new job + WG hunting.
Whoa, let me begin with stating how happy I am to be sitting in my bed right now. Between Erasmus Orientation Week, thew new job and apartment hunting, the only time I have been home is to pass out immediately in my bed. I have worked at the new job for a week now. I mentioned this is my last post, which was like ages ago, but yes, I have a new job. Out with the trampoline, in with the desk job.
This is in fact an awesome thing. The firs time I left for Germany, I promised my mother I would not make a career out of being an au pair, so look at me go. When I announced way back when that I would stay in Germany another year (or even longer?), I said that I would be receiving a working visa and working in a firm here doing some marketing and PR related stuff. It turns out that instead of splitting time between the kids and the company, I would instead be at the company full time and I started last Thursday. The company is German, but I will be doing PR pitching to the USA and UK. I’ll tell y’all more about the company once I get everything translated to English for the launch 
The best part is that since I am working with the US, my hours are shifted back due to time zones. So my typical schedule will be 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm. For those of you that do not know me outside of the blog world, I am the worst morning person in the entire world, so this schedule is more than ideal. I can sleep in, work, and meet friends after or just go home and relax while watching Netflix into the wee hours of the morning.
So, that’s that. But due to this, I am searching for a place to live. A friend of mine here described apartment hunting here as WAR. This really is no exaggeration. The new semester begins in October and every student, exchange student and then those people like me that needed an apartment at the worst time are all battling it out for the best flats in the city. Ok, screw best flats because at this rate I just want somewhere to put my stuff and furnish with some crap from our friends in Sweden. Most of the apartments available are WGs (Wohngemeinschaften) are shared apartments. So, for example, four rooms in an apartment are all rented separately, while the kitchen and bathrooms are shared. One person moves out, so the other three roommates post online to recruit their new roommate. The concept is pretty great, but as the searcher it is all out of your hands. All you can do is be yourself desperately hope people like you. There is also the option to live alone, but I’m liking the idea of roommates as I get bored easily, enjoy company, and see it as a welcome opportunity to better my German.
This is my Gmail right now. Don’t even want to talk about it.
I think I’ve bored y’all enough for today. Hopefully next time I write I will have a swanky new zimmer (that’s room, in German) in the city. Until then…
Sounds like a great job! Congratulations!
And good luck for the Wohnungssuche! I wish I could help but none of my friends live in Karlsruhe.
ugh! apt hunting blows. i’m with ol’ boy at the top. it’s hunger games, baby. kill or be killed ; )
good luck! we’ll be on the same continent tomorrow!
New job sounds awesome. Something will work out apartment wise ! Best of luck!
Congratulations on the new job! Sounds really exciting. And good luck on the apartment hunt! When I started college last year it really was a battle to find a place that was nice and affordable. WG-Gesucht is definitely your best choice and I’m sure you’ll find something
This is sort of random but have you seen this blog: http://nodesperatehausfrau.blogspot.de/? Her husband and I went to college together and they moved to Germany for his soccer career. They made their home in Karlsruhe for a while! Anyway, thought you might enjoy reading her blog! Tidbits from the area, recipes, etc.
Oh my gosh – had no idea there was another blogger in Karlsruhe, I love it! It looks like they moved back to the states from my brief reading but definitely going to be a new follower. Thanks for the heads up!
Excellent, but whatever happened to the 5 w’s of communication/journalism? Who, what, when, where & why?
I know who, that would be you, but don’t know the who of whom for you working, as in your employer? I know what you are doing, sort of, marketing. I know where you are. I know sort of when, as in hours, but not for how long? As for the why, I prefer to think this is a positive thing, as you business skills must outweigh the au-pair?
In any event, a few more details would make your old man happy, when you have the time?
Love you,
Proud of you,
Happy for you,
Miss you,
Love,
Daddio
That’s awesome that you live abroad! Congrats on the new job and I wish you all the best in finding an apartment!
So glad I came across your blog today – can’t wait to read more!!!
Thanks Sapir! I love hearing from my readers and can’t wait to check your blog out as well!
Congrats on the job!!! And yeah, BE CAREFUL with apartments… it’s so easy to get screwed over. I highly recommend bringing someone who is completely, 100% fluent in German (ESPECIALLY legal language) with you when you are looking at apartments!
Thanks Alyx, that’s a good idea! I’m mostly looking at WGs to avoid all that mumbojumbo, so fingers crossed!
Oh, congrats on the new job! It sounds awesome. And good luck househunting! I hope it isn’t too painful.
your job sounds great! especially the working hour.
good luck with the apt hunting
I just started my new job this week too! Well done to you! I hope to one day work somewhere in Germany. It’s great you got an English speaking position. I just don’t know where to look for them….
Ah I wish I had some suggestions for you – I got very lucky! Maybe look at tutoring?
Ahaha, that’s basically exactly what my inbox looked like in April as well when I was desperately searching for a WG as well! (I notice you’ve also got the whole sending out the message in English, getting responses in German thing going on
Best of luck with the housing hunt!
haha ya it’s actually because I’m just using the site in English so it looks that way, but I’ve sent all my messages in German making sure they understand I prefer English – but definitely did all the in person stuff in English. I do have an offer though
just waiting to hear back from everyone!
OMG that’s exactly how my inbox looked like when I was using wg-gesucht.de!!! I understand your frustration completely! I know everything will work out in the end though!
ha I know – I was so excited to move out from a family but the timing with the new semester is jsut TERRIBLE.
This sounds so exciting! Although I’m sort of bummed that you have a M-F job because I’m going to be about an hour and a half away from you in early October and would have loved to hang out.
What days is it exactly? Maybe we can figure something out!
Congrats on your new job! That sounds awesome! =) Yes, apartment hunting in Karlsruhe is a pain, there are just too many students. But you have the girl bonus (there are waaaay more male students in Karlsruhe, so if you don’t mind living with dudes, it might be easier for you than for a boy)! I wish I could help, but right now I don’t know anyone who’s looking for a roommate!
I actually have an offer, pffewww, of course with 2 boys and 1 girl, but I’m pretty excited about it! You are so right though about KA and I definitely got more responses from the male WGs. I also totally use my native English speaker pitch and although I’m sure it’s turned some off, others seemed pretty excited about it. I still have a couple more to visit though so I can make sure I want this one – yay!
I completely sympathize on the apartment thing. I moved here in the middle of November, and my company paid for two weeks in a hotel- beyond that, I was on my own. I spent most of my first two weeks looking for an apartment, and the University of Regensburg had just doubled their enrollment two months previously. Every time I went to see an apartment, there were no less than two other people seeing it at the same time, or right before and after me. I massively lucked out and was in my own place by the end of the third week.
The only place I saw that wasn’t gone within two days was waaaaay outside the city center, and it was kind of depressing, despite being very roomy. I wanted to be closer to the center though, because I tend to isolate when I’m left to my own devices, and I’m a lot more likely to go do social things if I can walk into the Altstadt in just a few minutes.
Good luck on the room search!
TWO WEEKS! Holy hell that is unbelievable pressure. Ya the timing is just horrible because the semester starts in a couple weeks so I am one of the 10,000 looking. I got super lucky and received an offer from the first one I visited, so now I just have to wrap up my other visits and take this one. Seriously thankful and so ready to not live in a family on the outskirts, city life here I come!
Ohhh congratulations on a desk job! I love kids too, but I know that when I was a nanny, I ached for the day I’d have a job talking to “grown ups” again. Good luck on the zimmer hunt…cheers!
(Clicked over from Sara at LPV
)
Thanks for stopping over Lacey! Ya it’s a good thing the nanny thing waws over because it was beginning to turn me off to kids forever and my mom sure wants grandchildren someday.
I’m way behind but congrats on the new job! Also congrats on getting named in the Expat Blog Awards. Great interview
It’s funny you should mention nannying beginning to turn you off to having kids…I already didn’t think I wanted any and every day I go to work in a daycare makes me more sure of that. I like the kids, but I also like giving them back at the end of the day.
It was really brutal – I guess it’s so different when it’s your own but these kids were precious and sometimes I was still like holy hell. Thanks a lot Amanda! I’m really enjoying my new job!
People tell me it’s different when it’s your own a lot lately, and I always think “yeah…different because I can’t give them back.”
Even the sweetest of my kids I like having evenings and weekends off from. You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re enjoying it 