The Days Are Flyin' By!

Wow, the pace of my life has sped up considerably since leaving home just over a week ago. And at that time I was packing and prepping for a long stint overseas, so it’s not like I had nothing going on before I left. Every day I wake up and wonder just exactly what’s going to happen today, and so far, every day has been jam packed.

It’s Sunday night as a write this. I just returned home from McDonald’s – no, not for the award-winning nuggets, but for the high quality, free WIFI. If you’ve traveled out of the country, you know what I’m saying when I say that McDonald’s is most definitely the go-to spot in any city when you’re in heavy need of some nice, speedy WIFI. Mac-WIFI is good stuff. I got my fix tonight. I’m still having to walk down the street for WIFI due to the fact that my home Vodafone WIFI won’t be installed until August 19^th, and I’ve already burned through more than the 6 gb of data I was given for my phone a few days ago. No more WhatsApp video chats for me for a while.

Today was a momentous day for two very big reasons. Bike and couch. YES. Two things no man should live without. The bike is used, and it came from a super nice guy up in the city of Gauting, which is the next stop north out of Starnberg by train as you head to Munich. I found the bike on the German version of Ebay, then visited Max – the guy with the bike – this morning. It’s a city bike, one you see a ton of around here. Fenders, rack, lights, pump – that’s sort of the standard package on these bikes. It’s a German brand and it’s called the “City Shopper.” So, I’ll be hittin’ the town soon, just me, my bike and my shopping list. I’m very happy with it. It’s a cruiser – very comfortable – and rides nice. Instead of taking the train home I biked back to Starnberg. The route was incredible. I was mostly on trails and very narrow roads with hardly any traffic. I passed through fields, forests and a small town that demanded a biergarten stop. When in Germany, right? If today’s ride was any indication of the trails and bike-friendly roads around here, I am in for a helluva treat.

Then, the couch. I now finally have something to sit on! It’s used as well, and it came from a teacher who moved to another country. I gave him some cash for it, then Karen from MIS arranged for a van to move it. The moving crew consisted of David, a teacher from Australia by way of Cambodia, and Matthew, a teacher I just met today from Kansas City by way of Albania. (Everyone I meet here has taught in at least one other country, sometimes several.) Both are super cool guys who I’m hoping I’ll tip back some beers with soon and often. The couch was a giant, beast of a thing that pulls out into a bed – perfect for you when you come and visit me, right???

So far I’ve meet about 6-8 new teachers, mostly at lunches organized by MIS. It’s super fun meeting all these new people, and cool to think that many of them will become my close friends before this whole this is said and done. For today’s “new teacher” lunch I had calf livers in gravy with mashed potatoes, a radler, ice cream with raspberries for dessert and a cappuccino. Not too shabby.

As I’ve sailed through these last couple of days, I’m feeling super lucky to be here. Super lucky. I’m having so much fun. Yes, the first day or so was rough. It was. I’m not gonna lie. But for the most part, things lately have been a blast. I’m sort of pinching myself, not knowing if this is all real. Of course, the biggest challenge awaits me when I actually start teaching – right now it feels like a weird, wild vacation – but I’m soaking up the experience and just telling myself that the teaching part will take care of itself. It will be an adjustment and probably quite stressful at first, but not much I can do about that now. I’m going to just ride this wave and enjoy things as much as a can.

Many other teachers here have been shocked to hear that I haven’t taught at another international school before this. They’re shocked – apparently – because they say it’s not easy to get a job at a place like Munich International. They say that most people have to do their time in another place or two before making their way to a school like MIS. Again – I feel super lucky. I could’ve taken a job in Mexico City or Singapore, but right now, being here seems completely right. Now, will these same feelings last forever? Of course not! I’ll go through some dips and some rough times. I know that. I know this whole thing will be a series of ups and downs. But for now, I am so grateful to be here and so grateful not to be somewhere that feels “wrong.” Starnberg, and Bavaria, definitely feel “right.”