The Post in Which I Feel Bad About Not Posting

Eh-heh.

I really should be posting a whole lot more right now. Lots o' stuff going down, all related to Fulbright goodness.

I'll be flying into that good ol' (and I do mean old, as in ancient, as in holy shit, that's been around for awhile now) Koeln starting the 3rd of September. Eep. This is where I'm beginning to wonder if the good people at the Fulbright Commission are not utterly insane for thinking I'm not going to screw all of this up. I'll be taking a long weekend in this city and then heading off to Altenberg, near Odenthal, for the Big and Important orientation for all Fulbright teaching assistants. This, I am not too worried about; I'm already fairly comfortable doing teaching assistant things, though on the much smaller scale of tutor/underpaid serf. I will be overwhelmed--especially with all the German that's going to be hurled through the air--, but I'm hoping that this prior experience will help with potential lesson planning and group work that's sure to pop up.

After orientation (which lasts a glorious three days), I will finally be off to my new home: Celle. This is what I'm looking forward to the most. I'm actually quite nervous about the first part of my trip, but making it to Celle will be most welcome. I have already semi-established contacts in the city--one, whom I shall dub Kat, works at Klein Hehlen, the Grundschule at which I will be assisting. I shall be provided a furnished room at one of Kat's colleague's lodgings, even though later I will need to search for a more permanent living arrangement. Then, I shall conquer the world. Or, at least Celle. ...Or, at least my semi-crippling insecurities.

So, now, with a little less than two and a half weeks until G-day, I'm taking in all that I'm going to miss: family, friends, pets, places, things. This summer, on the whole, hasn't been great for me, personally. Since this is a blog about my travels and general awesomeness, I won't go into anything here. But, I do think, despite just how much I'm going to miss everyone and everything, this is the opportunity to actually establish a more concrete understanding of who I am. Perhaps I'll make myself proud. Perhaps I won't. Maybe I'll fulfill my loved ones' expectations. I probably will. I've got to get out there and at least try, dammit.

When I was traveling through Germany last year, I told my instructor, Dr. J., that I had to return. And, I'm doing just that.