The Post in which I Divulge a Bit about Myself

...I've booked my flight! Late! But, I did it!

The official departure date is 1st September, wherein I will leave the opulent Nashville airport, saunter over to D.C., strut down Paris (actually, I'm dreading that airport), only to make a splashy arrival at Cologne. I will arrive approximately six days before the T.A. orientation at Altenberg, so this will give me time to a.) travel to Niedersachsen and find a place to live, b.) embarrass myself in Cologne, and c.) get used to a foreign country where polite people seem frightening solely because they speak a different language. Okay, so the third option will require a longer period than one week, but I do believe that an early arrival is a wise choice. Money? Who needs money? Oh, right. A teaching assistant.

Excitement!

* * *

So, a little bit more about myself, before I recount the Fulbright application process in a future post. No, my name hasn't changed since the last post. I am an alum from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (definitely an engineering school), where I majored in history (with an early modern English/Atlantic World slant) and minored in English literature (particularly eighteenth-century and post-World War I utopic/dystopic). Being a Liberal Arts-y person in an engineering-dominated university has its quirks, like...receiving an air of disdain when you tell someone you're a history major. I very nearly completed another minor in German--indeed, just one class away--but I kind of wanted to graduate only one year over the "standard" limit for a bachelor's degree. I have no regrets, really, because I was able to stay within my comfort zone concerning the language. Do I feel comfortable speaking German? Of course not. However, I feel that this teaching assistantship will, er, relieve me of some of that insecurity. It'll pretty much have to, dammit.

I have spent the last five years fiercely devoted to my studies, and I, for the most part, loved being in that sort of academic setting. It's rather...liberating, in its confinement. I suppose analysis has become my forte, and I aim to combine both my passion for early modern history with my love of literature...so, I conjecture that I'm set for a cultural studies M.A. or Ph.D. This means I'm screwed for job prospects, but you know what? Tough noogies. I like being completely useless to society, thank you very much. Take that, engineers.

This brings me to the Fulbright process, which I began in September 2008...and will be recounted in another exciting post! Stay tuned, duckies.

The Post in which We are Introduced

Hullo.

This is a Jennifer. Nice to meet you.

This blog is intended to document the crazy happenstance of my becoming the recipient of a teaching assistantship in Germany through the Fulbright program. Given my rather peculiar nature, I'm just as surprised as anyone.

I applied for the assistantship way back when in the fall of '08, surviving through a grueling, confusing, and rather German application process. After being notified in January 2009 (on-ish my birthday, natch) that my mad German skillz had hoodwinked the circle of big-shots known as The Committee, I once again went through the frightening process of selling myself ("Why, yes--I can teach English while also handling flaming batons...German style"). April 2nd was the day I discovered the gleeful news. April 2nd was a good day.

Anyhow, more information trickles in every now and then. I know now that I will be placed somewhere in the magical land of Niedersachsen, though I know not which city. I also need to book my flight...soon. Like, this week soon. But, that is one of my charming characteristics: I am a procrastinator through and through. I shall certainly do the job...but, even though this is the most exciting event that has happened in my life thus far, I continue to drag myself. I love me.

Also anyhow, yes, it is May. I leave in August. Or, at least I believe I will depart in August, but this fact will be decided in the very near future, when I book my flight. I do, however, want to maintain this blog, if only sporadically, through the summer, in order to document the preparation for taking over ze Germans. Additionally, little snippets of myself will shine through these months, as I will explain a bit about myself in future posts.

So, hullo. (waves) I'm generally a nice chap, so please stick around. You are very welcome here.