Introductions.

I have started this blog because I thought it might be interesting to document this part of my life. I'm moving nämlich to Hamburg, Germany, in the summer of 2012. Bonus points if you laughed at the blog's title, which is a highly witty and subtle reference to the popular song by The Jam, Town Called Malice. (The title may change if I can think of something better, suggestions welcome).

Why am I moving to Hamburg? Well, there's a few reasons...

Firstly, I studied German (and French) at university and at some point which I can no longer remember I decided that I wanted to become a translator and do that for at least a while. Maybe forever, but who knows.

Secondly, I spent one year living in Germany (Dresden) as part of my degree and I quite liked it, once I got used to certain things like how everything is shut on Sundays and the ridiculous amount of paperwork Germans insist on. Germany has wonderful bakeries, near-perfect public transport, and a fairly successful economy. There is quite a high demand for English native-speakers within Germany in this line of work, and Hamburg is ideal because it's a large city with massive international links.

And the third reason is that during my time in Dresden, I fell in love. I was bound to returning to the UK to complete the final year of my degree, but I knew that from July 2012 onwards I would be free to go wherever and do whatever I please. We talked and talked and somehow came to the conclusion that Hamburg would be the place for us.

He is already there, with a flat and a job and a car, and during this last year we have made countless Ryanair and Easyjet trips to see each other; filling the weeks inbetween those precious visits with Skype. At the start of 2012 I began to apply for jobs in Hamburg and in April, after various interviews, I was offered work at a translation agency, starting August 2012. Now, I need to book my one-way flight, Boyfriend and I will look for our own flat, I'll start working and earn some experience (and money, which after four years of being a student is much welcomed), I'll get my German up to a fluent standard, and, well, I suppose I'll start to live. I plan to study part-time to gain a specialist qualification in Translation, and part of the agreement with Boyfriend is that I'll try out surfing. Fun times ahead!

Zusammenfassung auf Deutsch: ich freue mich darauf; mal gucken.