Good morning Family and Friends!
The adventure continues and there never seems to be a boring day here. A day doesn’t go by where I don’t learn or experience something new or get in trouble for doing something wrong. I have gotten to the point where I just smile and try to hold back the laughs. I have decided my friends was right when she said some people require a little extra grace. I think my German family falls under that category, but it sure does make for some interesting stories and experiences.
Omg…I think I have found the terrorist Melanie was worried about getting into the house and it is MAXIMILIAN…he is a terror!!! The main problem is he is ROTEN to the core. You can’t touch ANY of his stuff or even sit on his bed or he gets ANGERY and runs to the item and quickly takes it from you, pushes you off or attempts to physically hit you. I had to get very harsh with him this morning after I touched his bank and he tried to hit me? I don’t know who he thinks he is? He also poked my egg with the sharp knife and wouldn’t stop until I physically took it from him. He is incredibly loud, yells in the house, jerks electric plugs out of the wall when he is mad and tries to spray me with the Axe deo until grab the can from him.
This morning Maxi and I had a run-in at breakfast time. The kitchen table was set for his birthday party this afternoon. And when I say “set” it consisted of a paper plate, napkin and cup. I carefully moved 2 of the plates so we could eat breakfast at the table. I was at the stove cooking and the next thing I know Maxi is yelling and stomping around the kitchen. He was angry I had set the table for us to eat and said I was going to get in trouble with his mom. He grabbed all the stuff and moved it to the kitchen counter. I asked him where he thought we were going to eat. He quickly informed me we were going to eat breakfast while standing in the kitchen. I didn’t go for the whole standing and eating breakfast; especially when there was a perfectly nice table available. So, I set him a place on the kitchen counter where he could stand and eat and I cleared one spot at the kitchen table for me to eat. You would have thought I had gone and turned the table upside down and it was the end of the world. Maxi got very anger and started stomping around the house and got a kitchen dish towel and started slinging and throwing it around. He made an angry and wouldn’t look at me; I guess he thought it would hurt my feelings. The hardest part was trying not to laugh. I ate a wonderful peaceful breakfast at the kitchen table while Maxi stood alone and in the kitchen. I think he got a little lonely in the kitchen and about 5 minutes later started being nice again. I don’t think he is use to not getting what he wants?! I am not too concerned if the worse thing I get in trouble for today is eating at the kitchen table.
Another interesting story…I had been riding bikes with Thomas’ (the dad I live with) sister. She had been letting me ride Thomas’ dad’s bike and said it was okay. It was nothing special and a normal 10-speed bike. One morning I was heading out of the driveway for a bike ride and saw Thomas’ dad and waved and said hi. The next day I received an email from the sister asking me NOT to use her dad’s bike anymore. She said her dad had asked her to tell me “he loves it very much and it was very special to him” and not to use it anymore. Now I know where Maximilian gets his sharing issues!
With all that being said I am happy to write I only have 2 more weeks working for the Schmid family and will be moving to Munich on November 18th. I talked with the Au Pair organization and they have agreed and support my decision of ending my contract early. They feel this is not a normal Au Pair living experience and thinks this is not an Au Pair type of family. The final straw was when I started having safety issues with the little boy and not having the parent’s support. They told me it was “normal” behavior for Maximilian. I became very concerned he was going to get hurt while I was caring for him and didn’t want the liability. The family handled the news very well and I think were even a little relieved…I don’t think they like someone else living in their house with them? As of Nov. 18th I will be living with a wonderful American couple from Atlanta, GA in Munich until I return to the US December 18th! I am going to do some dog/house sitting for them in November while they travel and then plan on going to Switzerland and London for 1 week each before heading home. I am very glad I have gotten the opportunity to live abroad for 4 months, but will be very glad to be back in the US and spending Christmas with family and friends.
Will keep you posted on my next 4 weeks in Europe and hope to see you all in December!!
Love
Jess
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jessica's Europe Adventures - Vol. 1
Greetings Family and Friends!! I wanted to update everyone on how and what I was doing in Germany:) I can't believe I have been living here 8 weeks as of today. Some days it seems like the time is flying while others seem like I won't be home soon enough. It has already been an amazing journey filled with wonderful and surprising memories!
My relationship with my German family is still difficult and challenging but improving. Maximilian (the 6 year old little boy) and I have a great relationship and enjoy planning together. He kind of reminds me of a German version of Denise the Menace! Maximilian's new favorite game is to get my exercise bands (they are like big rubber bands) and for us to turn on the radio and dance around the house each morning before school! I can't dance to save my life but Maxi doesn't care.I love kid's unconditional love. Lol! And before anyone ask, no I will not be sending out videos of our morning performances! My German is improving but still very poor. Maxi and I have created our own dialect where he uses the English words he knows and I use the German words I know. I think his parent's think it is weird, but it works and we are able to communicate and I am able to get him to do what I need.sometimes. He is a very strong headed and spoiled child and is about to get a rude awakening when his mother has a baby in 3 months. The parent's found out the sex of the baby 3 weeks ago but aren't telling anyone. While cleaning this morning I found all the baby stuff they have been gathering and.it is a GIRL! Now I have to be quiet about this information. Maxi is a mama's boy and has already said he didn't want a sister so it should be interesting seeing how he reacts to the new baby.
Some interesting stories and experiences with my German family.
*In Germany when the weather is nice outside everyone opens their doors and windows. I hadn't been opening my window because I would get so cold. After the dad talked to me for the second time about opening my window I figured I better start do it. So, I made it part of my morning routine and made sure to open the doors and windows. After Maxi got home one afternoon we went outside in the back yard to play. About an hour later the mom (Melanie) arrived home and called us up to the house. I was NOT greeted with a "Hi, how was your day" or "good to see you" it was "Jessica, did you open the doors?" Of course I proudly responded yes, but Melanie respond a little differently than I had planned. She said, "Jessica, you could have let terrorist into the house!" Still a little confused about the situation I asked "I thought I was suppose to open the doors?" Then quickly found out I was NOT suppose to leave the doors open when we are playing in the yard because it was "dangerous" and "terrorist could get into the house!" But, it was okay to leave them open when we were in the house? Go figure.it is okay to let the terrorist into the house as long as we are in it? I was really hard not to start laughing and I tried to be polite and respect the house rules on keeping terrorist out of the house.
*Last week we had a day when it was raining off and on throughout the day. When it rains I am suppose to walk to the bus stop and pick up Maxi with an umbrella. I was fixing lunch about 10 minutes before the bus came and decided to open one of the curtains in the kitchen so I could see if it was raining and if I needed to go get Maxi with the umbrella. I ended up not having to go get Maxi and decided to leave the curtains cracked so we could have a little sunlight in the kitchen while eating lunch. Thomas (the dad) arrived home while I was cleaning up after lunch and called me over to the curtains. I went over to the curtains having no clue what he wanted. He had called me over there for a "curtain placement lesson!" He said that unless the door was open the curtains were to be closed and then continued to show me how to precisely place the curtains shut.I am not kidding! So, if I am ever at your house and you see me adjusting your curtains don't worry I am very experienced and have had German training!
*Yesterday Maxi and I were building a sled at his grandfather's barn and several pieces of wood were too long, so Maxi grabbed the electric hand saw and preceded to plug it into the wall. I freaked out and was trying to stop him and trying to explain that it was very dangerous and he could cut off one of his fingers. Maxi kept telling me it was okay and he was allowed to use it; I just thought he was taking advantage of the situation of me not knowing all the rules. A few minutes later his grandfather walked into the barn and didn't seemed surprised to see Maxi with the electric hand saw? I asked him if it was okay for Maxi to be using it and he said yes it was okay? Really.a 6 year old using a electric hand saw?? Sorry if I offend anyone and you let your 6 year olds use electric equipment with enough power to chop off their fingers, but I don't think it is crazy and not a good idea! Thanks goodness everyone still had all their fingers when we finished building the sleigh!
Please don't get me wrong.I am having a great time and use all these little experiences as comic relief. I have also talked to a lot Germans and other people here and they say this is NOT a normal or typical German family.
I mainly work Monday - Friday and have the weekends off to travel. Last weekend I went to Salzburg, Austria and Fussen, Germany to the Neuschwanstein Castle. It was an amazing and unforgettable weekend. I went with an English speaking tour out of Munich and made friends with two Australian girls. They had spend the last 4 months working at camps in the US and were spending 2 months traveling around Europe before going home. The weather was awful in Salzburg; rainy, cold and terrible visibility. Even though the weather was bad we had a blast! I got to see several Sound of Music sights, a couple of Mozart's house, several churches and we hiked up to the originally Abby Marie had lived at. When we arrived back in Munich from Salzburg the Aussie girls talked me into getting a bed at the hostel where they were staying (I got the last bed); we were all going on the Neuschwanstein Castle tour together the next morning. So, I spent the night at my first hostel and shared a room with 5 other girls that I didn't know.it was a little strange but a cool experience. That night we ate dinner at Hard Rock Café and it was wonderful.it was my first "American" meal in almost 2 months.I was real adventurous and had a chicken creaser salad.
The next morning we headed to Neuschwansteain Castle; it was an 2 hour train ride from Munich. We went with another English speaking tour group with about 20 people. When we arrived at the base of the mountain of the castle it started snowing! The buses had stopped running that day because of the snow and safety reason. So, if you wanted to see the castle you had to hike up this huge mountain! It was long and steep but worth every step when we reached the top! It was like I was in a fairy tale.there was snow, mountains and beauty everywhere!! It was breath taking! We took a tour of the castle and then hiked back down the mountain and headed back to Munich. Our tour guide recommend a little Italian restaurant for me and the Aussie girls to eat at "near" the train station. We figured out 2 other Aussie groups from our tour were going to the restaurant too and we all went together; it was me, the 2 Aussie girls, 3 guys and 2 older ladies (grandmother age). We started heading in the direction where the tour guide had told us to go and quickly realized we were in a shady part of downtown Munich and on the "Sex club" street...it was hilarious watching the two older ladies eyes get bigger and bigger! I was very glad we hadn't gone by ourselves and had the guys with us! After wondering around for about 15 minutes we found the restaurant. It was great.it was like a little whole in the wall place with an authentic atmosphere and food. We all had a blast sharing our traveling stories and hanging out:)
The weather has gotten much cooler over the last few weeks and we even had a few snow showers last week. The highs are in the 40s and lows in the 30s. It is suppose to warm up to in the 50s next week.
The food here is amazing!!! The mom I live with is a wonderful cook and her grandmother cooks lunch for us several times a week. The grandmother cooks real authentic German foods! She cooks a lot of pastas with meats in very rich sauces, wonderful juicy meatloaf and tons of different soups. The foods are very salty but good. We also eat a lot of fresh bread and meats (mainly pork) and some fruits (bananas and apples). I am going to have to start running a lot if I keep eating all of this amazing food!
Hope everyone is doing well back home and would love to hear how you are doing!! Miss you all and can't wait to see everyone when I get home!!
My relationship with my German family is still difficult and challenging but improving. Maximilian (the 6 year old little boy) and I have a great relationship and enjoy planning together. He kind of reminds me of a German version of Denise the Menace! Maximilian's new favorite game is to get my exercise bands (they are like big rubber bands) and for us to turn on the radio and dance around the house each morning before school! I can't dance to save my life but Maxi doesn't care.I love kid's unconditional love. Lol! And before anyone ask, no I will not be sending out videos of our morning performances! My German is improving but still very poor. Maxi and I have created our own dialect where he uses the English words he knows and I use the German words I know. I think his parent's think it is weird, but it works and we are able to communicate and I am able to get him to do what I need.sometimes. He is a very strong headed and spoiled child and is about to get a rude awakening when his mother has a baby in 3 months. The parent's found out the sex of the baby 3 weeks ago but aren't telling anyone. While cleaning this morning I found all the baby stuff they have been gathering and.it is a GIRL! Now I have to be quiet about this information. Maxi is a mama's boy and has already said he didn't want a sister so it should be interesting seeing how he reacts to the new baby.
Some interesting stories and experiences with my German family.
*In Germany when the weather is nice outside everyone opens their doors and windows. I hadn't been opening my window because I would get so cold. After the dad talked to me for the second time about opening my window I figured I better start do it. So, I made it part of my morning routine and made sure to open the doors and windows. After Maxi got home one afternoon we went outside in the back yard to play. About an hour later the mom (Melanie) arrived home and called us up to the house. I was NOT greeted with a "Hi, how was your day" or "good to see you" it was "Jessica, did you open the doors?" Of course I proudly responded yes, but Melanie respond a little differently than I had planned. She said, "Jessica, you could have let terrorist into the house!" Still a little confused about the situation I asked "I thought I was suppose to open the doors?" Then quickly found out I was NOT suppose to leave the doors open when we are playing in the yard because it was "dangerous" and "terrorist could get into the house!" But, it was okay to leave them open when we were in the house? Go figure.it is okay to let the terrorist into the house as long as we are in it? I was really hard not to start laughing and I tried to be polite and respect the house rules on keeping terrorist out of the house.
*Last week we had a day when it was raining off and on throughout the day. When it rains I am suppose to walk to the bus stop and pick up Maxi with an umbrella. I was fixing lunch about 10 minutes before the bus came and decided to open one of the curtains in the kitchen so I could see if it was raining and if I needed to go get Maxi with the umbrella. I ended up not having to go get Maxi and decided to leave the curtains cracked so we could have a little sunlight in the kitchen while eating lunch. Thomas (the dad) arrived home while I was cleaning up after lunch and called me over to the curtains. I went over to the curtains having no clue what he wanted. He had called me over there for a "curtain placement lesson!" He said that unless the door was open the curtains were to be closed and then continued to show me how to precisely place the curtains shut.I am not kidding! So, if I am ever at your house and you see me adjusting your curtains don't worry I am very experienced and have had German training!
*Yesterday Maxi and I were building a sled at his grandfather's barn and several pieces of wood were too long, so Maxi grabbed the electric hand saw and preceded to plug it into the wall. I freaked out and was trying to stop him and trying to explain that it was very dangerous and he could cut off one of his fingers. Maxi kept telling me it was okay and he was allowed to use it; I just thought he was taking advantage of the situation of me not knowing all the rules. A few minutes later his grandfather walked into the barn and didn't seemed surprised to see Maxi with the electric hand saw? I asked him if it was okay for Maxi to be using it and he said yes it was okay? Really.a 6 year old using a electric hand saw?? Sorry if I offend anyone and you let your 6 year olds use electric equipment with enough power to chop off their fingers, but I don't think it is crazy and not a good idea! Thanks goodness everyone still had all their fingers when we finished building the sleigh!
Please don't get me wrong.I am having a great time and use all these little experiences as comic relief. I have also talked to a lot Germans and other people here and they say this is NOT a normal or typical German family.
I mainly work Monday - Friday and have the weekends off to travel. Last weekend I went to Salzburg, Austria and Fussen, Germany to the Neuschwanstein Castle. It was an amazing and unforgettable weekend. I went with an English speaking tour out of Munich and made friends with two Australian girls. They had spend the last 4 months working at camps in the US and were spending 2 months traveling around Europe before going home. The weather was awful in Salzburg; rainy, cold and terrible visibility. Even though the weather was bad we had a blast! I got to see several Sound of Music sights, a couple of Mozart's house, several churches and we hiked up to the originally Abby Marie had lived at. When we arrived back in Munich from Salzburg the Aussie girls talked me into getting a bed at the hostel where they were staying (I got the last bed); we were all going on the Neuschwanstein Castle tour together the next morning. So, I spent the night at my first hostel and shared a room with 5 other girls that I didn't know.it was a little strange but a cool experience. That night we ate dinner at Hard Rock Café and it was wonderful.it was my first "American" meal in almost 2 months.I was real adventurous and had a chicken creaser salad.
The next morning we headed to Neuschwansteain Castle; it was an 2 hour train ride from Munich. We went with another English speaking tour group with about 20 people. When we arrived at the base of the mountain of the castle it started snowing! The buses had stopped running that day because of the snow and safety reason. So, if you wanted to see the castle you had to hike up this huge mountain! It was long and steep but worth every step when we reached the top! It was like I was in a fairy tale.there was snow, mountains and beauty everywhere!! It was breath taking! We took a tour of the castle and then hiked back down the mountain and headed back to Munich. Our tour guide recommend a little Italian restaurant for me and the Aussie girls to eat at "near" the train station. We figured out 2 other Aussie groups from our tour were going to the restaurant too and we all went together; it was me, the 2 Aussie girls, 3 guys and 2 older ladies (grandmother age). We started heading in the direction where the tour guide had told us to go and quickly realized we were in a shady part of downtown Munich and on the "Sex club" street...it was hilarious watching the two older ladies eyes get bigger and bigger! I was very glad we hadn't gone by ourselves and had the guys with us! After wondering around for about 15 minutes we found the restaurant. It was great.it was like a little whole in the wall place with an authentic atmosphere and food. We all had a blast sharing our traveling stories and hanging out:)
The weather has gotten much cooler over the last few weeks and we even had a few snow showers last week. The highs are in the 40s and lows in the 30s. It is suppose to warm up to in the 50s next week.
The food here is amazing!!! The mom I live with is a wonderful cook and her grandmother cooks lunch for us several times a week. The grandmother cooks real authentic German foods! She cooks a lot of pastas with meats in very rich sauces, wonderful juicy meatloaf and tons of different soups. The foods are very salty but good. We also eat a lot of fresh bread and meats (mainly pork) and some fruits (bananas and apples). I am going to have to start running a lot if I keep eating all of this amazing food!
Hope everyone is doing well back home and would love to hear how you are doing!! Miss you all and can't wait to see everyone when I get home!!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
I am off to Junkenhofen, Germany…5,000 miles from home!
Day 1 – I haven’t even left the country and I have already gotten in trouble! It really wasn’t my fault and I blame the airlines. Seriously, how does a girl pack 8 months worth of winter clothes into 2 bags weighting under 50 ibs? One bag weighed 50 pounds and the second 71 pounds…it was almost bigger than my sister Anna. We probably could have fit her in the bag:) I had to pay $150 dollar overage fee before they would let me check my bag.
After barely surviving checking my bags I got stopped at the security check. Apparently I had too much stuff in my backpack (there wasn’t a weight limit on it so I was able to pack in almost 30 pounds). Come to find out my computer camera was causing the issue; I had been cheap and packed it in a sock. For some reason the sock caused a weird read on the x-ray machine and then the security girl thought it looked very suspicious being packed in a sock. Come on…it was just a sock with a black object and cord inside!
After boarding the plane I quickly realized my 30 pound backpack wouldn’t fit under my seat or overhead. So I waited until everyone had boarded the plane and then found two empty seats beside each other in the very front row of the plane. My backpack quickly took on a name and became “Swiss” my traveling companion. I sat Swiss in the seat right beside me, put the seatbelt on him and then covered him with my large winter coat so it would look like he was a small child sleeping. I kept thinking the flight attendant would say something, but she never did? So off Swiss and I went on the European Adventure of our life!
After barely surviving checking my bags I got stopped at the security check. Apparently I had too much stuff in my backpack (there wasn’t a weight limit on it so I was able to pack in almost 30 pounds). Come to find out my computer camera was causing the issue; I had been cheap and packed it in a sock. For some reason the sock caused a weird read on the x-ray machine and then the security girl thought it looked very suspicious being packed in a sock. Come on…it was just a sock with a black object and cord inside!
After boarding the plane I quickly realized my 30 pound backpack wouldn’t fit under my seat or overhead. So I waited until everyone had boarded the plane and then found two empty seats beside each other in the very front row of the plane. My backpack quickly took on a name and became “Swiss” my traveling companion. I sat Swiss in the seat right beside me, put the seatbelt on him and then covered him with my large winter coat so it would look like he was a small child sleeping. I kept thinking the flight attendant would say something, but she never did? So off Swiss and I went on the European Adventure of our life!
The Beginning
For the last few months I have tried to convince my family and friends I was moving to Germany for 8 months to work, but after no success I eventually gave up and came to the conclusion I was taking an 8 month European vacation! I got the idea to be an Au Pair from a movie I saw on ABC family many years ago…it looked like a fun idea; travel to different countries, learn about different cultures, play with children and get paid! So after months of research and preparation I am off to Junkenhofen, Germany to be an Au Pair!
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