Welcome to the real world. Now please give a lecture.

As many of you know, I spent the past month or so obsessing about the latest challenge in my new and important life as a Fulbright scholar: The Dreaded Lecture. I had to give a 20-40 minute presentation on the findings of my project so far to a room full of very accomplished professors and PhD candidates in the Department of Modern History here. As you might imagine, I was a little bit nervous. And that, my dear friends, is an understatement of epic proportions. You see, I did not actually study history. Ever. I don't know much about methodology, and my understanding of the intricate complexity that is the European past is often a bit on the fuzzy side. So a part of me felt like an impostor, standing in front of a class full of intelligent people under the grand title of "Fulbright Scholar," and presuming that I might be able to teach them anything that they didn't already know.

But to make a long story short, the presentation went better than I could have possibly imagined in my wildest (nerdiest) dreams. After the lecture, and over drinks with my professors, I learned that they will be putting me in contact with the National Archive in Ulm to help with my upcoming research, and that they are interested in having me write an article for the newspaper. Whether or not that actually comes to pass (my family is a bit sensitive about that idea, which I completely understand), I am flattered that they asked. 

And so, without further ado! You can read my lecture, in its entirety, HERE.