Last night I went to one of the coolest hostels in Munich and had a few drinks at the bar there with Patrick and our friends Alex, Marius, and Ben. Shortly after arriving I was sitting alone at a table while Patrick went outside to meet our friends and a blonde girl asked if she could have a seat at the table with me. Hostels are pretty great places to meet people because for the most part everyone is outgoing and always willing to make new friends. She sat across the table from me and I discovered she was from Adelaide, Australia and she had been traveling Europe for the past 4.5 months. Wicked!! I told her how I studied in Australia for a year and we carried on a pretty good conversation until she got tired and went back to her room....she was heading to Scotland in the morning. The next person I got to know was a young guy from India whose name I won't even try to spell but we bonded over the fact that learning German is really difficult. He has been living in Munich for the past year and a half and works as an IT specialist in a French bank...so he doesn't really have to speak German for his job but speaking German, in my opinion, is a necessity if you are going to live in Germany. He hung around for a while and played some pool with Ben and Patrick but after a while he also decided to head out. The coolest part of the night came when 4 guys sat down at the table with Alex and I. They were from Slovakia (and I impressed them with the fact that I knew their capital is Bratislava, haha) but they are all working in Munich at the moment. One of them who spoke very good English asked me where I was from and after I told him Delaware he said "Oh yes, I know Delaware! I used to live in Maryland." Turns out he was a photographer for 6 months in Ocean City, Maryland...the beach I always went to as a kid...and he often took trips to Delaware to go shopping. What a small world! Usually when I tell people I'm from Delaware the next question they ask is where the hell is that? It was just a really awesome experience sharing some drinks with people you wouldn't meet just walking down the street in your hometown. I am in love with how multicultural Europe is!
Oh, and a tiny life update: The family I was an au pair for wasn't the right match for me so I left. Since I don't have a new family yet and can't get an au pair visa before my tourist visa expires I will be heading home in 2 weeks for the holidays and flying back in January to give life in Germany another try! I love this country too much to give up :)
Tschüss!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Settling In
Although I am the type of person who will just pack my bags and head off to a foreign country...it takes me a LONG time to finally start to feel comfortable in a new place. As I mentioned in previous posts, it can be rough looking after kids...especially when sometimes there is a language barrier. Have you ever tried baking a cake with two four-year-olds in a kitchen that is fully equipped with every appliance imaginable but you have no idea where to find anything? My conversations kept going like this:
Me: "Do you know where the mixer is?"
Gloria: "What's a mixer?"
Me: *Uses ridiculous hand motions to try and help them understand*
...acting things out usually results in success,haha.
However, yesterday I finally started to feel like Germany is becoming my home. My host family lives a bit outside of the city so I have access to a car. Driving in any new place is a little scary but for me driving in Germany the first few times was TERRIFYING. I couldn't (and still can't 100%) read the signs, didn't know the traffic laws, some roads are SO narrow, and the speed limits disappear on certain highways so all I see are blurs of color flying past me. But I am learning my way around and starting to feel way more independent. Yesterday I did a shopping trip for my host Mom to the butcher and the bakery. Since I'm still in the beginning stages of my German class I couldn't talk completely in German and instead walked in and asked, "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" (Do you speak English?). Thank goodness the guy behind the counter responded with, "a little bit." He was very nice and I handed him the list my host Mom was kind enough to write...because quite frankly I don't know if I will ever be able to pronounce the meats here. This was the list:
300g (read as dreihundert gram) Kalbsfleischwurst
200g (zweihundert gram) Cervelatwurst
15 (fünfzehn) Schleiben Grunland mit Bärlauch
Yeah...so...definitely an adventure! The bakery trip wasn't as successful...I got the right bread but couldn't get the point across that I needed it sliced. Not a major problem though and the lady behind the counter was extremely sweet. I'm finding that if you at least try to speak a tiny bit of German the people here really respond well to it and try to help as much as they can.
Other than helping with the kids and spending free time with Patrick and other Au Pair friends, three days a week I attend German classes in the morning. The class is really a lot of fun because I'm learning a lot and there are some really cool people in the class (especially my teacher). My class is so international...we have students from Latvia, Kenya, Italy, Oman, Canada, USA, Morocco, Domican Republic, and South Africa.
Okay...that's all for now! It's Saturday morning and I'm going to drive to the lake for a long run! I will update again soon with pictures.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Me: "Do you know where the mixer is?"
Gloria: "What's a mixer?"
Me: *Uses ridiculous hand motions to try and help them understand*
...acting things out usually results in success,haha.
However, yesterday I finally started to feel like Germany is becoming my home. My host family lives a bit outside of the city so I have access to a car. Driving in any new place is a little scary but for me driving in Germany the first few times was TERRIFYING. I couldn't (and still can't 100%) read the signs, didn't know the traffic laws, some roads are SO narrow, and the speed limits disappear on certain highways so all I see are blurs of color flying past me. But I am learning my way around and starting to feel way more independent. Yesterday I did a shopping trip for my host Mom to the butcher and the bakery. Since I'm still in the beginning stages of my German class I couldn't talk completely in German and instead walked in and asked, "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" (Do you speak English?). Thank goodness the guy behind the counter responded with, "a little bit." He was very nice and I handed him the list my host Mom was kind enough to write...because quite frankly I don't know if I will ever be able to pronounce the meats here. This was the list:
300g (read as dreihundert gram) Kalbsfleischwurst
200g (zweihundert gram) Cervelatwurst
15 (fünfzehn) Schleiben Grunland mit Bärlauch
Yeah...so...definitely an adventure! The bakery trip wasn't as successful...I got the right bread but couldn't get the point across that I needed it sliced. Not a major problem though and the lady behind the counter was extremely sweet. I'm finding that if you at least try to speak a tiny bit of German the people here really respond well to it and try to help as much as they can.
Other than helping with the kids and spending free time with Patrick and other Au Pair friends, three days a week I attend German classes in the morning. The class is really a lot of fun because I'm learning a lot and there are some really cool people in the class (especially my teacher). My class is so international...we have students from Latvia, Kenya, Italy, Oman, Canada, USA, Morocco, Domican Republic, and South Africa.
Okay...that's all for now! It's Saturday morning and I'm going to drive to the lake for a long run! I will update again soon with pictures.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Adapt and Commit
Well...I'm officially an au pair! I'm living with a really nice family in Starnberg, Germany and their house is about a 10 minute drive from Patrick's apartment and 25 minutes outside of Munich. To be honest I went into this whole au pair thing with a pretty negative attitude. I knew I wanted to be in Germany to be with Patrick but I was not looking forward to taking care of someone's children...at least that is how I viewed my upcoming job. Being an au pair is necessary though because I am not yet fluent in the German language so without being an au pair it would be really difficult for me to get a visa and I would be kicked out of the country in three months. The first week was ROUGH. It is always awkward and intimidating when you are in a new place...especially if you are living with a foreign family! The German culture is entirely different than American so I am still learning and trying to take this entire experience in.
My first weekend with the family was a bit of a mess. The parents went away to Berlin so I had my first experience with the children alone. I am helping out with twin girls who are 4 years old and they can be quite a handful! To put it simply...it was awful. The girls did not listen to me and there were a few incidents such as my phone being chucked across the room and a ceramic horse being smashed into pieces...but I survived! After that experience I really questioned whether or not I can make it through an entire year. I even called Patrick in tears and told him I cannot be an au pair! However, I had a long chat with the mother and we agreed that it will take some time for the girls to warm up to me and I of course will not be working every weekend nor will be I always be on my own. After that chat I think I had a complete change of heart and mind and realized that this is an incredible experience and opportunity and I should just sit back and enjoy the ride. Plus, aside from the girls being a little bit of a challenge at times, I am so lucky that this family found me because they are so wonderful. Plus, I think I can learn a lot from the mother. She is SO great with her children and always wants to spend time with them which really makes my job a whole lot easier because I only work 5 hours or less a day (aside from the occasional weekend when I'm needed). The Dad is also great...he was outside jumping on the trampoline with the girls a few days ago! So not only am I surrounded by wonderful people but I have a great apartment of my own, a car to use, free food, and German lessons that are paid for (and those start on September 27!).
Some things that I'm finding challenging so far:
1) Meals. Patrick is German and of course eats typical German food but in my eyes he is more like an American so when I stay with him it feels more like home. In a "real" German family's house, however, they eat breakfast...usually muesli or toast with meat and cheese on top, then have a large hot lunch around 1 pm, and then have a cold dinner consisting of bread with either a spread on top or meat and cheese and this is usually later in the evening around 7 or 8 pm. Germans also eat A LOT of pork products.
2) Laundry. Actually, using any appliance with instructions or buttons labeled in German is a bit of a challenge. Last night I did laundry at my family's house and I had no problem with my first load but then the second load got stuck. The washer locks until the cycle is done but I guess I jumped the gun and turned the machine off too quickly and I couldn't get my clothes out! So I turned the knob to see which cycle took the least amount of time and I found one that went for 12 minutes so I set it to that. However, I did not know what "Schleudern" meant so after turning the machine back on and pressing start I ran across the hall to my room to grab the dictionary and make sure I wasn't doing anything weird to my clothes that would ruin them. Thank goodness it only means "to spin" so no damage was done :)
3) Driving. I have only driven once and it went well because I just tested out some back roads by my family's house but I am scared to try the autobahn! No speed limit?! I can smell disaster.
But aside from those few things I really LOVE this country!! I am going to fully commit to being an au pair and really get to know the girls and the family and I am going to work EXTREMELY hard at learning German. I plan to study a lot on my own outside of class and take every opportunity to learn new words.
Plus...it's...OKTOBERFEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes...this is really what it looks like!!! It is the Disney World of beer. I only went for a few hours so I still have a lot to explore and experience at Oktoberfest but my first time was AWESOME. There are different tents...each one with a different type of beer and as soon as you walk in you are surrounded by hundreds (maybe even thousands) of people! My first time I went with Patrick and his two Californian Friends Jooho and Chris, and we immediately got some beers (which are HUGE) and found a spot at a table...which is pretty hard because the tents are so jam packed with people and everyone is drunk and dancing and singing along to the music. But we managed to find a spot, hopped up on the bench, and started dancing around and talking to all of the people around us. That night I met people from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Italy. I can't wait to go back and meet more people and try some awesome German food!
Ich liebe Deutschland!
My first weekend with the family was a bit of a mess. The parents went away to Berlin so I had my first experience with the children alone. I am helping out with twin girls who are 4 years old and they can be quite a handful! To put it simply...it was awful. The girls did not listen to me and there were a few incidents such as my phone being chucked across the room and a ceramic horse being smashed into pieces...but I survived! After that experience I really questioned whether or not I can make it through an entire year. I even called Patrick in tears and told him I cannot be an au pair! However, I had a long chat with the mother and we agreed that it will take some time for the girls to warm up to me and I of course will not be working every weekend nor will be I always be on my own. After that chat I think I had a complete change of heart and mind and realized that this is an incredible experience and opportunity and I should just sit back and enjoy the ride. Plus, aside from the girls being a little bit of a challenge at times, I am so lucky that this family found me because they are so wonderful. Plus, I think I can learn a lot from the mother. She is SO great with her children and always wants to spend time with them which really makes my job a whole lot easier because I only work 5 hours or less a day (aside from the occasional weekend when I'm needed). The Dad is also great...he was outside jumping on the trampoline with the girls a few days ago! So not only am I surrounded by wonderful people but I have a great apartment of my own, a car to use, free food, and German lessons that are paid for (and those start on September 27!).
Some things that I'm finding challenging so far:
1) Meals. Patrick is German and of course eats typical German food but in my eyes he is more like an American so when I stay with him it feels more like home. In a "real" German family's house, however, they eat breakfast...usually muesli or toast with meat and cheese on top, then have a large hot lunch around 1 pm, and then have a cold dinner consisting of bread with either a spread on top or meat and cheese and this is usually later in the evening around 7 or 8 pm. Germans also eat A LOT of pork products.
2) Laundry. Actually, using any appliance with instructions or buttons labeled in German is a bit of a challenge. Last night I did laundry at my family's house and I had no problem with my first load but then the second load got stuck. The washer locks until the cycle is done but I guess I jumped the gun and turned the machine off too quickly and I couldn't get my clothes out! So I turned the knob to see which cycle took the least amount of time and I found one that went for 12 minutes so I set it to that. However, I did not know what "Schleudern" meant so after turning the machine back on and pressing start I ran across the hall to my room to grab the dictionary and make sure I wasn't doing anything weird to my clothes that would ruin them. Thank goodness it only means "to spin" so no damage was done :)
3) Driving. I have only driven once and it went well because I just tested out some back roads by my family's house but I am scared to try the autobahn! No speed limit?! I can smell disaster.
But aside from those few things I really LOVE this country!! I am going to fully commit to being an au pair and really get to know the girls and the family and I am going to work EXTREMELY hard at learning German. I plan to study a lot on my own outside of class and take every opportunity to learn new words.
Plus...it's...OKTOBERFEST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes...this is really what it looks like!!! It is the Disney World of beer. I only went for a few hours so I still have a lot to explore and experience at Oktoberfest but my first time was AWESOME. There are different tents...each one with a different type of beer and as soon as you walk in you are surrounded by hundreds (maybe even thousands) of people! My first time I went with Patrick and his two Californian Friends Jooho and Chris, and we immediately got some beers (which are HUGE) and found a spot at a table...which is pretty hard because the tents are so jam packed with people and everyone is drunk and dancing and singing along to the music. But we managed to find a spot, hopped up on the bench, and started dancing around and talking to all of the people around us. That night I met people from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Italy. I can't wait to go back and meet more people and try some awesome German food!
Ich liebe Deutschland!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Eating Like A Queen
Germany was already impressing me with its beautiful scenery and the plastic bottle deposits that result in absolutely no trash alongside the autobahn or randomly in fields of grass...but there is yet another thing to add to the list of reasons why I am falling more in love with this country each day. Food is so cheap! Let me clarify...by food I do not mean french fries, hamburgers containing mystery meat, or pre-packaged food with little to no nutritional value. I mean fresh vegetables and fruit, meat containing no growth hormones, bread without artificial ingredients or preservatives, and milk without antibiotics. Oh and the coolest part is that on milk and eggs...and probably some other food items as well...there is a stamp that tells you which farm the product came from so you can literally get in your car and drive to the farm. Yesterday Patrick and I went to the grocery store to buy things for dinner and for the rest of the week and it only cost TEN EUROS! We bought chicken breasts, salad greens, tomatoes, fresh mozarella, shredded cheese, peaches, multigrain wraps, sour cream, and some dessert. It's crazy how in the US it costs almost $6 for a gallon of organic milk when you can buy it in Germany for less than 2 euros. It blows my mind how the things that are necessary in life like food and toiletries cost so much in the US...we need to hop aboard the smart train and start following in Germany's footsteps because life is a lot less stressful when you can actually afford to buy food!
Aside from buying fresh ingredients to make all of my favorite meals that I was eating in the US, I've also had the opportunity to try some German\Bavarian things! A few days ago Patrick's mom made an Apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce and it was INCREDIBLE.
It's a pastry filled with apples and it is definitely worth trying if you are ever in Germany!!! His mom (Sabine) also made a Schweinebraten for the whole family which is roasted pork in a gravy and she served it with potato dumplings. She was so sweet and made chicken for me to eat with the gravy and dumplings since I'm not a fan of pork.
It's a Bavarian dish and one of Patrick's favorites...he always misses it when he is away from home for a long time. It tasted so good and like most food I've tried so far...fresh!! Some other things I really love here are Apfelschorle or any schorle...it's 100% juice mixed with sparkling water. For the most part I'm finding that Germans always drink sparkling or bubbly water. The yogurt here is delicious and I'm always overwhelmed in the grocery store because there are SO many different kinds...an entire wall devoted to yogurts. It's like a dreamland. This brand is one of my favorites...so many flavors of yogurt and so many toppings to go in it! 
Oh and the cereal! SOOOO many varieties of müsli!! Again, I'm overwhelmed when trying to pick one out...full grain, less sugar, fruit, chocolate...everything you can imagine!
mmm love me some Dr. Oetker! So to summarize on the food...I love having so many fresh and healthy things at my fingertips! Even the not-so-healthy indulgences like apfelstrudel are made from such fresh ingredients that you don't feel guilty splurging every once and a while! I can't wait to continue trying new things!!
So my first week in Germany has been a complete success and I'm really looking forward to the new adventures I will be having. Staying with Patrick has been amazing since I didn't see him for the entire summer but I will be moving in with my au pair family on September 14th. I get to meet them on Thursday morning though which should be great...can't wait to see who I'll be spending a lot of my time with! The only things I am struggling with so far in Germany are the language (which is to be expected) and the computer keyboard. 
So if you are ever talking to me on facebook chat and I am taking ten years to respond it's probably not because I am busy...I probably can't figure out how to make an exclamation point or something.
Until next time...tschüss!
Friday, August 27, 2010
WAS LOS?! WAS LOS?!
Yeaaahhhhh....finally in Germany!!! After having my first flight changed at the last minute and missing a flight in Paris I finally made it to my boyfriend in Frankfurt. He had apples, granola bars, and a giant bottle of water waiting for me in the backseat along with a blanket and pillows in case I wanted to sleep...such a sweet one!
My first full day in Germany was AWESOME! It was so nice waking up in the Heining house...felt like home! I had breakfast with Patrick and his brother, Thorsten, and then we headed to Starnberg (3 hours away) where Patrick's apartment is. After dropping off our stuff we were on our way...to...BLINK 182!!!!!!!! I had been waiting for this moment for so stinking long. I was so bummed when Blink broke up because I hadn't seen them in concert...so when they got back together I was stoked to finally get a chance! However, I had just moved to Australia when they got back together so I completely missed their US comeback tour. Thank goodness they decided to head to Europe :)
Me, Thorsti, Patz, and Fabi (Patrick's best friend) made our way to the Chiemsee Rocks Festival where Madsen, Billy Talent, and BLINKKKK played. It sort of felt like home aside from the beautiful mountains surrounding us and the giant pretzels, schnitzel, and bratwurst being sold by every vendor. As soon as we got to the festival there were drunk people EVERYWHERE. There was a small grocery store near the entrance of the festival and so many drunk kids were inside buying last minute supplies of beer and food. Once we got inside...at around 4 pm...the 5 hour countdown began until Blink hit the stage. We watched some other bands while we waited and hung out in the biergarten (beer garden). The coolest thing at the festival was that when you buy a drink it comes in a large plastic cup and if you return this cup you get a 1 euro deposit. So Patz found 7 cups that people had dropped by accident and we were all able to buy water...free drinks! This idea is so genius...I don't know why we don't do it in the US...it's so much better for the environment!
Finally 9pm rolled around and Blink hit the stage. I don't know any other word to describe it besides...AMAZING. After they played their first three songs Mark Hoppus paused the show for a bit to point out that one of the guys in the front row had been to every concert on their European tour. So what does Mark Hoppus do? HE GAVE THE KID HIS BASS GUITAR!!! How freaking awesome. I would have passed out from excitement. Patz is 6 foot 3 so he kept picking me up during my favorite songs so I could get a perfect view of the stage. SO.MUCH.FUN!!! The crowd was pretty tame for the most part until this drunk German girl decided she wanted to jump all over the place like an idiot...and not just normal jumping up and down. More like jumping 5 feet side to side. Well after she almost knocked me down a few times I told her she needs to jump away from me and not to do it again. Patz also told her and Thorsti too. Welllll maybe this wasn't the best idea because she got super pissed and came up to me shouting WAS LOS?! WAS LOS?! That's like what's up or what's the problem. I just kept speaking English to her which I'm sure pissed her off even more but in order to avoid getting punched in the face on my first full day in Germany I moved away from her. Then the coolest part of the concert was the encore! Travis Barker came out and did his drum solo to a hip hop song and the whole time he was on a moving platform that flipped upside down.
Then at the very end of the show a kid somehow managed to get on stage and he gave Tom DeLonge a hug, danced across the stage towards Mark, and then got snatched up by the security. It was so funny. End of day 2 :)
One of the next posts will definitely have to be about the amazing food they have here. I've only been here for a total of 3 days and I am in love. You know you are in Germany when they have bratwurst and Apfelschorle (100% apple juice mixed with sparkling water) at McDonald's. Oh and yesterday we came back to Patrick's hometown of Waldershof where his parents live and I went on a run through the Bavarian woods. There is a small paved road that goes for miles and miles and is surrounded by a national park. It was so beautiful and so relaxing.
Until next time... :) Tschuss!
My first full day in Germany was AWESOME! It was so nice waking up in the Heining house...felt like home! I had breakfast with Patrick and his brother, Thorsten, and then we headed to Starnberg (3 hours away) where Patrick's apartment is. After dropping off our stuff we were on our way...to...BLINK 182!!!!!!!! I had been waiting for this moment for so stinking long. I was so bummed when Blink broke up because I hadn't seen them in concert...so when they got back together I was stoked to finally get a chance! However, I had just moved to Australia when they got back together so I completely missed their US comeback tour. Thank goodness they decided to head to Europe :)
Me, Thorsti, Patz, and Fabi (Patrick's best friend) made our way to the Chiemsee Rocks Festival where Madsen, Billy Talent, and BLINKKKK played. It sort of felt like home aside from the beautiful mountains surrounding us and the giant pretzels, schnitzel, and bratwurst being sold by every vendor. As soon as we got to the festival there were drunk people EVERYWHERE. There was a small grocery store near the entrance of the festival and so many drunk kids were inside buying last minute supplies of beer and food. Once we got inside...at around 4 pm...the 5 hour countdown began until Blink hit the stage. We watched some other bands while we waited and hung out in the biergarten (beer garden). The coolest thing at the festival was that when you buy a drink it comes in a large plastic cup and if you return this cup you get a 1 euro deposit. So Patz found 7 cups that people had dropped by accident and we were all able to buy water...free drinks! This idea is so genius...I don't know why we don't do it in the US...it's so much better for the environment!
Finally 9pm rolled around and Blink hit the stage. I don't know any other word to describe it besides...AMAZING. After they played their first three songs Mark Hoppus paused the show for a bit to point out that one of the guys in the front row had been to every concert on their European tour. So what does Mark Hoppus do? HE GAVE THE KID HIS BASS GUITAR!!! How freaking awesome. I would have passed out from excitement. Patz is 6 foot 3 so he kept picking me up during my favorite songs so I could get a perfect view of the stage. SO.MUCH.FUN!!! The crowd was pretty tame for the most part until this drunk German girl decided she wanted to jump all over the place like an idiot...and not just normal jumping up and down. More like jumping 5 feet side to side. Well after she almost knocked me down a few times I told her she needs to jump away from me and not to do it again. Patz also told her and Thorsti too. Welllll maybe this wasn't the best idea because she got super pissed and came up to me shouting WAS LOS?! WAS LOS?! That's like what's up or what's the problem. I just kept speaking English to her which I'm sure pissed her off even more but in order to avoid getting punched in the face on my first full day in Germany I moved away from her. Then the coolest part of the concert was the encore! Travis Barker came out and did his drum solo to a hip hop song and the whole time he was on a moving platform that flipped upside down.
One of the next posts will definitely have to be about the amazing food they have here. I've only been here for a total of 3 days and I am in love. You know you are in Germany when they have bratwurst and Apfelschorle (100% apple juice mixed with sparkling water) at McDonald's. Oh and yesterday we came back to Patrick's hometown of Waldershof where his parents live and I went on a run through the Bavarian woods. There is a small paved road that goes for miles and miles and is surrounded by a national park. It was so beautiful and so relaxing.
Until next time... :) Tschuss!
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