Bosnia

Mario

I met Mario while walking down the coast, stopped him and commented on his fine choice of jersey. I told him I'm from Minnesota, and we talked for twenty minutes or so. He was walking around town posting flyers about an American football league that he plays in. At one point he says, "I remember in 1998 when Brett Favre threw a touchdown to Randy Moss. He jumped through two guys and caught it with one hand." I didn't correct him.

A Croatian Vikings fan. How great is that?

Split, Croatia

Completely unexpected...

This morning Olga and I went through the steps of 'preparing' my Visa application. I was told that after making a few arrangements and sitting down with local Visa representative, I would be sending off my application for review. We sit down, Olga translates for me, and he tells us he would call us back in the room shortly. A half hour or more passes and I begin to wonder what could possibly be taking so long. All he needed to do was enter a few pieces of information into the computer, how long could that take? He would leave the room and come back, finally calling us back in. He tells me I need to pay 60 euros and he asks for my Passport. He finds a couple open pages and sticks the adhesive Visa into place.

I almost couldn't believe it. This changes everything. I was wondering what exactly I was going to do in Croatia for 6 to 8 weeks and now I will just go for a week to 10 days and scope out a country that has long intrigued me. This also opens the door to further travel through Europe. I still have not made my way to Scandinavia, and now it should happen sometime this fall.

...completely unexpected

Crushed it!!

I arrived at Inlingua a little nervous but prepared for anything. I meet with Patrick and tell him of my travels so far and my interest in teaching at Inlingua. Of course he knows what I am going to ask but in the beginning I skirt the issue. Telling him about my morning walks through town, around the Promenade, playing guitar in the park and my general interest in Münster as a whole. Before I tell him I only have 8 days left on my Visa, I tell him that I have enrolled in a TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) course and show him my resume. At this point we had been talking for twenty minutes or so and he is sold. I got the job.

The problem however, is that getting a work Visa can take up to 8 weeks. The rules were changed in May of this year and instead of getting a work visa in a couple days, it now takes 6 to 8 weeks. So we fill out the necessary paper work and send it off. With that, I need to leave Germany and return as soon as the paper work is complete. I have booked a flight to Zadar, Croatia on Monday the 8th and will spend two nights in a hostel there before heading to Split and ultimately Dubrovnik. I am not sure how I will do it yet, but I plan on spending at least the next 6 weeks in Croatia or somewhere nearby. I would have liked to stay, but you will not hear me complaining about spending 6 weeks on the Adriatic Sea.

Tomorrow is a big day...

Tomorrow I have an appointment with Inlingua here in Münster . As of now, I have 9 days left on my Visa and either I get a job (work Visa) or I need to leave (this part of) Europe for three months. Inlingua is an international English learning service and I would like to pursue a job with them. I really hope everything here pans out, but there is a very real possibility that come tomorrow, I will be have to travel to another non Schengen Treaty country. The Schengen treaty allows (in my case) American visitors to travel easily through 25 countries in Europe. However, after those 90 days, a next destination must be found. I have been searching for work for over a month, but in reality I have been dragging my feet a little bit and now need to prepare for another move. If this meeting does not go as planned, I need to book a ticket out of the Schengen Treaty countries jurisdiction. Most likely Croatia would be the choice, but I sure hope it pans out.

I have returned to Germany after 5 rainy days shared with mostly Canadians and Australians. Of the places I have visited on this trip, Prague is the funnest city to walk, next to Paris. The highlight of the week was definitely the hostel.

I have posted pictures here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffkittleson/sets/72157627137446279/

Hostel ELF

St. Charles Bridge (Prague)