Tag: living abroad

briefly on my panic attack; focus more on this German medical bill

Published on by Greta Brombeere1 Comment

I had a panic attack last month at our weekly Monday morning meeting. sure I have a lot of responsibilities as managing the training agency, but honestly nothing was overwhelming me in my life at that time.

It started with me being forgetful, leaving my wallet at home. then the dizziness set in. I felt my tongue to be swollen, and then I couldn’t even form sentences during the meeting. it got so bad that I became worried- which we all know, makes it worse. My heart started to race, and I was secretly looking up the symptoms of a stroke on my laptop.

I closed the laptop, and announced to the team (in an incoherent sentence) that I had to go to the hospital. My assistant (German native) took me to the ER in a taxi.

All that happened was I had a panic attack. not a stroke (lol).

 

okay..funny but not funny. but funny now.

 

Fast-forward a month to today when I opened my mailbox to find a letter from the hospital.

 

Now I am not early exorbitant amounts of money as an englishtrainer slash agency manager. we’re small. so of course I was less than excited, and even started pre-planning how I was going to have to go to the bank to apply for a loan.

 

how American of me.

 

BECAUSE THIS BILL IS ONLY FOR 10 FKIN EUROS.

 

ten bucks!

 

I went to the er, got sedated, checked by a professional, left after a few hours, AND IT ONLY COST TEN BUCKS.

 

so clearly I am amazedhappyenthralledoverjoyedconfusedinquizzativebutdontreallycarecauseitsonlyTENBUCKS…

 

awesome Germany. two thumbs up.

thanks for anyone not having to worry about getting worried.

 

(but also I pay about 40 percent of my monthly salary to the state so, I thank myself too). #curtsy

Greta tries.. the flea market

Published on by Greta Brombeere1 Comment

fleamarket

So, over winter break I read Sophia Amoruso’s #GirlBoss book and became obsessed with all things eBay. Her journey from online eBay store with 50 bucks in her pocket to multi-million dollar online and brick-and-mortar empire inspired me get out there and sell things. I set up an eBay account, went out to secondhand stores and started scouting for free marketing platforms.

Unfortunately I never carried any selling or even putting the clothes online. Womp womp..

And I told my boyfriend about all of my reselling dreams and he was hyped about it! He was equally as disappointed to find out that I got stuck in the procrastination and fear of putting things out there. Which, by the way, is not a good excuse.

girlbossbook

So now, in a pledge to redeem myself, I have committed to a flea market coming up at the end of January. In Germany… Meaning of course, that all of this will have to be sold in the German language. Must. find. inner. GIRLBOSS.

I have lived in Germany for a little over a year now and mein deutsch ist mittlemaessig. This will effectively double the challenge.

Things being sold at the flea market include:

  • shirts, sweaters, pants, and essentially half of my wardrobe
  • a Calvin Klein spring coat which is way too large for my size (and always has been)
  • books in english, not an easy sell

The goal, aside from completing the task, is to at least make the money back that it costs to rent a stand at the flea market. D and I have split the total cost of 30 Euros for a personal cost of 15Euros.

In my experience as a flea market goer and haggler, this won’t be as easy as it sounds. Most clothes can go for anywhere from 50 cents to 5 Euros. And that’s if I sell anything at all.

So far the piles of clothing are high enough to fill another’s empty closet. Good sign for making some money, right? Well, Germans are stereotypically frugal and have the great advantage of being fluent German speakers. Not to worry, I have some strategies.

I have luckily taught negotiation strategy English classes to major companies and department stores. I will need to sell my jeans and shirts for a minimum of 1 Euro each. The coat will need to be a minimum of 5. Books can go for 50 cents if I’m lucky. Every negotiation conversation will need to start at double the price for the goal prices to be achieved.

Either way, this should be an interesting test of my german skills, selling skills, and overcoming the devil we all call procrastination. An update will be posted in the beginning  of February.

Do you guys have any tips and tricks for selling your old clothing, haggling or setting up a tent at a flea market? If so, ANY information is appreciated!

Wish me luck 🙂

(photo source 1)

(photo source 2)