Working. (or: where we've been)

I have to admit, not blogging here for over a month has it's advantages: lots of readers start sending personal emails wanting to know what's up! So, while it's been nice to hear from you, I'll honor your requests and post a couple of updates over here. Yes, there is a picture in this post, but you'll have to scroll waaay down! More pictures to come later!

Stefan: the typically busy fall season has been kicked into high gear as Christmas approaches. With less than 4 weeks of school left, he's had tons of exams to give and grade, with more to come. He's sacrificed several Friday afternoons and nights for parent-teacher conferences - remember he's only one of 2 religion teachers for the whole school, so he has to go to every grade's conference night since he teaches so many different groups. It's a little insane.

He's also started training for and attending lifeguard certification classes 1-2x/week. The short version about why he needs this is: at least one adult should be a certified life guard when three grade 10 classes go to Rome next May and stay on the beach. So he's working on this about 2 nights a week. Thankfully this will end the night before we fly to the US for the holidays.

He's also started a certification program for working as a counseling volunteer at a teen-crisis hotline. Weekly training goes through the end of March of next year before being required to work a minimum of 4hrs a month. This was initiated due to his involvement with the school medic team, and a number of students coming to him with their problems and then Stefan not knowing where to refer them. He has since partnered with the local chapter of Germany's main teen crisis hotline and created informational flyers for staff and teachers in the Marburg schools. Student informational flyers have been posted around his school as well. His own principal asked him to deliver a 30 minute talk/orientation at a meeting of all the teachers. Stefan did research on the legal responsibility of teachers to help students and provided a good list of local and state resources as well as explaining the suitability and 'real time' effect of each group.

Apparently the hotline literally rings non-stop 24 hrs a day, every day of the year. Many calls don't get through due to a lack of trained volunteers available to answer the phone. Stefan is learning a lot from the in-depth training and looks at this as a skill he'll be able to use wherever he is. I wish I could sign up, too, but my German just isn't 'there' enough. All I need is a kid calling and talking through tears, or whispering, or a kid from Saxony or elsewhere with a heavy accent, and I'll be totally lost. So it's good that he's doing this. However, it's another night taken in an already busy week.

Me: I'm shopping and cooking for us at odd hours. I've been crafting and getting time-consuming presents ready for the holidays (trying to do a lot of good-quality handmade gifts this year). I've been posting my creative efforts over on the Zuhause blog as a way to be able to network publicly with other expats and to catalog my creative efforts. I'm trying to keep the public and personal separate. The Corner View series I've joined on to has been fun and is the one thing I've actually thought about double posting over here, just to share an interesting angle of our lives. It's a Wednesday post, but I've skipped the last few due to all the work-related things going on. I think most of you are following the Zuhause blog anyhow, but who knows...?

I've also been working on copy editing projects that have been coming in at a slow trickle. I've been reading a LOT on working as a freelance copy editor, reading a LOT on how to promote and run your own freelance business, developing your skills, working on networking online with others in this field and learning the lingo, and researching researching researching both basic and involved options of graphic design in terms of logos, business stationary, and web design.

Since this seems to be the only avenue I can take to earn money here (which we need), I'm trying to make a big push in the next 6 months to really get my name out there. Word-of-mouth has been good so far to build up a list of references for myself, but I want to make my huge advertising push when I have all my digital and paper representation ready and live, so as to make the most professional first impression possible. Of course, this takes funding, and tax-wise (of which Stefan has been reading all the fun fine print in legalese German), timing is everything, so it looks like paying for many of the invest-in-my-own-business projects will have to wait until after December 31st of this year, BUT I'm using this time to get it all lined up. Getting and comparing quotes from different graphic and web designers, researching cost/quality in editorial certification programs, etc takes a LOT of time!

I still feel like 50% of me wants this legwork to pay off and for me to be the real deal when it comes to freelance editorial work. This would be a good gig to have going in terms of working from home (which I like, I'm really an introvert!) and all the flexibility it brings with it. I can run to the post office, stores, etc. I can make a hot lunch for Stefan when his schedule permits. This type of work is totally digital and I can take it with me wherever we live as long as there's a good internet connection. Supply and demand for work is also good when you're connected to a university. It seems like a good long-term investment, fiscally speaking.

However, the other 50% of me would be glad if the entire thing tanked and both of us were able to find employment doing what our hearts are really connected to - and that paid the bills! That seems so out of reach, but more on that later.

So I'm basically trying to start my own business...it's draining. I made a draft of what I want in a website, here's the link to the draft. I have a list of what I think should be changed, but want to take a look-see and give me some feedback? I'd love feedback!


The class I'm helping co-teach at the university has taken a lot of time as well. The good news is that I'm getting paid for it, but I still feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants for the most part! I've been asked to lead the next big lecture chunk of our next class in December. By Thursday of this week I need to send an outline of my talk, and on Friday we'll meet to discuss everything. Friday of next week I have to present. I'm mostly confident, but still pretty nervous.

Right after the next class is over, at about 7pm, Stefan and I are whizzing 3-4hrs down to Nuremberg (praying for no traffic on dry roads!) to meet up with Britton and Sarah for a weekend and to see the Nuremberg Christmas Markt this year. Other seminary friends who are currently doing language studies in Paris are driving in to meet us - so we're looking forward to a reunion weekend of sorts - provided I survive the lecture!

I still need to research about half the presentation...so better get going on that. More later - there is more (can you believe it after the longest post of the century)?!?!