My family, friends and boyfriend all say that I am going to do fine, and even though I know they’re probably correct I can’t help feeling anxious. I think I will be flying out to Germany on Monday 30th August, my dad is coming with me to help me settle in. I’m going to miss everyone so much.

I’ve made sure everyone can communicate with me whilst I’m away. My parents and boyfriend have Skype, my friends are all on Facebook, and my grandparents can use their mobiles to call me for free. It just won’t be the same as talking face-to-face though, and there is really nothing like a hug when you’re feeling a little under the weather.

I feel like I’ve whined a lot in this entry, but the move to Germany is getting ever closer, and the closer it gets the more anxious I feel about it. I know I’ll be okay, I’ll have to be, but that doesn’t stop me worrying.

Sarah.

That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed my time in Mannheim, I really have. Mannheim is a really wonderful, beautiful city, right by two rivers, and I’ve always been fond of being by water. It’s quite a small city too, so it’s easy to get around, and the people here seem quite friendly. Mannheim just isn’t Manchester, it isn’t Salford, it isn’t home, and this week has been one full of mixed emotions.

Perhaps the hardest thing about being in a foreign country when you’re not confident in speaking the language is that it makes even the simplest tasks really difficult. This can be a frustrating and, as I found out, an upsetting experience. My German failed me on Thursday and it made me cry, I spent all of Friday morning ill.

The weekend was altogether brighter, both in terms of the weather and my spirits. I made a mexican friend, who I found out will be studying in Mannheim from now until January, and I also had a lot of fun walking around and getting to know my new city, which has been really important in terms of making me more confident about the six months I will be spending here.

I’ve seen three rooms in total this week, the two which I’d prearranged before I went away and one other. The first room was unfurnished, and unfortunately, as I later found out, I can’t really afford to furnish it. The second one was furnished but the bed was broken. The third and final viewing I’ve been to has been the best so far, and the room was pretty much ideal, the only two faults being the low ceiling and low door. (It’s a loft room.) The room is also a little bit small but that doesn’t bother me. My potential flatmates are all really nice people as well, so now I just have to see if they like me enough to offer me the room, as they have a couple more people wanting to view it.

Finding a room in Mannheim has been really hard, you’ll know this already if you’ve read my previous entries. The main problem is that most of the rooms are unfurnished, which, as I explained before, makes them unsuitable for me. I got incredibly stressed yesterday night when it just felt like there was no hope whatsoever for me to find a room. Work is helping me find somewhere to live now, they have been doing for a while now, but their having the same problems as me.

I’m just going to have to hope those people liked me, they seemed to, and if not I’ll just have to keep looking and searching until something comes up, the youth hostel will be alright to live in for a few days. I find out whether I’ve got this room on Wednesday, so by next week you’ll know what has happened.

Until then,
Sarah.

The best thing about Comenius is that I won’t just be teaching English whilst at the Spanish school, I’ll be able to take part in other classes. This is particularly exciting since I know that German is taught at my host school, meaning there is an opportunity for me to continue practising my German even though I’m in Spain.

The most useful thing I found out at the Pre-Departure Briefing, however, had nothing to do with my Comenius assistantship. Whilst there, I took the opportunity to find out how the assistants going to Germany had found somewhere to live. I got told that I could not only look for a room on one of the website, but also advertise myself as a roommate as well. After doing that I now have two rooms to view when I go to Germany.

I’m actually really nervous about this trip to Germany on Wednesday, it’s a few days longer than my trip to London, and it’s in a foreign country so it will be more difficult to get hold of my family and friends. I’m sure I will be okay though, and I’ll have plenty of chance to practice my German and to organise both of my placement whilst away anyway. (I found out I have to change the dates of my assistantship whilst at the Briefing.)

All in all, I’m actually quite excited at the moment. Everything seems to be on the right track now, and it’s making everything easier and me worry a lot less. I almost can’t wait to go abroad now!

I just hope things stay this way,
Sarah.

The second bit of bad news is that my friend isn’t coming to London with me, but I’m still excited about my trip. I set off in about an hour. It’s nice that my first time travelling alone, and my first time staying in a youth hostel, is going to be in the UK. It’ll be good practice for my trip to Germany next week!

I’ll update you in regards to my Comenius assistantship and what was said at the Pre-Departure Briefing in my next entry,
Sarah.

My trip to London next week is still unplanned, and I still don’t know the location of the Pre-Depature Briefing. I’m going to email the British Council tomorrow to find out where it is, as it’s just over a week away now. A friend is also planning to travel to London with me, so once she confirms her plans haven’t changed, I’ll start to get things organised.

So, as you can see, I have a lot organising to do, which is stressful but also exciting, as I’m really looking forward to my trips away.

Sarah.

Now here’s the bad news; because I didn’t send any emails about the potential flatshares until last Thursday, I’ve only heard back from one of them, my favourite. It turned out that the owner of the room wanted somebody to rent her room until March, which at the time I thought I couldn’t do because of my placement in Spain, and when I realised I could rent the room for that period of time, she’d already given it to someone else. It’s a shame, as that room seemed pretty ideal. I’ll just have to hope something good comes from one of the other four. I’m nervous though, I feel it might be a little too late to find somewhere to live.

I’m applying for a Youth Hostel Association card tomorrow ready for my trip to London, as the Pre-Departure Briefing for Comenius Assistants is being held there on July 20th. I guess if the worst happens I can always live in the Youth Hostel in Mannheim for a few days until I find somewhere, I really hope that doesn’t happen though!

I also wish I knew exactly where this Pre-Depature Briefing was being held. I’ve been waiting to find out the exact location before I choose my accommodation, and now, like me finding a flatshare in Germany, it’s all ended up very last minute. The only plus is that, from what little I know of London, as long as I find somewhere to stay which is near a tube station I should be able to get almost anywhere.

I hope my next post is altogether more positive,
Sarah.

I’ve been looking for flats today, using a website which University recommended to me, and so far it’s proven quite useful. I have a list of five flats I want to go to look at in Mannheim’s Innenstadt, one of which, my favourite, is only a 6 minute walk away from work (according to Google Maps.)

It’s quite late now, so I’m going to email each of the contacts tomorrow. Part of me wishes we’d gotten more help in finding accommodation from University, it would have made this summer a lot easier and a lot less stressful, but when I think about it I realise that this is all good practice for the future, and that the whole point of this year abroad is being independent, getting experience and growing as a person.

I also need to email back my Comenius assistantship tutor, as we’re currently in the process of arranging the dates for my assistantship. Earlier I recieved my host school’s application from the British Council via email, and I now know that the latest possible end date for the assistantship is 30th June 2011. I obviously want my assistantship to last as long as possible, so it is just a case of seeing what is convenient for the school. I think I’m going to suggest 7th March 2011 as my start date, since it’s the first Monday in March, and it will give me plenty of time to move from Germany to Spain.

I hope to bring more updates with my next entry, in one week’s time,
Sarah.