So, I'm like... back in Berlin.
I finally survived moving house. Yay me. I managed to get through cleaning and rearranging the apartment that was supposed to serve as storage for my stuff, packing my stuff, painting the living room, packing more of my stuff, having a herd of shipping crew guys trample through my apartment, going up to Berlin, supervising guys unload my stuff, driving back to where I used to live, suffering through a migraine, suffering through several other migraines, having a nervous breakdown, trying to paint the bedroom, almost having another nervous breakdown, painting the bedroom, painting the kitchen and the corridor with the help of three really, really great friends, disposing of about a ton of trash (or at least it felt like that), getting snipped at by the neighbor one last time, cleaning up the apartment, waiting for the guy who agreed to drive me and the rest of my stuff to Berlin, seeing the landlord pick at things that were insignificant (and thanks for not giving me back all of my deposit money for the apartment not being "clean enough" after I cleaned for SIX FREAKING HOURS DAMMIT!) and miss things that were noteworthy (if your new tennant gripes about laminate and ugly scratches in it it's not my fault, you moron!), getting driven to Berlin and unloading the rest of my stuff.
And I never, ever, EVER want to do it again. Like... EVER!
How convinient then, that on March 3rd I'll have my oral examn (because it's so much more than just an interview...) for a posting in Foreign Service. Where you have to move to another country about every four years. But at least then I have the slight comfort that it'll be paid by the state and I don't lose a four figure sum of my hard earned money every time I have to move. Because seriously... that's what got to me the most: All the money I paid (not just to the shipping company but also for all the painting stuff and the deposit money I'll lose and all that), additionally to all the hassle I had. It kind of feels like it just... you know... burned away and I didn't get anything for it (which isn't true, of course, but that's just how it feels).
But hey, at least it's over and next time I'll do it, it hopefully won't be half as exhausting because all the stuff is still packed up and I won't have to do the whole painting and handing over keys to the landlord (and being made feel as if you're a dirty pig that ran down the apartment to seed) thing. I'll also sure as hell give every new landlord hell with being insanely picky about everything and let them note down everything that's wrong, really everything. Oh well, and I will never underestimate the value of friends and being able to ask for help at the right time (i.e. not a few hours before the deadline ends) again. Really, I won't.
In other news, I'll make a new attempt at judo and trying to go fencing on a regular scale. I'll also have to find a way to improve my non-existing few French skills in case they decide to be charitable (because there's no other reason I could imagine for them for inviting me to the oral examn) at the State Department and take me on for three years of studying and then a life-long committment to the state (because once you're in... you're practically unfireable). Also... I need to print out and look up a thousand things because they want to have them in advance... preferably until yesterday. Yay bureaucracy.
Oh, and in writing news: I so want to post Chapter Eight of A Little Place Like Kokomo but §&$%&ing ff.net doesn't let me. I really, really want to see my readers' reaction to it but ff.net obviously decided to be a bitch again and show me why we have a love/hate relationship. I really didn't need that, thank you very much. Well... not. Anyway... bed now. Yeah *content sigh
And I never, ever, EVER want to do it again. Like... EVER!
How convinient then, that on March 3rd I'll have my oral examn (because it's so much more than just an interview...) for a posting in Foreign Service. Where you have to move to another country about every four years. But at least then I have the slight comfort that it'll be paid by the state and I don't lose a four figure sum of my hard earned money every time I have to move. Because seriously... that's what got to me the most: All the money I paid (not just to the shipping company but also for all the painting stuff and the deposit money I'll lose and all that), additionally to all the hassle I had. It kind of feels like it just... you know... burned away and I didn't get anything for it (which isn't true, of course, but that's just how it feels).
But hey, at least it's over and next time I'll do it, it hopefully won't be half as exhausting because all the stuff is still packed up and I won't have to do the whole painting and handing over keys to the landlord (and being made feel as if you're a dirty pig that ran down the apartment to seed) thing. I'll also sure as hell give every new landlord hell with being insanely picky about everything and let them note down everything that's wrong, really everything. Oh well, and I will never underestimate the value of friends and being able to ask for help at the right time (i.e. not a few hours before the deadline ends) again. Really, I won't.
In other news, I'll make a new attempt at judo and trying to go fencing on a regular scale. I'll also have to find a way to improve my non-existing few French skills in case they decide to be charitable (because there's no other reason I could imagine for them for inviting me to the oral examn) at the State Department and take me on for three years of studying and then a life-long committment to the state (because once you're in... you're practically unfireable). Also... I need to print out and look up a thousand things because they want to have them in advance... preferably until yesterday. Yay bureaucracy.
Oh, and in writing news: I so want to post Chapter Eight of A Little Place Like Kokomo but §&$%&ing ff.net doesn't let me. I really, really want to see my readers' reaction to it but ff.net obviously decided to be a bitch again and show me why we have a love/hate relationship. I really didn't need that, thank you very much. Well... not. Anyway... bed now. Yeah *content sigh