Hello avid blog reader(s)! I hope you have all had a great
start to the New Year. I had a lovely Christmas with my family in Malaysia and
got back to Tübingen on 5th January.
Term started rather manically for me on 7th, due
to failing to check when classes recommenced, and what work was still left to
do – (lots)! But have caught up now and am bracing myself for exam period. Now
whilst I cannot say I am frightened of these to anywhere near the extent I
would be in the UK, there is that niggling concern about doing exams in a
language other than English. Obviously I am used to oral exams (which are
probably the most brief yet intensely stressful exams that exist) but doing a ‘spoken
exam’ on the topic of ‘Music of Antiquity and the Middle Ages’ is quite a
different thing to discussing an article on ‘the importance of the internet’.
We’ll just see how it goes!!! :O
That being said, I am managing to fit in a lot of things
that don’t directly relate my work. In
fact, I just got back from a choir rehearsal with the academic choir here in
Tübingen. We have another rehearsal tomorrow followed by three concerts on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday! The piece we’re singing is a MASSIVE choral work
by Mendelssohn called ‘Paulus’, and tells the story of the apostle Paul’s life
and works. It is such a privilege to be able to sing in the concert- the music
is exhausting for the voice but will sound great (I hope). We were rehearsing
with the orchestra today who are amazeballs (never used it before and never
will again), and we heard the soloists over the weekend who are also fantastic.
I am getting very excited probably also because my mum is flying over to see me
in it. J Oh,
related to choir, there was a very surreal moment whilst we were rehearsing
over the weekend, when a lovely (slightly older and not altogether
sporty-looking) member of the bass section decided to do a few cartwheels in
the hall during our break. It was just very sudden, and I do hope he didn’t see
the hysterical laughter of me and a fellow choir-member.
On the less ‘cultured’ end of the scale is a play I am acting
in with the international theatre group, recounting the tale of the invention
of the pretzel. I have particularly been
enjoying nagging acting alongside
my friend in the role of his wife.
My sporting endeavours continue falteringly. I played
Floorball again yesterday (hockey with plastic sticks) and was urged to try and
score a goal. My enthusiastic wrist and arm flailing alas brought forth no goal
but only frustration and sadness. That was almost poetic... I have also just
made the potentially terrible mistake of signing up for a 5K race in a few
weeks. It’s not far, but I have low expectations of a quick time. Out-of-breath
photos to follow.
What else is there to report? No proper snow has fallen yet
in Tübingen which is sad. Last week was positively spring-like but the past few
days the rain has come and reminded me of Britain. Since I last wrote I have celebrated Christmas and New Year’s
twice, owing to my Russian friend organising get-togethers for the dates of
Christmas and New Year’s according to the Julian calendar. Oh I went to a really interesting lecture last week, given by a renowned German Physics professor who spoke on the topic ‘The Big Bang and
the Question of God’. Loads of people came and I think what he said started
some really interesting discussions about the nature of the universe and where
it could have come from. The pictures of deep space and its multifarious
galaxies, stars and other spacey things I don’t know the names of were pretty
incredible.
It is with some bewilderment that I looked at my diary the
other day and realised just how little time I have left here. I fly back to the
UK around 15th February to get myself sorted and organised before
the next part of my adventure begins in Moscow. I am inclined to go into
reflection mode, but I have time for all of that and don’t want to get all
prematurely sad... Safe to say I am really going to miss this place and all its
little idiosyncrasies.
I shall endeavour to write soon! J
