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My first visa—that is the “you’re legally allowed to stay in this foreign country kind,” not the platinum kind—in Germany was so easy, I barely noticed it was happening.

Janet, my host mother, and my boss when it came to au pairing, drove me around the city so that we could collect all the paperwork we needed.  She’d already arranged for my health insurance, the paperwork for which we filled out at home and mailed off.  Once the company confirmed that I was insured, we had the first bit of paper that we’d need to convince the German government that I was legit.

I have now been in Germany for about three months, and I quickly learned that settling in, and figuring how to make a life for myself here is harder than I ever imagined. I suppose part of the reason I assumed, unjustly that this move wouldn’t be so hard is that I have done this all before. Meaning right after I graduated university I packed up my life into two big suitcases and moved to China, where I was able to make a life for myself. Complete with a small apartment, paying job, great friends, and amazing vacation time.