Oriented

The past few days I had my orientation at Altenberg where I not only met tons of other US Fremdsprachenassistenten (foreign language assistants) or FSAs, but also gained a deeper understanding of the German school system and how to effectively create a class plan and teach English.  For example, it never occurred to me how important it would be to write things like page numbers on the board in case the students don't hear you correctly, though when I think about my own language learning experiences, that makes lots of sense.  It was a fun, though tiring, few days, reminiscent of college orientation.
Even though our schedule was jam packed, I managed to find enough time to explore the surrounding area, which was basically just green.  One of my favorite parts about Germany is how much access to the countryside you have.  Even though I was in the middle of nowhere, there were trails everywhere, from along the highway into the woods.  And what a pastoral setting it was!  The main feature is the Gothic cathedral (with bells at 6:50, ugh) with the other monastery buildings clustered around it, and then the landscape just descends into green.  

Going outdoors offered a nice respite from the all-day sitting and it was nice to walk along the creek, visit the cows, and smell the fresh pines. Lots of plants look very familiar to me, but I have no idea what they are in English or German.  I ran across orange slugs again though.  Though I could never live in a town that small (if it even was a town), there is something incredibly refreshing about going to a place where there is really nothing else to do except take a walk.
And now I'm back in rainy Hannover, where it's probably 60 degrees, if that.  Luckily the weather improves tomorrow!  And since I happen to be feeling under the weather myself, hopefully I'll also fight off whatever's getting to me.