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Monika

Monika is from a German village of only 300 people, where her large and close-knit family farms. Monika was very involved in her community, by volunteering as a paramedic and playing trumpet in church choirs whilst finishing up her degree in Human Resources – Business Education. Their post-doc journey all started when Monika's partner Thomas was invited to sunny California to interview for a position at Cal Tech. Monika came with Thomas for the interview and could see the potential to live in California. “We felt comfortable and liked the area!” Monika also fell in love with the “really good vegetarian options.”

After Thomas was rewarded with the position; Monika and Thomas “weighed the pros and cons.” With the support from their family; they decided to take the plunge and move to the U.S. Monika’s Mom reminded them, “We have a guest room, if it doesn’t work out you can come back right away. This is what made the decision really easy for us,” said Monika.

Being the go-getter that Monika is, she contacted a local Pasadena company regarding employment positions, and after three interviews and perseverance she landed a position in her field! Monika thought, “There is a chance that I can start here, that I have something, and this made it definitely easier for me.”

Closer to the move, Monika became worried that she would not be able to connect with her family as much as she liked; “My parents and grandparents are really old so they don’t have WhatsApp, smart phones, no Skype…they have nothing!” As well, the 12 hour flight home seemed really far. Monika’s mom encouraged that “no news was good news” and later Monika was able to get a phone plan that had unlimited calling to Germany. “To be honest my brothers and sisters and I have a closer relationship now! We don’t take each other for granted and send more pictures and texts.”

The transition to California was “last moment” because Monika was busy finishing her bachelor’s degree; “On Friday I went to the university to submit my bachelor thesis and on Saturday we went to LAX! There was no time to think about moving and this made it easier for me.” At first “…the transition was really hard because I was not used to being alone” and “I was shy about my English.” Monika also had bureaucratic difficulties with acquiring her license to drive. Monika knew that she needed to get involved in her community like she had always enjoyed. “My life has always been in volunteering!” she stated in her Caltech International Spouses Club (CISC) introduction.

Monika arranged to practice her English with an American conversation partner, began fostering cats, and joined the recreation group at CISC. I became more and more involved in [CISC] groups, giving ideas for groups and attending most of the CISC events. I grew up in a very small village and did not have opportunities to meet people from different cultures. So CISC was a very good place for me to learn about different cultures. And so for me it became more and more important. Every nationality can learn from another nationality.” Eventually Monika was asked to run for CISC president; “they said, Hey Monika, you are doing it anyway, why don’t you do it officially?” Monika accepted the request!

Through CISC, Monika gained friends and became best friends with the treasurer, “She became my best friend now…I would have never found a good friend like her”. Not only did Monika make friends and learn the English language, she learnt new skills that she had never tried before: “I became involved in sport…I am now addicted to Zumba and did a 5K run. At CISC, we also share great practical information about supermarkets, hairdressers, and travel etc.” Monika found it helpful to find something just for her and the same time opportunities for your partner to join in, “My Thomas is working 80-90 hours week. He also found friends and he did benefit.”

Reflecting back on her situation; “I thought it was going to be much harder… I learnt so many lessons… and gained so many experiences; the language, friends, knowledge about cultures, a great resume and helped people!”

Created By
Amanda Priddle and Christophe Marcade
Appreciate

Credits:

Christophe Marcade

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