Unemployed

So my contract in Bremen officially came to an end on Wednesday last week.  The last two years have flown by and I am thoroughly settled in here.  I started asking for an extension to my contract in March 2011.  I finally got confirmation that I would have a new contract on Tuesday last week - maybe you can imagine how unsettling it was during the in between time...

On Wednesday, I received a letter to confirm that my contract would run on from the 1st August (that day).  This was a huge relief as it meant I was also covered for August even though we don't go back to work until September.  You can imagine my disappointment then, to receive a call later that afternoon to say that actually it would run from August 29th and only if I spend the last few days before my holidays running around Bremen sorting paperwork.  This also means signing on for unemployment benefits for the first time in my life in order to make rent in September.  

I'm finally sorted for my contract but the paperwork on the benefits is still being processed and I find it really frustrating.  The only comfort is that it's out of my hands and I just have to wait for other people to do their thing.

I still find it hard to believe that having worked hard all my life to get a great education and moving to another country to secure a job, I am still having to sign on.  I have never had sympathy for unemployed people as I was of the opinion that you can always do more, or find something to keep you going but now I see that in some cases, you really can get stuck.  Again, I'm just having to keep in mind that at least it is just for one month and hopefully it won't happen again!