Pre-departure:
This is possibly one of the most exciting things to happen to me. However, given that it is the pre-departure phase – nothing seems to have sunk in as yet. I am not nervous or anxious; the idea of me leaving the country and living in a foreign land, being immersed in a different culture for an entire semester does not yet seem real. For the past several months, my mind has been occupied by the actual application process, spending time with my family and friends before I leave, my visa application, sorting through a pile of emails to ensure that my accommodation is finalised and that I have someone to pick me up from the airport (or in my case, from the bus station since I am heading to a small town without an airport), running from Home Affairs to the PGIO office and ending up at the German Consulate. I think the most draining part of everything is just the waiting in between the different application procedures, hoping that they do not reject anything and that you are able to complete the process timeously and successfully.