I am way beyond my 2-3 day-rhythm and I am terribly sorry but when I tried to write this last night I was literally falling asleep in front of my desktop. Suddenly, my bed was so cosy and Max had done my laundry so everything was a bit fluffier and cleaner and the scent of mold is slowly vanishing. So in my bed, under my newly draped mosquito net, I really felt like a little princess, overloaded with overhours but happy and satisfied. Happy also because I was never going to be a teacher. Even if I had not realised that before, I would have realised it yesterday, after supervising the A1 German exam of 130 (yes, three groups and three times the same procedure) students. It was pure madness. But it was interesting, though. Thus all the pain in my back and feet from walking and standing for seven hours, it was nice to see the “dark side of the force”. And it was a looot of fun being the bad and strict teacher. I once almost shouted “Stop writing NOW” when a lady refused to give in her paper although time was up. I knew they tried to trick me because I might have looked nice and friendly but when I held my head up high and put on my “you better not mess with me”-face, I gained some frightened looks. It was unbelievable, though, how some candidates just did not get it at all. They actually asked me for the meaning of certain words or asked me to explain them the task. Excuse me? This is your language certificate exam. By now you should not have any questions anymore. My favourite candidate was “Miss Dramaqueen” who actually started sobbing and weeping and would not stop throughout the 45 minutes of written exam (although she didn’t even really mess up).

So, as I was working my weekend through, I was just done with the world last night. I fell into a long sleep with the most bizarre dreams (I think I am actually reliving my past years, past mistakes, past faults, past lovers, past everything that was rather gloomy in my live through these African dreams, I am really wondering if it is still the Malaria pills or if it is just my unconsciousness, suffering from unfinished issues and never-to-be-answered-questions). Now I am still trying to figure out how in the world I can attach a copyright watermark to all the pictures in one folder with irfanview and today, technology seems to work against me. Not even the extremely “I am the coolest guy ever and that’s why today I will explain to you how a computer works”-IT guy from Munich (if that guy wasn’t Marc Meyer in real live, I lose my belief in everything) that I called to make a distance-check for my computer could solve my problems (but that guy should maybe solve his severe cough problem first of all). At least he didn’t ask me if I tried turning it off and on again. But he did ask me if I did a restart. Whatever, IT-guys.

Oh yes, I started my new job at the library and it is charming, although the internet is shit, to stay polite. So I am trying to write this entry, hoping there will be enough connection and that the server won’t be down again to make you read this. I am supposed to create new lists for ordering music and literature and this is really nice. I still feel like having my dream position for now, although there are days like yesterday when you just can’t go on anymore and I really wonder how that all will be when my French course starts. If it will ever start. That reminds me of calling Alliance Francaise, right now, for the 5th time today. Good. Phone is not working neither. Never mind, I’ll just continue writing.

Kathi has started her A1 course this morning but nobody has contacted me so I guess they haven’t found enough students yet. But I have already paid. Brilliant. Please cross your fingers for me, I would really like to do this course, je voudrais améliorer mon francais.
I could really just punch this programme. Why is it so hard to just do what I type in? Why is it so hard to rpint a stupid watermark in all of the pictures in one folder? Is it a way too complicated demand? I don’t get it. But why should I worry. I would just really like to show you Saturday’s pictures because Saturday was German Day, the celebration of 25 years of German Unification and it was such a lovely day and a very successful event here at our premises. In the end, everything turned out well, after my boss and I had worked overhours on Friday (I felt sorry and awkward when her husband drove me home at around 7pm, leaving her behind with still a lot of pictures with the exhibition to hang, saying to me that he is actually happy to escape the scenery for a while – unfortunately, I have had a quick beer with my library colleague on an empty stomach right before so I might have felt even more embarrassed and weird).

But Saturday was really nice, we started early and I was running around taking pictures all day in the blazing sun, there was the most delicious cake (have you ever tried Frankfurter Kranz? A dream. <3), the very cheerful “Mr. Bagel” Salomon, who looks like 26 but is 46, and his extremely tasty bagels, they even had Sauerkraut und Bratwurst, draft beer and lots of stands with people to watch, a lot of Oborunis, of course, but not necessarily the mayority of the guests. When Lisa and I noticed three Oboruni guys our age from Germany, it kind of felt staring at “the last ones of our kind”, as if we were some kind of mammoths animals, not having seen “something like that” in a long, long time. Odd but funny in a way. I don’t know why you never see male Oborunis here. Sometimes I am just missing somebody that I could relate to and make silly jokes with, this certain bro-kind-of-thing you can only have with somebody being able to relate to your own culture. We will probably see our mammoth friends again next Saturday when they are throwing a party in our already beloved Winneba, I have just been invited to that and I can’t wait to go. However, my most favourite moment was when the children’s choir was singing “Wind of change” – I couldn’t help but having some goosebumps-tears in my eyes, although that annoying German teacher guy with the horrible Bavarian accent totally messed up the whistling part.
Actually I should work on a lot of very important things right now but I really want to finish this thing here before I do anything else. The thing is that: today is the day of the grand reception at the German Ambassador’s residence and I am getting nervous as hell with every hour that passes. My dress is a dream, I picked it up yesterday and the three girls that came with me joined a choir of delighted “awws” and “oohs”. I knew that it was a real stunner. The ballerinas that I will wear with it don’t go at all with it and I also don’t have a fancy clutch or (Damn, I wanted to bring my earrings) anything sparkling or princess-like but I try to shine anyway. I am so looking forward to this event and really feel like a small, overworked office-version of Cinderella. Even though I will probably not meet any prince there (apparently at least not my prince as he is on a different continent), at least I can’t lose a glassy shoe and in Ballerinas it’s better dancing. I want to take as much photos as possible. And I have to upload more already. I promise!

Speaking about pictures, I came to the idea of creating motivational memes of Papa Joe and his excellent moral, philosophical phrases. Just because Papa Joe doesn’t know what poetry is (or maybe he just didn’t get me) doesn’t mean he cannot produce one of the most smashing phrases. I want to present the top three to you that are already evergreens of the house:

1. Keep on moving! (preferably when we are doing our workouts)
2. Have a nice time! (I once got that as an answer when saying “Gesundheit” to him after he sneezed)
3. It’s nice to be nice!

We all love Papa Joe and he really gives the house what you would call soul. Or maybe also some charmingly shabby vibe.
Alright, I am almost closing. Wish me luck for my ball today. 😉