The Last Days of School

This is the first post I have written while at school. I really just couldn't wait to tell you about the highlights from these last couple of days.

This past weekend I met up with my cousin, Jan, in Kiel for Keiler Woche ('Kiel Week') Here is a link to some good information on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiel_Week. I arrived on Saturday around 11.15 AM or so, and the fun immediately ensued.

There is really a lot to do and see during Kieler Woche, which is probably one of the reasons why it is a week long (it's actually something like 9 days, but it'd we weird to call it 'Kieler 9-Tage Fest' or something). All kinds of great, delicious food, good drinks, rides - one being called the Power Tower, which shoots you straight up and down at high speeds, http://www.powertower2.de/ - and so forth.

Jan and I mostly did a bunch of walking, talking, eating, and checking things out. Unfortunately, we didn't do any of the scary rides, with me being pretty poor these days and Jan having no desire (those rides, apparently, are a lot more scary/dangerous when you're about 6'4" tall!!). Later, we met up with Jan's two brothers, Tim and Leif, Tim's girlfriend, and a friend of Leif's. It was really nice to simply be able to hang out with these cousins of mine who I honestly didn't really know before I came to Germany. I think that might have been the best part of the trip. But Kieler Woche was pretty radical as well.

On Monday, I only had one class. Afterwards I spend a good amount of time doing the lame and necessary things such as returning class books and cleaning out my little locker (lots and lots of paper in the form of worksheets, etc). In the evening, at 'home,' my far too nice guest family and I had a very nice 'Abschluss' dinner. What I'm basically trying to say is that we had one last, big, and delicious dinner as a group. The two parents of the family are actually leaving Germany before I do, as they are headed over to Ireland for a couple-week Summer vacation very early this Friday morning - exactly a week before I hit the road (or..air, I guess..). Great food, great conversation. An overall good time with them. If any of you - Jochen, Sigrid, Helge, Oliver, und Devi - are reading this, I just want you to know that I can't thank you enough. With your help and hospitality, my year in Germany was much easier than what it could have been. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Today, Tuesday, was also awesome. I was invited to an Abschluss breakfast with both 5th grade classes and their teachers, and Herr Slama, who is retiring after one more day of school tomorrow. Together, we all made up the entire Pony Ranch Fieldtrip group. It was a lot of fun to hang out with the cute and funny 5th graders, whom I got to watch grow up SO MUCH in just this past year. At the end of the breakfast, Herr Slama and I were given some very nice and thoughtful gifts. I was given a small book, with the pages being made up of short letters and pictures from all of the students. Some tried their best to write in English and the most were in German, but it's a great gift. Something I can always have to remember two of my favorite classes by. I also was given a short DVD with pictures from our incredibly fun field trip to the pony ranch. Very awesome stuff. THANK YOU FRAU RAUBE, FRAU FISCHER, AND CLASSES 5A and 5B!!!

Well, that's that. Tomorrow is my last day of school here at the Heinrich-Horstmann-Schule. I've been invited to yet another Abscluss Breakfast tomorrow morning, this time with the 6B. After that, I might never work/teach another day in Germany for the rest of my life (but hopefully not!!!). Then I'll be starting the always fun task of packing my life back up into a few suitcases, closing accounts, and cleaning my room. Great.

Stay tuned for one last big post. I plan to review the year and so forth. Should be interesting, I hope.

Aufwiedersehen!

-Russell.