I've decided not to apologize at the start of every post for my lack of updates. I'm busy trying to get a degree, here, and I'm sure you understand. That said, much has happened since my last update, so I probably should have done this sooner.
2010 has continued on fairly well, I've had two more courses since my last update, turned in a paper, and gotten a grade on another paper. I'm a bit behind where I wanted to be, but I'm not really all that concerned. I might have more to do in the summer than expected, but I am still keeping a very good pace. I also had an exam in my German language course, and I got a 1. (That's good. Really good, actually, if you'll let me brag a bit.) I've also gotten myself a tandem language partner; my German teachers wife. I haven't met her yet, we've only just contacted each other by e mail, but I think it will help me quite a bit. I think I'll be able to take the next level of German in March, too, provided we have enough people for our class. So things are looking up.
I had a bit of a setback a few weeks ago when I tried to get my residence permit. I had everything in order, except for the small detail that I don't have enough money. The German government requires at least 7,000 euros in the bank to prove that I can stay here and study. That's a pretty excessive amount, but I wasn't even close. With the help of my insanely generous sister, I've got a loan to get my permit approved, but the real challenge comes when I examine how I'm actually going to afford to stay here. I've found a scholarship that I can apply for, and if that is successful, I will be just fine. If not, I may have to take up several extra jobs, or go home. It's not a pleasant situation to think about, so I will just write a totally awesome scholarship essay and they will love me and throw money at me.
This whole scare made me think a lot about my experience here in Germany. I had planned to come for one year, and then return to the US more or less the same person that I was when I left. Now I'm not so sure. I won't be drastically different of course, but anytime you uproot yourself and embark on a new experience, it will change you. I still want to work in international education in the United States, but I'm not sure if I want to do that immediately. There's a lot to see and experience out there, and I'm re-discovering my taste for it. I'm also wondering if just one year is enough. Aside from the academic side, meaning finishing my thesis in a timely manner, there's the cultural side. I feel like I've finally found my footing here in Kassel, and I'm starting to develop a life. I have made incredible friendships, I'm improving my German every day, and I'm dying to visit so many places across Germany and all of Europe, and I don't think one year is enough. Once again, much depends on this scholarship, but if I'm able to stay 6 months longer, it might be really good for me. Of course, this is all balanced with pangs of missing the stability of life at home, and it's a constant internal struggle. Tom always tells me that I think too much, and he must be right because a friend of mine here in Kassel told me the exact same thing yesterday. These are all new thoughts that are milling around in my head, so I can't say with any certainty what is going to happen to me in the next year. Much of it depends on the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung scholarship (fingers crossed), but I think there will be a lot more overthinking on my part before anything definitive happens.
I wish I had some beautiful pictures to upload, but the weather has been a bit blah lately. We've had heaps of snow, just as you have on the east coast, but the active snowing rarely lasts long enough for me to get any photos. Instead it quickly turns to slush, and then ice. I am planning some photo excursions soon, so maybe I'll get some great shots. In the meantime though, I can share a night photo that my friend Eduardo took of my backyard from my balcony. It's quite beautiful, and I'm happy to say that this is what my backyard looks like for a brief period almost every evening.
Until next time,
Yay for updates!
ReplyDelete--Jenna