Half Way to Working!

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Hello everyone! I have my new passport in hand, fresh from the presses in Ottawa and it got back to Munich here in only 6 days! Now the next objective is to get my working holiday visa for Germany (known here as the Youth Mobility Visa). The only part that makes this a bit more difficult is the fact that the working holiday visa can only be issued outside of Germany, more specifically in Canada for Canadians. I got in contact with the German Consulate in Vancouver and was told that it would be possible to apply for one at any German Consulate around the world (and more importantly anywhere in Europe ). The only thing is that the consulate I go to will most probably have to get in contact with the consulates in Canada.

So where does that leave me? I have sent an e-mail via the German Embassy in Bern Switzerland website (which is only in German and French ) a couple days ago but have thus far received no response. I attempted to call them on the phone and get caught up in a pre-recorded machine game, auf Deutsch! I get to a point where I think I am where I need to be, but can not seem to actually get in contact with a person. My next option? Possibly Austria, the German Embassy is in Vienna and that is only 4 hours away from here.

It’s funny that this should be so much hassle considering the last two were so easy. I had thought that getting the passport renewed would be the longer more difficult of the two now. All this and I still need to find work after I get the working visa! I don’t want to make it sound like I am not enjoying it here though, I must say that I really am fortunate to have made the friends I have made in my travels, without them I am sure that I would be home again already. Kerstin has been more than accommodating allowing me to stay at her place here in Munich, and even taking me out to the Oktoberfest grounds a couple times.

I got in contact with the cousins living in northern Germany, it sounds like it is very busy there now but we have made plans to get together some time around the 23rd of October. I think it will be good fun to visit them again, though I think Randi, the one German cousin I did meet in New Zealand, won’t be there because she is now studying in Edinburgh Scotland.

That’s all on the news front for now, I’ll update you all again when I know what’s going on with the visa!

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