Munster: Days 2 to 7
15 January 2023Sunday, 12:17 pm
Pretty uneventful few days at Claudia's airbnb.
Once I finally got onto my train and confirmed I wasn't being changed, I made it to Münster without issue. The ride on the ice train was quiet and comfortable despite not being in the quiet zone or compartment.
Although I found my designated bus stop in front of the station, it was mildly confusing, as usual, determining which side of the street to be on and not a simple task to cross given what a main thoroughfare it was and that the bus was arriving any moment. I thought, from memory, that I was on correct side despite the digital readout having a slightly different name from the one google gave so I decided to stay put and if I went the wrong way just get off at the next stop. Fortunately that wasn't necessary, but the bus was quite crowded so I took a fold out chair to avoid taking up a while isle with my luggage and did my best to keep my balance sitting sideways. In my memory I kept mixing up the pet sit place with the airbnb but I corrected my visualisation of the route when I realised, but both were a short walk from the drop off point, thankfully.
It was nice to be in familiar territory and know where I was going without having to wander aimlessly looking around. I turned down the small side street, past the blue tesla on the left, walked to the end where Claudia's place is, and took the little spiral stair to the top. There are two doors on the landing, mine was in the left. The code that Claudia sent a few days prior worked without issue and I was soon inside. The space was a little chilly but thanks to the small size it heated up quickly with the radiators (and halogen lamp).
I dumped my luggage but before I removed my layers I headed over to the grocery arrive the corner and grabbed some fish and frozen veg for dinner, eggs and sausage and yogurt for tomorrow.
I was fortunate to have avoided walking in the rain so far, for once again the rain started hitting the slanted loft window shortly after my arrival and coming down hard and seemingly without end. It was such an enthusiastic drummer that the noise was a bit obnoxious, since the window was right over the couch and bed.
My laptop remembered the wifi but the new phone did not. I made the fish and vegetables in the oven while I browsed the net, set up my webcam and confirmed my class schedule. I was meeting Sheri McCormick and Laura Palermo for their algebra classes the following day, in addition to asl with Beka. The fish and veg turned out great (with a little butter, dealt and pepper on the latter) and I watched kimmel's monologue on youtube while I ate. The current story are some classified documents Biden had taken or left on places he shouldn't.
The only problem I encountered was that when I went to take a shower I couldn't get the water hot. It stayed a tepid lukewarm and left me frustrated and cold. But once I'd put on enough clothes I warmed up sufficiently to be comfortable.
I'd taken the day off since I wasn't sure when I'd get in so I spent the rest of the evening reading the book I'd started on the plane (Where the Crawdads Sing) and unfortunately I stayed awake all night reading it, despite taking 3 melatonin. As the sun rose and the birdsong and traffic picked up I stuffed silicone in my ears and pulled a throw blanket over my eyes and eventually managed to get to sleep. I woke up around 1pm. The rain was still pounding and I couldn't muster the will to get out of bed and take a cold shower so I laid there snoozing for another hour. When I finally managed it the water still wouldn't get hot so afterward I messaged my host to see if there was anyway to increase the temperature. The rain had fortunately abated so I decided it was time to head back to the store to properly stock up for the week.
On my way out there was a woman riding up the road on her bike who suddenly called to me by name, which was certainly unexpected but I figured it had to be my host, Claudia. She dais she'd gotten my message about the hour water and seemed genuinely concerned but unfortunately had no idea what might be causing it and offered to have her father investigate. I welcomed her to enter the studio while I went to the store but reassured her that it wasn't an emergency, fearful of having people in the studio trying to make repairs at all hours.
At the store I picked up some mandarins, canned peas and carrots, canned sliced mushrooms (cheaper than whole ), baked beans, spaghetti and sauce, a can of pea soup, a baguette with butter, yogurt and more fish. Had a nice dry walk back to the studio but the rain started back up almost immediately afterward. No unwanted guests, thankfully. I made a meal and surfed the web until my class.
It was the first time I'd met Sheri McCormick and I apologised to her for missing the first class on Monday while I was traveling. She was incredibly nice and said she loved my intro slide and my cats, that she was a cat person, and not to feel bad because the first class was just a shit show, in so many words. I wasn't sure if the problems were due to technical issues but as she elaborated about kids logging in with inappropriate names it began to sound like the class I'd just escaped from with Ms. Long, which was a huge bummer. But since she made a point about the cats and was so friendly I felt immediately at ease with her.
The class turned out to be exciting, as expected. Lots of kids trying to log in with offensive names and the on site teacher repeatedly interrupting to try and demand the class' attention. I felt bad for Sheri, she was clearly frustrated and stressed. I had a few tech issues, myself, with the Internet going out on me once, but she was so preoccupied I don't think she noticed. When I apologised for it she said it was the least of her worries. Anyway, I was able to keep my cool and help speak to the kids and she was really grateful. She said that if it continued like that, though, she wouldn't be able to continue, though, so I wondered if the class wouldn't last. Long also disliked the shenanigans but I think she was more accustomed to it. Or maybe just less sensitive. I'm not sure whether I handle it better because I'm not the authority or because a part of me emphasises with the kids since I feel the teaching style is bs and their needs aren't being met. I did find Long's class more stressful because the students would blow out scream into the mic and Long always have them back the ability to unmute themselves. So far Sheri has been more strict with that privilege which insulates me from the noise. I'm also aware that the reality of the classroom is so much worse than what we get remotely, it's stunning to me that any student tries, much less succeeds, at all.
Other than the Internet quality being all over the place, the week passed quietly and uneventfully. I feel asleep and woke up too late, but Claudia extended my check out to noon and on that day I managed to get up at a reasonable hour and was ready to go in time. The hardest part of getting up was dreading the shower, but thankfully the water got hot on day 4 and hot enough on consecutive days, although Claudia had no idea why. The only thing I did differently was to turn on the floor heater, so I wonder if the water got a little boost of heat from the pipes.
The weather also favoured me the day of checkout, other than being gusty and a bit cold. But there was a covered bench at the stop where I waited about 30 minutes, and I found a single seat that cushioned me on both sides so I didn't take up too much space or lose my balance. It was less than a ten minute walk to the hotel, although I don't know how much longer my broken wheel will hold out against the cobblestones...