Heimat

Dear dear blog, haven't you been neglected! Absolutely shocking behaviour from me.

Truth be told, the reason for my reluctance to post in the last wee while has been down to a pretty awful bout of homesickness. When all I could think about was my beloved Glasgow, it was hard to find the motivation to write about what I'd been up to over here. A particularly low point came when I visited Prague, one of the most beautiful places I've been lucky enough to visit, and somehow spent the weekend with an overwhelming feeling that something was missing. Days later I was on a flight back to Glasgow for the weekend and I think it was just what I needed, even if it was so close to Christmas.

To recap my November and December I only need one word, really: Weihnachtsmarkt. I spent an awful lot of time and money at the Christmas markets this year, particularly in Leipzig. No evening in Advent was complete without a cup or three of Gluehwein. The atmosphere at the markets is so infectious, it's almost impossible to spend an hour or so there without leaving filled with Christmas spirit at its finest. A special mention has to go to the market in Lutherstadt Wittenberg where we found a knitted hat shaped like Sonic the Hedgehog and some old women gave us little cakes "because sisters share everything".

By the end of December though the markets were becoming something of a trial, as they got busier and I got more impatient and intolerable of the crowds. It was definitely time to get home, and I think this year was the best festive season yet for me. Hogmanay in particular could hardly have been more perfect. Spending time with my family and best friends was wonderful and has left me refreshed and ready to take 2014 head on! I've already got some pretty excited stuff planned for the next couple of months!

Here's a little instagram roundup of my last two months:

The idea of home is a strange thing. To some people it's a place, to some a person, to some it's something completely different. Before I moved here, I don't think I really had a clue just how much Glasgow is home to me. In summer I was so bored from working all the time that I couldn't wait to get away, as scared as I was. I felt like I'd had enough of the city I'd spent my whole life in. I wished that I'd had the opportunity to move away for university, and experience a different city.

Now, though, I think that Glasgow will always be home no matter where I live. There's such a warmth (not literal, of course) and familiarity to the city that I don't think anything could replace. After four months spending everyday life in another language, the accent is as comforting to me as my parents' faces or my oldest cuddly toys. I love the rough edges as much as the most beautiful buildings, and nowhere here in Halle can replace my favourite bars or clubs in my heart. There's no parks here to rival Kelvingrove and, despite the abundance of horrible fizzy drinks and processed meats, no Irn Bru or square sausage to be had.

So maybe this year and the homesickness it's brought so far have been what I've needed. Where before I was desperate to break out and try life somewhere else, I now can't wait for my last two years at uni in Glasgow. To use a terrible but very fitting cliché, I definitely belong to Glasgow.

The Lost Weeks.

It's strange that it's taken me so long to write another post in here, when I've been up to loads! I was a bit overwhelmed with the last couple of weeks and even now I don't really know what to include. Let's just say that since my trip to Weimar, far too much of a certain mouthwash-flavoured alcoholic beverage has been consumed.

Two weekends ago I embarked on a night out in Halle with Sophie and Ruth, two of the awesome girls who live in Leipzig. My bag broke. There was Pfeffi. There was skipping. Needless to say, the next day wasn't looking to be too fabulous but we fixed that with a trip to my favourite cafe in Halle for some amaaaazing waffles! They're the best hangover cure I've found so far. At night I found myself heading to Leipzig as we decided to visit a flea market the next day and I hate early mornings to travel to such events. I didn't end up buying a single thing; even the furry hat that made my head feel so cosy was quickly tossed aside when the guy selling it appeared behind me with one hand on my hip and the other brandishing a mirror dangerously close to my face. Flea markets are definitely one of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday in Germany though - not that there are many other options!

Ruh-roh.

The week was just as busy with some other assistants visiting Leipzig from Thueringen (I was reunited with the Glaswegian accent, love you Emma 2!), an attempt to visit an Irish folk music session in Halle that ended up with us eating gigantic burgers in the pub instead, and a dinner/drinks session with Fanny, Jack and Paul that led to my introduction to a bar above an antiques shop! Sadly I wasn't feeling brave enough to join in poker night, but maybe next time. I did at least get to sing along to Loch Lomond in an Irish pub.

On Friday I met the lovely Lara for an East German style lunch then we proceeded to be very bad influences on each other and empty our purses in Monki. Emma appeared to stay at mine for a night as she couldn't bear to be without weekend plans, and as soon as we received a phone call including the word "debauchery" we were back on a train to Leipzig! Jack's brother was here for the weekend and we thought it only fit to introduce him to the wonders of Pfeffi. While I had a lot of fun in the pub and at karaoke, at some point on the way home the week, my many many emotions and the alcohol caught up with me somewhat and I ended up making a mess of my eye makeup, my phone screen (the little German Nokia thank god, not my iPhone) and my knee, which has now turned a lovely shade of black. Many thanks to Emma as always for being an absolute saint and putting me into my pyjamas.

Spot the twins...

Despite being in some state the next day we did manage to make it back to Leipzig for a football match! I had a pretty good time even if the atmosphere maybe wasn't what it could have been, what with the away team being Dortmund reserves. A Mexican dinner sorted me right out, but I was definitely glad of having the Sunday to relax before we headed out for a big Language Assistants Dinner.

French corner!

I dunno either.

This week has seen the arrival of the fabled Erasmus grant, which combined with another payday has left me with more money than I know what to do with! I think I'm putting it to good use, though, by travelling to Erfurt this weekend and Prague the next! I'm sure I'll have plenty to report, though I do plan to take my next post in a slightly different direction. Watch this space!

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!

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!

Six weeks to go!

Everything's starting to come together for me now in terms of preparation for the year abroad, both emotionally and in organisation. First of all, I officially have a flat! I'll be living in Halle's Südliche Innenstadt, which I've been assured by my mentor teacher is a nice and cheap area, with two other students. One studies primary teaching so I'm hoping she can give me some tips for work, and the other wrote me an adorable moving-in poem on facebook. For €221 a month, all bills included, I couldn't be happier - I can't wait to move in!

I've also got all my travel booked. Glasgow to Berlin, Berlin to Halle. Probably with many tears in my eyes. Then a few days later, Halle to Cologne to stay in a lovely hotel for the night with Emma before our induction week in the countryside! I can see these being the first of many adventures with Deutsche Bahn... time to buy a BahnCard, maybe!

I'm starting to feel totally ready to go now. I've been working a lot the past few weeks, and every time it gets me down, I remember that my last shift there is in just over a fortnight and my flight to Germany and a new life there is just over a month away! I've no doubt I'll be hiding in the toilets at Glasgow Airport the morning I leave, soggy faced and puffy eyed, terrified of stepping on the plane. And then when I do manage to compose myself, losing it again when the plane takes off. The amount of responsibility and independence I'll have over there is going to be very new to a girl who still lives with her parents. I can't quite believe they're going to let me teach kids. It's daunting. But it's incredibly exciting too.

I don't know anyone in Halle, besides people I've skyped on my flathunt who offered to take me out for drinks when I arrive (!) and my mentor teacher. I haven't met any of them face to face, so naturally I'm quite anxious that I'll arrive, nobody will like me, and it'll be a lonely year. But I've been better recently at telling myself I'm actually ok. I've been standing up for myself more, not wasting time on people who make me feel bad, and remembering how I felt about starting uni and making friends there. My friends are fabulous so I must be doing well, and there's no reason the same shouldn't happen in Germany! This might be a clean sheet, but I'll always be some version of Lauren. And maybe that'll work out just fine.

I'm ready for something new. I love Glasgow and I'll miss it, but I've lived here my whole life and I want to go exploring. I'm 20. There's nothing to keep me here for now. What could be more new than moving to a city I've never even visited before? And if I do get a bit lonely, my friends will only be a train ride away, going through the same stuff. I think we're all going to do great.

Hunting for a Home.

Sometimes I like to be organised. When I have little control over something, I want to throw myself into the things I can change and make sure I do a good job. When it comes to the year abroad, I can do little at the moment besides post forms away, book my flight and train journeys (done, oh my god), and search for a place to live. So in between working a lot in the shop and doing some work experience at a local paper, I've been consumed by finding the perfect Wohngemeinschaft ("living community", a German flatshare) to set myself up in for the year.

Everything I've read on my new favourite website Third Year Abroad and what I've heard from previous Year Abroad-ers at uni has pointed to WG-Gesucht as being the best place to find a flatshare. The university in Halle did send me a link to their residential services but I don't want to go into halls in Germany. I'm too scared of living with loads of other international students - probably a lot of fun, but not fantastic for my German skills as I think I'd be tempted to just speak English all the time. And I definitely don't want (and probably can't afford) a flat to myself. All of the WGs on WG-Gesucht seem to follow the same template: washing machine in the bathroom, and the flatmates like to cook together but also have time to themselves sometimes. Sounds ideal. I'm in.

I actually found the perfect flat very quickly, but it fell through! The room was huge and bright, the flatmates seemed awesome, there were two balconies... what more could I really want? I even started making a Pinterest board of how I was going to make it my own and looked up the best bus routes to Ikea Leipzig (though I hinted to my mentor teacher first, in case I could coerce her into taking me in the car). The flatmates chose me, I was over the moon, and I sent all my forms to the letting agency straight away like a good little slave to bureaucracy, only to receive an email over a week later saying that the owner doesn't want to let me the room. Oh. OK. My would-have-been flatmates were fantastic and tried to do all they could to help, but the new owner of the building won't play along. So it's back to WG-Gesucht and stressing out!

What I will say, though, is that I've found everyone really friendly so far! One girl who I replied to a little too late said that she would put me in touch with a friend of hers who needs a flatmate, and offered to meet up with me when I get to Halle! And a friend of my girl Lara has also passed along the details of someone she knows who has a furnished room to let. Maybe contacts are the way?

Hopefully I'll be back soon with better flat-related news! And despite my lack of success so far, I'm still really excited to move out of my parents' house for the first time. I might be terrified of the year ahead of me, but despite my general uselessness (can't cook, can't fix things, can't do much really) I couldn't feel more ready for this aspect.

Hallo, Halle!

While I was in Barcelona the email arrived that I'd been waiting for since finding out my Bundesland. Since finding out my application had been accepted. Since applying to go, even. I might have been shaking a bit when I opened it. What if I was going to a little village miles from proper (read: urban) civilisation? With two buses a day and no trains? Where everyone would know everything about everyone else because they all lived on the same street? This was the nightmare that had haunted me for months. But it was not to be! A letter from Saxony-Anhalt's education department revealed I'd actually been placed in a school in Halle an der Saale! To be honest, this was even better than I'd hoped for. I'd been gearing myself up for a medium-sized or small town. And instead I'm going to a university city, still small compared to Glasgow, but full of people my age and bars and shops. Perfect, as my Stevenson scholarship requires me to enrol at a German uni during my assistantship and Halle's Martin Luther University is huge.

I'm so excited to be going to Halle. It looks like a great city, small enough that I won't get lost but bursting with people to get to know. I've already begun looking for flats and they're all gorgeous and CHEAP. I can't believe the price difference between the flats there and what people pay for in the UK. I've had two skype 'dates' with potential flatmates, and I'm currently quite stressed but excited to finally fly the nest and hopefully land on my feet in a lovely flat. Preferably with a balcony, because that is the essence of the year abroad, is it not? Sitting in the sunset with a glass of wine, wondering how many people in Scotland can do the same. Though in my case, the glass will probably be replaced with a bottle of beer.

The school looks good. Quite normal, I suppose. It's a kooperative Gesamtschule, which from what I can figure out is pretty close to a British comprehensive school. It's in the Neustadt area of Halle, separated from the rest of the city by the river Saale, but by the looks of things still very reachable by tram or bus. From what I can figure out, HaNeu (amazing nickname, isn't it) looks a bit like Cumbernauld. Though, as my friend pointed out, perhaps Cumbernauld just looks like socialist East Germany. I'll be teaching kids from 10 to about 17 or 18, I think, and my lovely contact teacher Anka has informed me that the school is holding its first ever Highland Games this year. Interesting.

Is this an ex-Eastern Bloc country or a Scottish new town? You decide...

I'm doing work experience at a local newspaper this week and in every spare moment between jobs all I've been able to think about is Halle. Besides finding a flat, most of the worries I had are gone, and now I just can't wait to get on that plane and see what Germany's all about! I'm so happy for my friends too, as everyone's finally found out where they're going and everyone seems pretty happy! I can't wait to make Deutsche Bahn my best friend and travel around to see them all.

It's going to be a good one, I think!