Hallewood

When you think of Germany, one of the first things to come to mind is beer. I may not be visiting Oktoberfest in Munich this year, but I've been doing my best to make up for that here in Halle. This might be a small city but what I've seen of its bar and clubbing scene so far has been pretty great! I think the huge university here probably has something to do with it.

Last Friday my flatmate Sebastian took me to what he described as an "underground club". I have no idea what I was expecting, really, but where I ended up reminded me a lot of my trips to Berlin. A yard with a bonfire and a caravan selling food, and inside two rooms playing great electronic type music, a laid-back crowd, and equal amounts of beer and Club Mate* being drunk. We met a friendly Bavarian, Elias, so I did get a bit of an Oktoberfest experience - also thanks to the Bavarian dinner my mentor teacher and her husband made me that night!

*For the uninitiated, Club Mate is a fairly disgusting, highly caffeinated drink popular here. Ross Anne described it as "like if you use a cigarette as a teabag" and I think she was pretty spot on. The cola is ok though.

On the way to the Marktplatz

Another night I went to the Hallesches Brauhaus with my buddy from the uni, Franzi, and some of her friends. It was all very German, with waitresses in traditional clothing and local beer on the menu. I've also been to Cafe Nöö, a great little cafe/bar by the river that served delicious chicken wings, and La Bim, in an abandoned building and full of football tables. I think I might have disappointed everyone a little with my very poor performance - I am not even a table athlete, it would seem - but I was happy enough to just soak up the atmosphere with yet another kind of beer, this time Astra from Hamburg.

I've had a really busy weekend because three of my wonderful friends came to visit me! Lara was the first to arrive on Thursday, with Emma appearing at dinner time (cue terribly greasy takeaway food) and Ross Anne just after midnight. We had a little party in the flat for Emma's 20th, with GDR Sekt and beer flowing. My flatmates joined in too, as well as Lara's friend Cindy who studies here, and it was lovely to sit in the kitchen with everyone just chatting away! Emma, I hope we made your birthday as awesome as it could have been at home!

Happy birthday, Emma!

We went exploring on Friday, walking from my flat to the Marktplatz and then into the Kleine Ulrichstrasse, Halle's "Kneipemeile" or bar strip (not an ideal translation, as Kleine Ulli is definitely classier than that phrase would imply!). We had lunch at an Italian restaurant and discovered that eating outdoors in late September is not a fantastic idea. Wasps divebombing towards our faces did not make for a very relaxed meal, especially for me with my phobia. Then Cindy showed us a great little cafe where we got delicious waffles! I need to go back ASAP, it was a lovely little place and I can't think of a better way to get a sugar rush than with these waffles. At night we met David, a language assistant from the US also working here who it was great to get to know - you were so much fun, David! We went to a lovely cafe on Kleine Ulrichstrasse (natürlich!) and talked nonsense all night until the sassy waiter told us it was last orders.

Hi Lara!

Yesterday we tried to find somewhere to have lunch and once again ended up on Kleine Ulrichstrasse, in an Irish style pub. Then we hit Moritzburg castle where there was a flea market in the moat, with DJs, vegan cakes, and personalised canvas totes on sale. I bought one with a cat, obviously. In the much more commercialised Woolworths (it's not dead!) we found Ross Anne a dirndl - she is living in Bavaria, after all - which we had a lot of fun modelling back in the flat with our beers and taco kit! We narrowed down our clubbing options to three and ended up in Schorre, round the corner from my flat. Approaching the entrance, we quickly realised we were the youngest people there, and decided to cure our trepidation with spirits. It ended up being a pretty fun night, as we danced to all the choonz from 2007 or so as well as Das Geht Ab. Schorre isn't quite my scene but if I'm ever in the flat on a Saturday night drinking with someone and we want to go out dancing, I think we could make worse choices!

Emma and Ross Anne modelling for my fashunn blog.

I had a four hour nap today which sums up how I feel after such a busy, wonderful weekend. I could sleep forever. But alas, I have to plan a lesson on British schools and tomorrow I have to get up at six. It's only a three day week though, thanks to the Day of German Unity on Thursday, so I'll definitely be making some plans for the weekend to come! I also promise to take more photos with my camera rather than my phone from now on as I'm not loving the quality. Tschüssi!

Endlich da

My first two weeks in Germany have been pretty crazy. I feel like I've barely stopped for a second! There's been so much for me to do and see, and as I write this lying in bed contemplating making french toast, I'm delighted to finally be able to just relax for a bit.

I haven't had a proper chance to settle in in Halle yet, as last Sunday meant a train journey across Germany for training week near Cologne. Sitting on a train isn't my favourite way to spend five and a half hours, though I have a feeling it's something I'll be getting used to this year. When I finally got to stretch my legs I found Ross Anne and Emma in a coffee shop abusing the WiFi and we traipsed to our hotel for the night. Evening meant McDonalds (ouch), cocktails and Koelsch (yum) as well as talking absolute nonsense til the early hours with our bottles of beer. Needless to say it was a painful coach trip to Maria in der Aue the next day.

At Cologne Cathedral with Ross Anne.

Induction week was pretty intense, despite the constant food breaks. We were all paired up with roommates who were going to be working near us, and I found myself sharing with the fabulous Eliza who will be living just north of Halle. Our little working groups were also area-based and I have to say, us Sachsen-Anhalt ladies are pretty fabulous. I also got to meet a few people who will be based in Leipzig, which is pretty great as they're only half an hour away, and another girl from Glasgow, Emma, who is living in Jena! There was so much information to take on board it got a little overwhelming and tiring, despite the PAD's best efforts. We also had to prepare mock classes, with the others in the groups acting like the pupils, which was very nerve racking, especially when we realised a beautiful Bavarian would be assessing us. But we had fun making the others play charades and acting like primary school kids learning the colours in English!

Naturally we all found our way to the bar every night which made for some great fun, as well as some ill-advised hangovers. The last night was especially great, I found myself at a room party paired up with an Irish guy trying to teach the Gay Gordons to uninterested English people. The coach trip back to Cologne wasn't so much fun, but a traditional lunch in a brewery type restaurant helped a lot! I'm not sure what I made of Cologne. It was very modern, and I felt a little guilty complaining about how ugly it is when I realised that was the Brits' fault! I think if I visit again, I'll need someone who lives there to show me where and how to have fun.

Glasgow girls in the bar!

This week has been my first in the school, which has been interesting to say the least. I'm teaching in the Realschule classes and as English is a compulsory subject, naturally some of the kids aren't so interested. Can't blame them - I felt the same about maths! Hopefully I can do a Sister Act 2 and make them super enthusiastic by the end of the year! It's very strange being back in a school atmosphere, especially as it's one I don't feel particularly comfortable in. But I think I'll get used to it and it's nice being in the staffroom for a change, even if some of the teachers have mistaken me for one of their senior pupils!

I'll be back soon with another post about my recent "cultural" (read: alcoholic) experiences, as well as my ill-fated attempts at emulating the Germans and riding my bike. Bis dann! x

Finally!

I'm writing this from my new bedroom in Halle! I can't quite believe I'm actually here, though at the same time I already feel almost at home in the flat. I have my nice new bedding and my clothes are all in the wardrobe (though I need to pack soon for going to Cologne tomorrow!). I have my two books from Scotland on the shelf and my makeup in front of the mirror. I think I'll be pretty comfy here for the year.

I arrived in Halle four days ago after lots of panic and tears, feeling awkward lugging my huge suitcase everywhere in the station in Berlin, and a quick change of train at Wittenberg. I'm amazed I managed to get my suitcase packed in the first place - squeezing your life into a 20kg suitcase isn't easy! - and I only forgot my Kindle charger. My mentor teacher, Anka, met me at the train station and took me to spend the first few days at her house. She and her husband were absolutely lovely and so so helpful, making sure I was registered as a resident of the city, showing me around the lovely city centre and helping me set up a bank account. I've been well fed and there was plenty sekt and beer. Eventually though I was itching for my own space and I moved into my flat today!

Halle is smaller than what I'm used to in a city, having grown up in Glasgow. But the city centre is really pretty, tram construction works aside. Yesterday me and Anka had coffee in the inner courtyard of a castle - three euros for two. Much cheaper than I imagine it would cost in a Historic Scotland building! And in ten minutes we were back at the Marktplatz, Halle's main square. It also seems to be really easy to get around by tram. The shopping doesn't seem particularly great, but Leipzig is nearby and I can be in Berlin in less than two hours!

This afternoon I went to a mini street festival in my area with my flatmate Sebastian and his brother. There were fleamarket stalls, bands, food, beer, games for kids, and a lovely community atmosphere. I had a vegan döner, something I didn't even know was possible but that tasted really good, and a Club Mate cola, since I thought I should get into the slightly hipster vibe of the festival. My area (or "gegend" as everyone here seems to say) is gorgeous, the buildings are almost all old and renovated and the streets are lined with trees. I have two supermarkets round the corner and I can walk to the main station in 20 minutes! I can't believe how lucky I got with this flat. I'm really excited to spend the year here!

Tomorrow I'm off to Cologne for my training week. I'm meeting Emma and Ross Anne in the city then on Monday we head into the woods to the training hotel-type place. I've heard good things from my friends in other parts of Germany who have already done their training, so I'm pretty excited! And Cologne itself looks beautiful so it'll be good to catch a glimpse of it while passing through. I'll be telling you all about that when I get back! Bis dann!

Last week in Scotland...

I've not blogged in so long because year abroad preparations seemed to be very slow and a bit abstract, really. Besides the odd letter or email, there was very little to remind me I'm actually going. The last week has been a blur of goodbye drinks and staring at my suitcase willing it to pack itself, but even now I don't feel like I have to move abroad in a matter of days!

Packing is turning out to be a bit of a chore. I usually enjoy packing for a holiday or weekend away but this is a completely different matter. How do I fit a year's worth of life into a 20kg suitcase and a hand luggage bag? I'm not convinced it's possible despite my friends who have already landed in Germany (lucky ladies) reassuring me otherwise. What do I take to use as teaching materials? What do I wear teaching? What do I wear when I go out? How do I narrow my choices down to four pairs of shoes? Yes, there are shops in Germany. I know this. But how much can I buy over there, considering I have to bring it home?

Needless to say I am a stressed girl. But there are some essentials I have already put in my suitcase, ready to have clothes thrown on top:

1. Boots. Two pairs - ankle boots and knee highs. Ankle for autumn and everyday wear, knee high for snow and more formal wear. It's going to be cold over there, if everything I've read about Germany is true. So I want my feet to be well prepared come rain or shine. Mostly come rain though.

2. My diary. Because I have a feeling some of my worse moments should still be documented somewhere, as an inevitable part of the year abroad experience, but not necessarily on a public blog like this!

3. A camera. I couldn't forgive myself for not documenting the year in pictures as well as words, so both my film camera and a little digital one will be coming with me! Thankfully film seems to be fairly cheap in Germany so I should be able to snap away without the costs piling up too much.

4. A BahnCard. OK, I don't actually have one of these babies yet but I will definitely be purchasing one on arrival. I plan to visit all my friends around Germany while I'm there so getting 25% off my journeys will be pretty handy indeed!

I've been spending a lot of time recently saying goodbye to family and friends which has been a bit overwhelming but great fun too. Elsa came through on Thursday, Friday night I went for a burrito and cocktails with Beth (as she's off to Ayia Napa today!) and on Saturday night my family all came over with food and wine and some lovely presents for me. I've spent today detoxing a little from the huge amounts of food and alcohol I've been stuffing myself with! I'm going to miss everyone so much, I hope they all have skype so I can try and keep in touch a bit better than just facebook allows.

I wish I actually felt a bit more nervous and excited about leaving on Wednesday. I think I've just been waiting so long now it feels like it's never going to actually happen. But I'm sure once I have to say goodbye to my family at the airport it'll all come over me and I'll be crying my eyes out, and everything will feel far too real!