Kölle Alaaf (Long live Cologne!) and Photos!

Well this is probably my last post till after Karneval! I dont forsee me having much of an opportunity to blog between now and next tuesday!

Tomorrow is the start of it all with the boys dressing up for school. The boys have decreed that I too must dress up as I will look odd if i dont! The plans for after school is weather dependent. We might go to an outdoor party if the weather is good, if not I will be wandsering around cologne dressed as a sailor! Woo!

I finally uploaded more photos to my facebook profile. The pictures were all taken on saturday night (i think).

I hope everyone is well and thinking of what to give up for lent! I will be too hungover to notice lent i think! The boys are actually off School till next wedeasnay, so normal service should resume then!

Karneval! This blog(ger?) may suffer....

So its two sleeps to the start of Karneval im all excited!! Its going to be great fun and I am full of plans, none of which are confirmed cause people seams to be chopping and changing what they are doing.

I got the final bits for my costume today so I am all sorted on that front. Over the weekend I was told if you step outside your door over Karneval and you are not dressed up it is you who will stick out!!!!

I got to sleep in today and it was great. I basically have a day off as the father is home but the mother is working. One of the boys is at a birthday party the other is at music lessons so its an easy day for me.

Now the other half of the blog title. I kinda started two new series of posts over of my political blog (where the spelling is better according to my Mum!). One on the Treaty of Lisbon, the other on German Politcs. Have a sconce if you are anyway interested!

Touristy things and whats happening this weekend

Hallo!!! My german is improving slightly this week as I have started to make friends with a few of the Mothers on the School run and one of them only speaks german!!! So it must improve! The subjects I will be covering today are (I feel like a newsreporter or teacher writing that!): My Tourist Day, This Weekend, Packages from Home, Shopping (Again!), Photos (Finally) and an Update on life with the Boys. Sounds interesting (and long!) eh? Lets get to it then!

My Tourist Day

Yesterday after dropping the Kids to schoola nd waiting for a bit I wander off into Köln to do a bit of tourist things, sucj as going to the Dom and buying small presents and things (My mother collects spoons, you know the ones!) I basically wondered around the side streets and I found some interesting places which I counldnt read the signs! I found what looked liked a building built over ruins, it was strange see the pic below


This Weekend

For a change I have a plan for this weekend! Tonight I am doing the usual and going to ExCorner to meet friends, but on saturday I have found the Köln equivilant to Freakscene!! (See Post) I am all excited and one of the girls from TT is coming with me! Yay!!

Packages from Home

Have I told ye how much I love (and miss) my mother? Well yesterday and unexpected package arrived for me. I recognised the writing straight off as being my mothers and I thought she had sent over post from home. I opened it up and there was a copy of The Pheonix in it! I love you Mum!!!!


Shopping (Again)
So while on my tourist day I started wondering in and out shops not buying much till I came to H&M. They had their final reductions on a lot of stuff and I picked up a nice hat and bracelet for a 1€ each! Alos went to the English Shop (Again) for those who are wondering this is what I normally buy in the English Shop

* The Gaurdain
* Mi Wadi (Blackcurrant)
* Dubliner Cheese
* Pop Tarts (Chocloate)
* Cadburys Instant Hot Chocolate (Not low fat, sorry Claire!)
* Cadburys Chocolate (Dairy Milk or buttons!)

Lol, a short list I know, might treat myself to a Hershey's bar in the future. I live on those when I was in the US.

Photos (Finally!)

So I finally got around to putting some photos up on Facebook!
Album 1
Album 2

Enjoy and leave comments! (On the photos and the blogs!)

Update on life with the Boys

So the boys have fully realised the amount of German I know and have taken to use it as a Secret language around me. They are not allowed to this this! The rule in the house if you are talking around or about me it has to be in English! Otherwise things are going well. The boys for the most part do what they are told and have taken to singing the songs I have thought them! yay! I am really enjoying working with the boys and though they fight (alot) I get on with them both, though the regular cry is "Its not Fair...!" Every parent knows that. The kids ahve taken to watching TV everynight now that they are back to school and we normally watch Jim Knopf and Pur+, nice programs which I might blog on later.

Karneval nearly sorted and an update!

Yesterday I went shopping with friends from Toytown Germany (TT in future) we had great fun shopping for costumes and getting bits and pieces.

Costume Shopping
So Saturday started off really early (and me majorly hungover) and we set out for a Karneval store on the outskirts of Köln (Near Ikea). It was huge!!!!! Never had I seen so many costumes. We were there for ages, it would take a good 1/2 an hour to walk around the store! I got loads of ideas for costumes! The boys got their costumes. One will be Robin Hood the other a Medieval Knight

That afternoon I went shopping with my TT friends and I got my costume. Im going as..... A Sailor! Woo! That costume was resonable prive being 30€ (I've taken to writing prices the German way!) In another store I tried on a Pirate costume, it was fantatsic but cost 121,95€!!!!! So I got a good deal!

English Shop
After that we went for a walk around for bits and pieces for costumes and just a general shop and had lunch (Burger King, I have loads of vouchers!!) Then we went to the English shop, which really should be called the American, English and Irish Shop! You name it from those country's they have it! :D So I picked up a few bits and pieces and am happy now! They also have a cool video library there which i will join next week I'd say!

Homesick no more
Despite a MSN converstion that nearly had me homesick again, I am over it and have devised the Stephen Spillane Cure For Homesickness. It consists of the following, 1 sweet cake of your choosing, 1 tube of pringles, 1 funny DVD (Ice Age 2 in my case) and relax while the kids are at school! Of course there is a surprise ingredient which is lovely phonecall from home! (Thanks Mum!!)

Karneval
So Karneval is getting nearer yay! It starts on the 31. Jan and Im all excited! I see more and more people dressed up! (I know i promised a Pic but i never have my cam with me!) I have figured out where I am watching the parade with TT friends on Rosenmontag and may be going out on the Saturday to Wolkenburg (TT LINK) for the Paprika Ball! It should be great fun!

Thats it for now I think!
Tscheuss!
Steve
xxx

Illness strikes

One of the boys came down with something last night so had today off School, so I had company today not that I was much good as I konked out when I cam back from doing the school run.

After school things went from bad to worse, everyone (me and the boys) was in bad form and I had to fight for them to do anything, this made me worse. I apologised to the boys before they went to bed. One was very understanding, the other suggested I drive home!!! That put a smile on my face!

The cause of it all? Well partailly I Am Legend, I am sleeping badly since I saw it, it scared the bejayus out of me and Im homesick!

So I miss cork and everyone there. I miss my parenst and family (even the extended one :P). I miss my friends, who are great and have been keeping in contact on bebo msn and facebook.

So to cure this before going on the net (the father was on it) I watched part of Ice Age 2 and that always cheers me up! :D

So all is well again do I did tear up when I was typing who I missed maxbe I will be better tomorrow.

AN update on the washing, no colours ran, but have two odd socks already!!!

Day ??? What? I cant remember

I have given up on counting days to use them as titles, so todays post is about the following, Wash/Music Day, The Long Day (Monday), Songs to Teach the Children, and my Sister's blog!


Wash/Music Day

So today is wash day and I had great fun trying to figure out the washing machine. (Its my washing by the way!) So its working away at the moment I hope and all seams to be going well! will update ye tomorrow on the state on the clothes! :P

Today is my favourite week day as after I drop the boys to school I do not have to worry about them as the mother will collect them as they have their music lessons today so I only have to deal with them one at a time, making life much easier! I decided at the weekend to teach a card game we played at home its called ,,Take Two''. They love it so will be stuck playing that for awhile, at least its a break from ,,Pay Day'' (from the last Au Pair) and ,,Discovering Ireland'' (which I brought over!).

The Long Day

Mondays are my long day as the boys finish school at 11:30am! Lucky sods so that means I do not get long to sleep or whatever while they are at school! Thankfully they have rugby in the afternoon and I am able to relax then! In other words I fell asleep!!!

Songs to Teach the Children

I ahve started to teach the kids some songs in English. Here are somne of the ones I have decided to teach them.

There was an Old Lady who swallowed a Fly (remember that one mum?)



Two Little Boys



Those two I am sure of. All suggestions welcome of course!

My Sister's Blog

After much badgering from me, my sister has finally started a blog! yay! Have a looksie, she has a distinctive way of writing so hopefully she will get a bot of a following!

Well thats all for now I think, I was going to start about German Puncuation but that can wait as this post is long enough without me throwing another spanner in the works!

Tscheuss!

What not to do: Fall asleep on a tram!

Okay so last night I went to one of my regular haunts and decided to leave after a fantatsic night and making new friends! So I walked to Neumarkt as no trams were running from Rudolfplatz. So the Number 9 arrived eventually and I got on. It was ahead of schedule, so we had to wait 5 minutes I think. I cannot rememeber the tram leaving Neumarkt cause next thing I know I'm in Koingsforst, the last stop on the line! 5 stops beyond my stop! I woke up and the driver was talking to me. I did not know what he was saying so i promptly got off the tram and got on it again after it turned! Thank god it was not the last tram!

So that is my first embarressing incident in Germany, I'm surprised it took this long!!!!!

Karneval and Karneval Songs

Here is some songs that are being played in the lead up to Karneval! They are played alot so if you are coming to Köln (where is biggest and best Kareneval happens) then know these songs!

Viva Colonia



KölschPass



Köln ist schön



Nur nicht aus Liebe weinen (My favourite one!)



I found the best quote i think that sums up Köln at this time of the year!

"because the people of Cologne regularly go mad once a year for five days, they are much saner the rest of time"

Love it!

So today I also got some stuff for Karneval, tattoo's and badges! I have great ideas for Rosenmontag!

The Second German Hangover :P

Its Saturday and its the day after the toytown meetup I mentioned yesterday! Whata fantatsic night it was! It was great to meet fellow auslanders! I am not going to mention names of who I met and what I thought of them, suffice to say everyone was lovely and welcoming and god can we talk shite (I know I can I am Irish!). I think a great night was had and definately friendships formed as we are going to the cinema tomorrow!

It was great not to have to talk in a German accent for a change though I kept slipping into it! So I have a German accent! yay! :D noone will understand em when I go home and everyone will think Im German!

Every time I go out now, I see more and more people dressed up for Karneval. I am going out again tonight and will try and get pictures so people will see what the costumes are like!

I am free at the moment arsing around as the boys have to gone to Essen, so its a nice break for me. So I am in the basement with my MP3 player and online! How bad!

So here is a list of bars I ahve been in and a quick rating out of ten

Corkonian 7/10
Jamesons 9/10
ExCorner 10/10
Ix Bar 5/10
Iron 8/10

So have loads more to try! :D

Thats all for now! Tscheuss!

Day 5: Sick no longer, getting into the Routine and Karneval!

Guten Tag!!

I have gotten over a headcold that nearly had me in bed for the day on Wednesday but all is well again! (Thank you panadol cold and flu!) Things are flying over here and I have the boys moving like a well oiled military maching in the mornings to be out the door at 7:15am!

The boys have a sleepover tomorrow night in a cousin's house in Essen, so I am free for saturday evening and I believe I will be having fondou for the first time!

Tonight I am going to a toytowngermany meetup in Köln. If you are an english speaker in Köln come join us!

Karneval
Karneval is coming up now, well the climax of it, which kicks off on the 31st of January! We are discussing costumes and the boys want to be elephants, we are not sure! When I arrived in Köln on my walk around on saturday I found a large shop that sold costumes I am told there is a bigger one out near Ikea! (I'm getting my halloween costume early this year!! :P)

Some links on Karneval:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karneval#Germany_and_Austria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_carnival
http://www.koeln.de/en/whatson/carnival/carnival-index.html

The "fifth season of the year" as Carnival is called, begins on November 11th at 11:11 AM. But the "crazy days" start on so-called Weiberfastnacht, the Thursday before Rosenmontag (Carnival Monday). In the public squares and streets, the "crazy days" of Carnival are greeted with great indoor and street celebrations. The closing times for pubs and bars are suspended for the duration of the festival.

A typical day
I have definatley gotten´into the routine. Up at 6:30, breakfast then leave the house at 7:15, get the 7:30 tram to Röttgensweg and walk the boys to the school. Back to the tram. Stop in the kiosk for a drink, choclate (sometimes I go to the bakery for a cake!) then back in the house for 8:30! Then I do a mix of following, clean, play the Wii, watch TV(in german i don't have a clue what be going on!), go online, sleep, or read. Then at 12:30 I set out for the school to collect the boys at 13:15. Back home for dinner, then they do their homework, practise their music and feed their rabbits! Then it is playtime until 18:30/19:00 then it is Tea time and bed at 20:00 at the latest and I am free again!

Okay thats enough for now I think!

Danke for reading and Tschuess
Steve
xxx

Contact Made and Day 1

It is the end of my first day as an Au Pair and it was fantastic. I was collected yesterday after lunch from the hostel and brought to meet the family. What a joy they are. They live in a lovely part of Köln, a good bit out from the city but still on the tram line. It reminds a bit of Ballincollig. Tomorrow is the first day of school after the holidays for the boys so it will be my first early morning and first time taking them to school.

The boys who inform they are now 9 not 8, are two bositerious, full of energy, ruggamuffins, who I must say are the easiest Kids I have ever worked with. I have worked with a lot of Children in my time so I can say that.

The language barrier is something I have noticed and it is a barrier. The parents do not seam to mind as the Kids have to ask me for things in English, but I do not understand any German. It did become a problem towards the end of Sunday in Köln. I am picking up a lot of German, though my Irish seams to be resurfacing. I shouted "Tog a bog e" and "bi curamach" at the Kids. They were mostr confused. I am picking up bits and pieces of German and definately know more then I did on Friday! So things will get better language wise.... I hope!

One good thing about school early in the morning, I get to finish early at night! I finshed at 7:30 tonight! It was great!

Anyway that is it for now as I ma tired and must also get up early!

So guten nacht!

Steve

I am in Germany!!!!

Aftera long day of travelling, I arrived in Köln at 7 last night. So far Köln has surpassed all my expectations!! The people are lovely, the city is gorgeous and the beer is cheap!! My head still hurts!!

I got a handy last night and ended up going with Vodafone DE as the credit will work in my Irish Handy also! If people want my German number (it will be my main number) E-mail or textmy Irish number!!

The weather is dry but cold, especially on the bridge over the Rheine! So its the U-Bahn in future.

I am looking forward to meeting the family tomorrow!

oh I found Headquaters of the CDU last!! :-)

Thats all for now!

Missing everyone in Cork!

Steve
xxx

One Sleep to Germany...

Its nearly here, I leave tomorrow morning at 8:30am to drive to Farranfore with my parents to fly to Germany!

I can't believe it. Its here already! How time flies when you are having fun!

I am suffering from a mix of 3 emotions which seam to combine to make me nauseous. They are excitement, nervousness (which can do that anyway) and sadness.

I went out last night with a few friends to Instinct and Freakscene like I mentioned I might do. I had great fun and yet again I cried.

By this time tomorrow (5:30pm CET) I should be in Cologne and nearly in my hostel.

Today I got a gift for the Kids, I know I haven't mentioned much about the family in awhile but all that will change on Sunday when I meet them and start work! Easiest way to get Kids to like you? By them stuff!!! Its only small but will hopefully send us off on the right track.

Tonight I am going out for a meal with my parents and sister to Ballinlough, the Silver Key to be exact. So its the last supper for me at 8:30!

This may be the last post before I leave, so best of luck to all here in Ireland. Dont forget to subscribe to my feed or email!

Places I will Miss in Cork: Instinct

I've been going to instinct since I was 19 and hence why I will miss it. It is where I regularly go on weekends with friends for drinks and dancing.

Instinct has one thing that sets it apart from all other bars.... It has a poll on the dancefloor!!! Its great fun and I will truly miss drinkingly swing off it for 6 months!!

Instinct are great for hosting themed parties, beach parties, fancy dress and of course foam parties!!!

Now i will have to find a new regular where everyone knows your name.... :D

Now for some reason very time I go to write these pieces my mind goes blank!! argh!

so until i can think of more i will post it then!

Finished... for now!

Well my packing is finished for today proabably will need something out of those suitcases before I leave on Friday morning!

I mentioned in the last post about my reading material, well that is because they are books you would not associated with a right-wing signed up Fine Gael member!

I have your usual German Phrasebooks. I also have a French and Polish (Don't ask) Phrasebook with me. The main reading materials are by Paulo Freire and Saul Alinksy. The books I am reading by Freire are 'Pedagogy of the oppressed' and 'Pedagogy of freedom : ethics, democracy, and civic courage'. The Alinksy ones I am reading are 'Rules for Radicals' and 'Reville for Radicals'.

Whay am I reading these? Well when I return to Ireland I intend on going back to college to study Social Care in CIT (via a FETAC course in the College of Commerce). These two writers along with Robert Putnam are major writers in the area of community, its all a bit lefty really! I enjoy reading these, I might not agree with them but they will add to my understanding on how some people see community and maybe add to my own views on community.

Well after all the philosophising to time to finish this post and think of anything i didn't pack....

My life in a Suitcase, well 2 really and a carry on....

So I've started packing! Argh! Its that close!!! I have reconfirmed my flight as advised to by Ryaniair! Good thing I did, I had the time wrong!!!

Its sooo weird trying to pack for 6 months, really it is. I've never done this, I've lived away from home and here I am about to leave the country for 6 months. What have I got myself in for?

Well so far with the packing its going well. I have one which I will live out of for the first two days as I'm staying in a hostel, thats the small one in front. The second is all the big stuff. Then my carry on is going to have all my reading material which I will post about later!

Its strange to try and pack your life away. I have a friend who told me he cry's everytime he packs. Now for someone who was raised camping, thats strange cause that would involve me crying every weekend for the summer!!!

Procrastination...
thats what this is. I dont want to pack. I hate packing always have cause i never know what to pack. My lunch was really long today and I think I offered my dad coffee and cake just to delay me having to go back to packing!

I am leaving
I am not regretting taking this opportunity, but I just hate packing, now where do I find a good man servant at short notice :P

Okay I better get back to it before someone notices I'm blogging again....

Apologies!

Well it seams a site i was linking from, got a picture changed hacked and so affected my site! I only discovered this morning when it was in my email! I do apologies to anyone offended. I know i was nearly sick myself!