Work begins!

A lot has happened since my last post. It's Wednesday morning, August 7th, here as I write. I've had two full days of new teacher workshops, I've done a couple outings with new friends and I've continued to do the necessary things to settle into my apartment.

Work has been great so far. One part of it that I absolutely love is not having to hop into a car to get back and forth to my job each day. There are two bike routes to get to MIS, one that's a bit more direct, more paved but also with more stop lights and traffic. The other is quite bumpy, somewhat zig-zaggy, but goes through farm fields and forests and presents no traffic issues whatsoever. If you know me well, you'll know I've chosen the latter as my go-to route. I love it. I'm on these tiny roads and trails, some of them gravel, and it's just such a peaceful way to begin and end my day. The ride to work takes around 20-25 minutes, the ride home about 15. MIS is on a hill. The cruise home is nice.

The past two days have been filled mostly with meetings, some on the drier side dealing with things like safety and insurance, but we've also had plenty of time to socialize and get to know one another and our leadership team. The administration seems absolutely amazing. Great people who are down-to-earth and who genuinely care about students and staff. My biggest problem this week has been the view out the conference room window. As various leaders have taken turns talking to us and presenting information, I'm sitting there trying not to stare out the window, across the green fields and at the Alps in the distance. It's absolutely stunning.

Every morning so far we've been greeted with free coffee and an intense spread of sandwiches, fruit and baked goods. If for no other reason, I think I made the right choice coming here because I can have free cappuccinos whenever I want and the middle school team shares morning treat duty where treats are provided on a DAILY basis. I thought we had a good thing going at Oak Point with Friday donuts. These guys take it to the next level. Oh, by the way, there's time built into every day to actually eat the treats. After first period there is something called "morning break" for 15 minutes. Kids go outside to play - supervised by administrators - and teachers get the time to get a bite to eat, a coffee, socialize and take a breath before the rest of the day begins. Wild.

The campus is beautiful. It's spread out on a large piece of land, with forests and fields surrounding it. The school isn't in Munich as it's name might suggest, but rather in a tiny place called Buchhof that is just a few kilometers away from Starnberg and about 25 km south of Munich. The campus has a dozen or so buildings with each school - junior, middle and upper - having their own space. There is also an admin building, a sports building, a library, and more. It's quite a place.

Beyond work, there has been time to have fun and get to know people as well. One night last week a bunch of us met up for dinner and beers in the neighboring town of Tutzing. For me that was about a 45-minute bike ride away around the western shore of the lake. We met at a restaurant in Tutzing then later walked down toward the lake for another beer at a lakeside beer garden. On Saturday morning I met up with another new teacher, Lynne, and the two of us did some biking together along the beautiful, eastern shore of Starnberg Lake.

Then on Sunday our new teacher group was treated to a free walking tour of old town Munich and lunch at the famous Hofbrauhaus beer hall in the center of town. These times getting to know the new people and forming bonds have been great. I'm super happy with the teachers I'm coming in with. Many of them are coming from other international schools, but a few are like me with no previous international experience. It's a good bunch, varied by age, nationality and experience. From what I've gathered so far, and I suppose this shouldn't come as a shock, these are adventurous people, people who truly like to get out there and do new things. We have surfers, skiers, rock climbers, triathletes, long-distance cyclists, sailers - you name it, there seems to be someone here who does it.

In around 30 minutes I'll be walking to the bus. Taking the bus is another option for me. It's an easy option, too. About a 3 minute walk to the stop then an 8 minute ride to school. I'm riding the bus today because Maddy and Joe are renting a van to move some furniture that the three of us are getting from a retiring teacher. We'll help each other move the stuff then we'll split the cost of the van. Tomorrow I have a mandatory medical screening, then tomorrow night we are being treated to a BBQ at some posh yacht club on the lake. Over the weekend I'm finally meeting my landlords who are coming in from some city about 300 km from here. We're going out to lunch on Saturday. Lots going on!