So I Guess I Should Start From The Beginning Then?

The first few blogs will be a bit confused. I've already had three weeks of Germany from the time of writing, and have decided that I should really start from the departure from Belfast, so bear with me. The timeline may be skewered but it should all make sense. At least to me it should.. hopefully.


So date wise, we start on the 30th August. Place wise, we're in Belfast City Airport, and don't get me started with that George Best shite. Mood wise, I guess I'm feeling nervous, verging on having a panic attack, while my mum waves me goodbye and I shuffle on towards security. Not only this, but I had only found out a day before that I may have an ulcer in my eye that would need hospital treatment. Not really the best news when you have a flight to Germany the next day. Luckily, I went in that morning and was told to just take eyedrop antibiotics and it should heal on its own, but it still hurt like fuck.


Normally I'm ok with leaving home, and with unfamiliar situations. I guess you have to be if you study languages. I mean, as much as I love going home every now and again, and as much as I am proud that I grew up where I did, I end up missing other places when I'm there. Glasgow is in many ways as much as my home now as Down is, but in this situation, I wasn't going to either places, and it wasn't on a holiday either. Coupled with the perfect timing of my eye and the gradual uneasiness I had felt throughout my last week at home (I think I might have mentioned the fact "I was shitting myself" to anyone I met), I wasnt really in a position to look forward to this journey. Ironically, I had been looking forward to this year abroad since I decided to do German way back in 4th/5th form, which made my reluctance to leave all that more potent.


So I'm at the airport feeling like shite. My eye hurts like fuck, I am feeling the most nervous I have ever felt, and I have to muster all my man strength to stop myself from breaking down in tears when my mum utters the most dangerous of words, "I'm going to miss you," and starts sobbing. Fucking parents.


Flash forward. I'm sitting in the buisness lounge (a gift from my mum). A bit more relaxed. I've just doped up my eye. I look around and I spot a celebrity. None other that dude from Mighty Boosh, Julian Barratt, looking completely celebrity with his sunglasses and his corner seat shielded by a wall. He ends up sitting behind me in the flight. I don't say a word to him but I'm definitely the only one that recognises him and I can't get "Future Sailors" out of my fucking head for the whole flight..





Flash forward. I'm sitting on the plane from Heathrow -> Cologne. I'm the only one in buisness class (.. thanks mum.) At this point, I can't help but not look like the only non-German on the plane, but take great delight in confusing the steward/stewardess about my nationality. They mix up their German and English while I answer in both, although the big yellow German Dictionary sitting on my pull out tray might have been a giveaway, although I was reading Der Spiegel at the time. The flight was non-eventful.


Flash forward to the 4 star hotel in Cologne (thanks mum) and my first night in Germany. I didnt really do much to be honest. I flicked through the channels trying to familiarise myself with which ones might be best to avoid, and ended up watching a documentary about George Michael as it was the only thing not dubbed over in German, but still had subtitles so I felt like I was learning. This is the thing about German television. Alot of it's content is British or American, but instead of cancelling out the english completely, they keep it at a moderate volume level, so ultimately you have this fucking annoying mixture of english and german coming through your television speakers. Why do Europeans find this appealing?


I end up switching off the television. Doping up my eye for the 5th time that day and watching the first third of the Matrix on my laptop. I fall asleep. Next stop Altenberg.

Ciarán

German Word of the Blog: die Panikattacke (Panic Attack)

"Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?"

I've never really made up my mind about blogging. When you have people on the internet, such as the infamous "Chris Crocker" who believe themselves to be Poet Laureates filling their blogs with pretentious "new age philosophy", you do have to wonder, how much of it is an ego boost, and how much of it is for genuine self-satisfaction. But then again, I did use to blog when I was younger, and would be the first to admit that I "follow" Chris Crocker on twitter, even if it is purely to laugh at how convinced he is, that he is a wordsmith extraodinare.

So when I saw that a couple of my friends were blogging about their year abroad, I decided that maybe it is time to start afresh, and write one myself. My main reasons are to enlighten future and current language students about what to expect when they have to take the plunge and travel themselves, and also as a memory aid, for me to keep track of events in a constant time line and to remember the times that I do not want to forget, but know that eventually I might. But let's face it, of course a part of it is for a boost to the ego. That someone might be interested enough about what I'm going through to take a few minutes out of their day just to read my thoughts, opinions and experiences. Honesty is the best policy I guess. So to those reading now, I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoy writing it.

Ciarán

[The title is the name of one of my favourite albums by the Cranberries. Please listen]

German Word of the Blog: Erwartungen (expectations)