Life and other things

Right, so...
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 I just moved to Switzerland.
 
Overall this is a good change of scenery, both for me and my now fiance (I’m also getting married), despite the fact we had no choice…

Backstory time: Some of you may have noticed that my posting has dropped off as of late - my last post was at the end of February. Not how I intended to start this year. Seeing that it is now July, and I already missed my one year anniversary, I had a look back at the progress I had done, and these past two months have not been pretty.

In an effort to clear my head – plus I hate being vague online - I figured it would be good to post what has been going on behind the screen.
 
I have been pulling massive overtime for the past four months in an area I was forced into. The joys of working at a startup. I was initially brought on to write articles on current topics within biotechnology. Then, due to a push for the company’s A-round funding, I was told to make sales calls. On the few days I had a normal 8.5h working day, I was just too exhausted to research anything. To top it off, when things were starting to look like I would go back to writing articles, the content department was shut down. So I was no longer needed. 

Then the panic really set in. Being an expat and all, joblessness has the added bonus of being kicked out of the country. My visa and job were expiring, and the small window I had to get everything in order was quickly closing. I could have tried to find another job here in Berlin, but since I’m foreign, most employers don’t want to go through the paperwork. This would need much more time than I had. 

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Prior to the chaos, amongst one of the small breaks I had from work, my girlfriend and I took a hike on the outskirts of Berlin. We always wanted to move to Switzerland the hard way. I get a job, get the visa, and have legal entry into the country. Then, she would follow suit. That way we could proudly say we did it ourselves, with no help nor easy access. Re-evaluating our situation, we realized we weren’t doing ourselves any favors by prolonging the inevitable. Marriage makes both our lives easier, I wouldn't have to worry about being deported, and you know the whole ‘love’ thing. So, after noticing we were only making things harder for ourselves, we agreed to get married. I say ‘we agreed to get married’ as I still wanted to make a proper proposal. 

Then I lost my job.

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So it has been a hectic couple of weeks, decent highs and terrible lows. I hope you can forgive the reduction in posts. I realize what has happened to me is really just life. I don’t mean to moan or whine, and I certainly know people whose situation is worse, so I am thankful for the job I had and the luck awarded to me. Still, things took a turn for the worse there.

But thankfully, there is a happy ending! We’re here now, still getting married, and with a roof over our heads. Other than being a huge relief, it's good to know we figured this whole thing out. Plus, it also means I will be able to focus more on research. I will (most likely) begin a Ph.D. project sometime next year. As to what it is about, I will have to hold off for now, as I’m not sure if it is advisable to reveal the project. I will freelance a bit on the side, get back into brewing, and hopefully be involved with some professional brews with a few friends I have in Switzerland. Also expect some website redesigns, homebrew recipes, and of course, more posts!

In the end, it has been a real shitty first four to five months, but now it seems to all have been worth it, and things are going back to normal. 

So please stay tuned for your regularly scheduled programming!