Time for an update

This time in a month I will be in Germany. At a training course near Köln for soon-to-be language assistants to be precise. I can't believe that I'm so close to moving to Germany; there still seems to be so much to sort out! The paperwork seems endless and confusing (possibly because it is in German) and I'm not really sure what I'm doing! Anyway, this is my progress so far...

1. Contacted IGS Bad Salzdetfurth. The school now know that I'm definitely going to be working there and are apparently looking forward to meeting me (so far so good).

2. Sorted accommodation. My Betreuungslehrer (M.) is amazing and did some flat hunting and has found me somewhere to live. I know that all the uni lecturers go on and on about how living in a WG is the best option and the only way to really learn German but there aren't any in Bad Salzdetfurth. I did consider living in Hildesheim and getting the train each day but there is only one train an hour and they don't run early or late so living in a studio flat in Bad Salzdetfurth itself seemed like the only realistic option. Sorry lecturers.

M. also clarified my questions about the school. German secondary education is usually split into three types of school based on ability: Gymnasium, Realschule and Hauptschule. However, IGS Badsalzdetfurth is an 'Integrierte Gesamtschule' meaning that the school is mixed ability. In core subjects (including English) students are split into sets by ability. IGS is for German school years 5 to 9, so the students will be aged 10 to 14.

3. Flight booked. Yes I have booked a one-way flight to Germany. This year abroad thing just got real.

4. Another flight booked. Hannover airport does not have a lot of flights to London and I am fairly restricted on dates so I have booked my flights home for Christmas. Maybe I can do this whole 'organised German' thing after all...

5. Badse. Apparently locals refer to Bad Salzdetfurth as Badse. It's easier to type and easier to say so I'm happy!

Well, that's the news so far. Time to continue the (extensive) list of things that need doing before 26. August...

Sehr geehrte Frau Wilkinson...

The long awaited email has arrived! Apparently I am going to be teaching in...

     Bad Salzdetfurth (not even going to try to write that phonetically)

Oooh, actually try bard-saltz*-debt-furt [*with the 'a' in a Northern accent]. Moving on...

After a bit of research, mostly on the school website I have established that the school website is confusing. IGS Bad Salzdetfurth seems to be a mixed ability secondary school but I'm not entirely sure. I think it might be more fun to teach a more varied set of students so hopefully it is mixed. At least I have a question to ask my Betreuungslehrerin!

Thank you google images for these wonderful photos of Bad Salzdetfurth

Bad Salzdetfurth is located in South Niedersachsen, close to Hildesheim. Technically a 'Kleinstadt', Bad Salzdetfurth is on the River Lamme and was originally a salt worker community way back in 1194. Once people discovered the medicinal properties of this salt bath houses were build and Bad Salzdetfurth became a popular tourist attraction. See what a logical name it has?! (Salz = salt, Bad = bath) ... doesn't stop it being awful to type...

Apparently the area is really popular for cycling, with a race in the (mountain biking?) Bundesliga being held there and the Harz Mountains close by in case I want to relive Heine's Die Harzreise. For anyone who intends to visit me, the wikipedia page assures me that there is a 'railway halting place' and Bad Salzdetfurth is only about 50 km south of Hannover. And yes there is a Christmas market (I did have a mini-panic about what I would do if I was in a town with no Christmas market).

During my research I found a fun little video to introduce Bad Salzdetfurth... sorry non-German speakers!

So that's about it for today! It's all been rather exciting hasn't it! I should probably go and do some revision, after all if I want to retrace Heine's Harz journey I need to remember where he went...

You need a saxophone?

Hello and welcome to my year abroad blog! In case you don't already know, next year I will be going to...

        NIEDERSACHSEN! (need-a-sack-sen)

Just to clarify, for the housemates/family who were very confused as to why I needed a saxophone/Saxon, Niedersachsen is a state in northwestern Germany. If you want you can call it Lower Saxony. And yes it was my top choice.

So, I could end up anywhere in the yellow area! 

For those of you who are not familiar with the whole 'British Council language assistant' thing, I applied back in December, received confirmation that my application was approved in April and got an email a couple of days ago to say that I would be placed in Niedersachen. I now have to wait for the German school to contact me, an email/letter which could come anytime from tomorrow to July. Wonderful.