Monday, August 24, 2009

Blunders and Duties

Reader (if anyone should stray here from their blogging path for whatever reason), I have married, I have become a teacher (sort of like a governess but I have to pay my rent myself).

I got sucked into the abyss of pedagogical duties just around that last post in June. The abyss is technically supposed to look back at you when you look into it, but mine just spat out student essays.

As luck would have it, the recession has hit the cheerful land of graduate study, where kiddies venture when they're too scared to face the job market. The sharply reduced number of free photocopies was, I think, just enough for me to copy the syllabus; my so-called office doesn't have a window (curious savings) but it does have one of those locks that let you lock yourself in easily; I get to teach on the American Labor Day, while all the cafeterias on campus are closed (because it's Labor Day). Oh joy! And the (censored) publishing house *forgot* to send me desk copies. Twice. Now I can only eat bread and water until the next paycheck comes.

On the whole it's fine, I guess. If only I didn't have a big fat exam hanging over my head...

Meanwhile, I still have my secret imaginary life in Berlin, where I have imaginary kids, say, in Prenzlauer Berg and am able to afford eating out, and where I take long walks like someone out of Baudelaire and I don't have to submit 25 pages about it by the end of the semester.


PS: I don't even know how to reference this gem.

7 comments:

Bowleserised said...

Oooh, does the piece on Prenzlauer Berg mention my friend's German-Chinese kita?

kalimak said...

I'll read it again and tell you.

There are several interviews with happy parents because, according to the title, Prenzlauer Berg is "Germany's Fertility Capital."

kalimak said...

Not there, unfortunately.

But the piece really makes me miss Europe. I can't help but find it entirely immoral that they don't have real health insurance here.

Bowleserised said...

I'm terrified by the US. I should have a trip over, to remind myself it's ok really.
Except that my health insurance covers me for travel anywhere on the planet apart from America.

Kim said...

I like the "gem" :)

Imaginary kids would be fun because you can make them go away without getting in trouble :p

And the US is sad, this whole health insurance debate is annoying! I have no insurance here and have had insurance sporadically over the past years mostly cause I lived in other countries that provided it for me because of work or studies. I live in a really strange country...that I am ready to run away from again ;)

kalimak said...

The health insurance debate makes no sense to me. I didn't know the health insurance situation was so terrifyingly bad when I moved here.

I think it's just blatantly immoral not to have universal health care.

With companies turning people who need treatment because they are sick precisely because they are sick this is crazy land.

So why am I here? Misguided intellectual curiosity and academic idealism. Four more years of graduate school and I will be completely cured. If they keep me for so long, that is.

Kim said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y

Thought you might find this interesting and very scary! The USA is a crazy place and getting crazier and stupider everyday it seems. It's frustrating to see what is going on with this health care "reform" that will probably not happen due to stupidity and greed.