Sticky Apple Kisses

And I am ready to curl up and just sleep until next year. Being on the other side of the teacher student divide is so much more exhausting than I had remembered. And I had remembered that 4 hours straight of German was rather grueling. The great news is that my trainer is awesome, very sweet (lets hope this opinion remains instead of fading) and it actually looks like the book we are using is good, as in I will be able to discuss things in real life instead of just talk about the fact that ceiling fans are in fact above me and on the ceiling. But Eddie Izzard does the learning useless phrases in a language in a way I just can never do justice to, so here is Eddie’s take on learning French:

My tomorrow has been ruined, and yes I am a spoiled princess. Instead of having class tomorrow evening like scheduled, I now have my lesson 6 30 am for 2 units before having to run straight back to work to begin at 8 30 and to go on straight til 12 15. Why is this bad? I teach English just so that I never HAVE to get up before 7 in the morning, EVER!!!! (In Korea I took the job because it began at 2 in the afternoon). Plus I am going to be so sweaty for my almost 4 hours of private lessons. Next time Orlando vacations, because that may be easier than getting a license before Saturday.

I still giggle whenever I am asked if I have lust for something. Yes I love movies, but I don’t quite see it at the level of lust to go to one. All my German friends go boo! But I can’t help it, lust does mean desire, just in a more sexual way.

Either way, the country has gone mad for football. While waiting for the train today I noticed that they run the game scores underneath the train arrival times. These people are hardcore, I was ostracized yesterday for not knowing that Germany won over the weekend, and two students declared they could not stay the entire class as a match was on.

So I think next week I am resorting to pub lessons, as that is where my students on Monday night will be anyway. I have already been told that with Germany playing they just can not come to class. I will just crawl into a hammock chair and listen to the screaming, because no one is going to practicing their English with me apparently. Although I do have a lesson on soccer, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Or at least the Black Devil does, the universe may take that as an opportunity to really taunt me. Sigh.

Quick review, which if your a regular reader at Gypsy as well you already know. I spent this weekend at a motorcycle travelers meeting just north of Heidelberg. Watching some of the presentations created a physical pain in my stomach and my chest as I literally ACHED at the memories of our previous trips, and the knowledge that 6 weeks and German paperwork stands between me and the next one. (and if you wonder how we afford it, we live life on the cheap the rest of the year, no new cars or Bertolucci watches for us. Mine is free!!!)

I did spend a chunk on my bike, and the license itself. But then that is why we cut our trip from one year to 3 months.

Anyway, this is all how life is good. And I admit my life is good. I make mistakes that I need to pay for, but all in all I am very happy with how my life has turned out, and the direction it is going. So my partner is a Swabian with no intention of living outside of Germany. He is however an avid motorcycle traveler and a freelancer who is only too happy to take months up to a year off for motorcycle adventures. And he is still here despite some pretty impressive tantrums that I have thrown since moving to Germany. (I never expected to go back to teaching English, and I admit that though it offers the life I want, there are some major drawbacks).

Enter bad day Monday.

First off I am a freelancer. Most jobs on the ESL market in Germany are. Thats fine. It means that no contract binds me, and I can take all those holidays that I do so love without losing my job.

It also means spending half your day on trains as you run from class to class, and so 6 times to be late. There is also a lot of split shifts, so I work most days 8 - 12, and then again 4 - 9 30. Suck. And though I can take holidays when I want, I dont get paid for those holidays. Whats more if I take too many Im regarded as unreliable, and though work wont promise you hours, they do like for you to promise them it back.

But not so unusual and a small price to pay for the holidays I do take.

So today after missing my bus the last train I can take wihtout being late proceed to shut its doors in my face. Literally. I should have stuck a body part in there, but I didnt. That is why German trains are always on time. Door shuts, it doesn’t reopen. I need to call work to tell them I am going to be 10 minutes late. I am in fact 15 by the time I tear up the stairs.

Fast forward to this afternoon. I go down to check the Black Devil and make sure she starts. In fairness I never do this. I also ASSUME she will start. But today I just wanted to make sure. Bad day in all. She does, lovely. I go back, and play on the internet to the last second, and then I leave. I need 20 minutes to get there, I always leave 30 minutes early just in case she wont start.

She starts, I go, Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Halfway there, on the back road of nowhere, where no buses ever come, she dies. Just dies.

I scream, and cry, and scream some more.

I think about kicking over the hill, jumping on her, and tearing her exhaust pipe off, just because I can. Instead I call Patrick to come get me.

Enter strange German man on his BMW, who fixes her, (her spark plug had come out, now I know for next time at least), gets her working, and merely demands a kiss on his cheek for his efforts.

I make it to work, you guessed it, 15 minutes late.

Sigh, and this moments after writing on my cousins wall to buy a Vespa and not a pedal bike.

On the upside, turns out Patrick had his pedal bike at work, and literally tore from work to the house to get his car to come get me and drive me to work. (I was late the very first class with this group as they are literally out in the middle of nowhere, this was a theme work was not going to like, despite my best efforts otherwise.) Which also makes me think that instead of taunting me maybe the universe is in fact telling me to switch careers, as I have an awesome country, the best biking, a partner who rushes out of work to pedal his ass off to get to his car that is parked in our driveway 15 kms away to rescue me (and he did it in about 15 mins, I dont know how), and the only time I am really unhappy is when I am running around spending half my time chasing the work, and the other half actually doing it.

Anyway, the best part is that in roughly 6 weeks we are off for our 3 months adventure. Thats lots of times to think about work, and to come back and set my own terms a little better, rather than work work work to have the cash for the travel lifestyle I do so like.

And so considering what my life could be like, I shouldn’t complain.

I did a WW over on Journizer from Japan, and then looked at some of the old emails from Japan I had put up there a while back.

Oh good giggle, and how much do I miss Japan at this moment! Check them out. Sherrie in Japan.

Well there are a number problems with freelancing, the first is that it can spoil you. Unlike a regular school that guarantees your hours and is contractually obliged to pay you if they can not find courses for you during the week - and therefore WILL find you courses to keep you busy or else send you to the toilet to scrub it clean,(ok maybe not the toilet, but you will find yourself in the staff room and told to organize the heaps of paper into “quick lesson and ideas” folders) when you work freelance for a school and a class cancels, thats it! You lose the money, but you gain the free time. Almost all my classes were skiing last week. So I only had to wake up one morning, and the rest of the week I only had my private students.

The problem with freelancing is that when that happens too often you find yourself broke broke broke! As when the school is late in paying you. Which also happens a lot when you are a freelancer. This is a major reason why I tell new teachers to Germany to bring lots of cash to hold you over the first three months. Once you are here awhile you can sign up to a couple of schools, and one of them will always need you. (Chain school called me on Tuesday asking me to teach Wed - Fri from 8 am to 2 pm.) OR once you’ve been here awhile you have enough tucked away that you can laugh when chain school calls and enjoy your week off.

But then you have to readjust yourself to going back to a full course week after such a lax one. Sniff, my life is so hard. But at least I no longer have to dress up for work on Halloween. (Though truthfully I kind’ve miss it. It’s just that no one got that I was a gypsy!)

I am in the process of renewing my work permit for Germany. Wish me luck, if I am lucky I get someone who likes their job and I will have a permit quickly. If I am not in luck I will be hit with someone who gives me the run around. Honestly, each and every person seems to have a completely different story, from friendly and lovely and quick, (as in one week), right on up to months and months before they finally quit in frustration. That I already have a work permit should help. But the fact that I am changing the type may prove aggravating.

But the proof of my health insurance arrived this week. WOO HOO. Not only do I need it for my permit, but I need it to be in the country at all. Yup, it is a criminal offense not to be insured while in Germany. (and my old insurance is running out).

But here is a pet peeve, I am under private insurance as I am a freelancer and getting into the public system is rather difficult. In fact near impossible. As I have no intention of getting pregnant I chose coverage that does not cover pregnancy. Choosing that option would have driven the cost through the roof. No offense, but if I do get pregnant I had help. Shouldn’t his insurance help chip in as well?

Anyway, so that is my peeve. But the insurance was needed. I do not even want to think about what a financial disaster not having health insurance would have been. Florida healthcare plan benefits is a viable option for people who are self employed and need affordable coverage.  It took me forever to find a plan that was acceptable and that was within reason financially.

There are other things to do at the moment. Including some trip enhancing posts, as well as sharing what happened today, and the epic journey. But one last video post, partially because the novelty hasn’t worn off, and partially because all the talk of Asia makes me want to share some Korea shots from Patrick’s trip. It is also when and how I met him. Though there is no pics of me in this video, as for most of Korea I admit to feeling very little pain.

Everyone knows I am a procrastinator. I cant even write emails, seriously, I finally wrote an email today I meant to write two days ago. I get online and then I spend the next hour reading comics and catching up on blogs, and then when I open the email up before I even begin I drift over to Facebook. OR I have a week like next week promises to be, where I will not have time to breath. Come Saturday I will be begging for time to do nothing but flick around pages on the internet, EXCEPT my German course starts next week. As I have no time for anything else I have lessons on Friday evening, and all of Saturday morning.

Sniff.

The thing is I love working for myself, but I rarely have the time to properly develop it. Or when I have the time (like this week when everyone is on Easter vacation) I relish doing nothing.

My Wordless Wednesday is from my trip to Thailand, and I chose it because I love the photo, but also because it was a bittersweet time, and an escape from stress, which at the moment I am dealing with. Distance does help provide clarity, who would have thought the Buddha had some good ideas?

I was living in Japan when I went to Thailand. We had decided not to renew our contracts. It had been an amazing year, but also a very stressful year. We jokingly referred to Japan as “the great couple breaker” (stolen from a move in a Ranma 1/2 comic). We loved Japan, but the stress of adjusting to culture there, coupled with the penchant for taking out our stress on each other, made us decide that we should leave. (We had actually resigned to stay a second year, and then 2 months later asked for out contracts back as we had changed our minds). And so it was the end of July, we left for home August 6th or 7th (that plane ride is a bit of a blur in my brain, did we leave the 6th arrive the 7th? Or just leave the 7th and the 6th was the last day in Japan?) Who knows.

We decided that we really wanted to go to Thailand. Our travel agency told us they had a sale, and for 400 dollars we could have a week in Thailand. That we had already used up our holidays we never thought about. School was over, we had no more classes, surely we would not be required to sit an entire week at our desks literally doing nothing.

John did not. I most definitely had to. To the point where when my supervisor heard my partner had the week off for travel, I was told she was too busy to help me close out bank accounts until 2 days after our designated departure time.

In my rage this bike was subsequently destroyed as I threw it against the house and then proceeded to stamp the shit out of it.

But I digress, the point is, I am usually a very happy person, but when I become stressed I revert to Tasmanian devil problem solving techniques. Scream a lot - and destroy.

And so I decided that I was going to Thailand anyway. I went back to the travel agency, paid another 400 to cancel the ticket and get a new one issued, only now I left on Friday night, meaning John was there a few days by himself, but my paperwork was in order, and my supervisor was on vacation at the same time. A technique I learned in Japan, it really is easier to apologize then to ask permission and have it denied. Then you really get in trouble.

But to Thailand I went, no one else cared I wasn’t there in the office sitting there doing nothing, and the one who did care was on vacation for 2 weeks anyway.  Find other Tell Mes here!