Let it Snow!

Don’t let the title fool you, summer is in full swing here. 98 degree days without AC (and thankfully also without too much humidity) are plenty hot enough for me. Of course, despite the heat wave, my knitting is anticipating the winter season. After four years in South Carolina, I’m thrilled to be preparing for a real winter, complete with real snow and maybe even some subzero temperatures. I haven’t been completely devoid of winter, since I spent all my breaks at home, but it’s just not the same. I like living where there are four distinct seasons, and some of the cutest knits are only appropriate somewhere where the temperature actually stays below freezing consistently.

Coincidentally, I received some yarn perfect for winter wear just when my urge to do some winter knitting kicked in. I knitted on pair of socks and there was still half a skein remaining, so I worked a pair of cabled, fingerless gloves. I’ve never knitted cables (or gloves for that matter) before, but they were a quick and easy knit. In addition to these two recent conquests, I rediscovered an old project that I’ve never gotten to wear due to said stint in mild weather. Maybe I’ll actually have occasion to wear this shawl in the next year.

Since winter is in my fingertips, I’m contemplating a new scarf (to match the work coat I don’t have yet) and maybe even a cardigan (since I’ve been looking for one since last year and haven’t found one that was just right). I’ve never knitted a sweater before, but I think I’m up for the challenge. Somehow this will all have to happen in between the several pairs of gift socks I’m working on at the moment, but it’ll all work out. I rarely keep what I knit, so some selfish projects will be a nice treat.

It’s not often that I get the chance to be this knitty, so I’m embracing it. If you have any awesome ideas about what I should work on in the future, please enable me, believe me, I appreciate it.

Deine,

N*

A Much-Anticipated Arrival

The letter with my school placement for next year is finally here! I am officially going to Dessau! I’ve spent time in the last two summers in Dessau, so at least if many aspects of next year are still TBD, I can count on knowing and liking the city that will be my home for ten months. Not to mention the fact that it will be nice to the have help of my former host family, as well as the English teacher I know from the school where I will be working, in getting settled.

If you are curious about Dessau, you can take a look at their website (http://www.dessau.de/), but I’ll leave you with a few of my impressions about the city as well. Dessau (technically Dessau-Roßlau since 2007) is about an hour-and-a-half southwest of Berlin in state of Saxony-Anhalt, which was a part of former East Germany. Dessau is comparable in size and climate to the city where I am from, with the main difference being that the former is shrinking and the latter is growing. There are three main things for which Dessau is well-known:

1. It was the location of the Bauhaus (artistic/architectural style, which can be seen throughout certain areas of the town) school of architecture for some years, and Wassily Kandinsky had a master-house there.

2. Dessau was the location where Junkers (aircrafts most well-known for their use in World War II) were manufactured. Because of the city’s emphasis on the manufacturing industries and its importance to the war, most of the city was destroyed by bombs. Some of the structures in the city have been rebuilt since German reunification, but the structures built at the end of the war are the cement-block type buildings typical of the Soviet Union.

3. Wörlitz, a park with a castle and large grounds is located just outside of Dessau. This park is open to the public, and along with several other parks, castles and English gardens, it is now a part of the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz, a UNESCO world heritage site.

These are just a few examples of the cultural diversity and rich history of the city where I will be staying. Living there, I’m sure will allow me to discover even more. This is just a glimpse of the land and people I find so fascinating.

Deine,
N*

Out of My Comfort Zone

If you are at all familiar with my personality, you know or could guess that I am not a fan of new experiences. Well, it’s not so much the experiences themselves that I dislike, rather the idea that I will be doing something that’s out of my comfort zone. If I already know someone at or bring a friend to said events, that’s not as bad, and I can usually persuade myself to go through with trying a new activity. That’s great, but I’m sad to report that when it comes to trying new things alone, I’ve failed utterly up until this point. And for that, I’m disappointed in myself because a couple of weeks ago, I realized that even though I’ve lived in the same town for my entire life, I’m not involved in groups for activities I enjoy anymore because I no longer have high school as an easy way to access them. I thought to myself, “Gee, N*, what if you’re really missing out?” and then I though, “What if you really miss out while you’re in Germany because you choose the easy path?” (i.e. enjoying my own company at home – something I happen to be very adept at and also enjoy as a general rule) No. No. Definitely not. Living in Germany is not like living in the U.S., so that means I’m going to have to live, and I’m going to have to make that happen myself. Oh boy.

Since my summer has already taken several unexpected turns, and I’m not going to be able to lean on what I know anymore, I decided that the “living” needs to start here...and pronto. I mean, if I feel out-of-practice and a little (lottle) intimidated by trying something new here, then just imagine how hard (read, impossible) it would be surrounded by strangers who don’t speak my language? Yes, now is the time.

The chance for my first foray into the unknown came unexpectedly. I was in Chipotle talking with my former boss, and then I started really craving food. So I got a (really big) taco, and normally I would have taken it to go (Lies. Normally, I wouldn’t have bought it at all.) because I was alone – how ridiculous. So I stayed there, and I took care of my expenses and read my book by myself. It was actually kind of fun. I can’t believe I have never eaten alone somewhere before; me-time will be leaving my house on occasion in the near future.

My latest experience was more challenging in that it involved walking into a large group of people (well, only 10) who I’d never met. As a rule, I do not enjoy meeting people because I’m shy, and I never know what to say, but the allure of the knitting circle was too enticing. I recently joined ravelry.com https://www.ravelry.com/account/login (fellow knitters checking it out is a must), and I noticed the knitting groups. I found one in my area that looked low-key and the ladies seemed to be interesting and fun. For two days I waffled about going, especially when the venue changed from the library (safe) and moved to a restaurant/club (out of my comfort zone), but I talked myself into going. I’ll admit when I got there, I thought about going right back home, but instead I went in. And guess what? I had fun. Maybe I didn’t talk a lot, but I spent the whole evening laughing in the company of people who are even crazier about knitting than I am. I plan to go back, but even if I didn’t, I still conquered something tonight.

My recent successes make it easier to approach doing the same thing in Germany. I’m really going to try to try the things I’m given the chance to try while I’m there, so I won’t have any regrets. (Can I get an award for using the word “try” so many times in proximity to itself?) I’ll keep working on it over the summer, but in the event that I panic when I get to Germany, I’ll be able to read this and see that starting to try was really the hardest part.

Deine,
N*

The Real Beginning

In two and a half months I will embark on the next great adventure of my life. I’ll be taking up residence somewhere in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (hopefully in Dessau...I should find out for sure in the next month or so) to be an English teaching assistant in a Gymnasium (German middle/high school for students who intend to attend a university). Technically, I don’t start until September, but my mental journey began over a year ago, when I started the rigorous application process. I’ve been spending a lot of time preparing myself for a 10-month stint alone in a foreign country ever since I found out for sure I would be going, so I think now is the time to start documenting my experiences.

“Why Germany?” you ask. Well, many reasons. First, it seems to be part of my destiny. I started learning German in 5th grade as a required class. Not only did I fall in love with the language, but I also seemed to have a knack for it, even though no one else in my family speaks German. Many years later, I discovered an important family connection to Germany. My Czech great-grandmother was fluent in five languages and spent time in southern Germany and Austria (or what would become those regions in the present day) as a cook before she immigrated to the U.S. I’ve always been interested in the east European part of my heritage and spending time in Germany and surrounding areas will allow me to understand the cultures from whence I come.

I’ve been to Dessau, Germany twice as a teaching assistant for an elementary school English teacher. After each visit, I’ve felt like my work there wasn’t finished. The people I’ve come to know and care about there are remarkable and have been so willing to accept me into their lives, and being able to continue giving back to these people and keep learning from them is something I need to do. My hope is to share myself and my country with my students; they are so very lucky to have the opportunity to study English so ardently in their schools. It’s so important for students to have an interest in other countries and cultures because understanding why and how people from somewhere else are is the first step to building the acceptance that our world needs.

Of course, my stay in Germany will afford me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Germany and Europe. I can’t wait. There will probably not be another time in my life where I have so much freedom to explore foreign culture. I’m so lucky to get this chance even once.

Ok. Basta. I promise that not all my musings will be so...well, je ne sais quoi...but it’s just really important to me that people understand why I’m doing this. The next year already means so much more to me than I can put into words. Amazing as it will be, living abroad will probably be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. My family means a lot to me, and leaving them for another year won’t be easy. Leaving also means giving up the chance to get to know and spend more time with someone who meant a lot to me and has supported me in the mentally massive endeavors of my senior year. I am truly sorry for that, but my path is keeping me from Colorado for now.

I bring this up because I want all of you to know that I will miss you, but I hope you will read what I have to say while I’m gone. Let me share my joys and my struggles with you. I’ll need the connection to everything I know and I’m hoping you all need a piece of Germany in your lives!

Deine,
N*