Fests on Fests on Fests

Hallo! Time for the update from the past few weeks! I haven't had a chance to sit and write this out, but I promise I'll get better! Exciting news from this past week, the teacher I've been covering classes for in 3rd and 4th grade has arrived, so now I am only teaching my Reception (prek/kindergarten) classes! This has been a long time coming. I felt so much less stressed this week, because I only had to plan for my own classes. It's amazing what those few extra lesson plans add up to be for teachers. Overall, I'm getting more used to the school, routine, and students. I think I'm starting to learn how to teach these tiny humans! They are so adorable though, so it makes it all worth it. If you want to see what we have been doing in class, check out the school blog site--http://miskindergarten.blogspot.de/

Now an update for what I've been up to exploring and celebrating! Last weekend we had a welcome dinner for parents and teachers at the school. It was so nice to talk to the parents outside of the school setting. It was at a restaurant on the edge of a golf course, and it had a huge bouncy house for the students to enjoy while the boring old people talked. We chatted and enjoyed good food, sunny weather, and new friends.

This past week, we had a field trip with the kiddos at a corn maze nearby! The students basically sprinted through the maze trying to find the castle with the "super fast slide" to play on. My coworker, Ms. Krisztina, and I tried to keep up with them and take photos of the adventures along the way. Again, the weather totally cooperated with us again, and the sun kept us warm as we navigated the labyrinth.

Yesterday, a group of us went to the Oktoberfest celebration in Stuttgart. Oktoberfests are happening all over the country right now, the biggest one being in Munich, but from what people have said, the Stuttgart fest is a bit more intimate, less crazy crowds, and much closer! I was the only one on the bus not dressed up in the traditional garb of lederhosen or dirndl. Guess that will have to be on the list of things to get while I'm here so I can fit in a bit better.

Once we got into the festival we went into one of the giant tents made for lots of drinking, dancing, and singing, all while wearing any variety of lederhosen or dirndl you could find. We found an empty place at a table with a group of French guys who immediately became friends with us all of course. The atmosphere was lively, but friendly! Everyone is cheers-ing, hugging, and sometimes trading shirts (don't ask questions).

This next week is a 4 day weekend, because the school recognizes "German Unity Day". I will be headed to Colmar, France (or little-Venice) as well as Baden-Baden! Commence traveling around all European countries in the 2 hour radius.

Miss you all and can't wait to see you soon! (Maybe Christmas time?) Or you could come visit! I will hopefully be moving into my own place in the next few weeks :)

Until next time!

German Phrase of the post: 

Was meinen Sie damit Sie nicht wie Bier?
"What do you mean, you don't like beer?"