Finally!

Hello my darling followers!

After announcing my triumphant return to the Blog-o-sphere,  I waited for news about my placement in Germany.  No news.

And then I waited some more.

Bureaucracy.

And I kept waiting.

German Bureaucracy.

In that time: I graduated (yay!), worked five sessions of freshman orientation at the Alma Mater (ugh freshmen), got a new laptop (huzzah!), and fielded a sexually explicit phone call at work (not so huzzah).

While I waited I also tried to keep the 2:1 ratio on romance novels and Pulitzer prize winners while also planning on how I should go about knitting a hat.  While I waiting, I also realized that adulthood is not all it's cracked up to be.  Case in point: You have to have hobbies to meet new people because the simple joys of college no longer exist to bring people together.  Which leads to my other question: Why are all my hobbies sad people hobbies?

Anyway, a week ago I finally got the word - I'll be in Chemnitz, Germany!

In case your German topography is a little rusty, here's a convient map for you.

Bonus points if you can find Chemnitz yourself!

Chemnitz is the third largest city in the state of Sachsen (Saxony).  Because of its prominence as an industrial hub, Chemnitz, like its neighbor, Dresden, was bombed flat during WWII.  When Saxony fell to the Russians after 1945, Chemnitz was re-dubbed with a glorious Soviet name: "Karl Marx Stadt".

No, this isn't joke.
Karl here is 13 meters (aka 43 feet) tall.

Although Chemnitz, like Dresden and Leipzig, has bounced back from the horrors of WWII and the Soviet era, it appears that many of the traces of communism still exist.  A prime example: The high school I'm teaching at is located on the "Park of the Victims of Fascism Street", which is just about the most Soviet thing I've ever heard.

Luckily for you, my comrades, I have an excellent sense of humor.

Needless to say, I'm very excited about moving to Chemnitz! I can't wait to share my experiences with you!

What I'm not so excited about is trying to find my housing online.  But I guess that's part of being an adult, right?

Bis dann,

Your Humble Blogger and Simba

PS. I hope you like the new layout!