Still Going

I understand some people are still checking in from time to time, so I suppose the least I can do is update this thing, even though I'm afraid I don't have all that much (interesting) to say. But hey, I'm in BERLIN, which is pretty cool in itself. And Matthias is on his way to GREECE - also cool, but deserves an explanation.

After Matthias quit that awful job in (that boring town of) Steinfeld, I pushed for moving to Berlin, where I could enroll immediately in German classes and at the same time get certified to teach English. What I/we didn't know was that Berlin has the highest unemployment rate in Germany, so Matthias' chance of finding a (decent) job, or even something meaningful to do, was slim to none. Add that to the fact that due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, we ended up in a tiny, crappy studio apartment for August and September. So, after much discussion, we decided that since winter in Greece didn't seem like a bad idea, he would go early and (among other things) find a good place for us to set up house. He didn't plan on leaving so soon, but he found someone who was driving there and who could take him and his bike. It's only been a few days, I haven't heard from him yet, and I already miss him (of course.)

As for me, I'm busy with German classes and English Teacher Training. The German class is quite fun. I go three hours per day, Monday through Friday. The students are from all over, which makes it interesting. No doubt about it, German grammar is incredibly difficult, but since I'm not required to take a test or anything, I don't get too stressed out over it.

The English (ESL/EFL) teacher training class is quite another story. It's intense, and I'm only taking it part-time over three months (many people do it in one month!) After the first week, we already have some pretty tough assignments, and I have to teach my first lesson on the 23rd (gulp!) But the people are great, and I find it quite interesting. And of course it's good to be busy so I don't have a lot of time to miss my husband.

Speaking of busy - the visits I was hoping for are starting to materialize! Matt and Dean are coming next week, followed by my parents, and then a quick visit from Josh, Andrew and Lou in November. Though I don't have a lot of time, or space to accommodate more than one person at a time (though as of October I will have a much better studio), I hope others will consider a visit. Unless, of course, a visit to Greece sounds more appealing! But don't make plans too far in advance - with us, one never knows..... The only sure thing is that I'll be here until the beginning of December, when I hope to get my CELTA ESL teaching certificate.

Bis bald!