Unterwegs. Journey home. July 25th, 2013

Flying back to the US; feels so surreal

As I watch the tiny icon of an airplane inch its way west across the virtual Atlantic on the screen in front of me, I can feel each inch as it tugs me farther away from the German borders to which I have become so accustomed. Each time the friendly, multilingual staff drops by my row, the words that slip off my tongue have defaulted to Germanic tendencies despite the Anglican fluency of all those around me. Preferential, you might say. Flight after flight, checkpoint by checkpoint, I cross the point of no return, or do I? My heart is unable to adjust in such tumultuous situations as it is beckoned in many tongues from many lands; how can it find method of settling if I have no solid plan, no final destination as of yet? Denver. That's where I'll start. Then what? I have two final semesters of my double bachelor's degree at the University of Northern Colorado that will be complemented by workshops, conferences, visits to my family, rebuilding my harp callouses and desperately seeking both franco and germanophones to keep the polyglot, that is multilingual, version of myself adrift.

Managing to take root on rock
(Mallorca, July, 2013)

A word of my own language struck me today as I mindlessly glanced at the episode of the Big Bang Theory playing on the airline's entertainment program: Roots. I picture a tree, a flower, a tracing of origin to that which fed and built you. Trees grow, harbor life, shelter life, give life, but they do not move except when adjusting to wind patterns and changing climate. Flowers can be moved, picked, transplanted just as a tree. Traditional doctrine teaches us that roots are the beginning, the foundation, the lifeline, the nourishment. Can we ever change our roots? Can we take them with us or will we always leave some piece of us, some straggler of a memory or life behind in the ground from whence we came? Pardon the extended metaphor, but I feel completely uprooted and am also contemplating the notion of searching for a new garden.

Step Five: Moving to Cologne

When I returned the following morning to apply for my Residence Permit, the office was open only from 8 until 12 pm. I made my way upstairs and found a hallway with no front desk but several people sitting alongside the narrow corridor. I began to ask around what I was supposed to do as there was no box to take a number. The best I could gather was that I was supposed to knock twice on the door marked with the first letter of my last name, enter, give my passport to the lady inside and then sit quietly and listen for my name to be called. I waited for nearly two hours and watched them close the office doors while promising to finish with the rest of the applicants inside. Finally, my name was called! I presented the lady with all of my documents and she paused a moment, looked at me apologetically and gently informed me,

“You live in Sülz. This is the department for the downtown area.”
“I didn’t realize that. I was sent here by the registration office downstairs. Can I still make it to the Sülz office?”
“Unfortunately they closed a half hour ago. However, they are open Monday morning at 8 am.”
“That’s in three days.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

So I had spent the night in Cologne for nothing, but I knew I couldn’t give up because I was fast approaching the end of my 90 days of travel in the EU. I took the train back into Cologne bright and early on the following Monday and went to the office in Lindenthal (which serves both the Sülz and Lindenthal districts). On the 4th floor I snagged a number and waited about 45 minutes before my turn finally arrived. You will need a lot of paperwork for this appointment so be sure to have everything in order! There is a copy machine available at 10 cents a copy but I suggest bringing your own copies beforehand if possible. The application itself is about 5 pages and fairly detailed concerning dates you’ve lived or visited the EU before, information on your family and any previous addresses you’ve had. These papers will all be filed and sent to the office in Berlin; you will receive a confirmation letter with a PIN for you to take back to the permit office at a later time where they will provide you with your permit papers and German ID card. This process takes about six weeks so you might have to get a temporary permit to stay in the country until your new one is processed. Unfortunately, I had only brought 100 € with me to the office as I expected the permit to cost around 40-60 €. Because of the temporary permit cost added on, my total was 120 € (temporary permit and a one year permit). There was no ATM in the office and they didn’t accept VISA cards; I had to come back the next morning again with the right amount of money to pay my bill because they had locked the doors for the day and I would have been locked out once I left.

The whole process is very specific, somewhat complicated and operates within a very limited time frame so be prepared, be flexible and bring copies of everything. That is the best advice that I can offer.

The following documents are needed to apply for a Residence Permit in Cologne:

-a valid passport (with your visa, if applicable)

-1 biometric passport photo (35x45 mm)

-application form (you can fill this out at the office)

-certificate of registration with the City of Cologne

-certificate of enrollment of Cologne University of Applied Sciences

-proof of health insurance

-proof of financial resources

Visit the city of Cologne’s website for more details and updates for your specific needs and requirements: http://www.stadt-koeln.de/en/1/administration/00085/
 
There is also a new “one-stop service for foreign students who would like to clarify issues with their residence permit as well as the formalities of registration.” The appointment hotlines are:
+49 (0)221 / 221-93339 for students from Germany or an EU state
+49 (0)221 / 221-93450 for students from a non-EU state

Step Three: Moving to Cologne

Fachhochschule Köln
Cologne University of Applied Sciences

Though you may be unclear on the different terms associated with your exchange, as I was at first, there is a major difference between acceptance and enrollment at a university. The city of Cologne demanded my matriculation paper which is a specific document from my host university that details my enrollment at their institution. In order to obtain this piece, I needed to seek out the international office which is a short walk through a park filled with large, aging trees that stretch upward toward the sky and outward to greet the small children running through their shaded gaze. The building itself is majestic in its age and stature with three sets of iron clad doors that both beckon and prohibit entry; her back faces the long and wide stretch of the river Rhine that wanders with a wink toward the cluster of students filing in and out of the doors. I made my way into the quiet gut of this stone-cold building and sought the directory which was helpful for all who spoke the native tongue of Deutschland. For me, however, it became a riddle of numbers, letters and hallways. After a bit of confused wandering, which had not gone unnoticed by an older gentleman behind a desk on the opposite side of the lobby who offered a corner of a smile to me, I made my way down a sunken hallway and sought out the esteemed coordinator from whom I had received so many cordial communications.

The architecture of Cologne has
 a character of its own

The process itself, after having finally found the lady who was much more vibrant than I had imagined, was fairly straightforward and proved to offer few speed bumps. I had arrived more than a month earlier than expected and was greeted with surprise but not with refusal. It seemed to be that I was on my own until September when the student benefits would start to kick in, though I had mentally prepared myself for such a case. My passport and insurance exemption form were requested with a smile and a well-prepared, well-accented English tongue. Just a few moments, simple questions and colorful, welcoming brochures later, I was on my way to picnic under the convivial trees with a sandwich and many forms through which to rifle. With another step completed, I paused to breathe in the delicious Cologne air before running off to find the registration office and the infamous “Laurenplatz” with just a notebook of address and a good head for maps.

The International Office of the Cologne University of Applied Sciences is located at Claudiusstrasse 1, room 56. They are open from 9 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. Be sure to ask about the ‘Karibu’ program for incoming international students.