Penultimate Tag

Once we got over the slight hitch of discovering that I had a surprise Vertretung* first thing this morning, today rapidly became one of those really good days :) It is gloriously sunny and about 32°+, and it was also my penultimate day at NCG (no it's not a bank holiday here, we get ours on Thursday and Friday, but perhaps that does explain why the weather is so nice!).

This is the hottest I've seen google say today...

Although I still have tomorrow to go, today was in some ways effectively my last day. Both the head teacher and her deputy, as well as my Betreuungslehrer* all aren't in school tomorrow, so I had my official farewell today. Luckily I knew this was going to happen, and had even cottoned on to when, so that when the whole staffroom's attention was called for in the second break, I didn't get too much of a shock. Thankfully, they kept this fairly short and sweet, and didn't expect me to say a few words (phew!). As part of this Verabscheidung I was given a selection of gifts from the school, and from the English department. One of these items (chosen as the useful for England gift) is a Kölnerin* umbrella - who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour?!

A day of goodbyes is never the cheeriest thing to do, but at the same time, everyone has been so lovely, it was hard not to leave with a smile on my face - especially after my Klasse 5b.

Because it was my last day with them, their teacher decided that they were allowed to play 'Simon says' with me. Who knew that game could last so long? After the first round, we let the kids take over being Simon which just added to the hilarity. Never have I seen such a stern, yet highly comical, 11 year old 'Simon'!

After we had eventually exhausted Simon says (I was beginning to wonder if the time would ever come!) their teacher gave them all a little bit of time to write me a goodbye / thank you note. Some of them are soo sweet, others will provide me with a smile for life! Here are my top 5:

"It was very funny with you. You're very cool"

"and don't forget it: call me"

"I will miss you very much because your very very nice"

"You are the best Miss Groves. You are a sun, too"

"I would like that you not goes to England"

So there you have it, only one more day to go...

* Cover lesson
* Mentor teacher
* Cologner / lady from Cologne

The end is nigh

What's happened since the last time I updated this?
Mostly my last day has got closer and closer :/

Yesterday was my last session with my lovely "speaking AG" group. Typically, this being the one thing that I least wanted to do, of course quickly became my favourite 'lesson' of the week. How can you go wrong with mini-eggs, haribo and a game of taboo? In their loveliness they also got me the following card and a present - I'll miss them.

Just as well it was speaking and not spelling!

So, that's both my favourite classes / groups now said goodbye to. According to the deputy head, my 'official' Verabschiedung will apparently be at some point on Monday - let's hope it's not too awkward an occasion...

Today was a 'study day' ie. no school for everyone except the Abitur students (and teachers) sitting their final oral exams. This means I actually finished for the weekend yesterday ... a 2 day working week followed be a 5 day weekend - have I got that the wrong way round? Still, this means I now only have 2 days left at this school before my year is officially over. This is definitely a case of 'gemischte Gefühle'.*

I've also packed up the first of belongings ready to send a parcel back to the UK - I decided a 20kg weight limit for 9 months of stuff was an unachievable target. And yet, still the reality of leaving doesn't seem to have hit...

6 sleeps until my last day,
9 sleeps until I leave Germany and travels begin!

* mixed feelings

Merci

Yesterday we had our last Beratungstreffung in Köln, including a tour through some of the studios of the WDR (local TV / radio). Second to the Gasometer back in Duisburg, this has to be one of the more interesting 'activities' laid on for us by Veronika / the PAD. However, a few opportunities to sit down throughout would have been good! Obviously we also had to have the obligatory evaluation discussions and yet another feedback form to fill in, but that's it now, all done and dusted as far as Veronika is concerned.

Today was my last Wednesday in school, ie. my last ever lesson with my year 12 LK class :( Fr Neumann decided that in the second half of the double lesson we could all go to the cafeteria for coffee and a chat, where they also presented me with a card and box of chocolates, ironically named 'merci'! Said card was passed around the class for them to sign, and it made it about half way before I clocked onto what was happening and had to start deliberately looking away / pretending not to see! I'll miss that group, they are a lovely bunch, but I won't miss having to pretend that I have the slightest clue about what they are studying - I mean, is anyone an expert on 'manifest destiny', current rates of American immigration, or the exact rules for when to use a comma?

Two Mondays and two Tuesdays to go - that is all that is left ...

Obligatory Eurovision times

Saturday meant it was time again for Eurovision, this time hosted in Düsseldorf (a mere 50km or so away from here). With it being so close, and the local newspaper predicting the UK, Ireland and Germany all finishing in the top ten, how could we not watch it? For one year, and one year only, Eurovision was to be embraced. Well, I say that, the line was drawn at actually going up to Düsseldorf to join in properly!

Needless to say we didn't win, perhaps "I can" should have been "I can't"... Still, we didn't do embarrassingly badly, and even momentarily graced first position early on in the voting. I also spied an advert on TV for the channel RTL II, which used Blue's song as their soundtrack - not that they thought to give us any points as a sort of thank you though!

Back tracking to Friday, my landlord has been promising / insisting for a long time that before I left he would take me to dinner at the Hyatt 'glass restaurant' alongside the Rhein in Cologne. Friday was the day. Thankfully he invited along another of his friends, a very friendly and down to earth lady, who made the whole thing a thousand times less awkward. Still, I don't think I made any major etiquette errors, and on our way back we even saw a TV/film crew in action.

Making final touches to the set of the next scene

Tomorrow is back to school Monday (just 3 more left to go now) for what will be just a two day week thanks to our last language assistants meeting being in Köln on Tuesday (the day where I work literally half my weekly hours!).

Tasks for this week? Have an argument with O2. There is no way they can really need my Abmeldebestätigung from Germany then an Anmeldebestaetigung* from my "neuen Wohnsitz im Ausland" just to cancel an unlimited, pay as you use, contract. I'm going home, I'm hardly going to have proof of my registration there am I?! Idiots. Another example of contracts in Germany being impossible to get out of / cancel.

Some words from a WDR programme all about Cologne:
Die Kölner haben den Kühlschrank voll, die Düsseldorfer den Kleiderschrank!

*Confirmation of registration / deregistration

It's the final countdown ♫

It's the final countdown, no not until the end of the latest Dfs / Scs sale, but until the end of my placement here. It's now just under 3 weeks until my last day, but for various reasons this means I actually only have six, just six, working days left! Add that to my week's achievements of one lesson missed, one lesson skipped, and reference forms completed, does that mean it's now time to wreak havoc? I wonder what nonsense I can teach these people in my last bit of time...

Also, following the the long weekend of temperatures consistently reaching 28/30°+, I realised that taking into account the cold, cold winter, over my year here the weather has treated us to a range of about 45-50 degrees!

Feeling hot hot hot!

This weekend has been gloriously sunny, and ridiculously hot. Who knew Germany could reach 30° in May?! Exactly the kind of weather long weekends were designed for. Hence, Saturday was a day for sitting on Heidi's roof, chilling in the park, and avoiding the hundreds of police / blocked roads. I managed 2 out of 3 successfully.

'Pro-Köln' right-extremists are apparently not taken lightly over here, so hundreds of armed police and their vans / army style trucks were stationed around the city blocking off certain roads etc. That in itself wasn't too much of a problem, we may have had to take the longer way round a couple of times but we were able to cross a number of roads without waiting for the green man and without incurring a fine for doing so (which, given there were so many police around, was even more satisfying). Anyway, as I approached Deutz station to catch the train back to Bergisch (in order to be back in time for dinner with the landlord) I noticed a lot of annoyed people standing outside, and some equally crotchety policemen standing behind a barrier stopping people from going in. Apparently "for our own safety" the station was temporarily closed.

This would have been more believable if people didn't seem to be getting in through other entrances. As they slowly reduced the closed area down to just 4 platforms some of us clocked that we could get in through the side door leaving Mr shouty policeman with his megaphone to keep barking at those looking for trouble. Getting inside was good progress. However, now we were met with 5 or so police officers stationed at the bottom of the platforms. We weren't going anywhere until they said so (all the while trains passing through on the platforms above our heads). Still, we were told it would only be another 15-20 minutes and in true 'German efficiency isn't always a myth' style that estimate was pretty much spot on. What a palava.

I made it back to the Bach just in time for dinner though, even without having to arrive all red-cheeked and flustered (my life is just too exciting right?). And when, at half eleven at night, you are still sat outside in a pleasantly refreshing 20°, you can hardly complain!

Today has also been just as warm, if not a little hotter than yesterday, and we definitely reached the 30 degree mark. So hot in fact that I don't have to worry about getting sunburnt, as sitting in the shade is plenty warm enough for me! A little bit of rain to clear the pollen and smog wouldn't go amiss though. Growing up into hay fever is not something I am enjoying!

Back to school tomorrow morning, bright and early, with only a maximum of 10 working days to go ...

The beginning of the end

After training it back across the continent via London, Brussels and Cologne (top tip: British trains on a bank holiday are reallyyyy slow) I am back in the land of the Deutsch for the home straight of my year abroad... How on earth has this year gone soo quickly?!

By 3 o'clock this afternoon I had already completed about 80% of my working week, and am the proud (?) owner of one of the most flicked through copies of Heat magazine's 'Wedding Souvenier Special'. They may not fully understand all the hype about the Royal Wedding over here, but a good few of them did tune in to watch it and even more are more than happy to look through pictures! Talk about easy lesson planning. I also introduced mini-eggs to my AG group, and judging by the empty packet, I'm going to say they went down well!

Successes aside, I have also managed to pay an extortionate amount just to send my postal vote back, and will now apparently be losing another €6 to the bank just for the priviledge of a new card seeing mine has decided to no longer be readable. Robbing so and so's.


Countdown:

This time in 4 weeks I will have finished my last day at NCG.

This time in one month I will be in Paris.