The EXTREMELY detailed, mega-anxiety edition!!! Major events like consult and surgery day are labeled like this:
——— EVENT TITLE ———
Surgeon was Dr. David Whitehead and I saw him on Long Island (New Hyde)
Summarized list of major dates:
Consult: July 19 2023 Mental health letter acquired: August 9 Dates discussed: September 12 Pre-op appointment: December 18 Surgery day: January 8 2024 Post-op: January 17
November 11th 2022: Emailed northwell health for the first time, they emailed back saying to call. I was too anxious so I avoided it for a few months.
Called northwell a few months later but got too anxious talking to the person who picked up. They were being normal and talking normally, it was just personal anxiety on my part.
October 2022 - Early March 2023: Spent time talking to trans friends and family members about their timelines and processes for top surgery.
Looked into Penn medicine for a bit but wasn’t happy with the surgeons there, specifically as a nonbinary person. The patient navigational team however is lovely.
March 2: emailed Penn health patient navigation
March 3-10: correspondence and phone calls w patient navigation (absolutely wonderful people, some of the easiest phone calls I’ve ever had) Got lots of into on surgeons, things I’d need, processes etc.
Date unknown: phone call to Penn medicine asking about surgeons and possibly setting up as a patient (v long wait time on phone) Surgeon I had heard good things about only works w CHOP program and I’m was too old for that program. Other surgeons I was v iffy on.
March 23rd: Back to square 1. Called northwell again to set up an appointment. Everyone I spoke to was really nice. Could have set up an appointment within the week but decided to wait till the end of the semester. Scheduled a trans care and primary care appointment for May
Couple of calls In between for confirmations. Trans care appointment got moved around a bit and ended up being moved to a phone call.
May 8th: Trans care call: Basic preliminary questions like: Emergency contact, what you’re looking for, are you thinking of looking into hormones, experience w dysphoria or dysmorphia, mental health, and eating/nutritional concerns, things you might want doc to know, piercings or tattoos, do you do any drugs or drink often, etc. total call time was about 20 minutes. Doctor was incredibly kind, I still experienced a good deal of anxiety but the call was super easy, welcoming, and friendly. Got sent contact referrals for the surgeons, as well as trans-friendly therapists under my insurance.
May 9th: started looking at list of therapists and making respective emails and calls. Checking per session costs and double checking insurance. Most charge 100-150 per session. Got in contact w one.
May 10th: Called w first therapist talking about what I’m looking for, where I am in this process, if parents are supportive, and talking about costs. She was very friendly and affirming, wants to have a few sessions to get to know me and my situation before writing a letter. Understandable and expected, but frustrating.
May 15th: Primary care appointment: Went to northwell health primary care, parkinglot was a little scary (just a large lot with a lot of cars) but everyone working there’s is super kind. Office is incredibly affirming, pride flags and lgbtq+ art everywhere. Gave my insurance card, filled out some paper work, got called in pretty quickly. I have a needle phobia and medical trauma so I was panicking a bit in the office, nurse was good w me about it and doctor was very kind, I just requested to not have any blood work done that day and that was totally fine, so I could schedule that at a later date and go w a friend. Recommended to get blood work done before scheduling a consult w a surgeon. Also prescribed me a single dose anxiety med for the bloodwork which I was very happy about. I found over time that the anxiety meds unfortunately do little to nothing for my panic attacks personally when it comes to needles but regardless having a doctor acknowledge and respect that fear and listen to me was incredibly helpful and reassuring.
May 30th: Got blood work done in a different lab, went w a friend. Scheduling for that is super easy, I think I did it online actually I don’t entirely recall. they do take walk ins but I made an appointment to minimize complications and make sure I could prepare properly. Front desk/lobby area was a little spooky, but I think that is mainly just bc of my social anxiety. They take a urine sample, you give them your prescription, eventually they call you over for blood work. Quick and easy, tech was v nice and having a friend with me was incredibly helpful. Probably the best I’ve ever done with a needle despite the fact that I did still panic and get very lightheaded lol.
Got blood work results back within the next couple days, all looks a-okay! Neat :)
June 15th This day was incredibly difficult. I had my first session with a therapist to establish some ground knowledge around my dysphoria and the way that I view myself. Top surgery is something that I know from research and related experience Can be difficult and expensive to get and can take time, so much of my prep work has been on the understanding of taking things a step at a time and just knowing that the current way things are doesn’t have to be forever. It allowed me to be able to live with myself while prioritizing my health better. This read to the therapist as “not having the level of dysphoria [she’s] come to expect and look for in someone who is trans” and was largely based off the fact that I don’t want to go on hrt. Past that point I started to break down because now my method of learning to live with myself felt like it was actively going to work against me and prevent me from getting top surgery. I’m not good at talking about my dysphoria, I can’t imagine it’s easy for anyone, especially to a stranger I just met. It was rough, and I felt incredibly mentally drained after ending the session.
June 19th Called it quits with the first therapist, I felt incredibly disrespected and the one session we had put me in a mental spiral for days. It can feel some times in this process like the people you have to get permission from need you to be severely depressed and unable to wait another second for this procedure just in order to take you seriously.
After I left that therapist, I immediately got back to the list to find someone new. Spoke to a new therapist via email, but my insurance is kinda weird (Blue Cross Blue Shield out of state) so its off putting to some people. This therapist recommended I go through the office she started out at (Heart and Soul Counseling)
————- Time Skip ——————
IM BACK its time for some record keeping. Got super overwhelmed and lost the energy to document my process for some time so here goes.
HEART AND SOUL COUNSELING: My experience w/ this therapy office was mostly good. The person in charge, Jesse, was absolutely lovely and responsive. Never spoke in person, but any text/email interaction was prompt, respectful, and kind. The office is stellar with email/text communication, so I only ever had to call them once when I was initially inquiring about the office. This is something I wish all therapy/counseling centers did better, eliminated a ton of my anxiety and hesitation to speak to therapists.
I got set up w someone as quickly as possible and established what my goal was (to acquire letter document for my surgery team). I attended multiple session w the therapist, she was a kind lady but the sessions were unfortunately p miserable for me. We didn’t fit well, but I was willing to stick it out rather than backtrack on my process. She also did not invalidate me or accuse me of not being trans which was a major step up from my first therapy experience. Once I acquired my letter I did stop therapy there, I kindly explained to the therapist that it wasn’t a good match, but I may honestly explore my options at the office in the future. Receptionist there was also lovely and they had a cool fish tank.
———- CONSULT STARTS HERE —————
July 19th: CONSULT!!! My mama and I went to Dr. David Whiteheads office for a consult. Parking was a nightmare so I’m super glad I didn’t have to drive for this one (ty mama). Consult went really well, and the staff were all super friendly. Dr. Whitehead is cool, very chill energy and a bit intimidating, but I’m scared of everyone so that’s nothing new. First question he asked me is what I wanted/what he could do for me which caught me more off guard than it should have? I didn’t realize going into this process how many times people ask you what you’re having done even if it’s already written down, because there’s so much variety in what you can look for in the results.
We talked about the procedure, went through a slideshow n stuff, and discussed how I wanted a flat chest w/ no nipple preservation. They made sure to specify that my mental health professional letter had to include that I did not want nipple preservation because thats technically a “non-standard” appearance. Also had the first breast exam I’ve ever had in my life. Can’t say i’m a fan (not that I need to worry about that anymore!) Took pictures n measurements n such, and also discussed recovery supplies and care w me and my mom.
August 9th: After a plethora of painfully awkward therapy sessions, a decent amount of crying, and a couple breakdowns in friends cars/backyards, I got my therapist letter and sent it to the surgeons office. It ended up needing minor revisions to which I contacted Jesse from Heart and Soul and he got me the revised letter immediately. Unfortunately the surgical coordinator was out of office for the rest of the month the next day ;w;. Is how it be.
September 12th: Got a call from Surgical coordinator mid-painting class that I stepped out to take. Started discussing surgical dates!! She was kind enough to email the dates to me which was lovely because I was absolutely shaking/mind blank haha. There was an option for January 8th which felt like an absolute miracle the way it would work with my school schedule. It would give me a solid two weeks recovery time before spring semester began. Because it would be a couple months out, I was asked to contact her in the second week of October to submit documents to insurance.
(Timeline note: earliest date offered was in early December)
October 10th: Documents sent to insurance, predetermination started
October 30th: Received mail from my insurance approving my procedure as medically necessary (YAY) But! This is also where things get,,, fun! Dr Whitehead’s surgical coordinator, Alyssa, is a blessing and was very helpful and prompt with me despite the fact that I had to email her pretty constantly during this general time which I still feel bad about.
Around this time, my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer, which I reported to the surgical coordinator because it influences my family history (grandmother also had breast cancer). It was asked that I get genetic testing done because this could impact my surgical procedure. Now I’m handling the setup on this between helping my mom in her process setting up consults and considering her options because there of course is a lot of crossover to the steps I’ve already completed and am familiar with.
November 1st: Very kind person at cancer genetics calls me, sends me a family history questionnaire to fill out before I can be scheduled to see a genetic counselor. Filled out the questionnaire the same day.
November 8th: Called cancer genetics to check about scheduling, office was not open so left a message. Got a call back later in the day. I have a virtual appointment with a Genetic counselor Tuesday the 14th. Current plan is a mailed saliva genetic test but I’m going to ask if theres anything I can do to get results/materials quicker. If I can’t get results/feedback by December 8th my surgery date may get deferred.
Trying not to stress too much because there is little to nothing I can do about this, and I just don’t want to be sad. I’ve kept telling myself throughout this process to not get excited and not let myself believe anything is solid because something could happen at any time that might mess up my schedule or plan, and If I convince myself I’m in the clear, those changes will hurt a lot more. So far I think thats been a good move, because this really sucks.
My surgery date is still officially scheduled as of now as well as my first post-op. I will also ideally have pre-surgical testing done December 18th should I be cleared by genetics in time (Fingers crossed!)
ALSO! Def lean on friends if/when you can during this process. It can absolutely be challenging, and having a support system is incredibly important and helpful. I’m super lucky to have really lovely and supportive friends that are around to listen to me and send me pictures of stupid little animals.
November 9th: My mama is scheduled for her double mastectomy on December 4th
November 10th: Did some shopping with my mama for recovery supplies for double mastectomy/top surgery. Having watched a million and a half transition/top surgery videos and tiktoks and having read all the blogs and posts and tweets makes you a great support for someone suddenly faced with an upcoming double mastectomy! We might go shopping this weekend for some button ups and zip ups for her, clothes shopping is better done when you can try stuff on
November 14th: Meeting w genetic counselor: Victoria Webb, one of the loveliest medical care workers I’ve ever met. Had a virtual appointment with her to discuss and set up genetic testing. I explained to her about my situation w the proximity of my surgery and tight deadline as well as my willingness to do a blood test instead of a saliva kit to get results quicker. She was so incredibly kind and good with me, ended up being able to do a saliva kit and get results in time she deserves every good thing in life.
December 18th: pre-surgical testing: This was at the main hospital, everyone was really nice but I had a really bad panic attack despite being on Xanax.
The process is sort of like getting a physical. Measurements like weight and blood pressure get taken, lots of preliminary health questions. The people working with me were really kind and I was very open with them about my anxiety, it was visually apparent though anyway because I started crying the second we even started talking about the blood draw.
Once the equipment was actually brought into the room I started to panic. Both of the women working with me were really kind and helpful and tried to distract me and keep me talking the entire time, but I did still have a really horrible panic attack. Every muscle in my body locked up and I lost all my color, took a bit to get back to a spot where I could move and talk properly because my speech was affected too. It was a bit scary but funny to think about in post. Thanked the medical staff for being patient w me as always, a good portion of the anxiety is also guilt about making things harder for them. Got through it tho. Def eat before presurgical if allowed, I didn’t and that probably didn’t help!!
———- SURGERY DAY ————-
January 8th:
Ok so surgery day:
This day was very scary. Got my phone call the Friday prior for my surgery time which ended up being 1pm and I was asked to arrive around 11. Got there at 10 and went in at 10:30.
Called up to check in then in waiting room till someone brought me back to change. I told her right away about my anxiety with the iv bc that’s legit all I could think about. Got changed right after. I was generally shaky and a little disoriented the entire time because I was panicking but everyone was very patient with me. Clothes and belongings go in a bag in a locker and you get two gowns one that faces back and one that faces front. I was given underwear and a pad as well because lucky me I got my period a couple days before my surgery.
The pre-op area is a lot of little cubicles with curtain divider things, blue soft chairs, and medical equipment. Everyone I met and spoke to was very kind, but any time someone even suggested starting my iv I would panic. I was informed it would have to be placed in my hand and that terrified me, I’m especially anxious and sensitive about my hands and fingers. I think doctors and nurses tend to misunderstand exactly where my fear is with needles and ivs. It isn’t the pain that scares me, but the concept of veins and and anything being in them. Even writing this right now is horrible so I’m going to stop w any further detail. I spent the entire two-ish hours of pre-op absolutely terrified about this iv.
I wasn’t really keeping track of time but dr whitehead came in to do markings for surgery. They had cool rainbow socks on,big fan. Having your chest drawn on and just like, moved around n shit is such an experience. Felt bad because I kept losing my balance but doctor Whitehead is cool and I am 98% less scared about them now.
Probably my most favorite person I met during my entire hospital experience was the anesthesiologist. I know he told me what his name was but I couldn’t focus on or retain information at the time. He told me we could essentially put me to sleep with gas before putting the iv in and for the first time in probably a solid week I felt like I could calm down a little. He took a look at my hand and arm to check my veins which always does freak me out a bit but I’m more used to that kind of thing at this point and I know nothing bad is going to happen. One of the nurses came in with the iv equipment and he let her know that were going to wait till in the or which was also incredibly helpful because I absolutely panicked when I saw that little supply kit again.
V nice lady brought me into the or, I’d never been in one before it was cool. They had a little music speaker which was really cool. Took off blue jacket gown and they helped me onto the table. They put a warm blanket over my legs and my chest to help me calm down. Before long they gave me a mask w fun happy sleepy time gas, they let me keep my arms on my chest for a while which was really nice because I was still scared. I started getting loopy pretty fast but I still heard when someone mentioned where the iv equipment was and panicked a little because of that. I remember feeling them take my hand for that but never actually felt anything happen. Just some fear but the gas was v helpful obvi. Someone said they would see me in a little bit, and then I was groggily waking up in recovery.
Recovery was a little rough bc the iv was still there (fully wrapped up so I couldn’t see it though which was rad) but I was still really anxious about it until it was taken out and when it was taken out. For anyone that struggles w this i did not feel them remove it, just the tape. Everything was mentally much easier after that. After a while, going over instructions w parents, a cracker , some ginger ale and some juice, my dad helped me Get dressed and I was helped out to the car in a wheel chair. Ride was smooth bc of remaining numbness and meds except a few Bumps in the road
TOP SURGERY GOTTEN
My post op date was scheduled for Jan 17th and that’s the day I got my drains out followed by several post op check-ins. First week of recovery was miserable but things exponentially approved each day past that, and I went back to school in person two weeks post-op with driving and item-carrying assistance from friends!
Will upload recovery notes at a later date! Feel free to message me with any questions, more than happy to answer and give info! I’m a bit over four months out from surgery now and thriving 🥳

Hey everyone, I'm reaching out because I'm feeling really lost and down after my time at a big service-based company. I worked there for a year and eight months, hoping to learn and grow, but things didn't go as I hoped. I was stuck doing Quality Assurance (QA) work on a project. My manager kept saying I'd become a developer one day, but it never happened, so I resigned last month hoping to find better opportunities elsewhere. Despite knowing how to work with Node.js, React.js, MongoDB. I couldn't get any interviews. I've also completed over 250 leetCode problems to practice my coding. If anyone has advice on how I can find a job that fits my skills and interests, please share. I made a mistake by joining that company, and now I want to fix it. If there are any developer roles available, I'd love to hear about them. Money isn't a problem; I just want a chance to do work that matters and to keep learning. Thanks for reading and for any help you can give. Hey everyone, I'm reaching out because I'm feeling really lost and down after my time at a big service-based company. I worked there for a year and eight months, hoping to learn and grow, but things didn't go as I hoped. I was stuck doing Quality Assurance (QA) work on a project. My manager kept saying I'd become a developer one day, but it never happened, so I resigned last month hoping to find better opportunities elsewhere. Despite knowing how to work with Node.js, React.js, MongoDB. I couldn't get any interviews. I've also completed over 250 leetCode problems to practice my coding. If anyone has advice on how I can find a job that fits my skills and interests, please share. I made a mistake by joining that company, and now I want to fix it. If there are any developer roles available, I'd love to hear about them. Money isn't a problem; I just want a chance to do work that matters and to keep learning. Thanks for reading and for any help you can give. 

Hello
25F, 130lbs, 5’10”, no tobacco, MMJ user, hydrocodone and oxyxodone as needed, cyclobenzaprine, protonix
If you read this thank you so much because I’m absolutely desperate and my doctors are tired of me and I think they think I only want pain meds. I don’t, I just want to feel better. I have a huge stash of emergency oxycodone anyway so I barely even need them for that.
On 12/15 I fell down the stairs and hit the lower of my middle back quite hard. 12/19 I had a LEEP done, 01/06 I came down with extreme urinary issues and between then and now have been back 6 times, seen 4 specialists and have seen my PCP at least ten times for urine samples. I’ve also only been able to attend my full time job for 43 days so far this year and have no more money for copays and if it weren’t for my ADA paperwork, I’d have been fired a long time ago
Over the last two weeks, it’s been taking me up to two hours to produce urine while having a full (and very sore - mostly left side) bladder. This is infuriating. When I do end up finally feeling the need to release, I have less than 3 minutes to get to a restroom before my vision starts going spotty from the bladder pressure pain.
My urologist ordered a cystoscopy, but has been blaming my 3mm kidney stone until I begged for an ultrasound last month of my bladder. Found bladder wall thickening and bladder cyst / possible urachal remnant.
I found out what Cuada equina is today. I learned that it is very very commonly missed. I can barely walk, and at the music festival I went to over the weekend I had to use ADA for just about everything. I look completely normal so I got judged pretty hard, but I do have paperwork. I have been losing weight without much diet change and my back has been killing me as well. I feel so weak. My urine flow is so small compared to what it used to be. I had a period of time where the pain was so bad, I couldn’t feel my clitoris or labia at all so sex was pointless as well, and I thought I’d lose my relationship and be alone forever. They send me to an OB-Oncologist who said not to come back, which is why my urologist finally agreed to check my bladder.
Is it possible that all my issues are related to the cyst and thickening, or could this be cuada equina that was missed on multiple CT’s? I can’t find info on bladder cysts. using retention. When is the appropriate time to go to the hospital? I can barely walk without pain meds. I urinated about 40 times on Saturday, with my usual being 10-20 times, and some days there’s very little pain or urgency at all, but the retention is almost always there to some extent.
It almost feels like the part of my brain that controls my bladder doesn’t work anymore because no matter how hard I tell my bladder to release, it just doesn’t happen sometimes and I can’t get comfortable after that. I’ve slept a total of 4 hours since Saturday morning and I only have one hydrocodone left. Pyridium does NOTHING except for when burning pain presents, and I can’t take NSAIDS until my GI clears me due to extreme gas, constipation and bloating / belching thought to be caused by peptic ulcers. I can’t walk at this point without pain meds, but the ER always releases me with the same DX of cyst and bladder wall thickening and tells me they have no clue what that means. But I’m in so much pain I feel like there has to be something they can do other than give me fluids and monitor me for an hour or two until I can get to my cystoscopy next week.
If you have any advice for me I really appreciate it. I don’t want to die but I feel the only way out of lifelong urinary pain after 6 months now is suicide. The only time suicide doesn’t cross my mind a couple times is when I do end up having to take a pain pill. In March, I had to take oxy every day. I only take them now when I can’t walk because the effects are too strong for me to keep my life in order while taking them every day. But this weekend I have had the most trouble walking, and using the restroom, since all of these issues began.
I can’t afford any more specialists visits after my procedure, so I really wish the ER could do something for me as they’re the only ones who won’t turn me away for not having money at this point. My GI doc actually canceled my appointment because I don’t have $20 and I’ve been putting off another ultrasound because it’s $200 up front. IDK what to do but I’m pretty sure this is how a lot of people end up on fent and heroin - if I had been denied pain meds this far I would have turned to the streets, and that’s coming from someone who has chosen - on their own - to quit most drug related and extracurricular activities to better their life at a young age and is much happier for it.
I can’t even get the ER to catheterize me when I can’t urinate for 6+ hours at a time. What gives? Why won’t they run a different imaging test? They wouldn’t even give me a breath test for h pylori recently and now I’m waiting a month for an appointment I can’t even afford.
TL;DR extreme bladder pain, nobody understands why, extreme difficulty urinating, ER can’t do anything for me and awaiting surgery. Is there anything I can say or do to get proper medical attention or can the ER really not touch your bladder like they say? Is there a way I can convince them to admit me so I could see a urologist before my procedure? My urologist is unavailable until my follow-up and I don’t think the company they work for allows them to Rx narcotics and I’m against taking more than 1 oxycodone a week at this point but so far have been unsuccessful in getting something weaker like hydro or tramadol.

We just became self managed and the real estate attorney on the first home sale did not give us the buyers info like name, email, phone, even though we requested it twice. Is that typical? Also below is a copy of our estoppel letter. Any recommendations on how to insure that lawyers actually print out the Bylaws/CCRs/AOI and give it to buyer at closing. I know they forget sometimes because when I bought my house 24 years ago, they did not have them for me and dumb attorney advised me to sign without reading them. I spent 2 hours reading every other document and didnt' understand what an HOA was when I was 22 years old. . Should we FAX over 32 pages or spend $7 to mail over the documents? I really do not trust them to get it right. Should we withhold the letter until we get buyer info? Afterall the buyer is charged a fee as well so technically we do need their info.
May 10, 2024
RE: Closing Letter & Request for Buyers information.
Thank you for your inquiry. Please give us the buyers name, email and phone number so that we can easily send them future HOA notifications. Below is the closing statement you requested:
Subject Property Address: , Charlotte, NC 28xxx
Association’s Fiscal Year: Jan 1st to Dec 31st.
Association Dues:$90 annually
Next Installment Due Date: August 31st 2024
Next Installment Considered Late: Sept 15, 2024
Late Fees: $20/month Interest on Past Due Amounts:0
Special Assessments Currently Payable: NONE
Current Past Due Amount: as of the date of this letter
Dues are Paid:Annually
Closing Doc Fee due at closing$150 for seller and $100 for the buyer. Total of $250 you can pay online here: xxxxxxx or mail a check to the HOA
Any Legal issuesNone
Any ARC, violations or other issuesnone
Respectfully Submitted,
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
President xxxxxxxxxxxx Homeowners Association Inc.
Please print out these important documents below and give to the buyer at closing:
weblink of docs.

Hi everyone, I applied for a CTR position at Google here in Europe and I got an interview. I chose databases and cloud foundations. I would be grateful if you can give me any tips on how and what to prepare for the technical interview as well as for the behavioural and leadership interview, but especially the technical one and if you had the experience before, please let me know how it was, and what kind of questions you were asked, thank you

Wade took a breath as he picked up his old duffel bag, now loaded with his DD uniform and a few other items from the Ceres mines as he slotted it to his side, with the large band handle around his neck. Having gathered his belongings, he joined Tina, who was waiting near the ship's open bay door as he walked over to her. The couple watched several of the other troopers inside marching out as well, some carrying crates of supplies and items out of the craft as they departed for the base outside. Kelly was one of the last ones still on board, checking on a section of the cargo bay as she did what Wade presumed was some maintenance work.
With the way now clear, Wade and Tina stepped off the transport, glancing at the massive base around them as they touched the roughened pavement. Throughout the large landing port were several more chameleon dropships, their crews disembarking with similar items and loads of rescued drones aboard. Beyond the ships were several hangar bays and fighter craft, mostly A-20s and their space-borne cousins docked in lines going across the pad. And beyond the landing zone, towering over several buildings at the base, were the few cruisers docked to the large clamps holding them in place.
Walking ahead with Tina, Wade observed some of the departing Coalition troops as they neared one of several tents stationed near an inactive group of planes, the military personnel interacting and exchanging the crates with the Coalition officers upon reaching each other. Hearing a low roar of engines from afar, the lover drones looked upward to see the large USN warship that was present at the factory earlier, having followed the transport convoy home and now was beginning to descend for landing. Wade gave a silent gasp as he caught a glimpse of the ship's name and SIC number at the side, remembering it from the ship he and Ron saw while returning to Earth.
"Always a wondrous thing to see, isn't it Wade?" Tina said as she and her boyfriend watched the ship slowly come lower to the unoccupied dockyard clamps below it.
"Sure is, wonder how they built those babies?" Wade replied as the two looked upon the landing starship, the former worker drone smirking as he added, "I could've swore I saw that same exact ship over Henderson when Ron and I came back, before we got mugged earlier."
Tina glanced to Wade with surprise as she spoke up on his claim. "Really? Well, that had to be the one that helped our friends here back at the factory. I think I saw the same name on it too!"
"Wouldn't surprise me, seeing all that's happened today." Wade replied as he chortled a bit, Tina doing the same as the former spoke further. "I wonder, what kind of ship is the... Vickers again? You know?"
"Autumn class, dear. A heavy destroyer variant, not as strong as those enormous Yamato dreadnoughts or Adelaide battlecruisers, but she'll put up a good fight for whatever comes at her." Tina explained as she held back another chuckle, thinking of her education on various USN craft as she teased Wade lightly. "You know, I may just have to grab one of those ship roster tabs when we get in the base. I'd love to show you all they got in their arsenal."
Wade chortled again as he gave his thoughts on the idea. "Well, it wouldn't be bad to have a little more knowledge in ship-story."
Tina almost burst out laughing at his crude pun, Wade smiling at her as F and Nathan jogged over to the two, the latter carrying his own backpack behind him as he spoke. "Well, not a bad place, huh? You guys heading to the clearance station?"
"Oh yes, we were just admiring the ships around us while we walked." Tina said with a stifled laugh, easing herself as she chatted with her new friends. Wade, however, was quickly overcome with panic as he remembered something. Checking his pockets, his fears were confirmed as he failed to find one of his key possessions: his ID card. Wade felt he must have lost it when he was stripped of his old clothing while in the factory.
Oh no, guys? I don't think I can pass through." Wade said with greenish-yellow circles for eyes as Tina and the others looked to him in concern, the drone feeling through his pockets once more before stating his issue. "My ID, they must've taken it off me when they turned me into a disassembly drone!" Wade began to hyperventilate lightly as he grew fearful of the potential outcomes when they reached the security gate ahead. "Oouuugghh, if I don't have my ID, they'll have to keep me lo-"
"Wade, Wade... it's okay. I'll have them make a pass for you, surely we can get them to after getting them to understand what's happened." Tina stated as she put her hand to Wade's chest, who eased his panic as he looked to his girlfriend.
"Yeah, and besides Wade, those people over there went around gathering what ever items the company stole from the drones during their conversion. I'm sure that once they find it, they'll have it sent off to be given back to you!" Nathan said as F nodded in agreement, shunting Wade's panic out of him with their words as he replied to the hopeful responses.
"Right, yeah, they should do that. Sorry." Holding Tina's hand, Wade spoke to her once more. "Lead the way."
Tina nodded to Wade before the two began to walk over to the security gate nearby, several people, drones and humans alike, already in the line as they checked themselves in to the base to relax after the hard-fought battle. Once they reached the line, the four stood together as they waited for the line to slowly go up, more troops and rescued drones coming over to add to the long line. During the wait, a loud, mechanical 'SLAM' erupted through the air, prompting Wade and Tina to glance over to the direction of the noise. The two felt at ease once more as they saw the Vickers finally landed at the base, the loud clang being the docking clamps attaching to the ships hull just moments ago.
As the line moved up further to the gate, Wade and Tina caught sight of a pair of A-20 aircraft passing over them, the two watching as the planes slowed down while descending onto the runway nearby. The four drones' collective viewing of the fighters landing ceased as they caught sight of J, who took flight as she departed the transport nearby before flying over to the tents near the hangar bays.
"Huh, wonder what she's over there for?" Nathan said as he observed J landing onto the ground in front of one of the tents.
"Probably checking on the drones we got back, or meeting up with one of those commanders there." F said as she motioned an arm towards the tents, J walking under one as she made her way to one of the soldiers coming over to her. "Seems like the latter, from the looks of it."
Wade shrugged as he responded to the group's pondering over J's actions. "Well, she'll be here with us if we need her, right? Shouldn't be much to worry about."
Returning their focus to the line ahead, Wade and his team waited as the line moved up over the next few minutes, moving impressively fast as the people in front cleared themselves in one at a time. Eventually, the four of them were up, Tina stepping up to show her ID for clearance. "Hello, it's been a busy day, hasn't it?"
The security agent smirked at Tina's small-talk. "Hah, not too busy here until you all showed up."
As the guard finished scanning Tina's ID, she handed the card back to her as she raised a finger to begin her request. "Oh, um, there's a little issue we need to resolve." Putting a hand to Wade's arm, Tina explained her boyfriend. "This is my dear friend Wade, Wade Carter. We both managed to escape that blasted factory with the help of those Coalition folks there." Wade gave a pleading look as Tina continued. "Unfortunately, Wade was converted into a disassembly drone before he was rescued, and it seems those people at the company took all his belongings he had on him, including his ID. Do you think there's... anyway you could write up something to let him by?"
Stepping forward, F gave her end of the story. "I can vouch for him, Ma'am. Wade and I we're among the teams helping in getting the worker drones out of the factory during the operation." The disassembly drone pulled out a pair of cards as she finished her explanation, one of them being her company-issued Disassembly Service Passcard, which resembled a normal civilian ID in appearance, save for the 'JCJenson (In Spaaace!) Logo on the top left and hazard markings around the rim of the card. As for the other card, it was a well worn, still legitimate ID card, showing F as how she appeared when she was a worker drone. At the side of her picture was a name with an initial. "FELICITY A LEE"
Taking the two cards in her hand, she looked them over and scanned them as Nathan tried to back Wade up as well. "So can I, Ma'am! I helped there too, when he was under the company's control. We all got him out of the factory so we could get him back in order." Pulling out his own ID, Nathan handed it out as the guard returned F's IDs to her.
The guard accepted Nathan's ID as she spoke over what to do with Wade. "Well, normally it takes clearance from higher ranked personnel here to allow someone inside without a legitimate form of identification. We can't just take someone's word on things like this, after all." Tina seemed to frown in disappointment as the guard explained her protocols, Wade looking down at the ground as he felt his worries were about to be proven correct. Going over Nathan's ID further, she gave an intrigued expression at the card before continuing. "Huh, interesting. Got two veteran folks here, I see?" She glanced to Nathan and F as she said that, taking into account their former military background as the former spoke up.
"Three, actually. My pal Kurtis is somewhere back there, I think. He should be heading down here later this evening." The guard glanced back at Nathan's ID as she took in the veteran drone's reply, sighing as she decided to make a slight amendment to the issue put before her and the four friends.
"Well, seeing you two here, I believe I can write something up. The Major won't be happy with me for this, but I think I can trust you with appropriate behavior." Taking a small sticky name-tag, the woman pulled out a pen before starting to write on it. Initially, she glanced to Wade, who stated his name again before she began to write his name on the tag. Once she was finished, the guard gave the tag to Wade, who slapped it onto his jacket before she spoke to him. "You should be fine to enter for the most part, just stick close to your friends and don't cause any trouble. Understood?"
Wade gave a stern salute to the security officer, who held back a chuckle at the honest, yet amusing effort the disassembly drone showed to her. Giving a simple nod and a flick of her hand, she permitted Wade and his friends entrance to the base, the four walking past the walkway barricades as they made their way past the gate.
Wade let out a heavy sigh of relief as he thanked his allies. "I owe you both so much for this, thanks!"
"Don't mention it, Wade." F said warmly as she and Nathan laughed at his joyful face.
"Yeah, just doing what any good friend should." Nathan said as Tina wrapped an arm around Wade, holding him tightly as the two walked together.
Looking to his girlfriend, Wade spoke to Tina about what to do next. "Well, since we're in, you wanna go fi-" He ceased his words as he remembered that there was someone else they needed to find amongst the base. "Oh, I almost forgot about her,"
"Jasmine!" Tina and Wade said aloud together as the former remembered her sister, Wade's words snapping her mind to Jasmine in an instant. "We should look for her, you think she might be here somewhere?"
"Probably. If they got Ron after they captured me, they have to 've picked her up too." Wade stated, Nathan raising a hand as he offered to help.
"I could go looking for her! You know what she looks like?" Readying a holo-projector, he tried to display an image of Jasmine from one of his many memories of her. The picture was, while pixelated and under a blue hue, incredibly well-detailed. And for Nathan, that was all he needed to see to note Jasmine's appearance in his memory. Nodding, he spoke again to his friends. "Got it! I'll see if she's around!" Then, turning to run down one of the paths leading to a nearby base facility, he stopped as he asked one more question. "Oh! One more thing, you got a smartcomm on ya, Wade?"
Readying one from his holo-projector hand, he nodded as he spoke into it. "Seems so, though I don't seem to have all my contacts added in."
Running back over, Nathan pulled out his own smartcomm before putting it up against Wade's hand one, allowing the two devices to exchange information. Upon the devices beeping, Wade and Nathan nodded to each other, the former ignoring a pop-up that stated, "New Contact Added" while the latter spoke once more. "Okay, I'll call you once I spot her!" With that, he began running down the path once more, intent on finding Tina's sister at the base, wherever she could be.
"Fowley! Her last name's Fowley!" Tina said aloud to the departing Nathan, hoping he heard her words before turning away from the miner drone and facing Wade and F again.
As Tina sighed in partial relief, Wade put his own arm around her before asking the question he tried to ask before. "So, uh, with that out of the way for now... You wanna go look for one of those ship tabs?"
Putting a hand to Wade's chest, Tina smiled as she replied. "Oh, certainly." Then, as the three began walking down a different path that Nathan hadn't taken, the pilot drone continued with a chuckle. "I hear they have a place here that sells model kits too!"
...
Jasmine sat in silent sorrow as she took another gulp of her glass of Proxi-Vodka, a tasty, but heavy alcoholic beverage produced at the colony of Proxima 2... and one of Jasmine's preferred drinks to have when she wasn't in a good mood. When she awoke after being stunned by the station guards, she found that she was just recovered by a group that called themselves the 'United Earth Coalition', and that her drone friend, Tina, was unfortunately taken by the JCJenson corporation to be turned into one of their horrid disassembly drones. While the people that saved her offered to help her find Tina, so far there had been no luck in doing so. No successful calls, no response from Wade nor Ron, nothing.
The whole situation widdled at her like scrapes to her form, slowly draining any bit of hope that she had in finding her sister. And once the mission at that factory was over, the ship began heading back to the Nellis Base to escort the recovered drones back to a safe area. Unfortunately for Jasmine, Tina's presence was not given confirmation. Alone, she walked off to one of the bars down at the base, specifically Drexler's Cantina, one of the more popular bars down at the military starport. Thankfully, though she didn't openly exhibit feelings of wanting to be alone in her wallowing, she was glad the place was nearly barren of patrons, with only a few at a couple of tables within the bar.
The stage at the back of the bar also had a few singer drones performing aloud, the lead singer girl reciting the words of a quiet, yet exciting song that, instrumentally, consisted of a strange mix of bass, techno, and a hint of opera. The song itself was one Jasmine had heard a good many times before in her life, known as, 'You Complete My World' by a decades old Earth band by the name of HeartStar. The song, as Jasmine and many others who'd heard it interpreted it, was about someone who described their world like a puzzle, and that the one whom the main singer cared for beyond all was the only thing that could keep their world from shattering into ruin before them.
An oddly fitting tune, given what had just happened on the JCJ Central earlier. For all Jasmine knew, Tina was either alive beyond her knowledge, hopefully searching for her wherever she could, or, the answer Jasmine feared... Dead.
Not wanting to even consider the thought, the human pilot took another swig of the colonial Vodka, relishing in its taste before forcing herself to swallow, almost gagging from the strength of the drink. Easing herself, she glanced out to one of the windows of the bar, taking the faint glimpse of night into her eyes. Then, looking to the clock at the wall ahead of her, she saw the time was about a little over an hour to 10 pm. Jasmine gave a sigh to herself, certain she would be alone for the rest of the night.
Unbeknownst to her, however, Jasmine had been spied upon a little while ago. Nathan, in his search for the woman Tina called Jasmine Fowley, had spotted a woman matching the physical appearance of the target. Knowing Jasmine wouldn't know who he was if he tried to talk to her himself, Nathan immediately went looking for Wade, easing his return to his team by calling the former worker drone and signaling him about his findings.
Deciding to check on the news, Jasmine slowly pulled out her smartcomm, resisting her urge to press the contacts button as she tapped the news app. Looking through it, she spotted a recent story that was posted just over an hour ago, titled, "JCJenson 'Recall' effort sabotaged by joint Government/Militia forces! The Truth Exposed!" Above the article was a video, a play button in front of it teasing Jasmine. Curious over this sudden development, she pressed the button, her attention in complete focus on the video as it began to play.
After the news station's logo appeared on-screen for a short few seconds, the current host for the story, Mrs. Tiffany Joy, appeared at her seat before beginning the story. "Good evening, this is Nevada-78, I'm your host, Tiffany Joy. Tonight, we start with a rapid development for the 'drone recall' incidents propagated by the business conglomerate JCJenson In Space. Throughout the afternoon up to now, several advanced factories under the ownership of the corporation have fallen under violent assault by various militarized forces, ranging from official United Nations operatives to private militia groups with varying goals." The small screen to Joy's left shifted to show the state of Nevada, zooming into it to show a portion of the Mojave desert as Joy continued her story.
"Among these facilities, one such factory based right here in southern Nevada has recently succumbed to the successful efforts of the USN Defense Force and a group by the name of the United Earth Coalition, an alliance consisting of humans and automatons working to create a unified world for both species." The screen shifted again to show the logo for the UEC, which appeared as one half of a human head outline and another of a drone's, along with two arms behind the heads belonging to both beings pictured. "With the attack having concluded just hours ago, we have reporters gathering at the New Nellis Staryards near Henderson City to bring you the aftermath of the conflict. We go to Mr. Jelico, on the scene in five."
The camera shifted after the countdown of five to show Mr. Jelico in front of the camera, the cameraman filming a large tent housing several worker drones being tended to by the base soldiers. "Alright, Jelico here, we're on station at New Nellis. What you're all seeing here are some of the recovered worker drones, many of them were pretty spooked by the events that unfolded in that factory earlier." As the camera panned over the lot of drones, some of them looked to the camera, curious at the news crew filming them as Jelico continued. "A few of them are real glad to be here, Joy. Seems like they feel safe here, as far as I can tell."
As the camera moved to show Jelico again, a plane could be seen taking off as he spoke. "Yeah, these people did them quite a service. The staff here are working to find their original owners and families, it'll probably be a little bit before they can get them all home." The camera switched once again to another view of the base, the lights of various buildings illuminating the night as the news story continued.
At the entrance, Nathan pushed open the door to the bar, the chime failing to catch anyone's attention as he, Wade, F and Tina stepped inside. Carefully pointing at Jasmine, he whispered to Tina, "That's her, from the looks of it. She's been here for a good minute!"
Taking another drink of the Proxi-Vodka, Jasmine listened further to the story. "The authorities didn't just recover a majority of the worker drones taken into the factory, however. A recent update provided by Mrs. Yuka, shows her interviewing a disassembly drone who claims to be among the unfortunate drones the assault force failed to save before their conversion."
"Jasmine!" Tina called out, the voice instantly grabbing the woman's attention as she paused the news story. Swiftly turning her head, her heart began pounding with immense excitement as she saw her drone sister, who grinned upon seeing her face.
"Tina!" Jasmine said aloud, somewhat weakly from her previous wallowing as she tried to run over to her sister, landing on her knees as the two embraced in a flush of emotions. Wade and his friends stood behind the two girls as they hugged each other, clinging onto one another as tightly as they could give. Jasmine seemed to erupt with a pained cough as she allowed some of her sorrow out of her heart, Tina carressing her back in a comforting manner as she held back her own tears. The sisters held the hug for a long moment, not daring to let go of one another for fear of losing each other again. Eventually, however, they did, the two sisters taking heavy breaths as Jasmine spoke up while wiping her face. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Can't say I didn't feel the same way, love." Tina replied as she broke out in light laughter, glancing to Wade before continuing. "But, fortunately, those Coalition boys helped out quite a bit. Though, not as much as my knight in his new armor."
Standing herself up, Jasmine took Tina's helping hand as she looked to the one her sister spoke of. A grateful smile formed on Jasmine's face as she saw Wade, standing in front of her and Tina as he returned the expression. Looking upon her family friend, Jasmine noticed something... different about Wade. He was taller now, his arms were shaped like white cones rather than the silver bendy tubes he and Tina normally had. As for his face, his pure green eyes were replaced with a set of greenish-yellow ones, and above his forehead was a band holding five yellow bulbs that she didn't know the function of.
While the pieces started to click together in her head, Jasmine took Wade's held out hand as she spoke to him. "Wade, I'm so glad to see you! You look different, too. Did something... happen to you?" She already guessed it by this point, but feigned confusion as she opted to hear Wade's take on the matter.
"Yeah, I hope you don't mind your sister dating a vampire from now on." Tina chortled in amusement at Wade's comment at himself, Jasmine raising an eyebrow in confusion at the former worker drone as he returned his expression to a more sincere smile. "The company got me too, and unlike the workers we got out... they managed to turn me into a disassembly drone. From now on, I'm gonna need to take in more oil than I usually did before I was turned. My cooling system's not as good as it should be, from what I've heard." Pulling out his two full canteens, Wade finished his partial explanation. "Don't worry, though. I've got some to keep me down."
Jasmine took in the news with immense surprise, noticing the hazard stripes at the rims of Wade's arms as she replied to her friend. "Oh... Well, if Tina's fine with it, then I see no problem with that, Wade." Admittedly, she was a bit unnerved by the change, concerned for both him and Tina's safety due to this supposed oil coolant issue. Trying to sound as nice as she could on the matter, Jasmine hesitantly asked Wade, "Though... I am a bit concerned with that bad cooling problem you mention. You... don't think you would-"
"Hurt Tina?!" Wade assumed, understanding Jasmine's concern as he gave a horrified glance to the two sisters. Standing with his fists to his hips, he gave his answer to Jasmine's presumed question. "Don't even say such a thing, Jasmine. I'd rather overheat than dare strike her."
Admittedly amused as well as concerned for Wade's selflessness, Tina chuckled at him before speaking up on the matter. "Now now, Wade. It won't be so bad. We'll manage."
Jasmine nodded as she agreed with her sister's optimistic view on the problem. "Indeed we will, we always do." Then, taking notice of the other two drones in the room, Jasmine smiled at them before speaking again. "Ah, I see you brought some friends too."
Wade and Tina glanced over to Nathan and F upon Jasmine's statement, the two friends smiling pleasantly as Wade spoke up. "Oh, yeah. These are some of my work buddies from Ceres, Jasmine. This is Nathan, I first met him when Ron and I came to the mines, showed us around a bit too." Putting a hand on F's shoulder, Wade introduced her too. "And this is Serial Designation F, or, just F. She was one of the guards keeping watch on the place while we worked."
F seemed to blush out of embarrassment as she remembered her and Wade's first meeting. "I... did come off a little rough on them when they first came in, though. Stopped Nathan's touring run too. Just following colony protocol."
Nathan patted F's back as he tried to ease F's guilt. "Oh, it's nothing F. We had to start work in a few minutes anyway. Besides, it's a bit more fun exploring the place yourself without a guide." He winked at the others as he finished his praise. "Trust me, it really is."
Wade, Tina and Jasmine all chuckled at their friend's amusing words, F joining in as she replied to Nathan's encouragement. "Alright, alright."
Walking up to the two, Tina put her hand onto Nathan's as she gave her own praises. "And they may not look like it, dear, but Nathan and F were both formerly in the military, from what Wade's told me."
Jasmine gave a proud smirk at the two as she responded to her sister's claim. "Well, that's quite something. Did she tell you we used to fly for them some years back?"
"Oh, she did, Mrs. Fowley." Nathan replied as he chuckled lightly, F giving a smile of her own as she added her own part to the story.
"Yeah, and given what's happening now, maybe they might call you back for service again. Wade told me you two were excellent pilots."
It was now Jasmine's turn to blush as she chuckled from the compliment, knowing Wade's high praise for her and her sister's flying as she replied. "Well, I can't say that's wrong, Tina saved the day during the flight back here. We ran into an asteroid cluster while in the middle of a jump."
Wade patted Tina on her back as he quietly cheered his love on. "That's what I'm talking about, she's a wonder among the stars, I'm telling you!"
The group fell into an excited fit of laughter at the conversation, a few of the bar patrons taking notice of the bunch as they eventually ceased their joyful moment.
As everyone calmed down, Jasmine spoke up, intending to bring the discussion to another place. "Well, with all that said, it feels great to see you all here. It was such a terrible day after all those company folk showed up." Then, as she scanned the group of friends around her, she noticed someone else missing from this puzzle. "Hey, uh... is Ron here? Did he head off somewhere?"
The mood was quickly put down to a mournful aura as Wade and Tina glanced to the floor in sadness, Nathan and F giving uncomfortable postures as they awaited for someone to speak up on the matter.
Eventually, Wade was the one to open his mouth, breathing steadily as he tried to speak to Jasmine. "Um, Jasmine? Things, uh... really took a nose dive after we got captured. You think we could find a place to sit? It's a lot to talk about."
Looking to the four drones with concern, Jasmine eased her returning fear as she nodded to Wade in agreement. "...Sure, there's plenty of space at the table here." Pointing her arm to the table, which was surrounded by a U-shaped seating bench, Wade and his friends began to move to the table as Tina spoke up.
"I can get us some drinks for the talk, you all want anything?"
"Just some oil, thanks. "Wade answered as F and Nathan gave their own nods to Tina, the drone girl walking over to the bartender near the stage as she went to purchase some beverages.
Sitting down, Jasmine picked up her smartcomm from the table, glancing to it as she spoke up on her half-finished drink. "Heh, and to think I was drowning myself in this drag of a drink before. Probably have to find a different glass."
"Proxi-Vodka? Haven't seen you touch that since we lost Aunt Susan." Wade said solemnly as he examined Jasmine's drink, sighing as he reluctantly continued. "Well, maybe it can go for a few more sips."
Looking to the vodka, Jasmine nodded as she put her smartcomm in her pocket. "I figured, I didn't think this was gonna sound good."
"I wish it did." Wade replied as Tina walked back to the table, a plate of three oil glasses resting on her careful hand as she set it down.
After delivering the drinks, Tina took a seat next to Wade, holding his hand as Jasmine spoke up. "So, where do we start this terrible story?"
Wade gulped a bit as he began to recount the events that transpired today. "Well, it all started when Ron and I came back from the mining colony."

Are you an international student planning to explore Germany? From vibrant cities to picturesque landscapes, Germany offers a rich cultural experience for students from around the world. In this guide, we'll dive into essential travel tips to help you make the most of your time in this diverse and fascinating country.

Understanding German Culture and Etiquette

Before embarking on your journey, it's essential to familiarize yourself with German culture and etiquette. Germans value punctuality, so be sure to arrive on time for appointments and meetings. When greeting someone, a firm handshake and maintaining eye contact are customary.

Language Tips for Getting Around

While many Germans speak English, especially in urban areas, learning some basic German phrases can enhance your experience. Guten Tag (Good day), Danke (Thank you), and Bitte (Please) are useful words to know. Consider downloading a translation app to assist you in communication.

Navigating Public Transportation

Germany boasts an efficient public transportation system, including trains, trams, and buses. Investing in a BahnCard can save you money on train fares, while local transportation passes are ideal for exploring cities like Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.

Exploring Cultural Landmarks

From the historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany is home to a wealth of cultural landmarks. Be sure to visit museums like the Deutsches Museum in Munich and the Berlin Wall Memorial to delve into the country's history.

Sampling German Cuisine

No trip to Germany is complete without indulging in its culinary delights. Savor traditional dishes such as Bratwurst (grilled sausages), Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), and Schnitzel (breaded meat cutlets). Don't forget to pair your meal with a refreshing German beer or Riesling wine.

Embracing Outdoor Activities

Germany's natural beauty invites outdoor enthusiasts to explore its scenic landscapes. Hike along the Black Forest trails, cruise the Rhine River, or cycle through the Bavarian Alps. Remember to pack appropriate gear and check weather forecasts before outdoor adventures.

Student-Friendly Accommodations

As an international student, you'll find a range of accommodation options in Germany. Consider student residences, shared apartments (Wohngemeinschaften), or hostels for budget-friendly stays. Booking in advance is recommended, especially during peak travel seasons.

Embracing Diversity and Inclusivity

Germany embraces diversity and inclusivity, making it a welcoming destination for students of all backgrounds. Explore multicultural neighborhoods, attend cultural events, and engage with local communities to broaden your perspectives and experiences.

Budgeting and Financial Tips

Managing finances is crucial during your stay in Germany. Create a budget for essentials like accommodation, food, transportation, and leisure activities. Take advantage of student discounts, explore affordable dining options, and use public transportation to save on travel expenses.

Staying Safe and Healthy

Prioritize your health and safety while traveling in Germany. Carry essential documents like your passport and health insurance information. Familiarize yourself with emergency numbers and healthcare facilities in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Conclusion

Exploring Germany as an international student is a rewarding journey filled with cultural immersion, culinary delights, and memorable experiences. By following these travel tips, you'll navigate the country with confidence and create lasting memories of your time in this enchanting destination. Prost (Cheers) to your German adventure!
Are you an international student planning to explore Germany? From vibrant cities to picturesque landscapes, Germany offers a rich cultural experience for students from around the world. In this guide, we'll dive into essential travel tips to help you make the most of your time in this diverse and fascinating country.

Understanding German Culture and Etiquette

Before embarking on your journey, it's essential to familiarize yourself with German culture and etiquette. Germans value punctuality, so be sure to arrive on time for appointments and meetings. When greeting someone, a firm handshake and maintaining eye contact are customary.

Language Tips for Getting Around

While many Germans speak English, especially in urban areas, learning some basic German phrases can enhance your experience. Guten Tag (Good day), Danke (Thank you), and Bitte (Please) are useful words to know. Consider downloading a translation app to assist you in communication.

Navigating Public Transportation

Germany boasts an efficient public transportation system, including trains, trams, and buses. Investing in a BahnCard can save you money on train fares, while local transportation passes are ideal for exploring cities like Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg.

Exploring Cultural Landmarks

From the historic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany is home to a wealth of cultural landmarks. Be sure to visit museums like the Deutsches Museum in Munich and the Berlin Wall Memorial to delve into the country's history.

Sampling German Cuisine

No trip to Germany is complete without indulging in its culinary delights. Savor traditional dishes such as Bratwurst (grilled sausages), Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), and Schnitzel (breaded meat cutlets). Don't forget to pair your meal with a refreshing German beer or Riesling wine.

Embracing Outdoor Activities

Germany's natural beauty invites outdoor enthusiasts to explore its scenic landscapes. Hike along the Black Forest trails, cruise the Rhine River, or cycle through the Bavarian Alps. Remember to pack appropriate gear and check weather forecasts before outdoor adventures.

Student-Friendly Accommodations

As an international student, you'll find a range of accommodation options in Germany. Consider student residences, shared apartments (Wohngemeinschaften), or hostels for budget-friendly stays. Booking in advance is recommended, especially during peak travel seasons.

Embracing Diversity and Inclusivity

Germany embraces diversity and inclusivity, making it a welcoming destination for students of all backgrounds. Explore multicultural neighborhoods, attend cultural events, and engage with local communities to broaden your perspectives and experiences.

Budgeting and Financial Tips

Managing finances is crucial during your stay in Germany. Create a budget for essentials like accommodation, food, transportation, and leisure activities. Take advantage of student discounts, explore affordable dining options, and use public transportation to save on travel expenses.

Staying Safe and Healthy

Prioritize your health and safety while traveling in Germany. Carry essential documents like your passport and health insurance information. Familiarize yourself with emergency numbers and healthcare facilities in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Conclusion

Exploring Germany as an international student is a rewarding journey filled with cultural immersion, culinary delights, and memorable experiences. By following these travel tips, you'll navigate the country with confidence and create lasting memories of your time in this enchanting destination. Prost (Cheers) to your German adventure!

Hello, anyone here na nainterview po sa RT&Co. What should I expect po during the interview? For HR and Manager? Thank you so much!

Hey everyone. Hoping to get some advice on a situation we have. My wife is trying to break into cybersecurity field and been applying to jobs. She was approached by a recruiter who offered her to help with her resume and interview skills. Also offered to link her with some expert in cybersecurity so she can work on some project to show as experience on her resume, bring her job postings and such. In exchange they are asking for 2k upfront and if she gets a job through them .. they will be charging a percentage of her salary for a year. Is this legit? Or a scam? We checked their linkdin profile and they dont look fake. Please hep with any advice or input you have. Thanks

Hi, Has anyone completed the interview for the EO compliance officer role for HMRC? How was it? How many strength questions were there? Thank you

Hello! I received an email from FEU that they have the result of my examination and I am for interview.
Any tips or maybe anyone can share their experience?
Can I consider this as an admission to the college?
Thank you!

hey yall, i feel quite silly typing this but i’m not enjoying my environmental science course at uni. i like it enough but i don’t think i want to do environmental work as a career. i have no idea what else i’d want to do in life, like maybe law maybe psych maybe nursing maybe occupational therapy, but i’m super hesitant because i don’t want to waste another year of education for smth im not sure about. trouble is i’ve moved out and in student accomodation, which kinda locks me into uni for at least a year. i have a girlfriend and a few close friends here but no secure flatting arrangement for next year. if i’m feeling this unstable, would it be a good idea to move home and take a gap year, travel and work? i feel like a break from education may be good for me, and i don’t know what i actually want in life. it will be really disruptive to leave my college town and the rest of my uni years would be a bit lonely as gap yearing mid way would put me out of touch with a lot of my friends, but i think that’s better than wasting money studying something i don’t feel passionate about. should i stay here and try something new next year (nursing is def on my radar but i’m a bit detered due to the conditions and pay) or gap year, work travel volunteer, and come back to uni the next year? has anyone here had similar experiences, and how did it go for you? thanks x

I just invited to an HR interview for the position network operations engineer. I just want to ask if maganda ba itong maging pathway for network engineer roles?. I just graduated and just recently passed my board exam last month ( ECE ). And paano kaya hiring process ni converge po? Thank you

Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting an ADHD coach and want to make sure I don't just go along with the wrong person out of politeness.
I'm trying to think about it like an interview or a quote for some work around the house, I think it'll help me to stay confident and not buckle and commit to something without due consideration.
So, what would you want to know about a prospective coach? What would you ask them in an interview? Have you had coaching? If so, would you have asked in hindsight?
Thank you in advance. If I get a lot of suggestions from the community, I'll make my own interview check list/evaluation sheet I'll share it for others to use 😊

I recently interviewed for a primary PGCE course at Cambridge. I was unsuccessful, and the reason they provided was “You were not able to meet our admissions criteria at interview. This may relate to…. teaching method knowledge or teaching demonstration.”
Through all my research into how approach the interview, I wasn’t aware that I had to already know how to be a teacher. Now I am really anxious for my other interviews, as this was my first one.
Any advice? In particular to this feedback that I received?
Thanks in advance all.

Hello! I am 21F, living in the US looking for a long term pen pal! I don’t have a preference in gender but would like to stay between my age range, (20-30). I am open to both US and international penpals!
About me: I enjoy the outdoors and am currently in school to work in conservation. I love being in nature by going on hikes and meditating or simply practicing yoga on the beach. I have a special place in my heart for the arts and always crave being creative in some kind of form. Whether its sketching, going to museums, writing, listening to music ( indie, jazz and classical are my favorites!) watching films. I also love to read, although if I’m being honest, I don’t have too much time to do so, and i love anime as well! (studio ghibli! ) Another hobby of mine is cooking and I would love someone to share or trade recipes with!
I prefer starting off through email and switching over to written letters over time. I would love to write long letters about anything and everything (perhaps little stickers or drawings as well!) and stay in touch for a long time with a box full of old letters that I can look back on when I am gray and old. :)
Please feel free to reach out if you are interested! Thank you ♡

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting here so please be gentle <3
I'm at a bit of a crossroads and desperately need advice from more experienced people than me. To give you some context on me, I'm an international student graduating with distinction from a top Electrical Engineering program in Canada. My experience includes:

• 12 months of internship experience in Canada, 8 of which was at a Fortune 500 company
• 11 months at a top tech company you're definitely familiar with in the Bay Area (not Amazon)
• ran my University's biggest engineering design team
• built and scaled a startup as a founding team member that's been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch and elsewhere

Besides that, I've been a Teaching Assistant and Residence Advisor on campus twice.
Last bit of context: I was on a J1 visa during my internship in the US, which has a two-year homestay requirement (I have to return home for two years before I can work in the US again). While there is a waiver for it, the way it's looking, I may not even be able to get that waived for at least 6 months. Because of this, I already lost my opportunity to return to the company I interned with in the US immediately post-grad.
I'm in the process of interviewing for an in-person founding team member role at a top Y-Combinator startup in the Bay Area; the team is absolutely world-class, already funded and generating revenue. It's honestly the sort of opportunity I would have only been able to dream about before starting my degree, and now it's enough of a reality that a recruiter reached out to me for it.
I am also actively applying to opportunities in Canada; I paid for my last year of undergrad myself through the money I earned in my internships, so I have nothing left and am in need of some sort of employment in the next few weeks or so (sort of starving at the moment). While I haven't done most of my 'big' applications yet, I feel somewhat confident that with enough time and effort, I will at least be able to get interviews in Canada in the short-term.
My dilemma is whether to stay in Canada or move to the US. As grateful as I am to be in Canada (and I really am - I love it here), there aren't really any opportunities in Canada that compare to being a founding team member at a YC startup straight out of University. But - and this is the dilemma - I don't even see a path in the short-term to an H1B visa in the US, let alone permanent residency, while in Canada, especially as an engineering graduate from a Canadian University, that's much, much more likely. And while there isn't a comparable opportunity for me here as far as I can see, there are plenty of cutting-edge opportunities in tech in Canada too.
My questions are:

1. Would you suggest staying in Canada or moving to the US? I'm aware that I haven't actually received any offers yet, but I anticipate that this will become a very real issue for me soon and would love to get some opinions before that
2. While I mentioned to the recruiter that contacted me about the Bay Area opportunity some of the complications of my visa situation, I'm not entirely sure how much the team is aware of them. They mentioned that they're happy to sponsor visas, but it seems as if they want someone for this role soon and my minimum timeline may be 4-6 months. I'm supposed to complete a writing exercise as Interview Round II and meet with the CEO to discuss it - should I mention the specifics of my situation via email or during the interview?
3. Any general advice from others who graduated with a bunch of experience on how to maximise the value of that experience? I've worked really, really hard to put myself through my degree and succeed as much as I could, but realised I still don't have a clear idea of what I want to do yet. I do want to ensure I actually use the experience I have to maximise my advantage.

Thank you so much in advance, I really appreciate your input!

My partner and I are looking for a house and lot within our budget. Madalas sa mga nakikita naming sample computation, may suggested na "bank loan = monthly income required" section.
Masyadong mababa yung income namin sa required ng banks.
However, we have almost 50% of the total price of the house and lot just from our savings over the years.
Lately, may nakita kaming "deferred payment" option, wherein you basically buy the property directly from the developer, but you pay in big chunks of money for a small amount of time.
From what I understand, they don't need to see how much yung monthly income mo. Is this correct?
Has anyone tried this payment option for any real estate property? Thank you po sa sasagot!

I was unemployed since 1.5 years now due to abrupt layoff from a SAAS company I was working on "X" Salary layoff wasn;t due to performance issue though, company has habit of laying off
I worked coupled of jobs for say 3 day and 1.5 months respectively in the unemployed tenure of 1.5 years I left then and there I did not liked toxic work culture and I back my decision till date as my mental peace is extremely important to me post abrupt layoff.
Was interviewed by Paypal last year 3 rounds just to be told that I am not from payments industry at end of 3rd round (wired)
Couple of weeks ago suddenly got call from Paypal recruiter for interviews - I raised about last ti e how it went
Again gave 3 more rounds of interview - this time selected but what they did was nothing less than rediculous

• BAse poay 15% lesser than last drawn (I am at all not happy about this one)
  
• Aggressive Variable (Hey I am in sales, but variable is variable)
  
• No negotiation on Base Pay
  
• Recruiter sent Letter Of Intent not offer LEtter with someones else's name !! Yes you rea that right
  

I wasn't hapopyw ith anyof this, I was only given 19 hours toa cceot this offer or offer lapses, I reluctantly accepted this offer for now, Not excited ,feeling cheated What next?

this is a wlw story.
she's my blockmate this 2nd sem, 1st year college kami and same field. she caught my eye nung first day, and ganon din sya sakin. she's nonchalant type, ako naman oa. very different personalities kami. so straight to the point, nagkaron kami ng something. mu kami, like magulong ugnayan. she's always assuring me na she's interested, na she wanna work this out with me, na marami syang nilu-look forward with me pero never ko naman naramdaman na she mean it. hindi sa may trust issues ako or what, pero hindi kasi nagtutugma mga sinasabi nya. everytime na nag oopen up ako ng concern ko na i can't feel na interested sya sakin (kasi ikaw ba naman iwan on delivered messages for hours, tapos ako i always make time for her), sasabihin nya lang na 'thank you for telling me, at least alam ko na gagawin ko' pero wala naman talaga syang ginagawa to change it. I've been very patient with her, iniisip nalang na baka nag aadjust pa sya, but no. sinasabi nya pa na it takes two to tango, pero ako lagi yung nag eexert ng effort saming dalawa. binibigyan nya'ko lagi ng assurance na hindi naman nya ginagawa. since nonchalant type sya, she can't really express herself. pero kasi naniniwala ako na kapag gusto may paraan. yung kahit small things lang, it matters to me na. kaso wala talaga. until naramdaman ko na backburner and for convenience nya lang ako. i stayed because I really wanted to work it with her and ayokong isipin nya na hindi ko sya naiintindihan.
lahat ng problems nya sa buhay iniintindi ko and dinadamayan ko sya sa lahat. binibigay ko rin yung sa tingin kong kailangan nya, which is time, space, and understanding. sa kanya pa nanggaling na kapag may problem kami, we communicate it. pero ako lang yung vocal samin. until last week, she ended things between us. isang bagsakan nya lang din sinabi lahat ng concern nya about us. hindi naman ako nagkulang sa pagtatanong kung okay lang ba sya.
she told me her personal reasons. yung sa family nya, and for sure yung financial din. di rin kasi biro yung tuition sa nursing school. plus hindi sya natutuwa sa nangyayari sa acads nya, and i understand that.
so can you tell me, ABYG samin kasi nag expect ako kahit paulit ulit naman na nagpakita sya ng inconsistency and lack of interest?