"Unterm Strich zähl ich"

I haven't written before about Herr Michael, and I kind of wish I had, because it would be even funnier. The team know about him - they get regular updates on his flirting.

My job as a language assistant will mean that I teach classes full-on after half term. However, up til now I'm sitting in on lessons, acting as a walking dictionary and marking work as it happens. Sometimes I do a few activities, but as yet I have not actually planned a lesson and taken it (although I'm in the process of planning my first one now).

So I have to shadow various teachers as part of the "settling in" process. Frau Rath, my Betreuungslehrerin is a legend although I remain slightly scared of her. Her English is amazing (she is head of department) and she lives in an überly posh flat, and she is really generous with her time and concern. Frau Rosenthal is the one who didn't notice the kids in the tent, she's lovely but old and really old-school, sweet but not the best at discipline - they walk all over her. Frau Brügger is really glamorous with BRIGHT red lipstick on every day - she speaks fine English but does lots of hand gestures to emphasise her point - and gets the class to use the word "capturing" in the wrong context. Her teaching style is completely different to the rest, but the older ones especially love her.

And then there's Herr Michael. I don't really know what to make of him - he's really respected by the teachers and kids alike but he just has this constant habit of stroking me. I mean properly stroking me, coming up and giving me "hugs", laughing massively (in a slightly giggly paedo way) whenever I say anything remotely funny: "aaah ze English humour" he says, "it keeeeells me every time". Yes. So I enjoy working with him, but try to avoid him in the staff room because he is just a little bit creepy.

So, I was waiting in the queue at the post office today and they had (as they do in the UK) a set of adverts about how wonderful the Postbank in Germany is. Here is a link to it: http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=qE6Yxe59K_U and imagine my shock at 0.24 in this advert - an old man sitting down in his remote German seaside town being ever so glad the Postbank can provide him services there rather than him having to go and find a branch ...

... and who is the old man? That's right. Quite why Herr Michael feels he needs to do some acting on the side I have no idea.

But oh my goodness all the same.