On weird human behaviour

Isn't it weird - here we are, rational human beings, and still we are so irrational! A couple of years ago, I woke up at 5 am, because I was so busy with my job and there were still so many things to do, to think of - and then, a couple of weeks ago, I woke up at 5 am, because I did not have a job and was worried about the fact that so many people were looking for a job just like me - and I could not find one. And there I lay and wondered if I would EVER find a job...

It is so strange how one completely forgets that things ALWAYS turn out right - that things are supposed to happen - or not - and that one 'just' has to trust in fate? I wish I would get that one and for all when I am in a similar situation the next time. Right now I am 'out of it' - I have started my new job!

On losing a friend

Even though we try to prepare ourselves for the possibility of eventually losing family members or friends, we are never really ready to let them go. 

Last Sunday we received the message that our dear friend had suddenly died. Of course we had known that she was ill, that she had been struggling for ever, but more seriously so during the last year and that she did not keep up with her correspondence as she used to.

The worst sign was that she admitted that she felt weak, not well, even too weak to write or phone. That had never been the case before. She had always been a radiant lady, more than willing to party and stay up as long as possible, dance as much as she could and she was always overflowing with optimism and positive attitudes.

And then - life, or should I say death, closed in on her and during her last vacation she passed away.

I will always remember her love for life, her interest in other people, her way of giving advice, her honesty and forthrightness and - above all - her laughter.

Why a blog?

Before coming to Austin I would have never thought of ever using a blog, or joining twitter, not to mention Facebook! All of this was something for teenagers - and how embarrassing would it be if I was in the same Facebook group as my daughter?

However, when I started to look for jobs, I found out that the ways and means of communication have changed drastically. Instead of finding job advertisements in a paper, you have to go online. Instead of handing in resumes personally (although I still do!), one has to fill in numerous questionnaires online - only to find out that some of the pages get deleted - just after you have submitted the whole thing!

So, in order to be up-to-date, I started to get all these accounts - quite some work for me and I am sure my children would just laugh at this statement! Work? Come on - just play and find out! 

And so I did - and here I am - using the new network facilities of the 21st century.

How to wow oneself!

In Germany, as a teacher, you are in a way protected by the Ministry of Education. This means that they send you to a school and there you go and teach. You might want to change the school, but other than that you are in a safe haven, with paid vacation, some extra money for Christmas and many benefits. The only way to be thrown out of the system, really, is to be(come) a criminal.

Well, as for here - I am out there with all the other applicants, trying to get the job about 200 others want as well. Although all future teachers in Germany had to take difficult exams, I never had to prove to a future principal that I am really outstanding in comparison to others. I did not have to apply personally, I did not have to follow up.

So I am learning so many new things here - the art of applying, the possibilities of showing off, the courage to explore the unknown.