Yes, I actually have been taking (some) photos.
http://sookingermany.shutterfly.com/
If that doesn't work for some reason, let me know.
-Sarah
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Seminars and Berlins and Apartments, oh my!
So much to share! Where to start? How about with...
...My First Seminar!
All the FSJlers (people who are doing this year-long thing) must complete five weeks of seminars, three of which are predetermined (intro, middle, and closing). The other two are chosen from a list of about eight assorted topics. Because I am in ORFIDE: Orientierungen Finden, Identitäten Entwickeln, a special project, I went with twelve other ORFIDElers to our Intro Seminar.
The seminar took place in Niederndodeleben, or Lower Dodeleben (and yes, there is a Dodeleben as well as a Higher Dodeleben), and I was not looking forward to spending a week with strangers in some village. Neither was anyone else, it turned out. But, WOW! It was amazing. We had a lot of fun, learned some stuff, and are currently arranging a time to all get together before our next joint seminar in Febuary. Here's a rundown of our week:
Berlin
I met Emalyn and her host family in Berlin last Saturday. It was such a strange feeling, standing there with her. Us! Together! In Berlin!! Not so very long ago, people risked their lives on journies by ship in order to get anywhere. Now, we press a few buttons, wait in a few lines, and poof! We're across the ocean. Crazy.
My Living Situation
So, I'm currently living in the absolutely beautiful room that belongs to Susanna, a friend of Johanna's. The problemo is, it's only available until Febuary, and the big rush for new rooms isn't until March. I got a phone call a few days ago from an apartment I had looked at. They originally decided to take in a stray Bulgarian because he couldn't speak any German, and I had this room availble if I needed it. Well, things didn't work out with the Bulgarian, and so they want me! Yay!! Sorta. I'm working on the guilt issues of moving out of Susanna's room so soon after I moved in. The other place isn't nearly as beautiful, but the people there are very cool and I can see myself enjoying nine months with them. The down side: it's on the top floor, and the builing has no elevator.
The School
The school moved while I was gone for my seminar. I'm so very lucky not to have been there for that week. Yeesh. But now that we're all moved, there's plenty to do with unpacking, reconstructing shelves, etc. Julia (another FSJler) and I spent two days repotting plants. I hate plants now. I'm thinking about going vegetarian again just to get some revenge. As for my duties, and if they'll change, I am hopeful. I told Uta, the director, that I needed to speak with her about it, and she said she also needed to address it because it shouldn't be like it is now. So, next week when she's back we'll have a little chat.
...My First Seminar!
All the FSJlers (people who are doing this year-long thing) must complete five weeks of seminars, three of which are predetermined (intro, middle, and closing). The other two are chosen from a list of about eight assorted topics. Because I am in ORFIDE: Orientierungen Finden, Identitäten Entwickeln, a special project, I went with twelve other ORFIDElers to our Intro Seminar.
The seminar took place in Niederndodeleben, or Lower Dodeleben (and yes, there is a Dodeleben as well as a Higher Dodeleben), and I was not looking forward to spending a week with strangers in some village. Neither was anyone else, it turned out. But, WOW! It was amazing. We had a lot of fun, learned some stuff, and are currently arranging a time to all get together before our next joint seminar in Febuary. Here's a rundown of our week:
- Monday: This was our "get-to-know-eachother" day. We played a lot of games, learned a lot of names, etc. It was fun. Even the people who said they don't like those team-building activities enjoyed themselves.
- Tuesday: We had a whole day devoted to "Project Management," an important topic as we are all supposed to have a project. However, it was far too much information for one day, and we were all glad when it was over.
- Wednesday: Because ORFIDE has to do with discrimination and integration, our seminar wouldn't have been complete without a day given to this topic. Karamba lead the day-long seminar about diversity, focusing mostly on immigrants and our experiences with them, methods of intraveneing when someone is being racist, etc. Karamba comes from Senegal and has been in Germany for about 20 years. It was very interesting to hear his stories, both about his time in Germany as well as in Senegal.
- Thursday: A lot of us will need to use cameras and such to document out projects. That's why we went to Offener Kanal (public TV), where Tobi did his FSJ last year. Tobi had written a program for the day, but unfortunately couldn't be there himself due to Uni. I'm sure the program he wrote was brilliant, but we didn't use it and so the day was pretty unorganized and I don't think I learned too much. It was fun, though. My group went around the block interviewing immigrants about their experiences in Germany. Thursday evening we had a movie night. I had forgotten that popcorn in Germany is sweet. Ick. We started watching "Mein Fürher," a paradoy about Hitler. It could have been very good, but it wasn't. I went to bed halfway through.
- Friday: We had a very good and quick workshop on writing press releases in the morning, and then we did a short evaluation of the seminar. Then it was time to go home.
- The food was terrific. We had rolls with butter, cold cuts, jam, etc. for breakfast along with eggs. Lunch was always warm - pizza, casserole, fish, etc - and dinner was bread with cold cuts, potato salad, or something else cold. We also got coffee & cake every day! Yummy.
- The cat was adorable. Still very young and kittenish. She didn't mind being held and goggled at by all of us. Once she drank some coffee... and was hyperactive for the entire morning...
- The group coordinator was pretty okay in the end. We had all been a bit worried that Pascal didn't care about us, was unorganized, etc. This wasn't the case at all, and we're all sad now that he is only there for another month or so. :-( But Janett is very nice and I'm looking forward to working with her.
Berlin
I met Emalyn and her host family in Berlin last Saturday. It was such a strange feeling, standing there with her. Us! Together! In Berlin!! Not so very long ago, people risked their lives on journies by ship in order to get anywhere. Now, we press a few buttons, wait in a few lines, and poof! We're across the ocean. Crazy.
My Living Situation
So, I'm currently living in the absolutely beautiful room that belongs to Susanna, a friend of Johanna's. The problemo is, it's only available until Febuary, and the big rush for new rooms isn't until March. I got a phone call a few days ago from an apartment I had looked at. They originally decided to take in a stray Bulgarian because he couldn't speak any German, and I had this room availble if I needed it. Well, things didn't work out with the Bulgarian, and so they want me! Yay!! Sorta. I'm working on the guilt issues of moving out of Susanna's room so soon after I moved in. The other place isn't nearly as beautiful, but the people there are very cool and I can see myself enjoying nine months with them. The down side: it's on the top floor, and the builing has no elevator.
The School
The school moved while I was gone for my seminar. I'm so very lucky not to have been there for that week. Yeesh. But now that we're all moved, there's plenty to do with unpacking, reconstructing shelves, etc. Julia (another FSJler) and I spent two days repotting plants. I hate plants now. I'm thinking about going vegetarian again just to get some revenge. As for my duties, and if they'll change, I am hopeful. I told Uta, the director, that I needed to speak with her about it, and she said she also needed to address it because it shouldn't be like it is now. So, next week when she's back we'll have a little chat.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Updates
Hi all,
Sorry I haven't updated lately, but gosh - I had no idea I'd be this exhausted from working! My respect for lower school teachers and kitchen staff is climbing exponentially.
Speaking of respect, a good deal of the kids here don't have any. Because the school is a "freie Schule" (literally, a "free school"), the concept of boundries is rather blurred. The kids have many responsibilities and liberties, and on the whole manage well. The teachers, however, are split on what being a "teacher" here means. Does it mean that one needs to teach, actively, at a chalkboard? Does it mean one needs to set an adult example, or can one blend in with the kids? Does it mean one is an authority figure, or rather is one there to guide the children, without imposing oneself as an authority?
No one really seems to know. Or, rather, they all know, but no one agrees. That results in kids not having any set boundries - they are different for every teacher, and there is no one standard to fall back to and say, "Okay, you're right; that was out of line." The kids are often very fresh and speak to the teachers in ways I would never imagine being tollerated back home, or even in other schools here. As an intern, I (along with all the other interns) get the brunt of this, but the regular classroom teachers deal with it also. They also do not show respect towards each other, or towards the building and supplies/etc. It's unbelievable.
Today I was with the Einsteine (a group of 3rd/4th graders), and we start the period off with circle, and the teacher, Doreen, spoke for a good ten minutes about respect, and how lately the kids have displayed a distinct lack thereof. She mentioned that in the new building (we're moving!), there will be accomodations for students with physical handicaps, as currently the school only has 'normal' kids as well as those who have ADHD , ADD, or other assorted learning differences. This raised the question of, "How does one behave around those who are handicapped, whether it is physical or cognitive, or otherwise?" They had a good discussion about it, with all students asking questions and answering them, sharing experiences, etc., and then I went off to do English with five of them. We were reading a story aloud, and it became Leon S.'s turn. Leon has a very difficult time with reading and speaking, let alone in another language. I convinced him to give it a go, and he did. Of course he couldn't do it very well, and the other kids knew this full well. What did they do? Break out laughing. FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS EXACT TOPIC.
Yes, I really am grateful for my 14 years of Quaker education.
Sorry I haven't updated lately, but gosh - I had no idea I'd be this exhausted from working! My respect for lower school teachers and kitchen staff is climbing exponentially.
Speaking of respect, a good deal of the kids here don't have any. Because the school is a "freie Schule" (literally, a "free school"), the concept of boundries is rather blurred. The kids have many responsibilities and liberties, and on the whole manage well. The teachers, however, are split on what being a "teacher" here means. Does it mean that one needs to teach, actively, at a chalkboard? Does it mean one needs to set an adult example, or can one blend in with the kids? Does it mean one is an authority figure, or rather is one there to guide the children, without imposing oneself as an authority?
No one really seems to know. Or, rather, they all know, but no one agrees. That results in kids not having any set boundries - they are different for every teacher, and there is no one standard to fall back to and say, "Okay, you're right; that was out of line." The kids are often very fresh and speak to the teachers in ways I would never imagine being tollerated back home, or even in other schools here. As an intern, I (along with all the other interns) get the brunt of this, but the regular classroom teachers deal with it also. They also do not show respect towards each other, or towards the building and supplies/etc. It's unbelievable.
Today I was with the Einsteine (a group of 3rd/4th graders), and we start the period off with circle, and the teacher, Doreen, spoke for a good ten minutes about respect, and how lately the kids have displayed a distinct lack thereof. She mentioned that in the new building (we're moving!), there will be accomodations for students with physical handicaps, as currently the school only has 'normal' kids as well as those who have ADHD , ADD, or other assorted learning differences. This raised the question of, "How does one behave around those who are handicapped, whether it is physical or cognitive, or otherwise?" They had a good discussion about it, with all students asking questions and answering them, sharing experiences, etc., and then I went off to do English with five of them. We were reading a story aloud, and it became Leon S.'s turn. Leon has a very difficult time with reading and speaking, let alone in another language. I convinced him to give it a go, and he did. Of course he couldn't do it very well, and the other kids knew this full well. What did they do? Break out laughing. FIFTEEN MINUTES AFTER THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS EXACT TOPIC.
Yes, I really am grateful for my 14 years of Quaker education.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
School
Monday was my first day at work (strange thinking of "at school" as "at work"), and I'm settling in well, or as well as one can after two days. Ramona is in charge of the kitchen, and she is wonderful with helping me figure things out. Kitchen work here is very easy; as most of the food is delivered, there is little in the way of culinary preparation.
Duties include:
Now it's Wednesday and I'm exhausted. Normally, I'm used to two options for Wednesdays:
There is a monthly meeting here in Magdeburg, which roughly 10 of Germany's 500 Quakers attend. Although I enjoy the meeting, it's difficult for me to settle there; something about a room full of 200 diverse, spirited teenagers all sitting still is very powerful and moving in a way that a cozy, genuinely religious gathering is not. I still remember clearly Meeting during Pre-K. Because we were too young to go to the Meeting House, Tr. Jean led our own mini-MFW in the classroom. We sat in a circle, and in the middle she placed a jar filled with sand, glitter, rocks, and shells, which she had shaken up. We watched the contents settle and, as they did, so did we.
Duties include:
- Dish washing -- there is a super cool dishwasher: takes four minutes to wash, and heats up to 85ºC, and so when the dishes are taken out, they dry themselves.
- Setting tables for lunch
- Keeping on top of tea, water, juice, and milk
- Making sure kids at least try lunch; they do not need to finish it, but they must at least taste
- Preparing and overseeing afternoon snack
Now it's Wednesday and I'm exhausted. Normally, I'm used to two options for Wednesdays:
- Summer/Holidays: my own schedule, relaxed, generally not many responsibilities
- School Year: Meeting for Worship during school day.
There is a monthly meeting here in Magdeburg, which roughly 10 of Germany's 500 Quakers attend. Although I enjoy the meeting, it's difficult for me to settle there; something about a room full of 200 diverse, spirited teenagers all sitting still is very powerful and moving in a way that a cozy, genuinely religious gathering is not. I still remember clearly Meeting during Pre-K. Because we were too young to go to the Meeting House, Tr. Jean led our own mini-MFW in the classroom. We sat in a circle, and in the middle she placed a jar filled with sand, glitter, rocks, and shells, which she had shaken up. We watched the contents settle and, as they did, so did we.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Visit to the School
Today I went to meet with Frau Uta Riecke, the director of the Freie Schule Magdeburg. She is a very nice person, and introduced me to the rest of the staff, who are all equally kind. I'm looking forward to working with them for the year, though am a bit surprised at my duties.
The Job: When I was asked by FSM if wished to spend my year there, I was given the distinct impression that I was to be teaching English. I will be, but not very often. Deciphering my schedule is tricky, but it looks like I will only be teaching English twice a week. Most of my time during the normal school day will be spent in the kitchen. Which would be fine -- if that's what I had signed up for. Though I won't be alone bemoaning my fate: Tom is an 18/19yr old guy doing an FSJ just like I am. I'm not sure if he is going through the same agency as I am (Landesvereinigung kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung, or LKJ), but be that as it may, he is also spending the majority of his time in the kitchen. My afternoon will be spent watching the kids while the play, etc.
Uta (everyone uses the informal du at FSM) asked me to teach a course once a week, on pretty much anything. This was rather upsetting for me, as thinking about it made me realize that I don't have many marketable skills of the sort you teach to a group of kids aged 6-10. Somehow they just wouldn't appreciate the talent it takes to make a perfect espresso or scan Latin poetry on sight. I am considering the following topics:
My Hours:
The Job: When I was asked by FSM if wished to spend my year there, I was given the distinct impression that I was to be teaching English. I will be, but not very often. Deciphering my schedule is tricky, but it looks like I will only be teaching English twice a week. Most of my time during the normal school day will be spent in the kitchen. Which would be fine -- if that's what I had signed up for. Though I won't be alone bemoaning my fate: Tom is an 18/19yr old guy doing an FSJ just like I am. I'm not sure if he is going through the same agency as I am (Landesvereinigung kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung, or LKJ), but be that as it may, he is also spending the majority of his time in the kitchen. My afternoon will be spent watching the kids while the play, etc.
Uta (everyone uses the informal du at FSM) asked me to teach a course once a week, on pretty much anything. This was rather upsetting for me, as thinking about it made me realize that I don't have many marketable skills of the sort you teach to a group of kids aged 6-10. Somehow they just wouldn't appreciate the talent it takes to make a perfect espresso or scan Latin poetry on sight. I am considering the following topics:
- American culture - But where to start? I only know about a tiny sliver of American culture.
- Conflict resolution - It's been a long time since I had conflict resolution way back in 4th grade, but I remember the basics, and can brush up on more.
My Hours:
- Monday: 11:00-4:30pm
- Tuesday: 10:30-5:00pm
- Wednesday: 10:00-5:00pm
- Thursday: 10:00-4:30pm
- Friday: 10:00-5:00pm
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The First Week (plus some)
Hello!
Because I can't promise to be online, or to email everyone with every update, I shall do my very best to update this blog as needed.
I arrived in Germany a little over a week ago, and have been fairly busy since. Here's a rundown of the important stuff:
Saturday, 18 August: I finally got to Germany, landing in Berlin at 10:00am. I left Philly on Friday, flying from Philadelphia to Boston, and then to Dublin, and from there to Berlin. Two nights ago I woke up around 2am, panicked that I hadn't gotten my passport stamped in Berlin. I remembered clearly going through customs in Dublin, but in Berlin? Nope. I got off the plane, walked down a bunch of stairs, got my bags, and then went to leave. I didn't go through customs because there was a sign directing people in one direction if they had anything to declare, and in another direction if they didn't. I didn't, so I simply left. No guard, nada. So, I didn't get my passport stamped. Right? Well, no. I did get it stamped, which I know because I have a nice stamp from Berlin Schönefeld in my passport. But I don't remember it.
Anyhow, Tobi and Luise (host brother and current roommate, respectively) picked me up in Berlin, and we promptly headed for IKEA, where I became the proud owner of two fluffy orange towels and a black fleece blanket. Then, from IKEA to Magdeburg, an hour and a half drive. Once here I got settled into my room. I will have pictures up once I get the cable for my camera.
My room: I have a room in a Wohnheitsgemeinschaft, or WG for short. A WG is a "residence community" - suite style living: everyone has his or her own room, with a shared bathroom and kitchen. The WG I am living in belongs to Johanna (host sister), Luise, Jan, and Markus. Because Markus is away until October, I have his room until then. Its a nice-sized room, maybe 15 square meters (*shrug* I'm bad at estimating this stuff), white walls, wood floor, big window, and a desk that I think Markus built himself. I now have some shelves for clothes, but other than that the room is pretty empty. I'm not buying anything for a room until I figure out arrangements for after Markus comes back - why buy a bookcase when the room I rent already has one?
The Great Room Search: WGs are very common in Germany; most students live either in a dorm or in a WG. University's fall term begins soon, and so there's a lot of moving about and people looking for rooms and rooms being offered etc. I have been to two WGs so far. The first was icky icky icky. The kitchen was dark: painted deep red and black. Instead of mineral water bottles in the corner, there were bottles of Jägermeister. And they smoke in the kitchen! In the kitchen! I understand smoking being allowed on the balcony, but in the kitchen? Where food is kept and prepared and eaten? Oh, ick.
The second WG was the opposite: bright greens, oranges, and yellows. I met with two of the people there, one who will be staying and the one whose room I'm hoping to take. Both were wonderful, open and charming. Two of the girls who live there study Sport und Technik, which is what Johanna studies, so they know one another. The man who will be staying is already working, doing something involving energy. The room here is smaller, about 12 square meters. It comes with a loft bed and a wardrobe. The rent (including utilities, internet, and landline) is 180 euros/month, less than I was expecting to pay. In short, it is perfect for me. I will find out soon whether or not I can have the room. In the mean time, I'm still looking.
The school: This year I will be working at the Freie Schule Magdeburg, a Montessori-inspired independent school, thirty minutes, walking, away from my current room. In Montessori education, kids are in classrooms of mixed ages. The children I will be working with are between six and ten years old. The school itself is in a very interesting part of the city. Encircling the school are many Plattenbauhäuser, of which perhaps a third are deserted. There are open, vacant lots, etc. In the middle of this, there is a children's recreation center, where they have a brick oven, in which they make fresh bread every Friday. There's some junglegym stuff, and a little zoo with geese, chickens, and bunnies. Next to this is a Barfußpfad, or Barefoot park, that I can't wait to try out when it opens after summer holidays are over. There's also a bicycle repair shop, which I don't plan on visitng. :-) That said, if you come outside of these vacant lots and Plattenbauhäuser, you are in a very well-to-do neighborhood. So, it will be interesting to work there and see how the two communities intereact, if at all. Tomorrow I am meeting with the head of school, and will hopefully get more details about my actual duties, etc.
Frazzled: In preparation for this year, I made a very miserable trip to NYC and the German Consulate, where I attempted to apply for a residence permit. I was told to wait until I got to Germany and simply apply in Magdeburg, and was given a list of what I needed to have for my application:
In Germany, I got a letter from Jan saying that I have a room here, and I registered myself as a resident. I also had to get biometric photos, since our normal US Passport photos aren't good enough. At last, at last, at last, I had everything. I had copies, although they were not notarized, and originals, and so I set out to the Bürgerbüro to apply. The line moved quickly and soon I was called.
Everything went fine. So fine, in fact, that they didn't need the copies. They didn't need the Certificate of Good Conduct, didn't even ask about it. They didn't need two pictures, or two copies of the application form. Yee gads. They didn't even keep anything! The woman just read over some of my papers, and gave them back. The only thing they kept was the application form itself. *grumbles* My residence permit is only valid until the end of July, because I arrived in August and she could only grant it for one year. So, I'll need to leave Germany, and then come back in, get my passport stamped and be here as a tourist for August 2008. Yeah...
That's all for now, and I'm off to read more of Tintenblut, the second book in Cornelia Funke's Tinten trilogy (in English: Inkheart and Inkspell, on Amazon). Visiting another WG tonight.
Because I can't promise to be online, or to email everyone with every update, I shall do my very best to update this blog as needed.
I arrived in Germany a little over a week ago, and have been fairly busy since. Here's a rundown of the important stuff:
Saturday, 18 August: I finally got to Germany, landing in Berlin at 10:00am. I left Philly on Friday, flying from Philadelphia to Boston, and then to Dublin, and from there to Berlin. Two nights ago I woke up around 2am, panicked that I hadn't gotten my passport stamped in Berlin. I remembered clearly going through customs in Dublin, but in Berlin? Nope. I got off the plane, walked down a bunch of stairs, got my bags, and then went to leave. I didn't go through customs because there was a sign directing people in one direction if they had anything to declare, and in another direction if they didn't. I didn't, so I simply left. No guard, nada. So, I didn't get my passport stamped. Right? Well, no. I did get it stamped, which I know because I have a nice stamp from Berlin Schönefeld in my passport. But I don't remember it.
Anyhow, Tobi and Luise (host brother and current roommate, respectively) picked me up in Berlin, and we promptly headed for IKEA, where I became the proud owner of two fluffy orange towels and a black fleece blanket. Then, from IKEA to Magdeburg, an hour and a half drive. Once here I got settled into my room. I will have pictures up once I get the cable for my camera.
My room: I have a room in a Wohnheitsgemeinschaft, or WG for short. A WG is a "residence community" - suite style living: everyone has his or her own room, with a shared bathroom and kitchen. The WG I am living in belongs to Johanna (host sister), Luise, Jan, and Markus. Because Markus is away until October, I have his room until then. Its a nice-sized room, maybe 15 square meters (*shrug* I'm bad at estimating this stuff), white walls, wood floor, big window, and a desk that I think Markus built himself. I now have some shelves for clothes, but other than that the room is pretty empty. I'm not buying anything for a room until I figure out arrangements for after Markus comes back - why buy a bookcase when the room I rent already has one?
The Great Room Search: WGs are very common in Germany; most students live either in a dorm or in a WG. University's fall term begins soon, and so there's a lot of moving about and people looking for rooms and rooms being offered etc. I have been to two WGs so far. The first was icky icky icky. The kitchen was dark: painted deep red and black. Instead of mineral water bottles in the corner, there were bottles of Jägermeister. And they smoke in the kitchen! In the kitchen! I understand smoking being allowed on the balcony, but in the kitchen? Where food is kept and prepared and eaten? Oh, ick.
The second WG was the opposite: bright greens, oranges, and yellows. I met with two of the people there, one who will be staying and the one whose room I'm hoping to take. Both were wonderful, open and charming. Two of the girls who live there study Sport und Technik, which is what Johanna studies, so they know one another. The man who will be staying is already working, doing something involving energy. The room here is smaller, about 12 square meters. It comes with a loft bed and a wardrobe. The rent (including utilities, internet, and landline) is 180 euros/month, less than I was expecting to pay. In short, it is perfect for me. I will find out soon whether or not I can have the room. In the mean time, I'm still looking.
The school: This year I will be working at the Freie Schule Magdeburg, a Montessori-inspired independent school, thirty minutes, walking, away from my current room. In Montessori education, kids are in classrooms of mixed ages. The children I will be working with are between six and ten years old. The school itself is in a very interesting part of the city. Encircling the school are many Plattenbauhäuser, of which perhaps a third are deserted. There are open, vacant lots, etc. In the middle of this, there is a children's recreation center, where they have a brick oven, in which they make fresh bread every Friday. There's some junglegym stuff, and a little zoo with geese, chickens, and bunnies. Next to this is a Barfußpfad, or Barefoot park, that I can't wait to try out when it opens after summer holidays are over. There's also a bicycle repair shop, which I don't plan on visitng. :-) That said, if you come outside of these vacant lots and Plattenbauhäuser, you are in a very well-to-do neighborhood. So, it will be interesting to work there and see how the two communities intereact, if at all. Tomorrow I am meeting with the head of school, and will hopefully get more details about my actual duties, etc.
Frazzled: In preparation for this year, I made a very miserable trip to NYC and the German Consulate, where I attempted to apply for a residence permit. I was told to wait until I got to Germany and simply apply in Magdeburg, and was given a list of what I needed to have for my application:
- Application forms (2)
- Pictures (2)
- Valid passport and copies (2)
- Proof of employment (2)
- Proof of sufficient funds to cover expenses
- Certificate of Good Conduct (2)
- Proof of health insurance (2)
- Proof of living accommodation (2)
- Registration as a resident of Magdeburg
In Germany, I got a letter from Jan saying that I have a room here, and I registered myself as a resident. I also had to get biometric photos, since our normal US Passport photos aren't good enough. At last, at last, at last, I had everything. I had copies, although they were not notarized, and originals, and so I set out to the Bürgerbüro to apply. The line moved quickly and soon I was called.
Everything went fine. So fine, in fact, that they didn't need the copies. They didn't need the Certificate of Good Conduct, didn't even ask about it. They didn't need two pictures, or two copies of the application form. Yee gads. They didn't even keep anything! The woman just read over some of my papers, and gave them back. The only thing they kept was the application form itself. *grumbles* My residence permit is only valid until the end of July, because I arrived in August and she could only grant it for one year. So, I'll need to leave Germany, and then come back in, get my passport stamped and be here as a tourist for August 2008. Yeah...
That's all for now, and I'm off to read more of Tintenblut, the second book in Cornelia Funke's Tinten trilogy (in English: Inkheart and Inkspell, on Amazon). Visiting another WG tonight.
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