Saturday, August 21, 2010

Preparations and panickings

I am, as you are most likely aware, leaving on September 21st to live in Friedrichshafen, Germany. here is a little bit of a backstory on the whole thing.

having no clue where my life is going and no sense of direction about what to do with my life, i chose to postpone my college education a year. this choice was made following the discovery of the torchbearer schools in Europe. after limited research, i selected Bodenseehof, a school on the banks of the oceanlike Lake Constance.

the thought of a year in europe made normal life seem dull and unimpressive. i began to see it as the light at the end of my high school tunnel. i failed to heed the warnings of wising my senior year away and wish it away i did! this had the opposite effect and the year became twelve months of slowly being pecked to death by a duck. don't get me wrong, my senior year was great, but having such a brilliant reward at the end made it seem torturous.

as my senior year whiled itself away, funding for daily life in Germany began to become a concern in my mind. i began to search for summer employment to ensure that i could travel and have ample comforts during breaks. i found two summer jobs via friends of the family. neither job turned into a glorious or glamorous opportunity of employment.

my first job was as a pizza delivery "expert" at Dominos. it was not a wholly wretched job but entailed working with some less than desirable individuals and enduring some rather uncomfortable deliveries. my other job was at a daycamp. there is little to say about this job. it was all well and good but it was a very short day camp indeed and lasted only for the month of july.

the summer crept along at a slug's pace. i began to fell that september would never arrive.  then one day when i woke up, i was smacked in the face by the log that is reality. i realized with alarm that i was to depart in just over a month and had done literally nothing to get ready. i frantically made online purchases of cold weather clothing that i did not already have and i started to mentally list all of the things i did not yet have that i would need. as the to do list continued to swell and the packing list exploded into something frightening, i hit panic mode. it was then i discovered i had a seriously small weight limit for my second flight. panic mode hit with a new crunching blow. i have to fit my whole life....all of it, into a twenty kilo bag and a carry on.

after panicking, i quickly made enormous lists on my computer which helped ease my way into the vast amount of preparation i still have to do. more to come when germany gets closer. and by the way. i speak no german. at all.

4 comments:

  1. Wow--the waiting is almost over!! In 8+ skinny hours you will be on your way to Germany and finally missing yo' mama! [Even tho you don't believe that now.]

    Pwaaahhhhaaa!

    I love you, Will, and I am going to miss you like crazy!! --Mama

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  2. I'm so excited for you, Will!!!!! The sluggish summer is over and by tomorrow you'll be sleep deprived and grouchy as you wander around, dragging your suitcase, and trying to find your hostel. :) This is going to be an awesome year! By the way, I love your blog...are the birds symbolic of you taking flight and leaving the nest?? Hahaha :)

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  3. Looking forward to reading your blog, Will. I wish I had had this opportunity when I was your age (which was just a few years ago :))! Have a wonderful time and just live your life. Mrs. E.

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  4. William the Welcomer,
    It was so good to hear about your safe arrival & the man who gave you a ride to the hostel! I am thankful for God's provision and blessing. The pictures from the tower were neat; that looks like it would be a lot of fun to visit with friends and look around. I do not think I would want to share a room with 10 18-year-old boys...glad it's you & not me.

    I love you.

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