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November 27th, 2009
11:30 am - Ach Mensch
(I'm not entirely sure what the expression Ach Mensch means- it's one of those things you always hear, like 'siehste!' and 'naaaaaaaaa?' but can never quite translate. I thought it sounded dramatic though so I have written it)
A deluge of uni work has poured itself onto my little head. I am clearly feeling poetic/slightly unhinged today. I mean that I have a lot of work. I am enjoying it. I really am- my Dutch literature course is possibly the best thing I've ever done academically, and I'm including primary school here, where you just get paint stuff mostly. I guess it's just the university thing where all your work appears at once. We're doing a Vertaalproject- translation project- in Dutch, where we get to translate a real live text into actual English, and we work with other students of Dutch from other unis. And then we get to meet the author of the text!!!!! I'm a little bit (quite a lot) in awe, although worried about saying the STUPIDEST THING IN THE WORLD to him. Also concerned about getting all this work done.
I went to a meeting for students interested in postgraduate study yesterday. Here is a quote: "We have had people go abroad to study before. It's a bit of a leap into the unknown. We haven't really had any reports back....
Oh dear. That's fine. Leaps into the unknown aren't always bad. I'm still playing the 'collect 400 forms so that you can apply for a scholarship' game. I am planning on sending all the official documents I own, however irrelevant.
I am going to stop writing now, because we all know that the blog post above is a classic example of work avoidance.
Current Location: Shef
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Relieved.gif) stressed
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November 22nd, 2009
04:44 pm - Over the Pennines once more
I went to MANCHESTER yesterday, partly to look at the ginormous German market and partly to meet up with my beloved father and brothers who were there for some kind of "football match" at "Old Trafford". We ate pizza though, which always makes me happy, mine had GOAT'S CHEESE on it. Manchester is MASSIVE. It always terrifies me a bit and makes me feel like I grew up on a remote farm and never saw a car or a road until the age of 19. Even compared with Sheffield it's ginormous. Anyway, the market seems pretty good and will require many more visits. I tried oliebollen for the first time. I may have to rename this blog 72oliebollen, because I think I love them EVEN MORE than stroopwafels. (The Dutch are entirely responsible for making me fat)
Ik slaap nu niet zo lekker though. I've entered another insomnia phase, and these phases typically last for weeks, then have a break of about 2 days, and then start all over again. Everything in the whole world seems about 7000000 times scarier just before I decide to go to bed. It's then that I decide to worry about everything. Last night it was money because I'm suffering from guilt because I bought a new coat. Uuuurggggh.
Today I have mostly been obsessively cleaning :D
Current Location: Shef?
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Hot.gif) tired
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November 18th, 2009
11:26 am - zzzzzzzzzzzz *thwack*
I am going to do something stupid today. I mean even stupider than the things I normally do over the course of a day, something besonders doof. This is because I took my sleepy-sleepy pills last night, which worked, but which still appear to be working zzzzzzzz. At least I'm not overly grumpy. I'll keep you updated regarding Stupid Things I Have Done Today.
I got my highest mark EVER at university today, in a translation into German all about Hitler or something. I'm not too sure what's going on with that- I always seem to do best where I least expect it (like in Middle High German, that was also something of a shock). AND YET, in modules which I think are a lot more understandable (Multiculturalism zum Beispiel), I have a habit of not doing too well at all.
The careers dept. was right all along. I am PERVERSE.
Current Location: Bedfordshire
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Sleepy.gif) sleepy
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November 17th, 2009
09:46 pm - Uncelebration
It is exactly one year, I believe, since the Cake Rap.
Actually I'm still not ready to talk about it. I am going to repress it and probably get nightmares as a result.
I will think of happy thoughts like cake.
NO NOT CAKE ANYTHING BUT CAKE!
I mean biscuits.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Embarassed.gif) embarrassed
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November 13th, 2009
03:05 pm - *grin*
http://www.alcs.group.shef.ac.uk/news/newsitem.php?eventid=121
This could be brilliant!
(that is more or less all I've got to say in the blogpost. I was going to complain about how I've discovered a mountain of work that's suddenly crept up on me, but I'm trying-and failing- to make my blog less complainy and more cheerful)
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Hungry.gif) busy
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November 11th, 2009
10:09 pm - Weiblich zu sein= heel vervelend
I had been having a really nice day, involving tea, biscuits AND pizza with a very nice and beloved friend, when I walked back to my flat at around 9pm. All was good until I got within sight of my flat when some arschloching kontlulgezicht*, who had been driving round the area, wound down his stupid window, smoking his stupid cigarette, and asked if I'd like to hop in with him. To his obvious surprise, I ran as fast as I could to my flat, which thankfully, is safe and secure.
I know it's not the most awful and terrible thing ever, and I'm not a quivering mass of terror, any more than usual. What I am is really angry. It's kind of a really "oooh, look at me, I've lived abroad" thing to say, but the fact is, I have lived in central Amsterdam. There were dodgy and seedy bits, but I never felt as unsafe as I do here in Sheffield. This might come of the fact that I've lived in the Broomhall area before, so the fairly high risk of getting shot has made me a little paranoid, but arrrggghhhhhh. It shouldn't even matter, but I was wearing jeans and a hoodie. I think he just wanted to scare me. Which he did quite a bit.
I sometimes really hate being female. I'd like to walk around without getting harrassed sometimes.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
*I can't swear in English due to repressed fear from having a terrifying mother
Current Location: Stupid Sheffield
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Angry.gif) angry
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November 10th, 2009
04:02 pm - My poor head
One thing that GCSE Maths taught me (Grade B, get in) was that my brain just doesn't work in that way. If we ignore the fact that I keep forgetting words in every language, we could say that I can do languages, but not maths. I still count on my fingers when I have to add stuff up, which is quite humiliating in a supermarket, for example.
Anyway. Why am I moaning about maths, you ask? Because it's made my head hurt, and it's now got an even scarier name, which is: personal finance. Yes, it's MA-related utter confusion again. To be honest, it's not totally mathematical confusion, it's also the fact that I have to send in roughly 84 million billion* forms which are the height of trickiness and difficulty. And the most saddening thing, I probably won't get this scholarship. I've got the stupid and entirely self-created problem that the Germans probably won't give me money, because I want to study Dutch. And the Dutch won't give me money because I want to study in Germany. If only my mind was less perverse, I'd be wealthy and able to afford better brands of biscuits.
I am living frugally in order to save up. Yes, pity me. I have given up buying delicious coffee. Yes, this is how serious I am about doing this MA. Obviously I still drink coffee, but I am relying on the cheap instant stuff from Tesco. So if I have an attack of narcolepsy or undergo serious and sudden personality changes with 50% less twitching, it's because of caffeine deprivation.
The coffee thing's the only cutback I've made. One step at a time.
*Around 8
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Sad.gif) uncomfortable
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November 7th, 2009
04:27 pm - Attempt to make Serious Political Blog
So it's a slow day, and nothing really annoying has happened to me. I slept well, I went to the market again, it was great, then I did a bit of cycling. Something's missing from my life...rage, that's it. So I read the Daily Mail and now I want to hide under my bed and cry.
( Rant no.1 )
( Rant no. 2 )</div>
Current Location: Sheffield
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Mellow.gif) calm
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November 5th, 2009
01:44 pm - Erinner dich, erinner dich
It's that time of year again, meisjes, when Protestants burn the effigy of a Catholic who they tortured to death several hundred years ago (my Catholic identity, whatever that is, appears to manifest itself whenever I've got something to complain about. It remains a lot quieter when there's talk of ethical teachings that I don't quite agree with at all at all, but that's another story). Less of my bitter Catholic moanings though, I wanted to talk about THE CONTINENTAL MARKET IN SHEF THAT I LOVE. Why do I love it? Because I hide behind the German sweets stall and try and eavesdrop on their conversations to hear where exactly they're from going by their accents. On this occasion it's a little bit easier because there's a massive map on the stall of Schleswig Holstein, together with the flag of that fine Bundesland. Not quite as good as Niedersachsen of course, but it is still an area where they say MOIN and wear cool fisherman's hats. I'm busy plucking up the courage to talk to them in German in the hope that I'll get a discount.
THERE ARE ALSO Dutch stalls, which makes me happy. Very overpriced stroopwafels and poffertjes which destroy my health can never be bad things. I MISS ALBERT HEIJN. I miss all of Abroadland. I don't like speaking English anymore, I still get it wrong anyway, so there's no point in me speaking it!
I am going to run away with the continental market. I shall update my blog from the poffertjes market stall next time, you'll see.
Current Location: Tedious Britain
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Relaxed.gif) relaxed
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November 3rd, 2009
04:39 pm - d'Dräirad
That is the Luxembourgish word for tricycle. My Luxembourgish-related vocab is both limited and weird, but I do not mind. It's not my favourite Germanic language ever (my interest seems to dimish, the further south in the German-speaking world you go) but it is a very cool language. I'm still giggling about Buttek meaning shop, but that's because I'm secretly 9 years old.
ANYWAY I HAVE GOOD NEWS. I got in touch properly with the MA people and they are LOVELY and said that they were happy I was considering coming to study with them!! I'm happy that they are considering letting me study with them!! We're both happy, and we both know that this makes the other one happy, so we're both doubly happy! Awwww. Now I just need to sell everything I own on ebay to afford it.
On that note, I think the international market is coming to Shef. I'm going to spend all my money on pancakes, aren't I? Yes, yes I am.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Happy.gif) cheerful
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October 30th, 2009
07:16 pm - WHAT SHALL I DO WITH MY LIFE??
I had a really good day, despite the existential crisis that I'm referring to in the title. I started off by taking part in the university's cycling challenge, which is like a competition between all the different departments. I think the Germanic department has the necessary skills to WIN, owing to the fact that the department contains Dutch people/wannabe Dutch people such as myself, who basically live on bicycles. I want to win prizes, especially because I have now run out of money totally because I'm saving up for the Magical MA.
DANACH I went to the TEFL taster session, which was really, really good. We did one-to-one teaching with people they'd borrowed from the English Language teaching centre and it was quite difficult- talking to somebody for half an hour in a language they only half-understand, non-stop, can be pretty tiring, but the session was actually very fun and interesting. Except it didn't help the existential crisis/fear that I might want to become a teacher, because MAYBE I DOOOOOOO!
After I stopped being an ELA, I came away with the feeling that not only would I be the Worst Teacher Ever, I was also a terrible language assistant and a terrible person who was just rubbish. I've come to think, though, that this might not be a totally fair opinion and I might be a bit hard on myself. Maybe I could be good at this.
I have the Brilliant Plan, right. That's hopefully going ahead. But what about afterwards???? As a language graduate, I can do pretty much two jobs: teaching and translating. And I have absolutely no idea which one I want to do, now that I've tried both of them out. Teaching is a bit like eating a packet of multi-flavoured sweets, in that sometimes the sweets will be delicious and great, but sometimes, if it's a flavour you don't like, they will be horrible and disgusting (I'm comparing the sweets with lessons, not with schoolchildren, of course). And translating is a bit like eating a pack of digestive biscuits. It's pretty good, you know what to expect, but after a while it gets a bit dry and tedious.
Could I combine the two? Maybe eat the digestives but also have sweets from time to time, and if I get bored of digestives, move on to the sweets and eat them all the time and learn to cope with the varieties of sweet I don't like? That might get easier as you become more experienced at....eating sweets. Teaching. Whatever.
This possibly wins an award for Least Sensical Blogpost Ever Written By Katie. I am sorry, I am going to sleep now.
Current Mood: cheerful
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October 25th, 2009
11:36 am - Tired Sorrow
Dear Stupid Mind,
Why do you not work like any other normal mind? The majority of people can just sleep at night without any problems. It's one of their normal functions. With YOU, however, it's like a battle every single night just to switch off and SLEEP. Even when I take reasonably-sized quantities of valerian and hops (which STINK), this does not produce sleep. It produces all the side effects, but not sleep. Not until about 5am, anyway.
I'm not even terribly stressed about anything. I could understand my massive bout of insomnia back when I was in Deutschland, but this time I'm relatively content with things. Happy, even, thanks to the MA News. And my coffee-intake isn't that massive- only a couple of cups per day, and never after 4pm.
STUPID MIND
Lots of love,
The Rest of Tired Katie
Current Mood: tired
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October 23rd, 2009
02:16 pm - Meme O'Clock
I'm doing a meme to help me calm down.
Meme: Post a link to your entries on this day two years ago, last year, nine months ago, six months ago, three months ago and one month ago. If there was no entry on that day, link the closest date.
One year ago I was reporting on my Herbstferien in Austria after I went to see Small Hannah (http://72stroopwafels.livejournal.com/2008/10/23/)
Nine months ago I was complaining about German supermarkets again (http://72stroopwafels.livejournal.com/2009/01/21/)
Six months ago I was forming the Brilliant Plan and complaing that I had no money (http://72stroopwafels.livejournal.com/2009/04/22/)
Three months ago I was moaning about my dissertation and the fact that I'd gone insane (http://72stroopwafels.livejournal.com/2009/07/23/)
One month ago I was moaning about the Daily Mail (http://72stroopwafels.livejournal.com/2009/09/23/)
Strange how little some things change!
Current Mood: ecstatic
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02:09 pm - A giant happy face!!!
That's what my face looks like!!
The first step of the Brilliant Plan has been achieved, in that they are very happy for me to come and study Dutch in Germany yaaaaaaaaaaaay! I know this is only the first step so it's important not to get overexcited, drink a great deal of coffee and skip around my room waving my little Dutch flag and singing het Wilhelmus...but I might anyway. They seem quite keen to help me with funding, which would now be the main difficulty of the Brilliant Plan.
I have a very happy face. I might go and buy chips to celebrate.
Current Location: Sheffield
Current Mood: ecstatic
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October 22nd, 2009
03:38 pm - Daumen gedrückt
Contact is Being Made. The Brilliant Plan might be underway. I hope. Please keep fingers crossed for me/fervently praying, whichever floats your particular boat.
ANYWAY. This afternoon I have mostly been translating, which isn't very fun when it's all about the Weimar republic, but now I have cake, AND a Frisian Nijntje book to read courtesy of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) piggelin . May I take this opportunity to mention that ANY beloved blog reader is more than welcome to plunder my very modest collection of Plattdeutsch literature. I have:
- Platt is nich uncool, by Ina Müller
- A Plattdeutsch dictionary relating in particular to the variety spoken in Oldenburg
- Sprechen Sie Platt? which is a dictionary as well as a small collection of jokes and recipes and cartoons
Like I said, it's a modest collection (it'll grow!) but I am very happy to lend such books to whomsoever wishes to read them in order to spread the general Low German joy, just ask. I'm becoming a bit evangelistic about it. It's like I've seen the light and now I want to share it with everyone.
I have had way too much coffee so I am going to go and lie down now.
Current Mood: cheerful
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October 21st, 2009
04:18 pm - De Buttek
^That is Luxembourgish for a shop. It made me have a fit of deranged laughter because it looks a bit like 'buttock'. It's good to know that my wealth of international, cosmopolitan experience and knowledge has made me into the mature, psychologically healthy person I am today.
Tja. I had a talk to a tutor about the Fantastic Plan today, and long story short, it's not going to work. So it's been downgraded again to the Brilliant Plan. I can't be an assistant officially, BUT I could still work in schools, just not with the British Council. So I'd get less money but have the advantage of flexibility. I'm a bit disappointed but it's not the end of the world. I will fund this MA. I did some calculations last night, and if I spend no more than £6.60 each day from now till I graduate, I'll save enough for funding myself for a couple of months in Germany. Zu diesem Zweck hab ich LOADS OF BAKED BEANS gekauft, and I'll live on that for a bit*.
*I also bought a delicious cake and ate it.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/frank/Frank-Okay.gif) okay
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October 19th, 2009
06:11 pm - Blue Peter Appeal
Hello, beloved blog readers in their millions. I need your help and advice on some matters (this means you too Rose, even if you're not yet a Livejournaler. You may post your wisdom on my facebook wall).
( Insomnia )
( MA Funding )
( Your reward )
Current Location: Not too sure anymore
Current Mood: tired
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October 18th, 2009
11:55 pm - Hahaha
If I move back to Germany, I'm planning on avoiding all the supermarkets forever for the sake of my mental health. Luckily I have stumbled upon an alternative solution:
http://www.foodfromhome.de/index.php?section=2&subsection=27
I could collect my delicious British biscuits from the British Legion in Osnabrück. This is brilliant. It's like a military operation to get me my Lucozade and crisps. I'm having hilarious visions of me smuggling British cuisine up north by train/bicycle.
I need more sleep. I think I wouldn't find this so funny if I slept more.
Current Mood: blah
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01:51 am - I cannot sleep
I am too excited about the Brilliant Plan Part 2, which has been combined with the original Brilliant Plan to produce the Fantastic Plan. It would solve many of my problems in one go (in een klap, as I believe the Dutch would say). Mostly the funding problem, but also the lingering 'I was a rubbish language assistant who could have done so much better' problem. Also the 'I miss Oldenburg' problem. If the Fantastic Plan comes together, I could do something right for once. I hope the Fantastic Plan does not go wrong. I wrote a list of ways in which it could go wrong ("I may get struck by divine wrath. Oldenburg may never really have existed and could be a figment of my imagination. I may be banned from entering Germany due to having done something illegal like when I sorted my rubbish incorrectly that one time". And so on). It was a stupid idea to write this list because now I am awake at nearly 2am instead of asleep like any self-respecting person.
Also I bought a dress. More on that story later.
Current Location: Not my lovely bed
Current Mood: hopeful
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October 16th, 2009
08:21 pm - The most Brilliant Plan since the Brilliant Plan
Dear readers, I have just had a Brilliant Idea. I'm thinking of applying to be a language assistant again.
No, I haven't gone completely mad. Well, I have at various points in the past, but not this point. This is a Brilliant Plan. The plan is to contact various schools in the area I want to study in, ask them if they want a Brit, and if they say yes, go through the British Council to formally apply for a job. Then if everything goes to plan, I could work out the hours of work with the schools so that I can study and work at the same time for the first year of my MA.
I think this is a Brilliant Plan Part 2.
Current Mood: excited
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