These past few months have been filled with ups and downs. Due to family emergencies back home I decided to leave my beloved Deutschland to come back to the good ole' USA.
My homecoming was bittersweet but being there for my family made up for it. I was also very fortunate to be able to step back into the job I worked at during high school and college. Without the kindness of my boss who chose to offer me employment despite my uncertain future I was able to earn enough money to purchase my ticket back to Europe. I was even able to spend two weekends at Vision's Center on Blindness where I was able to reconnect with many of the people who made summer 2013 a great one.
Throughout this situation I kept my eye on my goal of living abroad in a new country and began searching for jobs as soon as my family was back on track. I can now happily announce that things are looking up. The job search was difficult but I was able to secure a position teaching at a bilingual school in Budapest, Hungary. 48 hrs from now I'll be flying to Europe!
This position is a dream come true for me, I can't wait to share my wonderful experience as I explore a new part of the world.
P.S. Germany was wonderful although short. Sometime in the future I'll post more about it but the decision to go home was too difficult, I'm not ready to post all the pictures. Somehow doing that would make it feel more real and I'm just not ready for that.
14 January 2014
29 September 2013
So is it true???????????
I can't tell you the first time I heard rumor of the McDonald's in Germany selling beer. I think it was sometime during my time learning German in middle & high school. I assumed it wasn't true. I've traveled to many countries and I've never found a McDonald's that sold beer. Not that I seek out McDonald's food, it's just that they always have clean bathrooms!
As I made my way to the Bier und Oktoberfest Museum I passed a McDonald's. It crossed my mind that it might sell beer but I was on my way to the museum. I arrived at the museum about 40 minutes before it was scheduled to open. Looking for something to kill time I decided to wander back to the McDonald's.
To my surprise I found beer on the menu for 2 euro 10 cent. I decided to make it lunch and got myself a burger as well.
My lunch: beer & a big mac
Proof! My receipt.
You can't quite tell it's beer, but I assure you it is.
27 September 2013
Zum Deutschland! (To Germany)
September 24th, a regular day, a Tuesday, the day I went to Germany. Excitement doesn't begin to cover it. For years I had been trying to get to Germany and once it was here, I didn't know how to process it. I'm the type of person who likes to think up Facebook statuses for various life events in advance. However instead of a long insightful anecdote, I just posted about how excited I was to post it.
Here I am! Leaving for Germany! Packed much lighter than I ever had and already I'm wishing I had packed even lighter.
My time in Norway was brief and spent mostly trying to acquire some coins for my brother. By the time I attempted to use the internet it was a few minutes before boarding. BOARDING A PLANE TO DEUTSCHLAND! (Excitement level hasn't gone down much).
I've flown through Germany once before as a layover traveling from France to the United States however I couldn't leave the airport. The professor of the course I was traveling with told me numerous times that if I left the airport, thus missing my flight, I would fail the course. Being the good student I was, I didn't leave the airport. But this time was different....
I LEFT MUNICH AIRPORT!!!!!!!
After successfully speaking in German to the man at the train ticket desk I sought out the S bahn.
Following the directions I was told in German, I easily located the platform and waited for my train.
I made it to the hostel within 3 hours of my plane landing. I think that's pretty good considering I had to wait for my checked bag & had a 45 minute train ride.
26 September 2013
Chinese Food At Home!
During my time at my summer job I was constantly yearning for Chinese food. Not the Chinese food cooked up in local "Chinese" restaurants, but the real deal. Particularly I was yearning for Chinese street food, and my favorite was baozi. Since I figured I'd be unable to get real Chinese food for a while (being in Germany) and since my parents had never tried any; I decided to make a Chinese feast.
In order to make this Chinese feast, I had to go out in search of ingredients, since things like Shanxi vinegar and dark soy sauce aren't available at my local grocery store. My Mom and I ventured to the closest Asian market, about an hour north of my parents' home.
We came back with quite the load. I had the ingredients for Egg & Chive Baozi, Pork & Scallion Baozi, Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Doufu, Sweet & Sour Pork, and Spicy Fried Green Beans. The guy working at the store who helped me find the ingredients I had trouble locating got a kick out of me and my Mom. I was asking for ingredients in Chinese and my Mom was perplexed by something called bananas in syrup that comes in a can.
It took me forever to chop up all the ingredients. I had given myself two hours of prep. In retrospect I should have given myself four hours of prep. Chinese food has a lot of prep time but very little cooking time, very different from the food I'm used to cooking. Thankfully my family was very eager to try the Chinese food and gave me a hand. Unfortunately I don't have any other pictures of the cooking process, I started to get overwhelmed and then my family started helping, and then we were done. Oops.
The above picture that I drew is a testament to my love of Baozi.
We were also too hungry to take pictures of all the food. By the time I was ready to take pictures most the plates were empty. So sad as I am that I don't have pictures, I'm glad that my family enjoyed the food. This is the only picture I have it has some of the food and some of my family. My parents are sitting with Sweet & Sour Pork, Spicy Fried Green Beans, and China Inspired Asparagus (my own creation).
The food came out very good! The only thing I have to work on really is my Baozi the dough was a little tough, but I suppose there are worse things I could have to work on.
The food came out very good! The only thing I have to work on really is my Baozi the dough was a little tough, but I suppose there are worse things I could have to work on.
17 September 2013
It's Been Awesome
I love the word awesome. I like to describe things as awesome and I strive to make sure that everything I do is awesome. Life is short, something I've been reminded of a few to many times. Especially this summer. However despite some truly trying times, I must admit this summer was awesome.
Last March I spent the whole month applying to summer jobs in the United States. I had many phone interviews and it came down to two jobs. My first choice job and the job that all my friends thought I should take. It took me a few weeks to figure out what to do, but I followed my favorite saying:
Last March I spent the whole month applying to summer jobs in the United States. I had many phone interviews and it came down to two jobs. My first choice job and the job that all my friends thought I should take. It took me a few weeks to figure out what to do, but I followed my favorite saying:
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, your heart will not lead you astray."
I found myself working at Visions VCB or VCB as we commonly referred to it, a residential program for people who are blind or visually impaired. Here I worked through all the sessions ranging from small children to active adults. During my time in China I hadn't realized how much I missed helping people and at VCB I was constantly helping. More than that I was impacting someone's life. I know that teaching is impacting someone's life in a positive way as well, but somehow it's just not the same. It seems that no matter how long I postpone this post looking for the perfect words to describe it, I never seem to find them.
Growing up I always knew I wanted to help people, but I didn't know how I wanted to help people. In college I found Social Work, and I loved it. But somehow it wasn't enough. I wanted passion. And despite how much I loved my Social Work classes and internships, I didn't have passion for it. The only thing I found passion for was traveling. Working my summer job introduced me to the field of Visual Rehabilitation Therapy, something I think I've found a passion for and want to continue pursuing in the future. So as the title says it's been awesome!
29 July 2013
So I'm Back
Coming back to the United States what so much more difficult than I expected it to be. For a long time I had heard of something called "reverse culture shock" I was really worried about it and all of my friends told me I'd be fine. I suppose I was fine, however it was more of an experience than I expected it to be.
I know that a lot of time has passed since my last post but I finally feel that I'm ready to tell my story of coming back to America. Ironically getting out of China was the easiest part of the entire journey. I was only charged for one heavy bag saving me $200 plus I was upgarded to United Economy plus because I had a short layover in Chicago giving me free wine and beer for the whole flight.
The issues began with my layover in Chicago, having flown through here before I figured it would be easy. NOT. Chicago does international flights differently making me get in line with the general population entering the airport instead of having a seperate line for people entering the United States via international flights. So as I rushed desperately through the airport searching for Terminal C, I found myself in insanely long lines for TSA checks. Had I bothered to check the flight boards I would have known that my flight was in the process of being delayed nearly inevitably.
This is where the wonderful people working at the Terminal C United Desk helped me more than I ever could have imagined. Having arrived in the United States without a cell phone I was at the mercy of their kindness for getting in touch with my parents to tell them that my flight to Albany was delayed.
With the help of the wonderful woman at the desk I was able to avoid spending the night at Chicago O'Hare International airport. They were able to switch me to a flight to Newark that would arrive only slightly later than my flight to Albany was scheduled to arrive and they waived the fee for changing destination. The woman even allowed me to use the United desk phone to call my parents and update them of the change.
Speaking so much English was actually a bit of a tongue twister, I found myself automatically using Chinese phrases instead of answering in English. Thus we get to the first reverse culture shock moment, I had to remember to reply in English. Even in China I would use various Chinese phrases when speaking to my Western English speaking friends.
Once I touched down in Newark I ran into the funniest reverse culture shock issue of all, the amount of water in the toilets. As I walked into the women's room I found the first toilet had a ton of water in it, figuring that meant an overflow was inevitable I went to the next, and the next, and the next. At somepoint I began to get frustrated, why were all the toilets about to overflow? It took me at least two minutes to figure out that they actually weren't broken, there is just more water in US toilets then there are in Chinese toilets (if you can find one).
I think however most of the "reverse culture shock" is most noticeable when it comes to the things I missed. When I turned on my favorite radio station for the first time I didn't recognize any of the songs. People talk about new movies and TV shows, most I've never heard of. At first it bothered me how much I missed, but now I like it. In a way it makes me feel more mature, being ok with not knowing all the movies and all the TV shows. China changed me, the country, the people, the food, the experience. All of it together has re-created me into a new person. And I like it.
I know that a lot of time has passed since my last post but I finally feel that I'm ready to tell my story of coming back to America. Ironically getting out of China was the easiest part of the entire journey. I was only charged for one heavy bag saving me $200 plus I was upgarded to United Economy plus because I had a short layover in Chicago giving me free wine and beer for the whole flight.
The issues began with my layover in Chicago, having flown through here before I figured it would be easy. NOT. Chicago does international flights differently making me get in line with the general population entering the airport instead of having a seperate line for people entering the United States via international flights. So as I rushed desperately through the airport searching for Terminal C, I found myself in insanely long lines for TSA checks. Had I bothered to check the flight boards I would have known that my flight was in the process of being delayed nearly inevitably.
This is where the wonderful people working at the Terminal C United Desk helped me more than I ever could have imagined. Having arrived in the United States without a cell phone I was at the mercy of their kindness for getting in touch with my parents to tell them that my flight to Albany was delayed.
With the help of the wonderful woman at the desk I was able to avoid spending the night at Chicago O'Hare International airport. They were able to switch me to a flight to Newark that would arrive only slightly later than my flight to Albany was scheduled to arrive and they waived the fee for changing destination. The woman even allowed me to use the United desk phone to call my parents and update them of the change.
Speaking so much English was actually a bit of a tongue twister, I found myself automatically using Chinese phrases instead of answering in English. Thus we get to the first reverse culture shock moment, I had to remember to reply in English. Even in China I would use various Chinese phrases when speaking to my Western English speaking friends.
Once I touched down in Newark I ran into the funniest reverse culture shock issue of all, the amount of water in the toilets. As I walked into the women's room I found the first toilet had a ton of water in it, figuring that meant an overflow was inevitable I went to the next, and the next, and the next. At somepoint I began to get frustrated, why were all the toilets about to overflow? It took me at least two minutes to figure out that they actually weren't broken, there is just more water in US toilets then there are in Chinese toilets (if you can find one).
I think however most of the "reverse culture shock" is most noticeable when it comes to the things I missed. When I turned on my favorite radio station for the first time I didn't recognize any of the songs. People talk about new movies and TV shows, most I've never heard of. At first it bothered me how much I missed, but now I like it. In a way it makes me feel more mature, being ok with not knowing all the movies and all the TV shows. China changed me, the country, the people, the food, the experience. All of it together has re-created me into a new person. And I like it.
16 June 2013
Time to Move On
This past week has felt like an emotional roller-coaster as I've said goodbye to all the people who have made this year amazing. As I feel myself get misty eyed thinking about when I will see them again, I know that this may be the end of China, but this is the beginning of a new adventure.
I've always dreamed of going to Germany. I remember being a very young child walking along my house with my grandfather. I stopped and picked up a poppy flower, I told my grandfather that I thought poppies were the coolest flowers ever. My grandfather pointed across the street to a house on a large hill, and told me to look at it. He said that when he was in Germany (during WWII) it was full of rolling hills covered in poppy plants. That was when I first wanted to see Germany.
Fast forward eight-ish years.
It was the end of sixth grade and I had to chose what foreign language I would study. My choices were Spanish, French, and German, we were given a 5 page packet with the Spanish, French, and German translations for various English words and phrases. I was very disappointed that the school had decided to phase out Latin, I had always planned on taking Latin. I knew I didn't want to take Spanish because there was one first year Spanish teacher known for being notoriously mean. I thought about French but whenever I hear French it sounds like boomalajdalalamafouxpaxjammapelle, so French was out. As I looked through the packet at the German words and translations that I remembered that conversation with my Grandfather.
For the next five years I was immersed (as immersed as you can be in a small city in Ulster County NY) in German culture and the study of Germany. I began making lists of places I just had to see, by the time my German education was done the list covered just about every place in Germany.
Like many people college became a time to explore traveling I took numerous travel courses where we would study a country as a group and then travel there with a professor for a week. However being a double major with a minor I never found time to do a semester abroad and unfortunately my college never offered a travel course to Germany. After graduating I figured that traveling to Germany would just have to be something I did later. It became part of a rough five year plan.
This changed in January when I found an opportunity to become a certified English as a Second Language teacher in Germany. I signed up as fast as I could. So as my time in China is coming to a close, I look forward to the future where I will accomplish my dream of getting to Germany!
Yet these happy thoughts only go so far, so I tried to fill these past days with friends, Chinese food, and reflection; and tried not to think about all the goodbyes. I think I'll have plenty of time for reflection during my 30ish hour journey back to my parents house.
I've always dreamed of going to Germany. I remember being a very young child walking along my house with my grandfather. I stopped and picked up a poppy flower, I told my grandfather that I thought poppies were the coolest flowers ever. My grandfather pointed across the street to a house on a large hill, and told me to look at it. He said that when he was in Germany (during WWII) it was full of rolling hills covered in poppy plants. That was when I first wanted to see Germany.
Fast forward eight-ish years.
It was the end of sixth grade and I had to chose what foreign language I would study. My choices were Spanish, French, and German, we were given a 5 page packet with the Spanish, French, and German translations for various English words and phrases. I was very disappointed that the school had decided to phase out Latin, I had always planned on taking Latin. I knew I didn't want to take Spanish because there was one first year Spanish teacher known for being notoriously mean. I thought about French but whenever I hear French it sounds like boomalajdalalamafouxpaxjammapelle, so French was out. As I looked through the packet at the German words and translations that I remembered that conversation with my Grandfather.
For the next five years I was immersed (as immersed as you can be in a small city in Ulster County NY) in German culture and the study of Germany. I began making lists of places I just had to see, by the time my German education was done the list covered just about every place in Germany.
Like many people college became a time to explore traveling I took numerous travel courses where we would study a country as a group and then travel there with a professor for a week. However being a double major with a minor I never found time to do a semester abroad and unfortunately my college never offered a travel course to Germany. After graduating I figured that traveling to Germany would just have to be something I did later. It became part of a rough five year plan.
This changed in January when I found an opportunity to become a certified English as a Second Language teacher in Germany. I signed up as fast as I could. So as my time in China is coming to a close, I look forward to the future where I will accomplish my dream of getting to Germany!
Yet these happy thoughts only go so far, so I tried to fill these past days with friends, Chinese food, and reflection; and tried not to think about all the goodbyes. I think I'll have plenty of time for reflection during my 30ish hour journey back to my parents house.
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