A brief vacation from my rambling social criticism to offer a quick update on my life for my friends and family!
I am now fully moved into Cincinnati and my teaching orientation for the University of Cincinnati began today. This orientation will last for two weeks and involves learning basic teaching methodology as well as much prep work for the upcoming semester (which will begin on September 19th). I will be teaching one section of first-year German students and the class will meet five times per week. This is slightly demanding, as most classes meet only 2-3 times per week– but will force me to develop a lot of discipline right away as a teacher.
Also, my roommate, Martina, arrived from Austria and we have quickly found ourselves drowning in the details of being grad students. I am feeling overwhelmed, tired, anxious, and somewhat bewildered, but all the veteran grad students and professors keep telling us that it gets better and I’m going to trust them on that. So I will try not to dwell too much on the negative… Here is a fun, acrostic update of my so-called new life.
“C” is for crazy, because that’s above all how it feels to be here. Deep down, I am maybe very excited and happy to be here. But EVERYTHING is new– everything: people’s accents, big city, racial issues, transportation systems, the furniture in my apartment, professors, classes… And it’s not like Germany where I knew I would be going home at the end of the internship, I have to keep reminding myself that this is my LIFE. One day at a time!
“I” is for Insomnia. Between living out of a suitcase for a month, traveling between WI and OH for the past few weeks, noise on the street, and, most of all, nerves, I haven’t slept in three nights. Tonight I talked to an herbalist and if this doesn’t work, maybe I will make friends with some med-students who can further advise me.
“N” is for Noise. It’s noisy here! WoW!
“C” is for Communication. There are many Germans/ Austrians here, not to mention my roommate. Also my professors and colleagues communicate on a very professional level and communication seems to be a skill I really need to work on.
“I” is for Interesting, because I’m sure that’s what the coursework will be like once all my jitters subside. I’m taking classes this semester on “the Historical Novel” (the role of German literature and various works in influencing history), some Russian, a survey of early German literature (think middle-ages to just before the 18th century) and possibly a hefty research seminar.
“N” is for Neighbor. All alone in a new place, you quickly learn to value the smallest connections you have to people. There is one student upstairs from me from my department, a few familiar faces on the street, and most of all my new roommate, Martina. Martina is wonderful, we are both outgoing, clean-freaks, sensitive; yesterday, amid a pile of tear-soaked kleenex we also discovered we are both “Cancers” (a horoscope sign that is known for being overemotional). She is from Austria and we switch back in forth between German and English– which is a help for us both.
“N” is for Neighborhood. Cincinnati is a neighborhood-oriented city. I live in Clifton which surrounds campus. When I first got here, and my brother was here, I set out to conquer the whole metro area of Cincinnati. It quickly became apparent that this was too big a task. Now I am concentrating on getting to know my neighborhood first so I have a “home-base.” Where I live it is very loud and there is lots of garbage strewn about the ground. But it is amazing the little treasures you will find while walking around: a little shop, a restaurant or coffeehouse– you walk in and it is clean, cozy, and it is a small slice of home in the midst of chaos.
“A” is for Apartment. Our apartment is our haven! We do not have much, but already it feels like a home. There are high ceilings, wood floors, and everything is very clean and tidy. There is even another family in our building, and the father is a colleague of ours from the department. We are so thankful to have a very homey place!
“T” is for teaching. My time during the Master’s degree will be split between teaching (~20 hrs including class, prep, and office hours) and my studies. Both of these things combined will total out to more than a full-time job and we are not allowed to find work outside the department. This quarter I will be teaching one section of 100-level German students, which meets for 50 minutes five days a week. This is a notably demanding first teaching assignment (most college classes only meet 2-3 times per week) but it will force me to develop discipline and daily rapport as a teacher.
“I” is for Ice Cream. Graeter’s Ice Cream is traditional Cincy cuisine and let me tell you, I can see why (the heat). There is a little ice-cream parlor in my neighborhood and it is great comfort food.
Love and Miss You All!
Cole
