Extennnnshun

[chef]

They're playing it safe and have offered just 3 months but that now takes it up to January 2010.

Good enough for me to start planning my leaving of the Uk and moving to Cologne with gf chef

Obviously keeping my place in Manchester for a while just in case (plus it contains a whole pile of cr@p I need to sort out).

But still, good news, now all I have to do is get my German homework done and Im off to the Biergarten

[Pondlife]

Good work Chef.

[DS23]

to chef!

[cailin maith]

Good news Chef

Other than GF Chef.... why do you prefer working/being over there? Is it really that much better?

[Zippy]

well done

[ThomasSoerensen]

congrats

[SallyAnne]

Good enough for me to start planning my leaving of the Uk and moving to Cologne with gf chef

What?!!!!!

It's only been a year hasn't it?!!!

[Pondlife]

What?!!!!!

It's only been a year hasn't it?!!!

Ah Sally, you silly old romantic.

[FiveTimes]

well done chef

[chef]

Other than GF Chef.... why do you prefer working/being over there? Is it really that much better?

Yes, at first I found it frustrating and very different with tons of stupid rules but once you get used to the rules and the German mindset most things actually start making sense. There are some things I can't get my head around, like:

- no shops are open on Sundays
- everyone goes to lunch together at the same time and then waits until everyone finishes before returning (that's happened in 3 places now ), that's just odd
- most shops/banks/garages follow the same standard opening hrs so to get anything done you need to take time off work or arrive/leave late/early, that includes test driving a car, going to the bank/post office/council offices
- German tv is completely sh!t (get a Slingbox)

but there are a LOT of other things that, for me, make it a much better place

- gf chef lives and works here and has just been accepted as permie teacher which means she's set for life, effectively unsackable
- distinct lack of bad feeling/violence in bars, Germans get drunk but I havent yet seen anything more than raised voices
- public transport works, it's on time so accurately that you can set your clock by it, it's not that expensive, it just works
- German auto bahns, great fun when unrestricted, even more fun when it's raining heavily
- easy to hop over into neighbouring countries at weekends
- VERY cheap alcohol
- accomodation is sealed and warm, the term "a draft" doesn't exist unlike 90% of rented accomodation in the Uk
- the weather is far better far more often, the last few weeks it's been 28C- 31C every day with maybe 2hrs worth of rain spread over 4 evenings.
- CCTV is scarce
- Police presence is there when needed (and then in great numbers) but never intimidating on a daily level (i.e 10,000 people at a beer garden there'd be possibly 1 officer on a bike unlike the riot vans/cavalry/heavy police presence you'd get in the uk for a similar sized event). It's not needed as people know that if they cause trouble they'll be heavily punished, therefore they dont.
- perhaps because I dont read/understand the language well enough but there doesnt seem to be the Doom mongering and obsessive almost US style news coverage of every minor thing over here. Even with my limited language you still dont get that impression generally.

specifically munich
- the alps are a stone throw away
- the streets are amazingly clean