That second time I almost got deported...

Last year I went to London and wrote about how I almost got deported here. Well let me tell you something, that may have been scary at the time, but it looks like nothing compared to the story I am about to tell you. Buckle up, it's a wild one.

First, let me start off from the very, very beginning; September 6th, the day I got to Germany. I came here as a tourist to live with a German family, learn the language and make sure it would be a good fit for me. It is very common for American au pairs to do this, and it is the easiest way to get your visa, or so I was told. Americans can stay as a tourist for up to 90 days, I just had to start the visa process before then. To get a one year work visa for Germany, you have to pass an A1 language test (we had taken several practice tests in school and I was averaging 85-95) as well as file the appropriate paperwork with the ausländerbehörde (immigration office).

So I researched where the nearest ausländerbehörde is and found one in Frankfurt, the nearest big city. So I went there one (very cold, rainy) day in November and waited in a long line for them to tell me I must first register at a different government building. When I explained that I had already registered with the government in Groß-Gerau, the city where I live, I was told I must go there to file my paperwork for my visa. So back to Groß-Gerau I went and the next week I went to the ausländerbehörde in Groß-Gerau to pick up and turn in the visa forms. 

Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, about 3 weeks before my flight home, I got a letter from the German government saying more or less:


Dear Rachel,


Please come see us and bring international identification. 
Thanks a bunch, 


Deutschland


P.S. You're super cool.


I said more or less, which means I might have condensed it and then added a little something, but it's my blog and I can do that if I want to. My passport and I headed back to the ausländerbehörde and I waited my turn to get called into what will from here on be referred to as the dragon's lair. The dragon lady (I'm just doing my part to help her remain anonymous in this ever increasing world of the decrease of personal space) wasn't a dragon, technically speaking, but I definitely wanted to burn her acrylic pink sweater that was straight out of 1992. I'm getting sidetracked--the point of this story is getting lost. So the dragon lady asked for my passport, which I gave her, and after looking me up in her computer, she informed me that I was in big trouble. 


Turns out my visa paperwork was never filed; which meant I was living in Germany past my 90 day window, which meant I had been working as an au pair illegally, which meant that my host family could get in serious trouble for and I would too. The dragon no-so-polietly informed me that I would be receiving a letter from the government telling me the date by which I must vacate the country. At least the Germans were being cordial about deporting me, it could be worse, right?


So I head home and promptly enter freak out mode. Up until this point I was growing more and more homesick by the day. I had been so looking forward to my trip back to Texas that my mind didn't really have time to think about much else. But now? Now that I was leaving and not coming back? I was so sad. I wasn't ready for my time in Germany to be over yet. I had a lot I wanted to do and I knew if I left and didn't come back I might never have the chance to live in Europe again. Unfortunately it was a Friday and nothing could be done until Monday.


So I spent my weekend talking to B about the situation, then we spoke with my au pair agent, and I talked to my parents about it, and then we waited. I was so stressed by all of this, but I knew that all weekend, and even on Monday there was nothing I could really do. It was out of my hands and I had to accept that and be ready to accept whatever would happen. Lucky for me, on Monday morning I realized I brought the big guns with me when I brought B. Man, it was awesome. She totally had my back, she stuck up for me to dragon lady (something I totally could have done in English, but in German, not so much), and she was an all around badass. 


B got the problem solved relatively quickly, it took just over 2 hours which might seem like a long time, but I've waited in DPS lines for longer, so I call it a win. The dragon lady ended up sending us down the hall to her colleague, a dead ringer for Mr. Clean, and he was very polite, kind, and helpful. Polar opposites, to say the least. I got a tourist visa extension that is good until April and we re-filed my work visa. I had to get passport photos taken (you can't grin in German passport photos, showing your teeth is a big no-no, so my picture is less than flattering, to say the least) and then they scanned my finger prints. So there go my hopes and dreams of being an international criminal. Damn.


Morals of this somewhat comical, entirely true story: 
1. Follow proper procedure for obtaining visas.
2. If you find yourself in a less than desirable situation in which you are about to be deported, bring the big guns.
3. Keep calm, because you never know what kind of crazy, stressful events will end up being the best "That time(s) I almost got deported..."

Lenten Sacrifice - To give up or to take on?

You might have noticed the sudden increase of activity on the blog. I know I've been absent for a while. And while I would like to blame others, for example, my father who would harass me daily about my lack of posting, it is my own fault. Before going home for ten days at the beginning of February, I was a bit distracted. I didn't take advantage of my free weekends, choosing instead to spend my time Skyping with family and friends. But as I said here, no more. I'm breaking that pattern and enjoying this time I have left in Germany, considering it's almost half over.

When I was a kid, Lent was always easy. I would give up cokes, sweets, fast food. Things that I might enjoy, but nothing that is ever too much of a sacrifice. Then I grew up, and I'm not talking about my growth spurt during senior year, I mean my spiritual maturity. Without turning this simple post into a novel, I'll give you a short summary of my Catholic history.

When I was 7 and younger, mass was a blur. I remember lots of organ music, being bored, and wishing I was sleeping instead. At 8 I received my first communion, at the time I didn't realize how amazing it was, but I remember vividly wishing I could go back and ask for seconds; it was just so yummy! Then comes some more blurry years, until I was 13 or so. I knew mass was boring, and my friends churches were more fun. There were less rules, more upbeat music, and a drum set in their church band. A drum set, how cool is that! So when I was 14 or 15 I told my mom I wasn't going to get confirmed, and that I didn't want to be Catholic anymore. Momma Bear wasn't having it, and she (thankfully) didn't give me a choice. So I got confirmed at 16 and have continued to grow in my faith since then. In college I joined a Catholic sorority and became friends with so many beautiful women who helped me grow in my faith. 

Around that time, I realized what Lent really was all about. Instead of giving up something that barely challenged me for somewhat selfish reasons, I started to take something on each year for Lent. Things that would help me grow as a person and grow closer to God. One year I went to mass every Sunday as well as three additional days per week. That was probably one of my favorite Lenten sacrifices. 

Unfortunately there is not an accessible church I can get to easily enough in Germany for me to do this again this year. I've committed to increasing my prayer life on my personal time. While in Germany, I've been praying more and I've really enjoyed the increase of "Jesus time." This might not seem like much of a sacrifice, but it is, trust me. I must admit church in Germany is cool in that I know it's the exact same service my family goes to at home, which makes me feel connected to them and Catholics around the world. Church in Germany is not cool in that I don't know enough German to understand the Homily and am unable to make any personal connection to what is being preached. I'm even looking into finding some English speaking services. Thanks mostly to this website.  

To ensure I stuck to what I said about breaking my old patterns, I pledged to do something new each weekend during this year's Lent. Hopefully this new habit will carry over even after Lent is over. I want to take advantage of living in an area of such rich history and culture. Who knows when I will be back in Europe, so I want to make as many memories as I can while I can.

So between my increase of blogging, my commitment to attending (hopefully English) mass and trying new things, I think that will eat up a good portion of my free time. I'm excited to see how well I stick to my Lenten pledges this year!

What about you? Did you give up something for Lent? If you're feeling generous, I'd love it if you'd leave a comment!

The Best Day

I know, I know. I haven't posted anything for over a week. I'm sorry. I would love to say it's because I've been out doing fabulously awesome things, but that wouldn't be entirely true. I've just been working a bunch and when I'm not working I just haven't been motivated to sit and write for hours and hours. I say hours and hours because I have about 5 post ideas in my head (and pictures to go along with them). I would just rather spend time with J & L our Skype with my family, whom I miss dearly. (Especially my mom. She is the best. And she loves me more than her other children. ;) And she is counting down the days until I am back home. Was that good, Paula?)

So it's only 2 p.m. here, but it has been a great day. From the time I woke up I've been in a great mood. Which is weird because it's Monday...who loves Mondays?! Apparently I do, for today at least. In school we took two official practice A1 tests. The A1 is the first German language test you take as you work towards citizenship. I haven't taken an official one yet, but everyone else in my class has already taken the test. I am not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about taking this test later this month. Everyone I talk to about it tells me something different. It's hard, it's easy, it's all in German, it's formal, it's casual and conversational and in English. What the heck?!?!

I was even a little nervous about the practice test because it was all German, formal, and all around intimidating. Now, I hate to brag, but I did awesome. Like high B, almost an A awesome. So, that makes me feel so much more at ease for the test in a few weeks. Awesome day becomes even more awesome.  :)

Today just keeps getting better too! I'm buying my ticket to go to London in December. I'm SOOOOO excited for that :D Mondays are also ice cream day. When I pick up J & L from school we always get ice cream on Mondays. Everyone deserves to have something to make their Mondays awesome, even 6 and 8 year olds!

Now the only thing that could make this day truly legendary would be mexican food. I might miss mexican food more than I miss my family (I also might be exaggerating). So tonight I'm cooking mexican...or at least a watered down version of it. The kids wouldn't eat legit mexican, which is unfortunate. They have no idea what they are missing.

So..yeah. Moral of the story is today is a great day :D

And I promise I will post more this week :)

Oh, I almost forgot...

Isn't it funny how our brain forgets things when we most need them? For example, let's say you happen to be spending the next year living 5000 miles away from your friends and family. Let's also say you decided to create a blog to chronicle your journey. Hypothetically speaking, let's say you spend a week on holiday in a new city and then another week at home writing about your vacation. Only to find out you left out some funny anecdote. What a crazy coincidence that the hypothetical situation I just described isn't so hypothetical. It's my life.

I was skyping with my Mom and I told her and I told her the following story and the first thing she said wasn't "I'm so glad you are ok!" nor was it "I'm so glad you weren't arrested!" but in fact; "That's not in your blog!" Well Mom, here you go...

While in Berlin I used the two main forms of transportation: walking and the subway. The subway system in Berlin is run on the honor system. They trust you have the correct ticket and just in case you don't, they do random checks and it is a 40 Euro fine. On the spot. No questions. So everyday I used the subway, I bought an unlimited day pass for 6 Euro. There might have been a better deal out there, but I felt 6 Euro was a reasonable price and I didn't use it everyday (I was on a budget and got a ton of exercise when I walked everywhere)!

So I was heading home after a long day of sightseeing (I honestly don't remember which one, not that is matters) and there was 2 stops between me and the flat. That is when the ticket-checker-people (yes, that is their job title) got on the train. So I did what everyone else did, I went to get my ticket from my bag to show them. And, you can probably guess where this is going...I couldn't find my ticket. The guy checking politely asked me to step off the train, at least, I think he did..I didn't understand a word he said.

I then begin frantically searching my jacket pockets, my pant pockets, my purse, my backpack, everything. And of course the guy speaks no english, so I am trying to explain to him that I have a ticket, I just can't find it. I showed him my tickets from yesterday and the day before and explain that I really did have a ticket. He asked for my ID, so I gave him my passport and I think he then realized that I didn't understand him and he didn't understand me. He asked me for an address in Berlin (to send my 40 Euro ticket to) but I told him I was just visiting. So he explained that the ticket would be 40 Euro and I showed him my wallet, it had only 30 Euro in it. I don't know if he felt bad for me or if he didn't want to listen to my terrible attempts at speaking German, but he just made me buy another ticket for the day. I ended up spending another 6 Euro for another ticket and I didn't even need it because we had gotten off the subway at my station..classic, right?

Moral of the story: Just like your keys, always, ALWAYS make sure you have your ticket. Double check and even triple check if necessary.

My First German Beer: A Day Of Adventure

Last Sunday I went to Frankfurt with a fellow au pair that I met in Mainz; A. A is from Russia, but she also speaks some English and German, of course. Between my German and her English, we are able to communicate pretty well :) We met at the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof at noon and wandered around the city for about 7 hours! Even though we didn't really do anything super exciting, it was still so much fun. We took lots of pictures, wandered up and down the Rhine River, ate Eis (ice cream), window shopped, drank German beer (my first one in Germany!!), and talked about our homes, families, and friends both in Germany and in Russia/USA. Enjoy my picture journey:

who accidentally sat in first class? me.

who didn't get caught? me.

#winning

made it to frankfurt!

if you read my blog, you know i'm obsessed with churches in europe.

frankfurt was no exception.

coolest organ ever.

love. love. love.

a mini-carshow in the middle of frankfurt.

all cars were american!!

i couldn't help but think of my grandparents. 

they had three cars from the 50s and one was a mustang. 

and my dad. he drove an old mustang.

and my brother. while growing up, i was always amazed at his knowledge of cars.

a walking street in frankfurt

i love this picture because it shows old germany and new germany :)

so texan. even in germany.

after i took this picture, A sat up here to take one and 

this man came over and yelled at us in german. 

we don't know what he said, but it didn't sound good, so we quickly ran away!

the dom

cool indoor walkway

so if you google 'frankfurt, germany' most pictures that come up are of this platz. 

it's pretty touristy and most places are pricey, 

but there is an ice cream shop that has the best ice cream!

if this picture had been taken .5 seconds later, 

you would have seen this street performer kissing me. hahaha 

the main river

and again.

this is the same bridge with all of the locks 

from my previous post about frankfurt.

and again.

so. much. walking.

downtown frankfurt

this bridge was so skinny!

at the end of a great day!

and of course, me with my first of what will be many german beers :)

The only way to go is up...(hopefully)

How was my first day on the job?
If I never have another day like that, I will be happy.

So I thought I was doing awesome. B left for Berlin, D was headed to work, L was headed to school and J was ready for school with 20 minutes to spare. Go Rachel, right? Well, THEN I walked outside to check on J (He was playing with sidewalk chalk while I did the dishes) and I made a big, Huge, GIANT mistake. I left my key in the house. And my wallet. And my money. And everything. Doors here lock automatically and people don't see a need to hide keys in their garden or garage or anything. Crazy, I tell you!

So J and I were going to go to L's school to get his key, but we got lost (I also left my map inside). So we wandered around aimlessly for about an hour until I saw a neighbor outside. This neighbor spoke NO english. With my poor sign language and J's help we were able to convey our problem. She sent us to the neighbor on the other side. I buzzed their intercom and used my broken german to explain my situation. Then, I heard the most comforting words I have heard all day; "It's ok, I speak English."

I'm not going to lie, at this point I cried a little. I was freaking out because it was starting to get cold and it looked like rain and J was without a jacket. At first I planned to take him to breakfast and try to find his school so we could use their contact sheet so I could call B or D, but I didn't have my wallet. Then, I realized I was without my passport. I was picturing the worst of all outcomes all while trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to break into the house. To finally have someone that could understand and help me felt so relieving! The neighbor's father called B who called the maid who let us in the house. I was so grateful and glad to be back in the house. I will never leave the house without my keys..even if I have to double or triple check just to make sure I have them.

After I got in the house, I took J to kindergarten, and went to my german lessons. When I got home I did some laundry and made dinner. Potato soup..Delicious. Except the kids didn't eat any of it. Of course.

Well, as B told me when I finally spoke to her after my horrid morning, "Shit happens." <--That about sums up my first day. But today was better, and tomorrow will be better too.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Germany to-do list:

1. Airplane ticket - check!
2. Packing list - check!
3. Actually packing - in progress...
4. Excitement level - CHECK!!!
5. Learn German - wait, what??

I may or may not need to pass a German language test before receiving my visa. Minor details. I guess that means I have 30 days to learn as much German as humanly possible. Wish me luck!