As we pulled up she pointed it out to me, there was a huge converted factory that had shops and restaurants, and apparently the school I had bumped into on the world wide web and applied and possibly been accepted to. I have to say, my penchant for old buildings, particularly factories kicked in and I loved it at first sight. The inside was slick and earthy at the same time, white walls and high ceilings and glimpses of art through glass windows. The nice (looking) German boy spoke rapidly and incomprehensibly (I'm working on learning German, but only started in earnest today) to Marlena and then glanced at me and said "Cheers." We had been directed upstairs.
On the third landing there were groups of people waiting outside certain doors. All the signs were in German, and all the people were speaking in German except what looked to me like a Korean girl with a smartly dressed Korean mother who were speaking Korean. But hardly anyone was speaking. Mostly they were just standing still, looking hip, and waiting.
Several things struck me.
1. I had never gone to an art school, I had done art programs at art schools in high school and had considered applying to art schools for my undergrad but then dismissed that idea as too self-reflexively absorbed in one tiny thing when there was a whole world of knowledge out there. So I had gone to BYU and fully invested in and enjoyed my G.E.'s while knowing they were definitely draining time from ever focusing on my art completely. But this, this was an art school in every sense of the word.
2. I had done very little to get to this point and was not very invested in this whole idea. I had a wonderful and easy and passive life in provo since graduation and had dinked around for a year, working and then not working without any clear idea of where I was going. I had gotten mildly depressed, and had been more than mildly bored when I had stumbled onto this application to this art program. The application had cost no money and was all submitted electronically. The biggest commitment so far had been the $600 plane ticket. It had been almost impossible to muster up the energy and focus to pack up my life that I loved, and I passed through all the goodbyes as though they were not real or final. I had known that there were probably huge problems with my paperwork with the school but had not bothered to fix them, aknowledging them only to airly dismiss them, if the school doesn't let me enroll then I would simply play in Europe for a bit, then come back to the USA and apply to more grad programs, ones that actually grant me the coveted middle initial so important in America. (MFA vs MA)
3. As I stood there, watching one low-chromo costumed applicant walk into the office after another, waiting for my fate to be decided, I suddenly knew that I wanted this. I wanted this bauhaus styled converted factory with it's elitist looking group of students nestled in this quaint little city. I wanted it and I was afraid I miffed things up, and I hated standing there, wanting it and not knowing yet if it was still in reach.
Finally the door opened and I was admitted. It became clear that language would be a problem. I had gotten an email telling me it would all be in English, but nothing so far had been in English, and the secretary's English was not entirely comprehensible. My German consists of Danke and Bitte. The classes apparently are in English, but just for the Digital Media program, everything else in the school, the finer arts and the music are all in German.
It became clear that there was a problem. In order to get my letter of acceptance I had to print off all my documents and hand them in. I had sumbitted them all electronically, so they needed to see them in person. There's only one problem, i don't have the real version of my diploma, just an electronic copy which isn't enough. So they agreed I could give them my copy, but I had to go and print them off and bring them in (Why couldn't I just show them the copies on my computer? I dont know. ) The office closed in an hour for the weekend, school starts on Monday. In order to become enrolled I have to show them my visa, which I can't get until I get the letter of acceptance, which i can't get until Monday when i bring them in my papers. On Monday, there is a Freshman Orientation all in German, so I won't understand more than two words, but there is a free breakfast.
And I just found out I have to talk about 20 pieces of artwork and perform some tasks on my first day with the digital media program, tuesday, and I may or may not have classes starting then as well.
So we left and I printed off everything that I need to turn in on Monday, following which I need to worry about 1. Visa 2. Health Insurance 3. A job--looking into teaching English seeing as it's probably the only job that I CAN get. Posted an application online and responded to a few websites advertising positions. Here's hoping! 4. A phone. 5. A permanent place to live. I'm not sure how long I can stay at Marlena's flat until it's rude....she has an extra floor in her aunts flat that i have to myself and it's about 4 times bigger than my shared apartment with Lindsey was back in the states.
I'm supposed to go dancing tonight, leaving any minute. I'll meet some more Germans, Marlena's friends and sweat at a German dance club that plays "really good rock music." I honestly don't feel like it, I'm sick and a little jet-lagged but I feel like I ought to get into a life here as soon as possible. I can hear her coming down the stairs now.
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