Grocery stores often have machines designed to collect bottles, and these machines dispense slips of paper for the Pfand. You can then take that paper to the cashier and they will give you money back for returning your containers.
I make a quick breakfast each morning, usually two eggs, an apple, and some toast. It is still dark when I leave, but I ride my bike to the train station and ride three stops to Edenkoben. I arrive around 7:50 am, about fifteen minutes before class starts. English teachers will ask me to accompany them to their classes and present a topic or help guide a discussion. I have a few breaks though, and my day is usually finished around noon. In my downtime, I like to hang out in the teachers’ workroom. Unlike many American schools, teachers do not have an assigned classroom, here; rather, the workroom is their office. From here, the teachers can work with other teachers and chat as well. We even have little birthday celebrations sometimes in this space.
I also like to walk around and see what the school is like for all the students, who are anywhere from eleven to nineteen years old. Like many American schools, the school is decorated with artwork and projects created by students. There are also many places where students can hang out, like in the schoolyard, at the picnic tables or in the library. There are many opportunities for students to get some free time in the day as well. The day is split into fifty-minute class periods starting at 8:05 am, but students get a fifteen-minute break after every two periods. They also get a thirty-minute break for lunch around 1:15pm. After a few more lessons, classes end around 4:15pm.
