Eight days ago I went to Munich for a job fair. I only stayed three nights to attend the job fair and then went back to Heidelberg for a few more days to pack up my stuff and prepare everything for the upcoming move. The job fair was an interesting experience, though I felt a little out of place in between all the serious-looking banker type people in suits. Unfortunately I got sick so I spent quite a lot of time resting and trying to get back to health before the weekend.

Five days ago I got back to Heidelberg. I was going to spend some time with a few more friends but ended up having to cancel on two out of four because I was sick. One just had her newborn daughter a couple of weeks ago and she already had a cold so we didn’t want to risk her getting even sicker at such a tender age. The other I was going to meet up with for lunch and then I got a stomach bug over the weekend. Not getting to see my friends again when I thought I would was tough. However, I did hang out with two other friends and for that I am glad.

Three days ago was when I got the stomach bug from hell (that kept me up all night). It was also the day I had to finish up the packing and clean my room as well as the apartment. I ended up asking a friend for help. Luckily she had time and she even brought along another friend, and the three of us managed to clean my room without any problems. That night, my brother went to Heidelberg because he would help me with the actual move (read: schlepping and driving) the next day.

Two days ago I moved back to Munich. Luckily, after feeling awful for the entire night between Sunday and Monday, my stomach got better on Monday, and the move went without a hitch. I was dead-tired after all that stress though. Not just had I just had a very stressful week, I was sick for most of it on top of it. I took most of yesterday to recover and actually never got out of my pajamas all day. I did get quite a lot of unpacking done, though.

Today I tackled the huge amount of bureaucracy that is involved with moving and the status change from student to non-student. I went to the town hall to change my residence to Munich, to the job center to notify them that I am looking for a job (a bit of an annoying experience as you may have guessed if you read my tweets about it earlier today), to my health insurance to update them on my status change (I now pay more than double for health insurance than I did as a student), and I found myself a liability insurance (previously I was covered under my parents’ policy). Basically? Being a grown-up isn’t fun. I also wrote a job application that I need to send out tonight, because …

Tomorrow I am going to Prague with my mom. We will be leaving our house as early as 7am and be in Prague by 2pm. I can’t wait! Life has been stressful in the past couple of weeks, but I am so excited about this trip nevertheless. I stocked up on small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion and what not (so cute!) and got myself a bunch of new memory cards for my camera. By this time tomorrow evening, I will be in this amazingly beautiful city, see beautiful architecture, eat good food, take pretty pictures, and just have a good time. We are staying in Prague for five days. Five days of taking in new sights, smells, tastes, and sounds.

Next week I will be back, hopefully a little refreshed, and with lots of photos to share with you guys!

What’s new in your life?

I actually enjoyed Wissembourg so much that I decided to go back on Friday. I mostly went to peruse the grocery stores and take my time but also snapped a few more photos as I was there. The weather was even better than on Thursday, not a cloud in the sky. I ended up buying a few things, some wine, a fresh baguette (that I ate for dinner on Thursday), and some odds and ends. If I lived closer to the border and had a car so I could buy refrigerated food, I’d probably go to France for grocery shopping a lot more frequently. As it is I live about 60mi from the border and it takes two hours on the train to get there.

While Wissembourg is in France, it is right on the border to Germany, and it was actually part of Germany several times in the course of history. As a result, it’s not really a typical French town but a mixture of the two cultures. While people there speak French, I also did not come across a single one who did not speak at least a little German. In fact, all except one waitress spoke fluent German. I took French for three years in high school, and while I still understand some, speaking it is very hard for me, so it was really helpful that I didn’t have to speak it.

As I had mentioned in part I, we stopped at the window of the Patisserie Rebert which had amazing little pastries on display. Aren’t they mouthwatering? I didn’t buy one, though they all looked amazing. (Almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.)

This is the Maison du Sel and I think its pitched roof just looks amazing. It’s from the 15th century, and looking at that roof it makes you wonder how it hasn’t caved in already.

Of course my friend and I had to have the typical Alsatian dish tarte flambée and some red wine. It was a really good (and inexpensive!) dinner. Lovely way to end the day there.

So tasty!

I caught the reflection of the house we were sitting at in my wine glass. I thought it made for an interesting shot. There is also an idiom we have in German, ‘to look into the glass too deeply,’ which means you’ve had too much to drink.

Well, I will end this post with a picture I took on Friday. We had walked past this house on Thursday as well but not really noticed how beautiful it was. Isn’t it great how you can still find new beautiful things in a place after you’ve already visited it? It makes me wish I had taken the opportunity to go to Wissembourg sooner (years ago) because then I would have probably tried to go back every now and then.

I had heard about Wissembourg from others who had recommended the trip but I had no idea just how pretty it would be. I took so many pictures I actually ran out of space on my camera and kept having to select pictures to delete so I could take more. Maybe that will make you understand why I am splitting the trip review/photos up into two parts. I don’t want to swamp you with too many pictures in one post. I’ve narrowed it down to 19 pictures and believe me, that was hard enough. I really hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed my day there. It was so lovely.

I loved all the flowers on the houses and the colorful shutters. And check out the clip on the shutter in the first picture, it’s a little person! Isn’t the detail amazing?

Look at that turret. The entire town is decorated with flowers on most houses and bridges.

We walked around the town for hours and I took nearly 400 pictures. No, that’s not a typo. Nearly four hundred.

This is a patisserie that made the most amazing pastries. (Picture of said amazing pastries will follow in part II of this post.)

Isn’t Wissembourg breathtaking? I loved it so much. It was really great to get out of town, even if it was just for a day. And I am so glad that I did this before leaving Heidelberg (in just 10 days!). It is places as beautiful as Wissembourg that really make me grateful for living in Europe. I love Europe for all its history and architecture. Yesterday’s trip made me so excited about my trip to Prague in just two weeks!

As I said, I’ve split up this post into two parts, so check back for part II of this post on Monday.

Have you ever been to a town like Wissembourg? Isn’t it an absolute gem of architecture?

Luckily, as far as collegiate merchandise goes, German universities are catching up. So the other week, I went to the university store and bought a few things. Aside from the rubber ducky that you already got to see in the previous post (isn’t it freakin’ adorable?) I also bought a hoodie and a tshirt.

I am leaving Heidelberg in just three short weeks so I wanted some souvenirs to remind me of the town and of my time here.

I would also love a hoodie of the University of Oklahoma. I bought one when I lived in Norman, but unfortunately the hoodie’s body has shrunk and now is a little short. What a shame, because I doubt I will be able to find an OU hoodie anywhere in Europe. And what with how expensive collegiate gear is, I am a little hesitant to order online. Maybe I will just have to wait till I am in the US again. Whenever that will be.

Until then, I will proudly be wearing my Heidelberg hoodie.

Did you keep your tshirts and hoodies from when you went to school? Do you still wear them?

Since I graduated I have been trying to spend more time with friends again, but I have also started job hunting already. A week after my last exam, I was browsing job ads online and actually came across two that I wanted to apply for. Originally, I had not planned to start job hunting until August but you cannot pass up an opportunity like that. There was just one problem. I had to pick up my diploma first (something that was taken care of quickly), and I had to have application photos taken.

This is something that may confuse a lot of you. I know that in the US application photos are a big no-no. Here they are a big yes-yes. While, due to recent anti-discrimination legislation, you are no longer required to add a photo to your application, you are still expected to by most HR personnel. But it cannot just be any photo, it has to be a professional photo. So last week I made an appointment with a local photographer and got my picture taken. It turned out great, probably partially due to the fact that he photo-shopped away my imperfections. Yes, it is that kind of professional photo. I paid €32 for four copies and a CD of the photo. Luckily most applications nowadays are online, otherwise job hunting can get expensive very quickly here.

Saturday morning, my mom called me and told me about a job fair taking place in Munich the week before my move there. Because it is another opportunity I’d hate to miss, I applied right away. I passed the first round and got an invite to the job fair, but I am hoping that I will also score a job interview or two, despite applying so last-minute. Either way I will be going to the job fair in three weeks. Even if I don’t find a job there, it can be great for practice and networking opportunities as well as the workshops they offer.

I also bought two books on the application progress, because what with how bad the economy is, I do not want to mess up any chances at getting a job by not knowing application etiquette. And while I have written a few applications and had some interviews before, they were never for proper jobs, just internships. Applying for jobs is so complicated here, there is so much you can do wrong, so I really want to make sure I am doing this right. I know that it will probably take me a few months to find a job but I also know that some graduates with a degree in humanities like me take more than a year to find a decent job. That is a scary prospect and something I really do not want to happen to me so I am trying to seize every opportunity I get.

Am I the only one to find the job hunting and application process a little daunting?

Unfortunately my mom refused to spend a day at Disneyland were we to go to Paris, so Paris was off the list. I absolutely want to visit Paris, but when I do, I want to go to Disneyland. I have never been to Disney-anything (can you believe it?), and I know that once I have been to Paris, it is a lot less likely that I will go there again any time soon just to go to Disneyland. However, this has made me want to go to Paris all the more. I want to go next year, provided that I find a decently-paying job.

So which city did we finally settle on you ask? A beautiful one. A city that is roughly 230 miles from Munich. Outside Germany.  To the east. Got it?

Photo by Trent Strohm.

Prague.

I absolutely cannot wait for this trip. We will be going for five days in the first week of September, just a few days after I move back to Munich. I already did all the planning last week & booked a nice 4* hotel and the train & bus to get to Prague from Munich for us. That’s right, this girl will be staying at a 4* hotel! Definitely an upgrade from the hostels I usually stay in when I travel by myself.

I have already bought the Lonely Planet guide for Prague and will be reading up on Prague and its sights in the next few weeks to make sure I won’t be missing out on anything. I cannot wait to visit this gorgeous city and take pictures of it.

And it is so amazing that I will get to go on a vacation this year after all, something I had already given up on. My last one was to New York City last year in March (and that was technically an excursion with the English Department). It has been way too long since the last time I left the country.

Are you going on vacation this year? Or did you already? Where to?

On July 15th, 2831 days after the day classes started freshman year, I took my very last exam and that means I am done with my degree. We don’t have a traditional graduation ceremony for the entire university, so I simply picked up my diploma a few days after the exam. I know, not very dramatic. In fact, the secretary’s comment when I asked whether I had to sign anything was, “no, that’s it, quick and painless.” I know, not exactly how you picture the moment of being handed your diploma that you worked on for eight long years.

But you guys? This feels so good. And I am so proud.

Yet, in a way, I don’t feel any different. Like my brain hasn’t fully comprehended yet that I am no longer a student. Even though I have already started my job search, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I still live on campus, I still hang out with my college friends, so in that regard not much has changed.

But every now and then, I have a moment when I realize that I really am done. And I am so happy that all the years of studying were worth it. I think it will all become more real when I move in a little under four weeks and leave Heidelberg, the city where I grew and matured into the person that I am today.

I celebrated the occasion with a cupcake. After that last exam (which did not go well) I really needed a little sugary goodness.

So here is to a new phase of my life! I am no longer a graduate student. And I cannot wait to see what the next year brings.

What did you do after graduation? Did you start job-hunting right away? Go on a vacation? Do share.

If you haven’t been following my Project 365 photoblog, I have made a collage of the first 30 days.

I am already well into the second month of the project, so if you aren’t subscribed yet, come follow me. Since I started my Project 365, a few others have started doing their own, and I cannot wait to see what we all come up with every day.

Doesn’t this make you want to play too?

Here is how it works:

Write down the following, snap a picture (or scan the document), post it, and tag others.

1. Name/Blog Name
2. Right handed, left handed or both
3. Favorite letters to write
4. Least favorite letters to write
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps:
CRAB
HUMOR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics
8. Tag 7 people
9. Any special note or drawing

Here is mine …

My handwriting isn’t very neat, sort of a mixture of printing and cursive. It also becomes very hard to read (even by me!) when I have to write quickly. I do envy people who have neat/beautiful handwriting.

So show me, what does your handwriting look like?

I am tagging Aly, Emily, Steph Anne, Jessica, Heidi, Ashley, and Brittney, but you are welcome to participate if you want to. The more the merrier!

P.S. So I just read the title of my post again, and I totally read sang it in my head with the melody of the Beatles’ song From Me To You. Yes, I really am that weird awesome.

I’ve got ev’rything that you want,
Like a heart that’s oh so true,
Just call on me and I’ll send it along,
With love from me to you.
A note from me to you.

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