This Year is Going so Fast

I've been feeling a bit depressed this weekend from thinking about the future and the logistical problems that go with it. What the hell am I doing with my life in the short and long term? Of course, I did submit my application for a year's extension, but I won't know the status of that until April. If I do get to stay (which I think is pretty probable), I want to spend the summer here working. But the problem with that is that I'd have to find a work permit and do all of that complicated bureaucratic stuff. Of course, I could go back to Athens for the summer to work and come back here in the fall. This may sound sacrilegious or irreverent or something, but I seriously don't want to! Yes, I do miss my friends and family... but there are people here (OK- one in particular) I would miss too and I know that being in the US again would just irk me to no end. I know, i'm an irretrievable euro-snob. Sorry. It's just who I am. I'd love to come back to see my friends and family for about three weeks... but three months??? I'm going to city hall tomorrow to ask about an Arbeitserlaubnis and I'll take my charm with me as a weapon. I figure if I'm going to be employed here next year anyway (hopefully), a summer job shouldn't be that difficult. We'll see what happens. The easy thing to do would be to simply come back and find a permanent job, since I've got some good experiences and would be qualified for some interesting things. But, the thing is... I'm seriously in love with this country and want to do everything I can to stay. It isn't easy... but I've had a few runarounds with the Austrian authorities and I'm up for struggling with them some more. If I'm proactive about it, it's not so depressing. It's kind of a mixture of fate, ambition, and initiative. Que sera sera.