Dear All,

Sorry for yet another long break in my blogging. I really only think of posting pictures here, but I suppose most of you can also read, so I thought I'd write a little update. :)

Things are progressing as usual in Mannheim/Ludwigshafen. I got a new schedule for the new school year (which confusingly began the first week of February without any warning or semester vacation or anything. Friday had one schedule and Monday a different one). My "new" schedule is disappointingly similar to last semester's. Lots of 6th, 7th, and 9th grade classes and even fewer upper level ones. Because German high school spans such an impressive age range (from 10 to 20, literally) it leaves a lot of room open for creative and very varied teaching. I've done a lot of cool things with the older students, prefering to treat my time with them more as a college seminar or discussion course than a high school class, but I find myself more limited with the younger students. They're eager to learn and good at participating, but they're not ready to listen to Obama's Inaugural Address or discuss the role of religion in schools and public life. Instead, I have them write stories about their pets or ask them what they want to do when they grow up. Boring stuff, basically.

Teaching consumes quite a lot of my time and energy. When I'm not in school or commuting to or from school (which takes around 40 minutes each way), I'm usually researching teaching techniques, activities, and ideas. Fulbright has quite a challenge in preparing its 100 plus American teaching assistants every year in the four-day orientation in September. Not only have most of us never taught before, but the jobs we go on to do actually vary significantly. I, for example, deal mostly with middle-school ages and teach virtually all my lessons alone. Other Fulbrighters I know have a better mix of participating on the sidelines or dealing with only older students. Most of what I've learned so far has been from trial and error. Unfortunately, the teachers I work with have been relatively unhelpful when it comes to preparing lessons and giving effective feedback. I find this aggravating, since unlike the TAs who also work there, I am neither graded nor audited, just criticized occassionally and rarely offered assistance.

On an unrelated note, I visited Trier last weekend! I forgot my camera, though I saw lots of things worth photographing. I really like that area of Germany, with steep, vineyard-covered hills and winding rivers. Also, the history in Trier is unbelievable. It was really neat to see the remains of the Roman city: ampitheater, baths, and city wall--so far from Rome! Also, my gracious hosts Amber and Zack, were the perfect companions for a nice weekend visit and a fun time out on a Kneipentour (pub crawl)!

I can't wait for Dane to visit in just a few weeks! I've been working on a detailed schedule for his visit, including a surprise for his birthday (belatedly). It always seems like time drags in the last few weeks before he visits. The good news, however, is that two weeks after he leaves, I will see Dane again--in the states! I'm competing in early April for a Dean's Fellowship scholarship at Quinnipiac's School of Law in Hamden, CT. They're flying me over for a weekend of interviews, dinners, and, of course, seeing Dane. The school is literally fifteen minutes from Yale, so Dane has graciously offered to put me up for a night or two until all the interview business is over. He and I are both trying to acquire advanced degrees with little to no debt. We'd prefer to spend our money on organic groceries and expensive vacations.

I guess that's all for me. I've been running along the Neckar for an hour roughly every other day and debating with myself whether I should run in Heidelberg's half-marathon. It's in May, I think, but would require some intense training. (Anyone who has been to Heidelberg and knows the castle will agree that getting up that hill/mountain requires some serious quads). Until then, I'm definitely going to run again, maybe with Kendall in the VA Beach Rock 'n Roll half, though we're now both behind in registering because I'm not sure on the timing (my sister gets married in KY the weekend after, and I'm her Maid of Honor (errr Matron of Honor...?)).

Have a great Valentine's Day all you couples and singles! I intend to bake something(s) heart-shaped and sugary and maybe watch some sort of romantic comedy. Or, I might go to Wertheim with my housemate and friends for a weekend party. We'll see.

Take care!