Singing

First of two performances of Mendelssohn's St. Paul was this evening. Am exhausted but in a good way. It was horribly hot in the church though and I nearly fainted just coming into the last section and had to sit down. Oh well, at least I was able to get up again for the last two pages (although suddenly pouring sweat and apparently a much whiter shade of pale than normal). The church we sing in tomorrow is likely to have the opposite problem and we've been told to dress warmly.

On Monday I fly home for a week. Could do with two weeks holiday but thought one week would be enough when I booked it. I'll be staying with various friends and family while I'm there and am looking forward to it. It'll be strange to go into my old work after last week's announcement but I'm glad I'll be there and at least be able to say goodbye to some of the people I know who are being made redundant. Everyone one over there is still pretty shaken up about it by all accounts and something my boss said the other day really brought home to me what the difference is in the working environment here and in Ireland. He had been speaking to one of the Irish partners (who I had also spoken to that day and who really sounded cut up about the whole situation) and afterwards came in to my office and was wondering why he had sounded so depressed or something. At first I thought he was joking but actually he was really serious and couldn't understand why he might be affected by having to have spent a day telling people they were going to be made redundant. And then cue a bit of a holding forth on his part about how sensitive the Irish are and how they really have a tendency to be melancholic (having spent two weeks in Cork years ago he is of course an expert on all things Irish). Or, as my brother said, basically being a teutonic ass. It's funny that in my personal life I find Germans to be just as warm as any other people but in work it becomes much easier to understand where the stereotype of a cold, stern people comes from. I know I have to stay put for the time being but I think mid-term I will need to look for another job and this time try and find a company or organisation that I can really believe in. I wonder if Slow Food Germany are in need of a good secretary.....