Translation: Germany, here I come.
After my trip to Scotland I had every intention of laying low for a few months before searching for my next job. I knew I wanted to do another seasonal position similar to what I had done in Yellowstone this past summer, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go next. I was home for about a week before I decided I needed to find a job, and I needed to find one STAT. I’m blessed to always have a fall back job watching my sister (I get paid by Washington State to provide care for her, she has autism,) but downtime and me do not mix.
Downtime for me equals more anxiety, more depression, and more binge eating episodes despite my seemingly endless list of food sensitivities. Yes, I eat the foods I know I’m sensitive to, which in turn causes the anxiety and depression. It’s an ugly cycle and I can only chalk it up to having nothing to fill my days, so I fill it with food. It’s not an every day occurrence, but the “episodes” are more frequent when I’m back home with too much free time. I loose myself too easily in my thoughts when I have down time, which I’m learning is quite common with us humans.
“An idle mind is the devils workshop.”
I’ll take a scoop of every flavor, thanks.
Knowing my tendencies, I knew it was not a good idea for me to be home for too long without a plan. So I started to brain storm my next move. During my time working in Yellowstone, one of my coworkers had told me about a resort in Germany that hired Americans. At the time I thought nothing of it, saved the name in my phone, and went back to eating my lunch. When I decided I needed to do something after Scotland, the name popped into my head and I sent an email to the hiring department.
I’ll spare you the details, because this plan to work in Germany has literally taken two months to come to fruition, but I leave this Sunday and I will be in Germany for a little over a year. I have no idea what my job will be, it’s a “place you where you’re needed kind of position” until you’ve been there for three months, after which you can apply for a different position if you’re unhappy with the one you’ve been given. It’s a hotel/resort so I could be doing anything hospitality based. I won’t make jack shit for money, and I’ll be living in an old Nazi hospital.
Continuing to put my bachelors degree to good use eh?
“Old hospital? Lingering spirits? Sppoookkyy.”
The resort is a US military resort where American military families vacation, so I will be working with other Americans from all over the states. I’m trying to learn a bit of German for the days I go out into town, and so far I know how to say “please and thank you, goodbye, I am a woman, you are a man, they are children, and bread and water.” You know, the essentials. I will be living in south Germany, close to the Austrian border, and the photos I’ve seen of the town are adorable. I’ve read blogs written by previous employees, and they were able to travel to surrounding countries at least once a month.
If I do my math correct, I have the opportunity to visit at least 15 countries during my time living in Germany, which is why I am going. I’m not going to make money, I’m not going to work my dream job, I’m going because when will I have another opportunity like this to live in Europe for over a year, for free? I anticipate the employee demographic and culture to be very similar to where I worked in Yellowstone, and have no doubt I’ll find a fellow travel lover to explore with.
I assume that will be why most of us employees are there – to see Europe.
“Hey, you wanna explore with me?”
I really don’t know much else, I was keeping this under wraps until everything was finalized. As I mentioned it took nearly two months, and was a pain in the ass at times because of all the government background checks and hoops to jump through, but we made it, they purchased my ticket, and I leave this Sunday. Technically I am a US government worker, and I will be paid in US currency.
In 2017 I took a trip to Ireland that changed my life, I knew after that trip that seeing the world on my own terms was not only possible, but necessary. I immediately came home and researched what I needed to do to move to Ireland, but it proved to be difficult without a job. Fast forward to now, and I’m given the opportunity to live in Europe. I would have never guessed it would be Germany, but I’m enthralled nonetheless. If you would have asked me where my path would take me in 2019 I would never have thought it would be to Germany.
This is a prime example that sometimes our paths are much different than we expected, while at the same time very similar to something we may have manifested years prior.
I’ve spent the last two months visiting friends and family, trying not to drown too deep with all my free time, and prepping for my upcoming move. I visited California and Arizona last month, and am soaking up as much time with my family this week before I leave. I’d be lying if I said the last two months were smooth sailing, they’ve been quite destructive on my mental health, but I continue to try to learn from my actions and am confident I will find my balance. I refuse to quit trying to find what works for me.
I will be living at the base of Germanys tallest peak, and I already have a goal to climb it at some point in 2019. My only other goals this year are to travel as much as I can, live in the moment as much as I can, and continue to heal my body physically and mentally as much as I can. I will have access to local German markets as well as the commissary to purchase and make my own meals, but you’d better believe I’m going to eat schnitzel and pretzels while wearing a dirndl.
All about that local market life, even in Europe.
I will be putting my cell phone number/plan on a hold while overseas, and as of right now have no plans to get a German phone number. I look forward to unplugging, but will be bringing my MacBook and my iPhone to use wifi for blogging, e-mail, and other social media. Friends and family that need to contact me can message me in one of those ways. I will be given a PO Box upon arrival, and charges will be all US based so please be my pen pal when I get that set up.
I will be blogging my adventures as much as I can, so I hope you’ll follow along as I explore, eat, and maybe even drink my way through Germany. I hear Glühwein is a good way to warm up during the cold winter months. Auf Wiederhören.
Q: Have you been to Germany?
