T-2 Months Before I Go

This post is really scary because it feels neither like it's been a month since my 3 month pre-departure post nor like I only have 2 months left in the States. Anyway...

I've been enjoying the start of my summer. I'm unemployed for the first time since high school, so I've been able to do whatever I want (which is equal parts freeing and annoying). I've spent my time cleaning, cooking, exercising, gardening, and generally enjoying my newfound lack of obligation.

I've also been avoiding thinking about CBYX, and my imminent departure. I received another pre-departure email, which means I've been checking things off of that to-do list, but other than that, I try not to dwell on the fact that I'm leaving home very, very soon. It's becoming steadily more and more real that this is really happening, and that things are going to be strikingly different than the life I've known for the past 17 years.

I was speaking to my boyfriend's (wonderful) mother the other day about this: how I've grown up in the same house since 2000, how I've known much of the same people since high school, how I've lived in a dorm for the past 3 years (in the same room for 2!), and in two months I'll be experiencing a different culture, country, language, job, host family, and friends. Woah.

So, I suppose if I had to characterize my feelings approx. 60 days out from my departure, I would say I am:

1. Terrified
2. Excited
3. Worried
4. Stressed
5. Grateful

But who wouldn't be? This is an enormously amazing/intimidating/challenging/rewarding experience. I'm sure I'll love it.

Bis Bald!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The CBYX Application & Interview Processes

From the moment I found out about CBYX in late 2015 until the application submission deadline on December 1, 2016, I had a post-it stuck above my desk that read "CBYX Application 2016." This was not an opportunity that I was willing to let slip from my brain. With the help of my trusty post-it, I remembered to start the application process in September 2016. The entire application and interview process looks something like this: 1) Submit application to apply 2) Submit application by December 1st 3) Wait patiently until January for interview notification 4) Interview in February 5) Wait patiently until March for acceptance notification Of course, there's more to it all than that, so I'll try to give you a general overview of each step here. 1) Submit application to apply This part sounds... dumb. But it makes sense! To ensure that you will be a viable candidate for the program at the most basic level, they have you submit a teeny-tiny application in orde...
Read more

2 1/2 Years Later

Image
Hello. Me again.  It's February of 2021. I've been back in the U.S. since July 17th, 2018. I never really finished writing about my CBYX experience, so maybe when I find the time, I'll finally finish talking about it. All of the most important stuff is there, anyway, and I can't offer the fresh perspective I once had, but it would be nice to go through my pictures again.  I found myself back on this blog when a potential CBYX participant emailed me and told me that she couldn't find anything about the German-speaking portion of the interview (in case you're wondering, I updated my post about the interview process as a result). I thought it might be interesting to provide a small update on where I'm at now and what I do.  Right After CBYX Following my year abroad, I was so excited to go home. Lots of people asked me, "Don't you want to live there now?" and "Do you see yourself going back to Germany to work?" and my answer is, "No....
Read more

Die Praktikantin

I mentioned in a previous post that I would elaborate on what it’s like to be an intern in Germany. Allow me to deliver on that promise. As required by CBYX, I obtained an internship for the second half of my year in Germany (read more about that process here#). I was hired as a research and consulting intern at the Institute for Environmental IT Hamburg GmbH, or ifu. I’m currently in at the end of my third month of my five-month internship, so I feel like I can finally give you a good overview of what it’s like to be a US American intern in a German company. Of course, this pertains only to me—other PPPler have had wildly different experiences, but the only one I can share is mine. To give you an idea of how unique my experience was: my team is full of young people. The whole office is very relaxed, and there’s only about 25 people in ifu total. Going into the intership phase, we were fed stereotypes about German work/office culture (which probably really helped some peopl...
Read more