And so it begins...

Hi everyone!

As many of you may know from my Facebook status, I got very over-excited by an email that I received from the British Council last week:

"Dear Annabel,

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS TO GERMANY 2012/2013

I am pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted by the German authorities for a post to RP [Rheinland-Pfalz]."

Ecstatic wasn't even the word! Rheinland-Pfalz (in the South-West) was my first choice of Bundesland (German federal state) and it is part of Germany that is special to myself and my family. My Mum went to work there as an Au Pair at the age of 20 (same age as me! Weird, eh?) and we still have friends in that part of the country. It truly is a beautiful place to be and is very famous for its wine! The more I think about it, the more excited I get! (About going to live there, not about the wine... Haha!)

[Here is a map of Rheinland-Pfalz and the surrounding area. I apologise that it has a logo on it, but this was the most detailed map that I could find.]

Having said that, I still don't know whereabouts I am going city/town-wise. I hope that the school that I am allocated to is fairly helpful when sorting out accommodation, because that is one of the scariest parts for me at the moment! Also, I am worried about the point when I will have to email the school asking what kind of age groups I will be teaching, where to find accommodation etc. It's a silly fear, but I'm not yet overly confident with my German, particularly in such a formal context. I will definitely be getting my other German speaking friends to check it makes sense before I send it!

Besides waiting to hear which school I've been allocated to and waiting to hear when I have to do an induction course, I only have a few simple instructions to follow at the moment: My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to collect as many maps, articles, photos, tourist brochures etc. as possible, in order to give the children the most realistic impression of England that I can. I must say that at the moment, my Mum seems to have taken this task on board with such gusto, that I feel fairly inadequate! Personally, I think she is more excited than I am, though she insists that this is not the case! 

With this in mind, this is where I will be cheeky and ask you lovely readers a tiny favour: If you see anything at all that I may find useful/interesting, please, please, please let me know! I want to gather as much material as possible so that I am well and truly prepared. I would be really grateful, and I may even bring you back a large supply of Knoppers (or any German foodstuff of your choice) to return the favour!

Anyway, I think I will wrap it up there for now. I have a date with my Downton Abbey DVD box-set and my bed. Hopefully more updates to come fairly soon!

Thanks for reading!

Bel xxx