Introduction

I've heard a lot of talk about "blogs" in recent years, but I've never really thought I was doing anything interesting enough to warrant having one. Furthermore, even if I was doing something interesting, I've always (rightly) assumed that nobody cares. Nevertheless, in anticipation of a year of isolation in the mountains of East Germany, I figured I would start one; I'm going to be up to a lot of really exciting things.
As some of you may know, I have recently been awarded a Fulbright grant in recognition of my seriousness, sacrafice, and generally anti-fun attitude while studying at Boston College. I will be moving to a kleinen Dorf (small town) known as Zwonitz (pronounced Zwernitz). It is basically in the middle of nowhere--but not to worry! The booming metropolis known as Chemnitz is only an hour away by train! Chemnitz was an industrial city before being completely destroyed during the second World War. Until the fal of the Berlin Wall, Chemnitz (re-named 'Karl Marx Stadt') was under Soviet control and, luckily for me, it supposedly still maintains all of the brilliant aesthetic charm of every other former Soviet citiy. I'm not yet sure whether I will live in Chemnitz (which does have a large university in it, presumably making it relatively cool), or in Zwonitz. Mainly, this is because the school I have been assigned to teach at has completely ignored my emails and not offered anything in the way of advice or even basic indications of how many hours a week I will work, what exactly I will be doing, where living accomadations can be found, and so on. As my tone may have indicated thus far, I am feeling slightly bitter about the situation as it stands now. But my father, sensing my bitterness, reminded me that it might not seem like a lot of fun, but when he was my age, he was in the Army, stationed in Korea. Great point, dad. In any event, I fly out on Tuesday the second of September, so I guess I'll just have to wing it.
I suppose that is a satisfactory introductory entry. Basically my goal with this is to keep my many, many friends abreast of my adventures abroad, and to eschew the boredom I am expecting as a result of working minimal hours as a middle school English teacher in a remote location. I assume many of my close friends currently find themselves located in cubicles in front of computers for several hours a day. Well, perfect! Plenty of time to read my senseless ramblings. I suspect that future entries will sound less cynical, but I've been at my parents' house for a total of three days now, and have just about reached the cusp of a complete mental breakdown. Stay tuned for more riveting entries.
In the spirit of new beginnings, I'd like to quote Joyce's closing lines from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:
"Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race."
(Did you know that I've read Joyce?)