So, I usually have Fridays off from work, and yesterday was no exception. Despite being relatively tired, my bodies circadian rhythms are wound tight, and I therefore woke up at 730 am!
Well, I am a stubborn sumtin, and decided that if I couldn't sleep all day, I was AT LEAST going to stay in the bed all day . . . . . . .
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DID!
note: the rest of my life is probably going to be super hectic; being a Fulbright just added ten years to my life, because now I can sleep, relax, and just enjoy life!
Yeah, so I met a new friend at the University, and he invited me to go bar hopping with his friends. They are all really funny, and I had a blast . . . . . . especially considering that as we continued to bar-hop, the locales got shaddier and shaddier . . . . . . .
The second bar we went to, it was explained to me that it is frequented by older men and young women who want to make some "pocket money" from benevolent patrons . . . . . . I am so glad he told me, otherwise, I never would have noticed, lol!
We then HAD to walk through the red-light district to get to the next pub . . . .
This shit was sad but hilarious at the same time! So, imagine a Diagon Alley-esque set up (For those of you who are not familiar with Harry Potter, imagine a really small alleyway that about four ppl. can walk through
So, we're walking through, and I am expecting the prostititues (who, in Germany, are legal workers, and have health insurance) to be on the street . . . . no, that would be unprofessional . . . . . these women were in small rooms with glass windows that could be opened all the way to let their customers in. You could see the goods from a safe distance, and then make your decision . . . . . what tripped me out about walking through this street was a few things
1) People my age were trying to buy some time! (that just seems really weird to me, but, go in, do you)
2) That about half of them were black (this saddened me, but okay)
3) That they had every type of fetish you could want . . . . . grandmas, super-huge breasts . . . . a few other things, lol
4) THIS IS THE KICKER . . . . . you could PAY WITH YOU MASTERCARD/CHECKCARD
WHAT THE FUCK!!!! . . . . . Do you know I can't buy groceries with my credit card . . . . . but I can buy some Red Light Booty . . . . . . . THAT AIN'T FOOD, see, when ppl ask me which country is better, I'ma say, "i don't know, but I can buy food with a credit card in America . . . . . ."
I almost passed out . . . cuz I could not help but wonder what would show up on your billing statement after paying for this service . . . . . .
Hoe-stroll, Girl 119 . . . . or just simply . . . . Vagina?
At any rate, everybody had a chuckle at my expense because I have never seen anything like this . . . . . . yeah, just another day in the life, I guess . . . .
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
I almost cried today . . . . . .
Okay, so I offer "Nachhilfstunden", after-school help, in English for free on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for free!
note: I have charged up to 30 dollars an hour for help in languages
So clearly, many children came to get some help. Today, I had a new little girl whose English was superb for her age.
I sat the group in a circle (these kids are between 10 and 12) . . . . . and told them to just tell me about themselves in English . . . . and to tell me as much as they could . . .
I told them that they could talk about their teachers (I, of course, had to promise that nothing would leave the room, but suffice it to say that I had a good chuckle after hearing what my students thought about their teachers, lol) or anything else.
So, the little girl who I didn't know . . . . Ezra . . . . . started talking about her family, how her brother hates math . . . . and so I asked about her father . . . . .
She told me and the rest of the group that her father left her and her family for another woman in Turkey . . . . . . . and she said it was hard for her, and that she cries everyday . . . (y'all, I am not built for this kind of stuff, cuz I am sitting hear tearing up as I write this . . . . the impressive part is that she did not speak on word in German!!)
It took me everything in my power not to pick up this little girl, and just hold her. Many of the kids that I work with here have similar problems as minority youth in America . . . . . . I am not surprised, but I was definitely not expecting that!
At any rate, I told everybody that if I heard one peep about anything that was said . . . . I would mos def not be a nice person . . . . . .. .
At any rate, the next little girl talked about her family, and their problems . . . once again, I was impressed everything was in English . . . . but my heart was slowly breaking . . . .
So, I had to change the tone of this conversation, and also make sure everybody was learning . . . . . and they were . . . . I noticed a difference, at the very least in their confidence levels, which is very important!
I know I am here to do something special, I just haven't quite grasped it yet . . . . . but I suddenly feel inspired!
as a sidebar, I just came from a gospel group rehearsal, and I have been invited to sing with the Bochum Philharmonic Choir!! My spirits are def up, I just want to do so much for these kids.
Also . . . . if anybody knows how I can make a Halloween party appealing to a bunch of 18 year olds, please hit me up!
LaSean
note: I have charged up to 30 dollars an hour for help in languages
So clearly, many children came to get some help. Today, I had a new little girl whose English was superb for her age.
I sat the group in a circle (these kids are between 10 and 12) . . . . . and told them to just tell me about themselves in English . . . . and to tell me as much as they could . . .
I told them that they could talk about their teachers (I, of course, had to promise that nothing would leave the room, but suffice it to say that I had a good chuckle after hearing what my students thought about their teachers, lol) or anything else.
So, the little girl who I didn't know . . . . Ezra . . . . . started talking about her family, how her brother hates math . . . . and so I asked about her father . . . . .
She told me and the rest of the group that her father left her and her family for another woman in Turkey . . . . . . . and she said it was hard for her, and that she cries everyday . . . (y'all, I am not built for this kind of stuff, cuz I am sitting hear tearing up as I write this . . . . the impressive part is that she did not speak on word in German!!)
It took me everything in my power not to pick up this little girl, and just hold her. Many of the kids that I work with here have similar problems as minority youth in America . . . . . . I am not surprised, but I was definitely not expecting that!
At any rate, I told everybody that if I heard one peep about anything that was said . . . . I would mos def not be a nice person . . . . . .. .
At any rate, the next little girl talked about her family, and their problems . . . once again, I was impressed everything was in English . . . . but my heart was slowly breaking . . . .
So, I had to change the tone of this conversation, and also make sure everybody was learning . . . . . and they were . . . . I noticed a difference, at the very least in their confidence levels, which is very important!
I know I am here to do something special, I just haven't quite grasped it yet . . . . . but I suddenly feel inspired!
as a sidebar, I just came from a gospel group rehearsal, and I have been invited to sing with the Bochum Philharmonic Choir!! My spirits are def up, I just want to do so much for these kids.
Also . . . . if anybody knows how I can make a Halloween party appealing to a bunch of 18 year olds, please hit me up!
LaSean
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Teacher-Student Teacher Conference
You know, as smart as I think I am, I am one hell of an air head . . . . . . .
Note: Germany uses the 24 hour clock
So, I spoke last week with my headmistress (I absolutely adore this woman; she LOVES these kids, and is sensitive to the kids' domestic situations) about what the other English teachers expect from me as a student teacher . . . . . . I would eventually, albeit slowly, like to be apart of the daily lessons, but how?
She suggested that we meet at her house at 1700 hours to discuss this over light refreshments. One of the English teachers offered me a ride 20 minutes before 1700.
Now, I got home at around 2pm, and was on my computer the whole time, but my computer is still on East Coast time . . . . between that and the whole military time thing, I am forever calculating what time it is! (I thought I had a knack for it until this day)
At any rate, in my confusion, I get to the house of the woman who was supposed to be bringing me to the gathering . . .
Note on Germans: these are by far the most punctual people ever (or at least, that's what they want the world to think, lol) . . . . but it's true. If you tell them to be somewhere at a specific time, they will walk in at that exact time!)
So, ten minutes have gone by, and I thought, wow, I know she told me to be here at this time, but unfortunately, I didn't have her number. So, I called my headmistress, and she told me that my ride was already at her house, and that everyone was waiting for me because it was already almost 6pm!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD, THE DUMB AMERICAN STRIKES AGAIN!!!
I was so through with myself . . . I wanted to curl up in a box and die . . . this entire event was for them to hear me speak . . . . and I am an hour late . . . . I have heard of a grand entrance, but DAMN!
Well, I made it there thanks to my roommate . . . . in 10 minutes! I apologized A LOT, but after that, the night went very well (besides some of the less cooth colleagues who were forever looking at their watches, when the event was voluntary to begin with . . . . that annoyed me just a little bit, but I know better than to show that, i'll just blog about it ;)
We even came up with some awesome ideas to "trick" the students into learning better English . . . . . including a Casino Night (which I am so excited about!!!!), a Dance, a Christmas Concert in English, and a yearbook club!
I am thoroughly excited, and can't wait to begin this part of my Fulbright experience!!
LaSean
Note: Germany uses the 24 hour clock
So, I spoke last week with my headmistress (I absolutely adore this woman; she LOVES these kids, and is sensitive to the kids' domestic situations) about what the other English teachers expect from me as a student teacher . . . . . . I would eventually, albeit slowly, like to be apart of the daily lessons, but how?
She suggested that we meet at her house at 1700 hours to discuss this over light refreshments. One of the English teachers offered me a ride 20 minutes before 1700.
Now, I got home at around 2pm, and was on my computer the whole time, but my computer is still on East Coast time . . . . between that and the whole military time thing, I am forever calculating what time it is! (I thought I had a knack for it until this day)
At any rate, in my confusion, I get to the house of the woman who was supposed to be bringing me to the gathering . . .
Note on Germans: these are by far the most punctual people ever (or at least, that's what they want the world to think, lol) . . . . but it's true. If you tell them to be somewhere at a specific time, they will walk in at that exact time!)
So, ten minutes have gone by, and I thought, wow, I know she told me to be here at this time, but unfortunately, I didn't have her number. So, I called my headmistress, and she told me that my ride was already at her house, and that everyone was waiting for me because it was already almost 6pm!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD, THE DUMB AMERICAN STRIKES AGAIN!!!
I was so through with myself . . . I wanted to curl up in a box and die . . . this entire event was for them to hear me speak . . . . and I am an hour late . . . . I have heard of a grand entrance, but DAMN!
Well, I made it there thanks to my roommate . . . . in 10 minutes! I apologized A LOT, but after that, the night went very well (besides some of the less cooth colleagues who were forever looking at their watches, when the event was voluntary to begin with . . . . that annoyed me just a little bit, but I know better than to show that, i'll just blog about it ;)
We even came up with some awesome ideas to "trick" the students into learning better English . . . . . including a Casino Night (which I am so excited about!!!!), a Dance, a Christmas Concert in English, and a yearbook club!
I am thoroughly excited, and can't wait to begin this part of my Fulbright experience!!
LaSean
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Skype is the way to battle homesickness
I am a well-traveled person . . . I have lived in Germany before, been away every summer for some internship or program, and I have traveled to many countries around the world for weeks at a time.
Despite being well-traveled, I still get a little homesick . . . . there are some comforts of home that you are just going to miss . . .
Family, friends, holidays (especially thanksgiving, because my mom makes this BOMB sweet-potato pie), and even being able to go grocery shopping on Sunday. (Almost every business is closed on Sundays in Germany)
Usually, I get really homesick while I am traveling. I normally do not have the opportunity to call home because it is expensive and the lines always sound funny, depending on where you are calling from (ex: Central America). Well, this world sure has come a long way in terms of telecommunications, because for 9 euros a month, I can call just about anybody, anytime, anywhere in the world through SKYPE! It is an absolutely amazing program. I am able to talk to my mother on a regular basis (make sure she is sending me money, lol), handle business, and even call my friends for a really reasonable price!
Now, skype does have the potential to be dis-advantageous. I believe that I call the U.S. entirely too much, honestly. It takes away from the "Getting-used-to-your-surroundings" process. Although I am very well adjusted here, I am going to slowly ween myself off of my dependence on calling the states when I get lonely . . . instead, i'm going to go to a bar! (That's what people do here, I do not drink much at all!)
Dont' get me wrong . . . I am doing A TON here in Germany! I have gone to Luxembourg (and spent a lot of money), travelle ddown the Rhein river TWICE this month to visit my old host family (and spent a lot of money), and I am planning trips to Madrid, Milan, and Sarajevo! I know that once I leave Europe, I won't be coming back anytime soon . . . . which is why I am traveling so much (and spending a lot of money)
When the time comes that I must leave this Germany and the many friends I have made . . . . I will use SKYPE to keep in touch!
Despite being well-traveled, I still get a little homesick . . . . there are some comforts of home that you are just going to miss . . .
Family, friends, holidays (especially thanksgiving, because my mom makes this BOMB sweet-potato pie), and even being able to go grocery shopping on Sunday. (Almost every business is closed on Sundays in Germany)
Usually, I get really homesick while I am traveling. I normally do not have the opportunity to call home because it is expensive and the lines always sound funny, depending on where you are calling from (ex: Central America). Well, this world sure has come a long way in terms of telecommunications, because for 9 euros a month, I can call just about anybody, anytime, anywhere in the world through SKYPE! It is an absolutely amazing program. I am able to talk to my mother on a regular basis (make sure she is sending me money, lol), handle business, and even call my friends for a really reasonable price!
Now, skype does have the potential to be dis-advantageous. I believe that I call the U.S. entirely too much, honestly. It takes away from the "Getting-used-to-your-surroundings" process. Although I am very well adjusted here, I am going to slowly ween myself off of my dependence on calling the states when I get lonely . . . instead, i'm going to go to a bar! (That's what people do here, I do not drink much at all!)
Dont' get me wrong . . . I am doing A TON here in Germany! I have gone to Luxembourg (and spent a lot of money), travelle ddown the Rhein river TWICE this month to visit my old host family (and spent a lot of money), and I am planning trips to Madrid, Milan, and Sarajevo! I know that once I leave Europe, I won't be coming back anytime soon . . . . which is why I am traveling so much (and spending a lot of money)
When the time comes that I must leave this Germany and the many friends I have made . . . . I will use SKYPE to keep in touch!
How to get kicked out of a Russian disco
So, these types of things are happening to me with entirely too much frequency, but I will try to explain my case, lol!
First, I have to explain the culture of German Discos:
People dont come to the club, and just dance with random people . . . whomever you come to the club with is who you dance with . . . this means for guys and girls, you just stand in a big circle, and do a two step all night in between taking shots . . . . . .
If a girl that you dont know dances "on" you like a girl would in america, it means that they want to go home with you . . . that is how it was explained to me . . . . . .
Note: Okay . . . . so I love to dance!! . . . A LOT!!!
On with the story . . ..
So my friends are determined to build my alcohol tolerance up to their level (mind you, they have been drinking hard liquor since they were 14 . . .)
Before we even get into the club . . . . we take shots from some 40 proof bottle . . . I was done by my third shot, and I had not even walked into the club yet!!!
Then we walked into the club, and got in for free cuz one of the people i went with knew the door guy! We go in, and have six more rounds of shots . . . . utter craziness!!!
We finally go to the dancefloor, and they are playing oldies but goodies . . . so we got in a circle, and started dancing . . . . and I burned it up, lol! Like, I was all over tha dance floor, but I kept it in the pocket . . . as in, I wasnt dancing like a drunk man, I was just dancing my face off . . .
At any rate, these girls were looking at us (cuz we were all fly, of course) . . . . so I started dancing with one . . . . and she didnt push me away lol . . . and all of my friends gasped lol . . . .at any rate, i didnt have sex with her, of course, I just wanted to dance . . .
This was the confidence boost that I needed, and i danced with a lot of other girls, some barstools, a chair . . . . you get the idea, lol
So, eventually, I decided that I needed a break . . . . which was around 130 in the morning . . .. and my friend and I walk out to the lobby. A girl passed right by me, and in my drunken fit of hyper-masculinity, i let my hand rub against her stomach as she walked past me . . . . but, okay . . . . not a big deal, right?
Not really (as in, the girl didnt mind), but I happened to do it right as a big ol burly security guard was walking by . . . and this is where the drama starts . . . .
So, the guard never talks to me directly, he talks to my friend, Andy, my great friend who comes from mother Russia, visited me in this year in Atlanta, and was happily shocked by how the girls would just dance wit you, no problems or cares, they would just dance and have a good time . . .
At any rate, he attempted to explain the cultural differences between American clubs and German(russian) clubs . .. the guy still kicked me out . ..
Now, I told him, I would leave, i didnt want any trouble at all . . . so I paid, and they escorted me to the front door, which was a few feet away
Andy all of a sudden has an arm around his neck, and these guys pushed him into this secret room . . . . so I try to go up, and they hold me by the neck, telling me I need to go . . . I tried to explain (ich will kein ärger . . . ich will nur mein kumpel von mir züruck)
I dont want no problems, i just want my friend back . . . . . so then my brother comes running out the club, along with the rest of our party, and it is about to turn into a big fight . . . . my head is now spinning . . . cuz i drank at this point a lil over a litre of vodka by myself inside 2 and a half hours . . . .
Andy comes out, and tells us one dude held him while another punched him thrice . . . so they call the police. . . . i wanted to cry, cuz it is all my fault . . .DAMN THESE HIPS
The police come . . . and get the stories of everybody, and leave . . . I was like, great, we all had an awesome night up to this point, let us all just go home . ..
Thank God, that is what we did after while, but that was ridiculous!! .. . . . .
So, i am going to stay away from dancefloors and vodka for a lil while (added to my list, which includes Jose cuervo . . . silver and gold)
. . . . and that was my Saturday night in Stuttgart . . . . .
First, I have to explain the culture of German Discos:
People dont come to the club, and just dance with random people . . . whomever you come to the club with is who you dance with . . . this means for guys and girls, you just stand in a big circle, and do a two step all night in between taking shots . . . . . .
If a girl that you dont know dances "on" you like a girl would in america, it means that they want to go home with you . . . that is how it was explained to me . . . . . .
Note: Okay . . . . so I love to dance!! . . . A LOT!!!
On with the story . . ..
So my friends are determined to build my alcohol tolerance up to their level (mind you, they have been drinking hard liquor since they were 14 . . .)
Before we even get into the club . . . . we take shots from some 40 proof bottle . . . I was done by my third shot, and I had not even walked into the club yet!!!
Then we walked into the club, and got in for free cuz one of the people i went with knew the door guy! We go in, and have six more rounds of shots . . . . utter craziness!!!
We finally go to the dancefloor, and they are playing oldies but goodies . . . so we got in a circle, and started dancing . . . . and I burned it up, lol! Like, I was all over tha dance floor, but I kept it in the pocket . . . as in, I wasnt dancing like a drunk man, I was just dancing my face off . . .
At any rate, these girls were looking at us (cuz we were all fly, of course) . . . . so I started dancing with one . . . . and she didnt push me away lol . . . and all of my friends gasped lol . . . .at any rate, i didnt have sex with her, of course, I just wanted to dance . . .
This was the confidence boost that I needed, and i danced with a lot of other girls, some barstools, a chair . . . . you get the idea, lol
So, eventually, I decided that I needed a break . . . . which was around 130 in the morning . . .. and my friend and I walk out to the lobby. A girl passed right by me, and in my drunken fit of hyper-masculinity, i let my hand rub against her stomach as she walked past me . . . . but, okay . . . . not a big deal, right?
Not really (as in, the girl didnt mind), but I happened to do it right as a big ol burly security guard was walking by . . . and this is where the drama starts . . . .
So, the guard never talks to me directly, he talks to my friend, Andy, my great friend who comes from mother Russia, visited me in this year in Atlanta, and was happily shocked by how the girls would just dance wit you, no problems or cares, they would just dance and have a good time . . .
At any rate, he attempted to explain the cultural differences between American clubs and German(russian) clubs . .. the guy still kicked me out . ..
Now, I told him, I would leave, i didnt want any trouble at all . . . so I paid, and they escorted me to the front door, which was a few feet away
Andy all of a sudden has an arm around his neck, and these guys pushed him into this secret room . . . . so I try to go up, and they hold me by the neck, telling me I need to go . . . I tried to explain (ich will kein ärger . . . ich will nur mein kumpel von mir züruck)
I dont want no problems, i just want my friend back . . . . . so then my brother comes running out the club, along with the rest of our party, and it is about to turn into a big fight . . . . my head is now spinning . . . cuz i drank at this point a lil over a litre of vodka by myself inside 2 and a half hours . . . .
Andy comes out, and tells us one dude held him while another punched him thrice . . . so they call the police. . . . i wanted to cry, cuz it is all my fault . . .DAMN THESE HIPS
The police come . . . and get the stories of everybody, and leave . . . I was like, great, we all had an awesome night up to this point, let us all just go home . ..
Thank God, that is what we did after while, but that was ridiculous!! .. . . . .
So, i am going to stay away from dancefloors and vodka for a lil while (added to my list, which includes Jose cuervo . . . silver and gold)
. . . . and that was my Saturday night in Stuttgart . . . . .
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