Wednesday 27 February 2013

17 Months in B.K. City (Part 2)

As I said in my first blog, I will talk about football, youth coaching and general life in Bad Kissingen.

So before I arrived here, I knew I'd need to find a football club, so I went about this 3 months before I arrived. I'm now playing for FC06 Bad Kissingen and coaching their U9 team aswell. I'd be bored alot of the time if it wasn't for football here as it occupies up to 6 days of my week. 

Here's our team photo from the start of the season. We are doing well at the moment, we're 2nd and hoping to get promoted. 
I think I've played in every position except goalkeeper. I scored my first goal in Germany as well at the start of the season. A great cross into the box and I planted the header into the top corner. The keeper had no chance. Unfortunately at the wrong end! Own goal. I later got substituted and we lost 2-1. I was playing centre back that day and since then I've been gradually moved further away from our own box. A few games on the bench didn't seem to be far enough away from our box so that's why I started up front in a friendly last week, scoring 0 goals in total.

As well as trying to play football I coach the U9s team, which is good fun. We have tournaments monthly and are also in a league. We train twice a week in Summer and once a week in Winter. It's enjoyable for the kids, parents and trainer, especially the tournaments where prizes are given to every team.

Away from football for a while. There are some of the differences I've noticed between Deutschland and Ireland. Everything is so much cheaper here. Nights out are a third of the price, you don't need to bring I.D. and the clubs close at around 5am. Accommodation is so cheap aswell. I've never rented in Ireland but from what I've heard it can be treble the price compared to here. I don't know how Shamrock Rovers have done it for 26 years. 

Another major difference between here and Éire is the school system. School begins here at 8:00, they don't wear Uniform and it's a mixed school. Lessons finish at 1:00 and then they have sport or other activities afterwards. We had winter sports day a few weeks ago and went sledding and skiing at the Kreuzberg.


They celebrate Karneval here, unlike in Ireland. Everyone dresses up and goes crazy for a few days. Here is a picture of my costume. 4 of us did a Moulin Rouge dance aswell at our football team Karneval Party. After a weeks practise we were ready and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. The party went on all night with some great costumes on show. I didn't know whether to use the girls or boys bathroom, but the hairy chest and beard gave away the fact that it was just a costume. Ich habe sehr viel Spaß gehabt. Es ist so schade, dass wir Karneval in Irland nicht feiern.


 A few things to look forward to over the next month:

  • League of Ireland season starting
  • Easter Holidays (Osterferien)
  • Saint Patrick's Day Party
  • My league season starting back after a long winter break

Again, feel free to comment or if anyone is thinking of moving abroad to a non-English speaking country and wants advice feel free to ask questions.

Come on the Saints,

Monday 25 February 2013

17 Months in B.K.City

After 17 months of living in Germany's capital city, Bad Kissingen, I've decided to start writing a blog. With the snow cancelling the football and the fact that I now have proper internet after months of using a Vodafone stick with limited internet access,  I now feel this is an appropriate time to start a blog.

If I were to write about everything that I have done in 17 months this wouldn't be a blog, it'd be an autobiography so I'll try and sum up my time in Bad Kissingen in a few paragraphs.

After applying to become an assistant teacher in Germany I was expecting to be allocated Munich, Stuttgart or a town/city that I had heard of. I got a letter to say I would be teaching in two schools in Bad Kissingen, the most famous Spa and health resort in Germany. I'm almost a year and a half here and I can't say I'm any healthier now than when I arrived but I am more of a Spa. 

Teaching went well anyway, the craic was had and the students learnt about League of Ireland football and Irish culture. After finishing my first year of teaching in May 2012, I applied for a second year with little optimism that I'd get the same town. Thanks to some help from friends and the town council I'm still here, teaching in a different school. 

As well as teaching, which I do three days a week, I'm also working as a roofer on Thursday and Friday. The difficult part isn't the roofing it's the weather. From over 30C in the summer to -15C in the winter, and after 8 hours of being on a roof, I honestly count down the hours until I can go home and just get into the shower for  about a half an hour.

I don't want to write too much in my first blog, so in my next blog I'll talk about playing football, coaching a youth team and being the only Irishman in B.K. City

P.S. I've added a translation tool at the top for my German friends and friends living in the Gaeltacht