Up, Up and Away...

I'd like to apologise for my delay in posting recently, things have been getting quite hectic. I'm off to Germany on Monday, I can't believe how quickly it's come around- I'm going for four days to meet with the editors of Skunk magazine and the DNN, and also view some flats. But with the entire first and last days taken up with travelling, it's cut my time in half already. My mom wanted to come with me and refused to travel from Gatwick, where there's a direct flight to Dresden. So instead we have to go from Birmingham and change at Düsseldorf for a connecting flight to Dresden. So it'll be a lot of waiting around in airports and being bored.

But as usual, things are not going to plan. I can't get in touch with several of the people whose flats I'm mean to be viewing, which is not a good start. Ideally I want to have a place to live sorted before I move over there in October. I'd already spoken to one girl on the phone, but her room is only available until the end of March, and I don't particularly fancy moving again. I've just left my house in Sheffield and that was a nighmare. Even more so for my dad, who had to transport three wardrobes full of clothes, accessories and shoes back to Walsall.

The good news is that my financial notification from the SLC came through a few weeks ago and I should be OK for money this year. Provided that the uni register me in time, I should have my money by the end of August, though considering I got my loan in October last year I'm not holding out much hope. I still haven't had my deposit back on my house last year either, which I could really do with. I wish someone had told me last year how expensive and time consuming it would be.

I also think that the uni hasn't been particularly supportive. Me and my friends all agree that we've pretty much been left to our own devices. True, we can speak the language and it's not as if Germany is that different culturally, but I think there could be more support. I've been flat hunting via a website that was recommended to me by a friend, and obviously I was fortunate enough to run into that guy from Dresden who's helped me out as well. But we've not had a lot of guidance. I don't even know who to approach for help next year, becuase my personal tutor and her replacement both left this year, as did the work placement tutor who is now on study leave. I don't know anyone else in the department. I'm mostly getting help from a German guy who lectures in a different department. I know we're meant to be writing a 10,000 word dissertation on the year abroad, but I've had no information about that, either.

One thing I definitely need to sort out while I'm in Dresden is my work contract. I told my boss that I needed one even though my placement is unpaid back in November, and it's still not materialised despite several emails asking for it. It's not massively important to me, but I need it to register with the authorities when I get there. Luckily I was warned by a student who had done her placement there a few years ago that they're not very experienced with interns, so I knew what to expect. I also need him to sign my Erasmus grant paperwork. It's anticipated to be around 490 euros a month, which is pretty good.

I handed in my notice at work last week. I was a bit worried about this, because I only started working there in April and didn't mention in my interview that I knew I would be leaving to go to Germany. Truth is, I needed the money and suspected that they wouldn't employ me if they knew I would only be around for three or four months. But I felt quite guilty about it, because they've been pretty good to me. I was expecting them to be fairly annoyed, but when I told them they were surprisingly supportive and said that I had to do what I wanted with my life. And it's true. I love clothes and I love people, so I should have loved fashion retail, but it's not where my heart lies. I want to be a journalist.

Speaking of which, I was in the Sheffield Star yesterday, and two weeks before that. The web editor asked me to write a blog for them while I'm in Germany as well, so I've been keeping myself busy with blogging. Obviously given the audience, it will be slightly different to this one. But if my blogs help at least one person avoid some of the pitfalls I will inevitably make, it'll be worth it.

On a more positive note, my best friend from uni is also going to be in Germany. She's going to the Freie Universität in Berlin, and is moving over there mid-September. I'm probably going to stay with her for a week or so before I move to Dresden, which I'm really looking forward to. She's gone back to Scandinavia for the summer so I've not seen her for ages.

That's it for now. I'll get back to you when I'm back from Dresden....