12th: This evening I was playing the card game Ligretto with the Schmitt sisters downstairs, Caroline (12) and Hanna (10). It was a really cute evening getting to know the girls and their mom even brought us gelato from the shop down the street. After the summer rain shower, we caught this rainbow bending over Rimbach. 

August 13th: Tuesday. No plans. I woke up, and as soon as I did, I moved to my "living room" and read for most of the day. Apart from when Caroline and Hanna invited me to play with them on their trampoline (which was great), I spent a luxurious day doing nothing. At night, I lit some candles and finished my book.

August 14th: After morning coffee at fellow english teacher and neighbor, David Katzer's house, I took a trip to the nearest biggest city, Mannheim, to get some errands done. Although only 314,931 residents, it felt like NYC compared to Rimbach. Despite the excitement, I was happy to come home and will look forward to going back.

August 15th: Christina Nowak, another English teacher, invited me to her home in Bensheim for lunch. We walked around the old part of the city in the afternoon and got ice cream. It reminded me of being in Konstanz a little bit and also a little jealous of all the things big cities have to offer (i.e. public libraries, frauen tanzen gruppen and international gatherings). Later that evening, Romy, Tilo and I came back to Bensheim for a free outdoor music concert. It was great music and made me feel at home. 

August 16th: One of the things I've enjoyed most about being in Rimbach, is getting to have a space of my own to rearrange and design. Although this photo is already a bit outdated, this day, I swapped the desk and the bed. Maybe you second generations can appreciate the task knowing how heavy the desk was. I was pretty proud of myself. 

August 17th: Fisherfest. I was invited by the Schmitt family to bike to the local Fishing club to celebrate in the annual festival. The fisherfest basically is just a big fish eating party. I even got a fillet even though I am not usually a fish eater. But when in Rimbach... One thing that I loved about this event was that everyone who was there lived in the Odenwald. I liked feeling apart of the local tradition and not engulfed in a touristy ritual. Additionally, it was great to spend time with the Schmitts and meet their relatives who were there too. On the way home, we biked through the village at night and the girls showed me where their grandparents (both sets) and cousins lived and we called up to their open windows to wish them good night. It was adorable. Then they showed me not only where the bakeries were, but also where they eat Doenner during lunch, the banks, the toy store, the shoe store, the florist, the drug store. It was so endearing, I pretended I was seeing it all for the first time. 

August 19th: So I had a cute idea to make back to school rice crispy treats, even though Edeka only offered Special K. Luke left a bag of marshmellows in the pantry, so I thought I was all set. But apparently if marshmellows are too old they don't melt. I tried to redeem the occasion by making chocolate chip cookies, even though my baking record in Germany is really bad. Living in Konstanz for 5 months, and over 6 cookie making failures. I don't know what it is, but I can't bake outside of the US. This day, I was so anxious, I literally sat and watched the cookies in the oven. So then I shamelessly took a picture of myself doing so. I wish I could report that I finally succeeded, but it was another flop. Next time. 

August 19th: First day of school picture taking apparatus. I tried to get the Schmitts excited for this tradition, but they weren't really feeling it, so I finagled this thing to take a picture of myself on my balcony (after school). School the first day was great! Firsts for me are never hard because I feel like I have nothing to lose. Its the second, third, fourth etc times that I get nervous about. On Monday, it was just fun. Good energy. A lot of teachers greeted me and introduced themselves, so I definitely felt welcomed in the teacher's room. The computer, printer and copy machines were less friendly... I taught an 9th grade English class which miraculously only has 7 students in it (long story) and then an 8th grade class. It didn't go horribly, closer to good than bad, but things definitely need to change. There is a lot of energy in that group. In the afternoon, I went to have coffee with Helmut Hartmann (we had dinner together a few nights ago- he is a retired english teacher, teacher trainer, and was very involved in the Olaf/Rimbach program earlier) and he gave me countless things for my apartment. Including a rug, an old fashioned purée crank thing to make soups, couch pillows, storage drawers, mixing bowls, a ceramic pot to cook bread in! Honestly, the afternoon was more exciting than school. Like I said, I'm having a lot of fun moving in and Herr Hartmann's generosity is very much appreciated. 

August 20th: It was only Tuesday- and I only taught one double period class of 7 students- and I came home so exhausted, I felt too tired to even sleep (if that makes sense). I don't know, something about lesson planning and copy machines and navigating around the school really exhausted me. But, this cactus that Helmut gave me put me in a good mood just to look at. There is just something really adorable about it. But I like my 9th graders. I'm looking forward to a good year with them. I'm mildly scared of my 8th graders. 

A Fond Farewell

Beloved readers, the time has come for me to update you all for the last time.  As I type, I have already made the voyage across the Atlantic, and am sitting in a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, waiting for my shuttle to take me to the airport so I can take that last flight home to Texas.  Germany, the country I have called home for slightly over a year, is behind me.

It would be foolish for me to attempt to fill you all in on everything that has happened since the last post, since that would include a whole semester and half the summer holidays.  Instead, I will give a general overview and list some highlights of the year.  Overall, the second semester at the MLS surpassed the first by far, in terms of sheer enjoyment.  Having adjusted to the rigors of teaching, I was able to lead lessons with much more confidence and I had a great time with all of my classes.  I truly enjoyed getting to know my students both in and out of the classroom and I will miss them all next year.  Hopefully I will be able to come back and visit before they graduate.  My ninth graders gave me a signed basketball, and my eleventh graders gave me a signed t-shirt, both of which I will treasure.

I had more to do outside of the classroom in the last six months as well.  The basketball season wrapped up well, and two of my best friends from home, John and Jordan, were in Germany to see my best game of the season, as I scored some 24 points and led us to fourth place.  I also hung out with several of the 13th graders a bunch towards the end of the year, and continued to go to local festivals with other teachers and student teachers.  As my German improved, so did my confidence in going out and striking up conversations with people I didn't know.  I was actually mistaken for being a German several times while talking with people, and they were surprised when I told them I was American!!  Though in the spirit of full disclosure, there were other times when my flawed German made itself painfully obvious.

The last week of the school year - Abiwoche - was probably the most fun all year, as the 13th Graders partied in tents behind the school all week, and finished up with their Graduation ceremony and prom.  It was great to hang out with them during the week and get to know a bunch of them better.  It was also a blast to play my last saxophone solo at graduation and to do a surprised choreographed dance (despite my crutches) with some other teachers at the prom.

My three weeks of summer were rather full, as I hung out with as many people as possible and slowly said goodbyes to everyone.  I also went on a 10 day trip with Timo, Lukas, and Sebastian to Norway, which proved to be some of the most spectacular and adrenaline-filled hiking that I've done.  And then it was over.  I suddenly found myself with only few days left in Germany with which to see everyone I knew one more time, fill out all the forms required for leaving a country, and pack everything I own into two suitcases which couldn't be too heavy.  And here I am, about to fly with those suitcases and memories to Texas.

The impact of my year in Germany is still nowhere near to hitting me or even feeling real.  I said goodbye to my friends with the feeling that I would see them soon, but the reality is that it will probably be at least a year or two.  I found myself trying to speak as much German as I could before I landed, talking to anyone and everyone on the plane, as the opportunity to improve my skills was about over.  I'm sure there are aspects of German life, culture, and food which I will realize I sorely miss as time goes by, and I look forward to discovering what those things are.  For now, it's nice to simply look back on a few highlights of my year: going to Kerwes with the Odenwaeldergang, playing saxophone solos, Berlin with the eleventh graders, Italy with Stacy and Garrett, the Weinachtskonzert, the Superbowl party, mountain biking, basketball with TSG Weinheim, Osterferien with John and Jordan, hanging out with my ninth and eleventh graders, Fruehlingsfest in Stuttgart with Thomas, Abiwoche, Abizelten, Abiball, Norway, and many more.

I won't attempt to name people who helped to make my year there special, as there are too many and I don't want to leave anyone out.  But most of you know who you are, and everyone will continue to be fondly remembered by me.  As with all years, there were ups and downs this year, but I know that it helped me to gain confidence and independence, meet people with a more open mind, explore new cultures and ideas, and to grow up.  It was a year that has impacted me as much as any before it.  As the year of the 30th Rimbach guest teacher ends, so does his blog.  In the words of someone much more traveled than I am: "I am going now.  I bid you all a very fond farewell.  Goodbye."