if this were a choose-your-own-adventure story...

...then these might be some of your options:

Adventure #1:  Bethany finds a job in Germany that begins just one month after she leaves.  The next few weeks are consumed with packing and finding a new place to live, as well as getting the process to acquire an "Arbeitsvisum" started.  Much running back and forth and professional discussions and filling out of forms ensues.  When the time to fly back to the States arrives, she basically goes straight from packing and planning to the airport to jump on the plane.  The next four weeks are a whirlwind of visiting friends in Philly and Texas, taking care of matters on the Stateside, packing once again, and preparing for another move across the ocean.  Once the time finally arrives, she stretches her wings again and takes flight, hoping that the next six-month-long or year-long position turns into something permanent.

Adventure #2:  Bethany does not find a job in Germany before she leaves, and therefore must wrap things up here, pack things up, and move a bit more of her life back to the States.  Applications are being continually sent out, and plans are made to return in the winter, before the next hiring cycle begins in February.  A secondary search is begun for a part-time job in the States, to earn some money that can be used to survive for the first three months on a tourist visa in Germany, if need be, before a job starts.  German conversation groups will be sought out, and many hours spent on Skype catching up with friends here and keeping the language in use.  After the holidays, she packs up again and takes off for the next determined push to find a job here that utilizes both her fashion skills and her growing language capacity.

Adventure #3:  Bethany does not find a job in Germany, and instead begins looking at school options, because coming as a student is much easier than finding a job.  After researching some schools and what she might be interested in, she begins the process of filling out applications, while at the same time looking for a job in the States to begin funding the school adventure.  The general direction is language, as her Italian could also use a little brushing up, and there are new languages to be learned.  Besides, if working as a fashion designer in Germany doesn't work out, there are countries nearby that might also be of interest.  Most of all, school would buy her time to complete an internship in Germany, which would be very valuable to put on the resumé.

Adventure #4: There is no telling what will happen, and you will just have to wait and find out...

Take your pick.  Fortunately, there is a better Storyteller than I writing the plot, and knowing that He loves His characters and already has the end in mind, I will trust that however suspenseful this next chapter is, it will culminate in a much more exciting ending than I could ever come up with.

Here is a final update and apology:  I took a five day trip and visited two countries - Austria and Slovenia - and only have one picture to show for it.  Yes, world-traveler-Bethany forgot her camera, and to be honest, really did not regret it too much, as I was too busy spending time with friends and experiencing life there to stop and take many photos.  There were some pictures taken during a rappelling and cliff-jumping adventure, but I don't have access to them at the moment, so you will just have to wait a while before seeing pictures of some beautiful Slovenian scenery and yours truly jumping off of rock ledges into crystal clear pools of water.  Instead, I will leave you with my one photo, chronicling my journey to Vienna on what I dubbed "The Hungarian Express" - a bit misleading - it was definitely Hungarian, but not so "express".  :)

celebrating goals: in life, and in soccer

Summer is heeeeere!  For all of you who have been keeping up with me for a while, you know how long I have waited for summer to come, and also how much I love being in the sun.  One of my goals every summer is to turn a nice healthy shade of brown - not Mexican, I'll leave that to the experts (like my sister-in-law, wink wink), but enough to feel comfortable in the sun and not get burned after 2-3 hours outside.  We have had plenty of warm days to be able to go to the pool or just let the kids loose in the yard with a sprinkler.  It still is nothing like a Texas summer, for which I am thankful, as we don't have the air conditioning here with which to handle such steaming hot temperatures.

However, Saturday was an exception to the rule, and as the temperature climbed into the mid-90s, I began to wish for spring again.  But that was only because on Saturday, I didn't have the possibility of cooling myself off at the pool - instead I was in a hot, stuffy classroom in Stuttgart, taking the Goethe Institute German proficiency exam which is the culmination of the last two years of hard work.  I don't know what the normal time allotment is to go from zero German knowledge to a business level ability, but learning so much in two years has stretched and challenged me in many ways.  But, as you all know by now (I hope), I do LOVE a good challenge.  ;-)  After a lot of stress and worry that built up as my day of reckoning with the German language grew nearer, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders when the exam was done.  Overall, I feel confident in how I did - it was by no means perfect, and I could think back over the mistakes I made - but there is no help in that.  I finished.  I believe I passed.  In 6-8 weeks, I will receive the results and let you know how it really went.

As soon as I finished my exam, I literally ran out the door to catch the first train over to the church where I was spending the rest of my evening watching the second half of the Germany vs. Argentina game, giving God thanks for taking me this far at the youth service that night, and diving into a new experience with the prayer night from midnight till 6am.  Watching that game was crazy - feeling so much a part of the experience (even more so than when I was in Italy four years ago), and cheering alongside the Germans who were able to see their young team pull off a victory that others (ahem, France, Italy, Brazil) had not been able to achieve.  The rest of the evening was spent celebrating and enjoying the company of others as we all met for a common purpose - not the joy of a soccer game, but the joy of a God who is with us, who is mightier than our struggles, and who rejoices over us.

With a few goals reached and others standing before me, I am forging ahead on this next path.  My time is filled with job searching and sending out new applications.  The time here is slipping past, and I am looking forward to the upcoming vacation when I can savor some time with friends before I make the trek back across the ocean for a little catching-up time.  I still have places to visit and people to see - Vienna, Switzerland, and for some local fun, Bodensee.  Now I leave you with some long-awaited (by me, at least) pictures from my parent's trip here at the end of April.  (sorry, all I have is a link - couldn't get a nice picture to show up this time.)  They even have captions, so that you can follow along.  :)  I love how nicely organized they are.  Enjoy, and till next time.


http://picasaweb.google.com/harding5458/GermanyAdventure#