A Little Bit of Something

I can't believe I've only been here for a week, for it feels like months. But I'm slowly and surely finding ways to take up my time.

I'm much better than I was after that last post. Diane (my roommate) and I talk more and are forming a good routine with each other and our living arrangments. I mentioned also the "Asian Dinner Night" and that went well, though only two other people showed up. Very nice boys whom I got to talk with in a slightly haphazard way, but they told me all about Karneval and what to do/not to do as a newcomer to the scene. I am very excited for Karneval now-- it should prove to be very entertaining if not a bit crazy.

I also met another girl that speaks pretty good English (mainy because of an ex-boyfriend from California), but her character is a bit....interesting. She seems very nice but slightly...daring? She plays on an all-girls football (American style) team in Dusseldorf, which is not far from here. She's a fan of rap music and is working as a bartender while studying to be a fast-food restaurant manager.

Yeah...weird, I know. I'm still feeling that one out. But I am meeting people, which is what I needed to do before I went crazy. As I've found out the hostel isn't the best place to meet people that speak English as fluent as I am used to. Most of the people here, according to Claudia-- one of the heads of office, only remember English from grade school and didn't study it further. They are here in town training for jobs and doing apprenticeships, not going to University. Either way, I am going to venture out of the hostel to see if I can't meet other people too. Later today I will go to Starbucks (there are several) and just hang out and read a book.

The school is going well, but it is exhausting. My days so far are from 8am-1pm, but with very long class periods and a couple of breaks. But also the kids I've been working with are around 11-12 years old, so their energy is limitless. Honestly, I didn't think kids could run around that much. I'm starting to catch bits and pieces of their conversations though, which is good. They say "shit" a lot because they think I don't know that word, but I called a student out on it and all was fine.

Oh! Another story: a couple of days ago I was working in the computer lab and a girl tried to take a lighter to a mouse in order to separate it from the computer (it was tied to it with a plastic tab, which she intended to melt). Absolutely hysterical looking back on it. God. But other than that I have no "crazy" stories, though I'm sure I will soon.