The Oh-So-Awkward First Blog Post

Things I’ve been thinking about:

• For those who don’t know, I’m planning a 6-8 month trip around Europe. My itinerary is hard to map out because I don’t know whether or not I’ll be able to obtain the correct visa to bypass the Schengen agreement (a rule that says Americans can only stay 90 out of 180 days in the Schengen zone). I’m trying to propose a self study topic to backpack Europe as a student but not have to necessarily take any classes. This seems to be the only viable loophole to obtaining a visa because all other countries (except for France, where the restrictions seem less stringent) don’t want perpetual Euro-travelers such as myself. Why won’t you love me, Schengen countries? Why??? When I called the German embassy, (I’ve been trying to build a phone based relationship with pretty much every consular in Europe) my German consular  asked me, “so you want to stay over 90 days?” I sheepishly reply, and he yells, “YOU CAN’T!” (Read in German accent). Thank you for your rejection, Germany. I’ll remember that and decapitate a Gummi Bear* with my teeth in your honor.

• *Gummi Bears are from Germany. I think. Also, to be fair, the consular did tell me that if I got married in Germany or applied for residency when I got there, I might have a small chance–he emphasized that the smaller of the chances was finding a German to wed me. Ouch.

• Jokes to tell my campers–I’m a summer camp counselor. Why was the mushroom invited to the party? … Because he was a fungi! Is getting old with the older kids and the younger ones still don’t understand it </3.