Leap Year

I haven't posted in over six months, but I've noticed that two or three people still check every day. That makes me feel pretty good. For those of you who haven't noticed yet, 2008 is a leap year. Get excited! This will be my six birthday. Notice I didn't say that I'll be six. This is my six birthday. There's a difference people.

Amiland

I am home. I am safe. And tomorrow I'm going to the beach for a week with my family. All is indeed well in Amiland.

Post 112, aka Last Post from Germany

My family got me sick. They came to visit me in Germany and brought their ugly American germs with them. Geeze. In case none of you have ever had a cold while sitting in a room without air conditioning when it's 99 degrees outside, it isn't pleasant. It rained almost everyday when my family was here and was always in the 60's, but now it's hot hot hot.

I've been slowly painting my room over the past few days (standard German procedure, paint the room so that someone else can move in and then paint it the color they actually want). Then, last night, my landlord kindly pointed out little spots where the new white paint didn't quite cover the old paint. How kind of him. In the process of fixing this today, I think I just make my entire room splotchy. It almost looks like some painting technique you might see on HGTV.

Tonight, my bed will be sitting outside for the garbage man, and I'll be sleeping in a guest room in my building. My computer will be packed in my carry-on, my clothes will be packed (or donated to the big container down the street...), my phone will be gone, and I'll be attempting to sleep while thinking about the horrendous trip that awaits me. How horrendous you might be wondering? Well, I have to lug two approximately 50 pound bags to Cologne via train tomorrow (I can't really explain how horrible that will be, but ask to see the blisters on my hands when I get home, and then you'll understand). And then I have to fly a good 10 hours on Thursday and then sit in a car for four hours. It'll all be worth it though.

I've said my last goodbyes to all my friends, so things are starting to get rather bittersweet here.
I have to get home quick before things are just plain sad here.

Sorry it's been too long. It seems like its been a long time, doesn't it? I've been with my family the past two weeks, travelling around Germany. That's why there's a peculiar lack of new posts here. They got here July 1st and left to go back to America this morning. We had a really great vacation together, and regardless of the awful weather we had (it rained everyday), I got to see my family again after a six month hiatus. Unfortunately, Lora and Michael and the little one couldn't make the trip, but I'll see them soon.

I only have a few days now to pack and/or throw away all of my stuff, paint my room, clean, and do some banking and government errands, so I might not post again before I leave Chemnitz. We'll see if there's an overflowing of desire from readers for a last post.

I found my optimal peer group

Yesterday was my last day of school. For me, it was relatively easy. I had one last conversation group, said goodbye to my principal, and that's about it. But for everybody else at school, it was a rather exciting day. More on this later.

Later in the evening, I had dinner with nine English teachers from my school. I discovered last night that I have been looking for German friends in the completely wrong age bracket. Middle-aged German women are apparently where I should have been looking. We had a great time, ate too much food, and did what women of all nationalities are famous for: we sat and talked forever, about five hours in fact. Talk talk talk, quatsch quatsch quatsch. It was great. They even gave me some gifts that are specific to this area.

Back to school. Yesterday, this is what happened after I left (things fall apart when I'm not around): A teacher had a heart-attack, one of Petra's students fainted in the bathroom, and four students who had had an internet plan to kill their English teacher were expelled/reassigned new classes. Fun day! Two of the four students weren't expelled because they were just "followers" and didn't plan anything. One of the two reassigned students will be in Petra's eighth grade class from now on. Petra's students are fairly angry about being the dumping ground for potential murders. I went to Petra's eighth grade class once a week, so I'm not too disappointed about being done with that!

I have another goodbye party in twenty minutes. This one is with the debating club that I participated in once a week and went on several trips with. Then tomorrow, my Fulbright friends are all coming to Chemnitz, and we're going to grill out at a park. I'm busy busy busy.

Armageddon showed up with a coffee cup

I received an incredible coffee cup from a class of students today. I base my assertion of incredibleness on two coffee cup properties: 1) It has the Karl Marx head on it, and 2) it can do magic. I think the Karl Marx head reference is clear unless you've never read my blog before, and if you fall into that category, I don't care. It can perform acts of magic: My cup is black, yet it turns white when hot water is placed inside. Again: magic. Here's pictorial documentation:

Without water.

With water.

Cool down.

In unrelated news, I thought Armageddon had started in Chemnitz this evening, but it turns out it was merely what meteorologists affectionately refer to as a "sunset." Who knows where they come up with this stuff. Here's a couple pictures. I'm going to put the rest on flikr.com (click My Online Pictures on the right).

Outside my window.

Across the street.

Last week of school

Today was the first day of the last week of my first experience of lasting as a "teacher." The students of today's class made me a little goodbye booklet in which they each wrote a little message. It was cute.